Summoning/Calling Better Critters

[g3taso]

Hey folks, I've been checking out the Summon Monster spells, Summon Undead, Planar Binding, Planar Ally and so forth. I've checked out various handbooks, but I'm not happy. It's all about getting new lists of monsters. Really? No really good feats? Indispensable items?

Let's set aside any prestige class bennies and concentrate on feats, items and spells that really help get a summoner (caller, planar binder, planar ally et al) duly tricked out. Setting aside any prestige classes bennies, what do we got? I seem to recall a feat that let you summon 4HD more critters, but I can't find it? Aren't there other feats that add more critters? More hit dice? Any spells or items that really are indispensable?

[noob]

I do remember of some feat increasing armor or stats of summoned stuff but it was always +4 alteration bonus(does not stacks with all the bonuses of your auras and etc).
But I think that if you want summoning better stuff the first thing is to use portal or contract and give awesome stuff to your normal summons(like cape of resistance and stats giving items) and so they keep the items and they have them each time you use summon monster XXX.
It works better than most of the summoning stat boost bonuses feats making them useless unless spending feats for economizing money is an good tactic(Which is true if you are never going to use your character at high level but sometimes you are surprised by the fate of the character and the events).

[Venger]

Hey folks, I've been checking out the Summon Monster spells, Summon Undead, Planar Binding, Planar Ally and so forth. I've checked out various handbooks, but I'm not happy. It's all about getting new lists of monsters. Really? No really good feats? Indispensable items?

Let's set aside any prestige class bennies and concentrate on feats, items and spells that really help get a summoner (caller, planar binder, planar ally et al) duly tricked out. Setting aside any prestige classes bennies, what do we got? I seem to recall a feat that let you summon 4HD more critters, but I can't find it? Aren't there other feats that add more critters? More hit dice? Any spells or items that really are indispensable?

here's some handbooks to get you started. leaving off zceryll's summon list since you apparently don't want lists of monsters.

there's a lot of feats to help summoners detailed below:

mastering the malconvoker (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1131936)

summoning handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=11186)

be careful in your further research to always say "summoning" and not "summoner." that's the name of a pf class.

[Bad Wolf]

Demon Mastery give you +2 on Charisma checks when using Planar Binding, and you Summon demons at +1 caster level.

[Uncle Pine]

Dragon #302 has an article about expanding Summon Monster's and Summone Nature's Ally's lists.