Summon Monster Question

[kalos72]

I have recently read a post here that implied that a Summoned Monster might pull that monster from the local population versus the summoned monster be magically created anew.

Is that correct?

[Psyren]

It pulls it from somewhere (because it is [summoning], not [creation]) but it's coming from another plane so I'm not certain what you mean by "local population."

[kalos72]

In another thread I mentioned I wanted a magic item that would "call" or "attract" trolls.

One reply was to just use Summons and summons trolls versus attracting them from a particular area to clear the area of trolls. I assumed, maybe wrongfully so, the intent was that the Summon series could draw out from the local population of trolls instead of pulling from another plane.

I mean I guess there is some logic, why pull from another plane when there is the same monster 2miles away in the Evermoors?

[Psyren]

I can't speak to your custom item - my impression from the thread title was that you were talking about the Summon Monster spell itself.

A custom summoning spell could theoretically bring a creature that is on your plane but somewhere else to your location and then send it away again (unharmed) when the spell ends or when it "dies." I'd recommend finding such a spell as precedent.

[kalos72]

So you think you could make a custom spell that only use local, say 50mile radius samples of the summon versus bringing them in from other planes?

I would later want to turn that into an item yes but the idea of how the Summons spell line works was my initial focus here.

[Psyren]

The summon spell line focuses on other planes, so that's not the template you want to use, is my point. You'll want a summoning spell that specifically pulls from (elsewhere on) the material plane. I'm just not sure what that would be.


This spell summons an extraplanar creature (typically an outsider, elemental, or magical beast native to another plane).

[kalos72]

Is a troll native to another plane?

I get your point Psyren, thank you. :)

[KillianHawkeye]

Is a troll native to another plane?

Trolls are native to the Material Plane. Anyway, the point is that summon spells get their creatures from a different plane regardless of which one you are currently on, so no matter what they aren't going to pull from the "local population". In fact, I assume that it works that way specifically so the caster doesn't have to worry about whether or not a desired creature exists locally and can just summon whatever they need wherever and whenever want it.

[Psyren]

Is a troll native to another plane?

I get your point Psyren, thank you. :)

The basic one is not. You could summon, say, a Fiendish Troll that comes from the Abyss, but not a normal one (unless, as I mentioned, you find an example of a spell specifically designed to do something like that and borrow its wording for your custom item.)

If your goal is to make an item that attracts existing trolls, that sounds more like Enchantment - see spells like Sympathy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/sympathy.htm) for wording you can use. (In fact, the Sympathy spell itself can do this, but it's pretty high level and the range isn't great - both disadvantages you could probably offset by making your item specific to trolls or even a specific type of troll.)

[ShurikVch]

Note: Call of Cthulhu d20 have Contact Creatute spell
"The creatures come under their own power..."
It calls 1 HD/CL cteatures, and have range 50 miles/CL
In the official D&D adaptation section, this spell is Conjuration [calling], Sorcerer/Wizard 6 (level varies depending on monster), and costs 100 XP

[DrMotives]

The idea is that the monsters summoned are astral projections, bound to serve the caster for the spell's duration. This explains why the monster has no permanent harm from the spell, it's actually a body made by local atoms inhabited by a extra-planar soul.

[kalos72]

I have some of the Call of Cthulhu d20 but where is Contact Creature located?

Sympathy has the exact idea but the range is horrible, how could you increase it to miles?

Both great ideas, thanks for the help.

[Bullet06320]

there's always halaster's fetch spell line from city of splendors, that's a calling version of summon monster

you could use the spell research rules to create your own version that summons critters from the local area