Deathtongue
2019-08-29, 10:42 PM
1) As of the Essentials Rules Companion, everything can do a basic attack. There's no special command most of the time for summon creatures to do THE basic attack, but if you're able to give the right command (typically a standard action) they can take it. If you don't believe this is RAW and RAI, the rest of this post isn't going to help.
2.) However, unless a summoned creature has a command to do a basic attack it's likely to be garbage even if you command it to make one. First of all, it's vs. AC and they're not going to be getting weapon proficiency. Secondly, it's also very likely that the arcane summoner has an awful strength and dexterity score unless they're a Sorcerer or a Swordmage, and Sorcerers and Swordmages don't natively get arcane summoning powers. Essentials summoned monsters come with basic attacks, but since these summoning powers don't have the implement keyword and don't get the various implement goodies like Frostcheese, Dragonshards, etc. the damage is very limited.
3.) There are some creatures that don't have any special commands for basic attacks but still have the Implement keyword. This is VERY important. If you're something like a INT/STR Genasi Wizard, you can technically spend standard actions (unless you're under something like Rush of Battle) to order it to make basic attacks. You'd normally never want to do this unless you had something like a Warlord in the party.
4.) There's a magical item known as the Demonomicon. Here's the text: Utility Power * Encounter (Free Action) Trigger: You use an arcane summoning power. Effect: The summoned creature’s origin changes to elemental, and it gains the demon keyword. The summoned creature gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls and a +4 power bonus to damage rolls. In addition, if the creature normally does nothing if you end your turn without giving it a command, it instead takes a free action to shift 1 square and make a basic attack against the creature nearest to it.
So, here's a theoretical.
You are a level 15 INT/STR wizard with a Demonomicon. You have the L6 Utility Power Summon Iron Cohort and the L10 Utility Power Summon Hammerfist Crusher. Both of these creatures have the Implement Keyword, thank God. You'd love to have the Summon Shadow Serpent power for your L2, but it's lacking the Implement Keyword. No biggie. You can still use the Demonomicon every combat with these things to have a monster that (with some careful positioning) will be making melee basic attacks without you devoting extra actions.
You have a decent strength score and the implement keyword, but since you're always targeting AC your attacks are fairly inaccurate even with the power bonus. That said, since you likely have a 22 in strength and intelligence and at least a +2 weapliment, that's easily an extra 1d4+12 extra damage a round, no need for actions. And that damage can go way up! There's frostcheese, there's Dual Implement Spellcaster (ironically, DIS is one of the few ways to juice the damage of the Heroes summons), there's dragonshards, all types of fun.
Because you're using your utility powers for this extra damage, it doesn't get in the way of your normal daily powers. The Demonomicon's power is an encounter power, so it doesn't use up magical item dailies. And since it's a minor action to summon these creatures, it won't even get in the way of your normal offense.
That said, there are still some major drawbacks. There are very few arcane summoning spells with the implement (or weapon) keyword, and even fewer that aren't already daily powers. They pretty much all belong to the wizard. You're also locked into STR as a secondary stat. You could technically go DEX (Demonomicon does only specific basic attack, not melee basic attack) but then you have to handle feeding/equipping the creature with ranged thrown weapons. It's still a summoning spell, and you don't even have CON as a decent stat, so it's still made out of paper and will drain your healing surges.
But if you're an INT/STR wizard who meets all of these steep requirements, the Demonomicon will make summoning a viable side-tactic that will fit into your regularly-scheduled blasting.
2.) However, unless a summoned creature has a command to do a basic attack it's likely to be garbage even if you command it to make one. First of all, it's vs. AC and they're not going to be getting weapon proficiency. Secondly, it's also very likely that the arcane summoner has an awful strength and dexterity score unless they're a Sorcerer or a Swordmage, and Sorcerers and Swordmages don't natively get arcane summoning powers. Essentials summoned monsters come with basic attacks, but since these summoning powers don't have the implement keyword and don't get the various implement goodies like Frostcheese, Dragonshards, etc. the damage is very limited.
3.) There are some creatures that don't have any special commands for basic attacks but still have the Implement keyword. This is VERY important. If you're something like a INT/STR Genasi Wizard, you can technically spend standard actions (unless you're under something like Rush of Battle) to order it to make basic attacks. You'd normally never want to do this unless you had something like a Warlord in the party.
4.) There's a magical item known as the Demonomicon. Here's the text: Utility Power * Encounter (Free Action) Trigger: You use an arcane summoning power. Effect: The summoned creature’s origin changes to elemental, and it gains the demon keyword. The summoned creature gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls and a +4 power bonus to damage rolls. In addition, if the creature normally does nothing if you end your turn without giving it a command, it instead takes a free action to shift 1 square and make a basic attack against the creature nearest to it.
So, here's a theoretical.
You are a level 15 INT/STR wizard with a Demonomicon. You have the L6 Utility Power Summon Iron Cohort and the L10 Utility Power Summon Hammerfist Crusher. Both of these creatures have the Implement Keyword, thank God. You'd love to have the Summon Shadow Serpent power for your L2, but it's lacking the Implement Keyword. No biggie. You can still use the Demonomicon every combat with these things to have a monster that (with some careful positioning) will be making melee basic attacks without you devoting extra actions.
You have a decent strength score and the implement keyword, but since you're always targeting AC your attacks are fairly inaccurate even with the power bonus. That said, since you likely have a 22 in strength and intelligence and at least a +2 weapliment, that's easily an extra 1d4+12 extra damage a round, no need for actions. And that damage can go way up! There's frostcheese, there's Dual Implement Spellcaster (ironically, DIS is one of the few ways to juice the damage of the Heroes summons), there's dragonshards, all types of fun.
Because you're using your utility powers for this extra damage, it doesn't get in the way of your normal daily powers. The Demonomicon's power is an encounter power, so it doesn't use up magical item dailies. And since it's a minor action to summon these creatures, it won't even get in the way of your normal offense.
That said, there are still some major drawbacks. There are very few arcane summoning spells with the implement (or weapon) keyword, and even fewer that aren't already daily powers. They pretty much all belong to the wizard. You're also locked into STR as a secondary stat. You could technically go DEX (Demonomicon does only specific basic attack, not melee basic attack) but then you have to handle feeding/equipping the creature with ranged thrown weapons. It's still a summoning spell, and you don't even have CON as a decent stat, so it's still made out of paper and will drain your healing surges.
But if you're an INT/STR wizard who meets all of these steep requirements, the Demonomicon will make summoning a viable side-tactic that will fit into your regularly-scheduled blasting.