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A cleric of Desna is able to summon a Lyrakien (Skinsaw Murders, p86) with Summon Monster II. For most clerics, at 3rd level, the summon would last 3 rounds.
Is there anything inherently wrong with a cleric who summons Lyrakien and then has them immediately use all 3 of their cure light wounds spells?
Instead of directly casting Cure Moderate Wounds (for 2d8+3), this is effectively 3d8+12 since the Lyrakien is CL 4th.
The Lyrakien is definitely more versatile, beyond just being used for the healing, it could make use of it's flight, Desna's Glare, Confusion or other abilities to help through a tactical challenge.
As a DM I like the RP value of a Desnan cleric beseeching Joidyrilli the lyrakien pixie for aid - it's more interesting than casting the 50th cure spell directly or from a wand.
Question is - is it balanced? It's a weaker heal in a single round, so it wont take the place of a Cure Moderate if your main line warrior needs to get back 2d8+3 in 6 seconds, but it does have the benefit of at least fire and forget for 3 rounds, creating a tiny flying medic for a fight, which is pretty cool.
It is pretty normal. There are a lot of summon monsters that are versatile like this.
Summon monster 3 gives you a lantern archon which can cast aid at will giving you temporary hp every round.
Summon monster 5 lets you summon a Bralani for 2 cure serious wounds.
Summon monster 6 lets you summon a Lillend which can cast cure serious twice and cure light 5 times.
Summon Monster 9 lets you summon a ghale which can cast cure light wounds at will.
That is just looking at healing capabilities, and ignoring the fact that while your summoned monster is healing, you can do other things.
The thing is, in combat healing is generally not the best use of your resources as most monsters can do twice the damage you can heal in a single turn.
If you want a really mind bending way of looking at it. A Wizard(conjurer) can summon these same monsters and use them to heal the party. These summons represent the best healing a wizard can get.
