Eidolon Summoned, or should it be Called?


Round 2: Summoner and Witch


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

On looking through the description of the Eidolon, why make is a Summoned created, with all sort of exceptions that make it immune to the normal limitations of a summoned creature? Why not, instead, just make it Called, with very minor modifications upon its death?

It seems more elegant to me to use the standard description ability that really matches what it does, rather than call it a summoned creature, but make it behave exactly like a Called creature instead.

Perhaps I am overlooking something.


Good point


Actually I have several ideas why:

Eidolons are outsiders. As such they can't be returned from the dead without Miracle or Wish. IF they were called instead of summoned when they die they would be forever dead. As summoned monsters death isn't permanent. They simply can't be summoned back until the next day (24 hours to be precise), that's inconvenient but hardly a long term problem.

Also as summoned monsters the summoner has control over them... this is important from the summoners perspective. Called monsters are generally free willed and for evil summoners that could be a problem.

Finally the magic involved in summoning something is easier (read lower level) than that used for calling something. As it is easier it makes more since for it to be done by a level one character.

Dark Archive

a couple of other mechanics reasons:

Summoned monsters cant: Use summon spells, use spells/sla's with costly material components, teleport or use planar travel

This prevents your Eidolon casting things like wish, or more summon spells of it's own, or any kind of 'super travel'

Summoned monster, and as such your Eidolon, can not enter an antimagic field, but if it were called, it would be able to.

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