Dire wolf I choose you!

[Wraithy]

what is the best summoning class at low level? (and preferably higher levels too)
the obvious feats to get are spell focus (conjuration) and augment summoning, but where to go from there?
what is the funniest thing to summon?
and lastly what was the funniest moment in your group involving summonig?

[Shas aia Toriia]

Druids are the best summoners. They can spontaniously summon, then buff the summons and amass a small army if you have time.

[Kaelaroth]

Druids, or Clerics of Tritherion.

[Saph]

what is the funniest thing to summon?
and lastly what was the funniest moment in your group involving summonig?

Dire Badgers are funny (not to mention powerful and tough for a level 2 spell). I don't know why, but there's something amusing about killing enemies with a giant badger.

Plus if you're higher level you can summon multiple dire badgers, then position them in a line next to the enemy models and start singing "Badger badger badger" all through the party's turns while they attack. The other players will probably hit you after the second combat round.

- Saph

[de-trick]

summon a whale on land above the enemy

player: make a reflex
DM: why
player:I summon a whale
DM: why theres no water anywhere for it
Player: there is in the air
DM: why are you laughing
player I summon it 50ft above the enemy, try getting out of the way of the worlds largest mammal

[bosssmiley]

Druids are the best summoners. They can spontaniously summon, then buff the summons and amass a small army if you have time.

Shas'aia Toriia speaks great truth.

edit: the above has been rescinded in light of the post below. Only in "Hitchhiker's" do instantaneously appearing wholes fall from the sky. Wholly aquatic animals can't be summoned outside their environment.

Only in D&D does the errata have to rule on common sense.

Even low level Druids with little more than the Core only feat Spell Focus(Conj.), Augment Summon and Extend Spell are nightmarish mobbers. And that's before they start throwing around spells like magic fang, animal growth and so on.

They get even more gribbly with splatbook feats!

[Tengu]

summon a whale on land above the enemy

player: make a reflex
DM: why
player:I summon a whale
DM: why theres no water anywhere for it
Player: there is in the air
DM: why are you laughing
player I summon it 50ft above the enemy, try getting out of the way of the worlds largest mammal

According to an errata, does not work any longer.

[Shas aia Toriia]

According to an errata, does not work any longer.

What? Why wouldn't that work? Looking at it logically, it could be done. Sure, the whale would be useless, but the damage would be worth it.

Dealing 20 d6 for a spell that level? Better yet, summoning multiple of them at high levels for about 60 d6? That's a pretty awesome amount of damage!

[Tengu]

What? Why wouldn't that work? Looking at it logically, it could be done. Sure, the whale would be useless, but the damage would be worth it.

Dealing 20 d6 for a spell that level? Better yet, summoning multiple of them at high levels for about 60 d6? That's a pretty awesome amount of damage!

The errata states, not exactly in these words, that:
Walking creatures must be summoned on a flat surface they can move around (no, ceiling does not count, unless you're summoning a spider).
Creatures that swim and cannot survive outside water must be summoned in water.

Basically, it's because Summon Monster spells are supposed to do what are they mentioned - summon creatures, not make huge living projectiles. That's the same reason under which you cannot use Mage Hand to pinch an enemy's artery or Teleport a sword into Tiamat's heart.

[Dr. Weasel]

Basically, it's because Summon Monster spells are supposed to do what are they mentioned - summon creatures, not make huge living projectiles. That's the same reason under which you cannot use Mage Hand to pinch an enemy's artery or Teleport a sword into Tiamat's heart.

Curses! Why must the rules always interfere when we try to win DnD?

[Shas aia Toriia]

Hold on, we can't do that?

>_> <_< >_>

*Runs away*

But seriously, those are some relatively useful applications of the spells, like casting light on somebody's eyes (glitterdust and blind, no save)

[Irreverent Fool]

Well, if you want to follow the manner of your thread title, I'd go with the Smoky Confinement spell. Just start trapping all manner of nasty critters that are generally hostile. When the time comes toss the bottle out, cast shatter, and run!

[Tengu]

But seriously, those are some relatively useful applications of the spells, like casting light on somebody's eyes (glitterdust and blind, no save)

In AD&D, where Light was a level 1 spell (because cantrips didn't exist yet), you could do that.

In 3.x, casting Light on someone's eyes makes them glow. That's all, no blinding, you have other spells to do that. Even this use is a houserule, since Light must be cast on an object. If you really have to push it, casting Light on someone's eyes could copy the effect of Flare - which seems reasonable, but also is a houserule.

Any DM that lets a cantrip be more powerful than a level 2 spell (Blindness/Deafness requires a save) is a cretin, or too soft on his players.

[Citizen Joe]

The errata states, not exactly in these words, that:
Walking creatures must be summoned on a flat surface they can move around (no, ceiling does not count, unless you're summoning a spider).
Creatures that swim and cannot survive outside water must be summoned in water.

That doesn't prevent you from casting an illusion of summoning a whale in the air.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Also, Create Object has no limit on environments having to support the created object, so you could conjure a bowl of petunias to drop on the enemy's head. Or a bowl, anyway, you might not be able to make more than one kind of material at a time.

[Chronos]

Also, Create Object has no limit on environments having to support the created object, so you could conjure a bowl of petunias to drop on the enemy's head. Or a bowl, anyway, you might not be able to make more than one kind of material at a time.

Oh, no, not again.

[blackspeeker]

Also, Create Object has no limit on environments having to support the created object, so you could conjure a bowl of petunias to drop on the enemy's head. Or a bowl, anyway, you might not be able to make more than one kind of material at a time.

Well why not summon a large container of water for the whale to be summoned in 100 feet up and then as the whales tank drops summon the whale, more hilarity shall ensue!

[Randel]

Possible cheese to allow for dropping animals on people.

Get a flying carpet or other stable surface that can be levitated above the enemy. Summon a giant buffalo on the carpet and either push the buffalo off the carpet or make the carpet roll up underneath it, buffalo falls on the target below.

Get near a body of water that can support the water-dwelling creature you summon. Summon it, then use a teleport spell to teleport it above the enemy, alternatively use cast fly on it .Although the spell description says if it expires the user descend feather fall style... not sure if a willing whale could intentionally fall several hundred feet to smite its enemies... perhaps if you summon a celestial whale and ask it to attack a group of fiendish enemies.

Fiends: Hey, where did those pesky human do-gooders go? And why did it get so dark all of a sudden?
Celestial Whale: Body Slam of Justice! *hurls itself at the fiends from the sky*
Fiends: HOLY! *splat*

[Shas aia Toriia]

The magic carpet is a good idea.

[Kantolin]

Get near a body of water that can support the water-dwelling creature you summon. Summon it, then use a teleport spell to teleport it above the enemy, alternatively use cast fly on it .Although the spell description says if it expires the user descend feather fall style...

Well, while squandering high level spells on it, how about Antimagic field when the whale is flying overhead the enemy?

[KillianHawkeye]

Yeah, I'd stick with a line-of-sight teleport, but you'd need to be 24th caster level if you want to teleport Gargantuan creatures. (1 Gargantuan creature = 2 Huge creatures = 4 Large creatures = 8 Medium creatures, 1 Medium creature per 3 caster levels.)

Celestial Whale: Body Slam of Justice!

LOL

[Draz74]

Shaper Psions can be just as good summoners as Druids at low levels, as long as you ignore the errata that came out in Complete Psionic.

After low levels, Shapers and Druids remain about equal if they both go into summoning-focused PrCs.

[Leon]

Summon a Soar Whale and instruct it to descend Rapidly

as long as you ignore the errata that came out in Complete Psionic.

What book is that...

[Starbuck_II]

what is the best summoning class at low level? (and preferably higher levels too)
the obvious feats to get are spell focus (conjuration) and augment summoning, but where to go from there?
what is the funniest thing to summon?
and lastly what was the funniest moment in your group involving summonig?

Best:
Spiders rule: Web can be used 6/day for each spider. Up to one size larger. So small spiders get meduim creatures can be entangled in the Fiendish spiders' web.

Bombardier beetles: acid damage is nice, though low amount even if area

Dretches: can cast fear or stinking cloud; also telepathy.

I use them for special abilities: not for attacking enemy directly.

[Person_Man]

Archivist. Every divine spell (and thus every domain spell, and thus most arcane spells) are on your spell list. Thus you have access to almost every summon-able monster. You can also take the Spontaneous Summons feat to gain the Druid ability to spontaneously summon nature's ally.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

The Funniest Summon I know of:

Druid in the group I run for a Waterdeep campaign wanted to Summon a Porpoise so she could cast Reduce Animal on it and put it in a jar.

[kjones]

Oh, no, not again.

May your days be filled with rofflecopters, good sirrah.

[JackMage666]

If you're an Arcane lover, Sorcerer would probably be alot better than Wizards as summoners, due to the spontaneous casting. It'd suck to prepare 3 Summon Monsters, and never get a good chance to use them, while a Sorcerer can just choose a different spell on his list.

I know, Summon Monster is considered inferior to Summon Nature's Ally, but monsters summoned with Summon Monster have a bit better flavor than "Animals, Vermin, Fey, and Elementals, the Nature Group!", so form a flavor perspective it might work better. Plus, if you go outside of core, you can get things like Summon Undead and some other summoning spells.

[AslanCross]

Fiends: Hey, where did those pesky human do-gooders go? And why did it get so dark all of a sudden?
Celestial Whale: Body Slam of Justice! *hurls itself at the fiends from the sky*
Fiends: HOLY! *splat*

LOL


An exalted druid can take the PrC Sentinel of Bharrai, which can summon a Cavalry of Dire Bears. (that's the actual ability name). You get 1d6 of them and each is at max HP. They also stay until the battle ends, which is cool.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

I had a cleric whose favorite critter to summon was the Fiendish Dire Ape. It was even more fun when I could summon 1d3. Our party lovingly referred to them as "Grape Apes."

More fun than a barrel full of dire monkeys!