Agument Summoning thought

[TheElfLord]

So one of my players is making a druid for an upcoming game, and one of my other players sugested taking augment summoning. Sounds like a good idea, making summons bigger and so forth. The problem is, augment summoning requires spell focus conjuration. Of hand i don't know of any conjuration druid spells that have a save DC, though i'm not the best with spells.

Working within the core and the completes, would spell focus conjuration be useful to a druid? Or is it just a feat spent to get a much better feat?

[The Glyphstone]

Well...there's Creeping Cold and Cometfall, I think they were printed in Complete Divine, and I believe they're both conjurations. High level ones though.

[Kantolin]

Insofar as core, there are... well... not very many druid conjuration spells that require a save.

Fortitude ones are all harmless, but:
Delay Poison
Regenerate
Remove Disease

And the Will-save ones are also harmless, unless assaulting undead:
All the Cures
Heal
Neutralize Poison
Word of Recall

So your only real hope is the Reflex-save requiring:
Fire Seeds

In core, anyway. It's a feat to get a much better feat, or qualify for some prerequisites.

[Iku Rex]

Useful website for this sort of thing (core only): http://www.penpaperpixel.org/tools/d20spellfilter/ .

[Nerd-o-rama]

Core Druid spells with Saving Throws:

Cure X Wounds and Heal, when cast on something it will harm (will half)
Fire Seeds (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/fireSeeds.htm) (both versions allow some subjects to make Reflex saves)
Storm of Vengeance (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/stormofVengeance.htm)'s lightning bolts

That's it. Everything else is No Save or always harmless.

A Cleric's list is even shorter, having just the healing spells and Plane Shift. Sorcerers and Wizards get the more impressive Cloudkill, Stinking Cloud, Glitterdust, several teleportation effects, Incendiary Cloud, Speia Snake Sigil, and Web.

In other words, SF: Conjuration is basically useless except as a prerequisite for a very good feat.

[Awetugiw]

Well, the +1 to DC is of course still not that impressive, but for an undead hunter I think spell focus (conjuration) is actually a pretty decent feat in itself.

Of course for that a cleric works quite a lot better than a druid, so for a druid it really isn't such a good feat in itself...

If the druid has a way to get Lesser Planer Ally (I can't currently think of one, but I'm pretty sure there is), thaumaturgist is also a pretty good way to get the augment summoning feat. You still need the Spell Focus (conjuration), but since it is the level 3 and 4 abilities you really want, the Augment Summoning at level 2 is a nice extra.

[CASTLEMIKE]

If the druid has a way to get Lesser Planer Ally (I can't currently think of one, but I'm pretty sure there is), thaumaturgist is also a pretty good way to get the augment summoning feat. You still need the Spell Focus (conjuration), but since it is the level 3 and 4 abilities you really want, the Augment Summoning at level 2 is a nice extra.


Taking the Summoner Domain will do the trick.

[MrNexx]

Working within the core and the completes, would spell focus conjuration be useful to a druid? Or is it just a feat spent to get a much better feat?

Pretty much, it is a feat spent to get a better feat. But if you're planning on summoning a lot, it's a very worthwhile feat to spend. Giving everything +2 to hit and +2 to damage, as well as +2 HP/HD is a great bonus, and one you'll seldom regret.