Raising summon spell level QUESTION

Feat Sunlight Summons could make summoned monsters shedding light. And in the Stargazer's class feature Sidereal Arcana, The Lantern Bearer could increase conjure light abilities, to make spell level considered to be 2 higher than normal.
so here's the question. does it work to raise my summon monsters' spell level?
And the feat Summon Guardian Spirit could gain a spirit depending on your summon spell level, so if it is a yes, could i use a 3-level spell slot 'Summon Nature's Ally III' to summon a guardian spirit with 5-level template?

This is a PF1e question. But this is PF2e rules forum. You have posted in wrong place.

Flagged to be moved.

The level of Summon Monster doesn't determine what you can summon, no. It's a series of different spells in PF1.

Moved to the right place! Thanks, YuriP!

Creatures that you summon shed light as a light spell. They are immune to blinding or dazzling effects, and their natural weapons are treated as magical for overcoming damage reduction.

The Lantern Bearer: The stargazer’s ability to conjure light increases. The radius of any light source he creates via magic increases by 10 feet, and its spell level is considered to be 2 higher.

If you’re capable of casting a higher-level summon monster or summon nature’s ally spell, you can perform a ritual to attune the guardian spirit to a higher-level version of the spell.

The obvious intent of Lantern Bearer is for interactions with countering and darkness. I doubt you will change the mind of a GM who thinks this shouldn't work. While you can interpret the text to do what you want, you could just as easily make multiple excuses for why it doesn't work.

My preferred reason this doesn't work is using the same logic that your summoned creature's attacks don't break your invisibility. The spell doesn't create a light source. It merely summons a creature which then serves as a light source. This is the same logic as the spell doesn't deal damage, but summons a creature that deals damage. But again, there are many ways to argue this combo not working.

> [PFS]Sunlight Summons feat req SplFcs(C) & Sum Natr Ally; shed light as a spell.
> [!PFS{not PFS legal}]Summon Guardian Spirit feat req Sum Mon 3 or Sum Natr Ally 3; select 1 crtr that qualifies for impvd familiar & apply GrdSprt template and add to Sum list. GrdSprt template options change with SplLvl.
> [!PFS]Stargazer PrC req Align=[NG, CG, CN], Deity=Pulura, Know(geog 5rnk, plns 5rnk), Srvl 3rnk, Able to cast 3rd-level spells.
at 2nd Lvl gains Sidereal Arcana and SplCst at +2 Lvl. Choose The Lantern Bearer: The stargazer’s ability to conjure light increases. The radius of any light source he creates via magic increases by 10 feet, and its spell level is considered to be 2 higher.

Two out of three are not PFS legal which indicates there will be problems.

PC has to be 7th level (3rd SplLvl casting and then 2 in PrC).
1) Pedantically the caster does not create a light source as the creature sheds light and the Conj does not gain the [light] descriptor.
2) In a generous ruling let's say your GM agrees that the creature is a conjured light source. Then you summon your glowing (impvd familiar) Natr Ally 3.
With the PrC the spell is considered 5th SplLvl {eyeroll} but I'm not sure it is as metamagics would argue otherwise and we are talking about a derived benefit for a 5th level summons. Again, your GM would have to be very generous to go along with this.

Advice
Sunlight summons needs to add [light] otherwise the light is simply part of the creature and the caster isn't conjuring a light source. Fire elementals shed light, are they a conjured light source or just [fire]?
Summon Guardian Spirit text needs to be more specific as to only 1 special summons(which is how it reads) or 1 per SplLvl. Essentially it is like summoning a eidolon which is going to get it pitched out the window.
Stargazer PrC needs clarification in general as it's not just one choice that needs help. Lantern Bearer text should have been more specific for light/dark interactions and possibly for dismissal via dispel magic etc.

the spell is considered to be of a higher level, but it's not is of a higher level.
So it will be harder to: counter with darkness magic\resist\dispel\make into a magic item etc (a spell for a wand might end with a spell level over 4th so can't be put into a wand etc) -things that use the spell level for consideration.
But the spell's specifics would still follow it's original spell -the creatures one can summon for example.
The fact there is a spell of higher level named almost the same doesn't make it the same spell with a higher spell level as the only difference. for example if you scribe a summon mounter II spell that is somehow effected by this feat and class ability it will not turn into a summon monster IV, they use different..well everything... and you can't use one to add the other to your spell book because the 'considered' level is higher.
It will be like saying, I can heighten my magic missile spell to be a 3rd level spell so now it's a fireball. these are different spells altogether with somewhat similar effects (and while the higher level spells can be used to summon creatures from lower level spell list, having the higher in your spell book for example doesn't mean you automatically also have the lower ones. again -different spells)

I'm really not sure why Summon Guardian Spirit isn't PFS compatible. The feat is almost underpowered. Even when you choose the most optimal generally accepted options to combine it with, it's just ok. If I had to guess, it's banned because of the extra bookkeeping it carries.

Chat

I'm really not sure why Summon Guardian Spirit isn't PFS compatible. The feat is almost underpowered. Even when you choose the most optimal generally accepted options to combine it with, it's just ok. If I had to guess, it's banned because of the extra bookkeeping it carries.

There's 2 pages of text in the MonSumHndbk... reviewing the description I can see why it got bannned. {edit!}

Just one special doesn't seem bad but consider it could be a summoned familiar duplicate with different abilities with more HPs that's disposable. As a custom summons it appears with its equipment & gear.
Game Management of actors(PCs & critters) can become a burden spreading out attacks and increasing action economy for the PCs. CR increases by at least 10 over 10 levels of gains of the PrC. IMO exceeds what a familiar gets.

PFS made their choices. It is up to your GM if they use PFS baseline to let it back in.

Note: I have played a few wizards with familiars. A faerie dragon spirit guardian (older brother to existing faerie dragon familiar) which got more HD and CstrLvls would have been totally awesome! Just too good in a Game that doesn't really need help in that area.

Melkiador wrote:

I'm really not sure why Summon Guardian Spirit isn't PFS compatible. The feat is almost underpowered. Even when you choose the most optimal generally accepted options to combine it with, it's just ok. If I had to guess, it's banned because of the extra bookkeeping it carries.

I think it is the multiplicity of choices and that extra critters add to the party CR. Just one special doesn't seem bad but consider it could be a summoned familiar duplicate with different abilities that's disposable.

That’s not meaningfully different than summoned monsters of the same tier though. And the regular summoned monsters are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than the guardian spirit. So you burn a feat for at best the same level of power you already had.

I’ve used this feat twice with optimal choices and it was usually just a flavor choice to use the spirit instead of a regular summoned monster.