Questions about Summons?

[Lanathar]

Hi all

I have a few questions about Summons

1. If a summoned monster is in play and the caster who summoned it is killed does it automatically disappear? It doesn't say so in the description but my DM says this is the case. Is this something to do with ongoing spell effects in general (as in all ongoing spell effects end when the caster dies? Is this true?)

2. If the caster is neutral and the summons a fiendish/celestial creature is said creature still considered neutral for the purposes of 'Protection against' spells and the like?

For example if I am CN and summon a celestial dire lion can it bite/claw (and thus touch) a creature that has activated protection from evil? And how would the smite work in this instance?

Thanks

[Ignatius Metamorphic]

Lanathar wrote:

1. If a summoned monster is in play and the caster who summoned it is killed does it automatically disappear? It doesn't say so in the description but my DM says this is the case. Is this something to do with ongoing spell effects in general (as in all ongoing spell effects end when the caster dies? Is this true?)

2. If the caster is neutral and the summons a fiendish/celestial creature is said creature still considered neutral for the purposes of 'Protection against' spells and the like?

1. Reviewing the spell description, conjuration rules (summoning specifically), and the spell duration rules, I would say that the creature does not automatically disappear. But, if your DM says they automatically disapper, they automatically disappear.

2. The spell description is quite clear on this point, "When you use a summoning spell to summon a creature with an alignment or elemental subtype, it is a spell of that type. Creatures on Table 10–1 marked with an “*” are summoned with the celestial template, if you are good, and the fiendish template, if you are evil. If you are neutral, you may choose which template to apply to the creature. Creatures marked with an “*” always have an alignment that matches yours, regardless of their usual alignment. Summoning these creatures makes the summoning spell’s type match your alignment."

[Starglim]

Ignatius Metamorphic wrote:

Lanathar wrote:

2. If the caster is neutral and the summons a fiendish/celestial creature is said creature still considered neutral for the purposes of 'Protection against' spells and the like?

2. The spell description is quite clear on this point, "When you use a summoning spell to summon a creature with an alignment or elemental subtype, it is a spell of that type. Creatures on Table 10–1 marked with an “*” are summoned with the celestial template, if you are good, and the fiendish template, if you are evil. If you are neutral, you may choose which template to apply to the creature. Creatures marked with an “*” always have an alignment that matches yours, regardless of their usual alignment. Summoning these creatures makes the summoning spell’s type match your alignment."

That's a very interesting point. The Celestial and Fiendish templates also don't specify that the creature gains the good or evil subtype, so I have to agree, the creature is chaotic neutral, bypasses both protection from good and protection from evil but is hedged out by protection from chaos. It still gets the smite ability and DR specified in its template (a CN celestial dire lion smites evil and may have DR/evil).