martryn |
This has come up in my game, and I just want to make sure I'm doing it right.
I'm an 11th level wizard with Augment Summoning and have prepared Summon Monster VI twice.
First, I'm in combat with some bad mofo who is wiping the floor with the party. I cast Summon Monster VI for a Dire Tiger. With Augment Summoning, I've got:
133 HPs of Tiger, with a 17 AC (suck), but DR 10/Evil (sweet). I cast in such a way so he's going to be able to charge once he hits the floor. He swift action uses Smite Evil on Billy Bad A--, and charges with pounce, for three attacks at +22, doing 2d4+24/2d4+24, and then 2d6+24, for an average damage, assuming all three hit, of 89 points, not counting crit chances. He also has three chances to make a grab with a +25 to his CMB check. Unless we're facing something much higher level than we are, at level 11, we've more or less guaranteed a successful grapple, and at least 50 or more points of damage. The baddie now can't move, and if not freed by the next round, El Tigre gets some rake attacks in addition to the +25 Grapple attempt to keep dealing damage.
1. The Tiger does get Smite Evil, right?
2. The Tiger gets Smite Evil damage on EVERY successful attack?
Later, after combat, I cast Summon Monster VI again to summon a Lillend Azata. In my copy of the Bestiary, she's only got one 3rd level spell: Charm Monster. I see that it has since been errata'd to include Cure Serious Wounds. Let's ignore that. I want to use her to heal my allies, since we don't have any other means of healing. I tell her to do so (in Draconic) and she casts Cure Light Wounds 11 times, for 1d8+5. That's 100ish points of damage healed, outside of combat, while we're catching our breath.
1. She can convert her higher level spell slots to cast Cure Light Wounds, eh?
2. She would be willing to do this without wasted rounds of negotiation or diplomacy, right?
LazarX |
For the first part, you're essentially right. But remember your summons only get one smite. Which means it's only effective against one target.
As to the second part, unless Lillend's speak Draconic, that probably won't work. They are assumed to speak Common though. As to following your instructions willingly, that may very well depend on DM ruling.
David knott 242 |
Languages are not an issue for Lillends since they have truespeech. With Cure Light Wounds as a 1st level bard spell known, they can use up all of their bard spell slots of 1st level or higher casting Cure Light Wounds spells, assuming that they can stick around long enough to do that (since she can cast one spell per round). She shouldn't object to doing that unless your allies are truly vile villains.
LazarX |
Also keep in mind that if the Big Baddie has Protection from Good in effect, your summon isn't going to get to touch him.
If your big bad is "wiping the floor with the party", presumably he's Big enough Bad not to worry about a +25 CMB. Big Bads don't get to be big bads unless they've covered the easy ways to waylay them.
martryn |
I don't mean to say like THE "Big Bad". More like it was a mini-boss that appeared after we sorta strung three combat encounters together, and the party was already sorta beat up and didn't have the resources to face a mini-boss. In my case, two of the four party members were unconscious, and the third was invisible and fleeing, so I had a few lower level summons holding off the remaining monsters while my cohort and dominated thrall were attempting to find Cure Potions. I summoned the Dire Tiger and it appeared like it was enough to solo the mini-boss, so my DM ruled that Smite Evil's extra damage only worked on one attack per round, instead of all the attacks per round. I argued slightly, but dropped it because I don't like to play Rules Lawyer during the game. The Dire Tiger was only attacking the one creature, which, by definition, was evil. I am aware of Smite Evil only working against a single target, but I was pretty sure that extra damage was just flat out extra damage.
As to the second part, unless Lillend's speak Draconic, that probably won't work. They are assumed to speak Common though. As to following your instructions willingly, that may very well depend on DM ruling.
They don't speak Common. Why is it assumed? They speak Infernal, Celestial, and Draconic, and my wizard didn't speak Celestial, and thought better than to communicate with it in Infernal, so I addressed it in Draconic. It's True Speech ability would have covered it regardless, but the GM did make me ask it specifically for help since I wasn't just summoning it to bash things.
Regardless, this thread has answered my questions, and I can now speak with confidence if the issue comes up again. Which it will next session because another, similar, situation has arisen.
carn |
The baddie now can't move, and if not freed by the next round, El Tigre gets some rake attacks in addition to the +25 Grapple attempt to keep dealing damage.
Wrong, tiger has pounce, so rakes with charge attack if grapple succeeds in round 1. (But i guess you are not say about that info.)
martryn |
Just to follow up, I used a similar tactic against yet another mini boss that had just dropped the fighter. The tiger charged, pounced, hit with all five attacks (needed a three or higher to hit), landed a crit, and with the smite damage, I dropped over 180 points on the poor Ogre Magi. Seemed like a waste of a summon since it literally ended the combat on it's first round of existence. I'm sold now on summons being useful, not that I ever doubted.