Fiend Summoning cast times

[Snake-Aes]

Lots of fiends can summon their pals, but no mention is made on the cast time to summon them.

Usually they say "It mimics the effect of a X-level spell". Does it mean the cast time is that of the level's summoning spell, like Summon Monster X?

What is the summon's cast time, after all? Can it be interrupted like a spell? Does it generate attacks of opportunity?

[hamishspence]

Summon, is usually a Spell-like Ability.

Spell-like abilities take the same time to cast as the relevant spells- usually 1 standard action, but longer if the spell is longer.

Therefore- if Summon is equivalent to a Summon Monster spell it should take as long to Summon, as it does to cast the spell.

[Yorrin]

Moreover spell-like abilities do not provoke AOs. Not sure about interrupting, though.

[Snake-Aes]

Summon, is usually a Spell-like Ability.

Spell-like abilities take the same time to cast as the relevant spells- usually 1 standard action, but longer if the spell is longer.

Therefore- if Summon is equivalent to a Summon Monster spell it should take as long to Summon, as it does to cast the spell.

The tricky bit is they don't say "equivalent to summon monster X spell". It's just "equivalent to a level X spell"

[Peregrine]

The tricky bit is they don't say "equivalent to summon monster X spell". It's just "equivalent to a level X spell"

That's the issue, isn't it? Does it take one round like summoning spells do? (This'd be consistent, but is not explicitly stated.) Or does it take a standard action, as is the default for a spell-like ability?

Moreover spell-like abilities do not provoke AOs. Not sure about interrupting, though.

Not so. Spell-like abilities do provoke attacks of opportunity.

[Douglas]

Unless otherwise specified, either in the ability itself or in the spell it's imitating (which isn't applicable in this case), a spell-like ability takes a standard action to use. The various demon/devil summoning abilities do not imitate any specific spell and do not specify the casting time, so the default of one standard action is used.

The spell level equivalent is used for things like Globe of Invulnerability and other effects that can affect spells and depend on the affected spells' level in some way, but it is otherwise irrelevant.

[hamishspence]

Here- it implies that it imitates a Summon Monster spell:

SRD:

Summon
A creature with the summon ability can summon specific other creatures of its kind much as though casting a summon monster spell, but it usually has only a limited chance of success (as specified in the creature’s entry). Roll d%: On a failure, no creature answers the summons. Summoned creatures automatically return whence they came after 1 hour. A creature that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour. Most creatures with the ability to summon do not use it lightly, since it leaves them beholden to the summoned creature. In general, they use it only when necessary to save their own lives. An appropriate spell level is given for each summoning ability for purposes of Concentration checks and attempts to dispel the summoned creature. No experience points are awarded for summoned monsters.

If you consider the most recent Monster Manual as "most correct" for wording purposes- then in MMV:

MMV:

Summon
A creature with the summon ability can summon specific other creatures of its kind, as if it were casting a summon monster spell, but it usually has only a limited chance of success.

[Snake-Aes]

That solves the deal.