Good morning all ^_^ I've got a lovely question that I really need an answer to to continue playing my summoner...
Okay, I've looked, and had other people look, and talked to my GM's and I've got nothing to show for it except the notion that no one's made up their minds. It seems to be addressed here and there but not quite as directly as I'd like to see it. So here it goes:
1.A summoner casts arcane spells drawn from the summoner spell list.
2.Starting at 1st level, a summoner can cast summon monster I as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. He can cast this spell as a standard action and the creatures remain for 1 minute per level (instead of 1 round per level). At 3rd level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the power of this ability increases by one spell level, allowing him to summon more powerful creatures.
3.Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). For creatures with spell-like abilities, a designated caster level defines how difficult it is to dispel their spell-like effects and to define any level-dependent variables.
Now, given this information, which of the following feats/traits will affect this and which will not:
1. Varisian Tattoo (feat)-
Prerequisite: Spell Focus.
Benefit: Select a school of magic (other than divination) in which you have Spell Focus—you cast spells from this school at +1 caster level. Additionally, you gain a single spell-like ability usable up to three times per day.
2. Gifted Adept (trait) -
Benefit: Pick one spell when you choose this trait. Whenever you cast that spell, its effects manifest at +1 caster level.
3. Spell Specialization (feat) -
Prerequisites: Int 13, Spell Focus.
Benefit: Select one spell of a school for which you have taken the Spell Focus feat. Treat your caster level as being two higher for all level-variable effects of the spell.
Every time you gain an even level in the spellcasting class you chose your spell from, you can choose a new spell to replace the spell selected with this feat, and that spell becomes your specialized spell.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different spell.
*Also, it was already ruled that Augment Summoning [Prerequisite: Spell Focus (conjuration).Benefit: Each creature you conjure with any summon spell gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution for the duration of the spell that summoned it.] was legal to use as a summoner for Summon Monster (not eidolon).
So, saying that you need to specifically choose Summon Monster I or II or whatever is not necessary, Summon Monster refers to all of it's "levels", and being able to Spell Focus in conjuration is also legal [sorry, I read somewhere they thought it wasn't allowed...sigh]. It has been for the most part agreed that a spell-like ability is treated as a spell but minus the components of a spell to bypass silence and other such affects, meaning the intention was to make it "innate" but not "less than" an actual spell.
Given this, I'd be fine just being allowed to fully utilize Varisian Tattoo and get early access to Summon Monster III at 4th level. (I'm currently level 3) But I think if it's legal, Spell Specialization should be as well. Of course, that begs the question, can they all be stacked for a grand total of Summon Monster IV by 3rd level?
Summoner's tbh aren't too good at much else, being limited to so few spells, so why not? If being able to summon something with a few more hit points or base attack bonus points breaks the game, well...that's kind of sad, but I can understand if that's an honest interpretation and not just a complaint about Summoners being an "exception to everything".
Don't mean to sound forward, I type offensively, lol. Some answers would be appreciated though. Also, if I've somehow missed a ruling on this issue, please let me know.
