When Summon Monster / Natures Ally Ends

[wakedown]

Say you have the following initiative:

18:Enemy
14:You

On your initiative, in round 1, you cast Summon, your riding dog or whatever appears on round 2 at init 14, Say you're only level 2, so it only lasts 2 rounds.

R1 I14: Begin Casting
R2 I14: Dog appears, attacks
R3 I14: Dog still around, attacks again

Does the dog disappear:

a) after attacking in round 3 at Init 14?

or

b) before attacking in round 4 at Init 4?

Obviously this is material since you have a summon for a little longer in (b) and it can take hits, provide a flank, or make an AOO.

In the case of (a) does it disappear before or after the caster's turn? (if it disappears before, then a flank could be lost).

I've always ruled they stuck around as per (b), measuring the duration from the moment the spell completed, but have seen many PbPs where folks measure it from the start of the casting.

[hogarth]

I'd say (b); that's two full rounds, in my book.

[StabbittyDoom]

I'd say (b) as well. It appears at the beginning of its init on round 0 (from its perspective) and thus should disappear at the same point on round 2 (which in this case is round 4).

[james maissen]

wakedown wrote:

Say you have the following initiative:

18:Enemy
14:You

On your initiative, in round 1, you cast Summon, your riding dog or whatever appears on round 2 at init 14, Say you're only level 2, so it only lasts 2 rounds.

On round 1, init 14 you begin casting the summon spell.

On round 2, right before your turn on init 14 you finish casting the summon spell and the dog appears and attacks.
On round 2, init 14 you do something spectacular.
On round 3, right before your turn on init 14, the summoned dog gets to take his turn again.
On round 3, init 14 you again do something spectacular (wow you rock).
On round 4, right before your turn on init 14, your 2 round duration spell wears off and the summoned dog goes away.
On round 4, init 14 you don't do anything spectacular (what you're expected to be spectacular each and every round?? sheesh!)

Does this make sense?

Spells wear off right before the time in the round when they were cast. Your PC cast the spell at init 14 round 2, so it wears off right before init 14 on round 4.

-James