[3.5] Summon monster question

**Lillith** · 2011-01-17, 04:55 PM (ISO 8601)

So I just bought myself a D&D players book 3.5 edition. I'm planning to start a D&D group once I move out and decided I should read up on the rules. I'm not sure what I'm going to need to start one, having never played the game myself but always wanted to, but I have a question that I can't find on the internet so I hope I can get an answer here.

I was reading about clerics and their different domains. Now it says that if you take say Good domain, that you can domain spells. I'm assuming the numbers in front of it indicate the level of said domain spell? Because I seriously doubt that a cleric could cast 'Summon monster IX' on first level. Or did I find a short cut? Also if I have anymore questions can I start a thread here (if it's not in the Q&A) or is there a special beginners thread that I haven't noticed?

This is probably a stupid question but I'd like to know what it is.

Thanks in advance.

**Keld Denar** · 2011-01-17, 04:57 PM (ISO 8601)

There should be a numeric suffix. Summon Monster IX is a Good 9 spell, meaning its the 9th level spell in the Good domain.

EDIT: You memorize domain spells in domain slots. If you look at the Cleric spellcasting progression, you'll see that at each level it says X+1. The +1 is your domain slot. You can only memorize domain spells in this slot, and if the domain spell is not normally a cleric spell, you can ONLY memorize it in this slot. If you aren't high enough to have a domain slot of a certain level, you can't cast that level's domain spell. So, you'd need a 9th level domain slot to cast Summon Monster IX from the Good domain, and you don't get that 9th level slot until level 17 at the earliest.

Clear?

Also, welcome to D&D...I'm surprised it took you this long after being on the forum for so long!

**Lillith** · 2011-01-17, 05:03 PM (ISO 8601)

Ah thanks that clears up a lot. This is all quite new for me so I don't have a grasp of everything yet.

Honestly I've been wanting to play D&D for... half my life now. But I never found any people who wanted to play it with me, so I didn't really bother. I'm planning to move out at the end of the year though and into a student building (if I can find a room there). And with the prospect of having a lot of lonely nights and freedom I decided that I'll either try to start a D&D group there or join one if there's one there already. And well the rules are complicated (at least it looks like it) and books are expensive over here so I figure that I should read up on the rules and start gathering the necessary 'equipment' for it.

I already got dice and the players book. I figure I should also get the DM book and one or two monster books. Is there anything else I'm forgetting?

**Keld Denar** · 2011-01-17, 05:15 PM (ISO 8601)

You can get a goodly amount of material for free on the intarwebz. d20srd.org is a great resource, and its also linked on the wizards.com website. Most of the monsters in the MMI are in there, as well as a lot of the rules items from the DMG. All you'd gain from buying the DMG is the fluff and worldbuilding material, which may or may not be useful to you depending on how much time/imagination you have.

If you want to get a decent go at D&D with the rules, try a PbP game over on the forums attached below. They generally don't last TOO long, but if you get in with a decent DM and a good group of players, you can have a fair bit of fun.

Actually running a game is a bit of work. Even a rather simple, linear game can involve a bit of planning. I'd highly suggest buying a pre-written adventure and trying that out. WotC has some you can download for free on their website, and otherwise some modules like Red Hand of DOOOOOOOM! and Expedition to Castle Ravenloft are pretty good.

If you have any more questions, just ask. If there's one thing this forum is REALLY good at, its answering questions in a nearly immedate fashion.

**Safety Sword** · 2011-01-17, 05:22 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Keld Denar

If you have any more questions, just ask. If there's one thing this forum is REALLY good at, its answering questions in a nearly immedate fashion.

That, alignment arguments and edition wars

As Keld has already said, welcome to D&D. I would suggest joining an existing group as a player before jumping into the deep end of the pool and trying to run a game. You will learn a lot about the game system and how people think about it from your first few sessions running a character.

**Psyren** · 2011-01-17, 05:50 PM (ISO 8601)

There's tons of free (and legal!) material available for 3.5 edition. See here: The Guide to Free D&D

**Endarire** · 2011-01-17, 05:52 PM (ISO 8601)

See my sig for newbie DM advice.

**Lillith** · 2011-01-18, 03:36 AM (ISO 8601)

Everybody thank you for the advice. I'll be sure to make use of it.

Thread: [3.5] Summon monster question

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