1. No because you aren't casting a spell you are using a spell like ability (providing you are talking about the class feature).
2. Any spell like ability that specifically references a spell would have a 'spell level' of the spell referenced.
Now if the summoner has the summon monster spell on his spells known then it is a spell of the spell level that he can learn it at, and for him it is a spell of that level for all intents and purposes (including the use of metamagic rods and the like).
There is no 'ruling' it's straight from the ability:
Summon Monster I (Sp)
See that (SP)? Means spell like -- meaning it's a spell like ability. Also we have the following from the text of the ability:
Starting at 1st level, a summoner can cast summon monster I a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. Drawing upon this ability uses up the same power as the summoner uses to call his eidolon. As a result, he can only use this ability when his eidolon is not summoned. 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 (to a maximum of summon monster IX at 17th level). At 19th level, this ability can be used as gate or summon monster IX. If used as gate, the summoner must pay any required material components. A summoner cannot have more than one summon monster or gate spell active in this way at one time. If this ability is used again, any existing summon monster or gate immediately ends. These summon spells are considered to be part of his spell list for the purposes of spell trigger and spell completion items. In addition, he can expend uses of this ability to fufill the construction requirements of any magic item he creates, so long as he can use this ability to cast the required spell.
I think he was looking more for a ruling that you can't apply rods to SLAs than that this instance was an SLA.
Valiant, forget everything you are saying about +1 CL and all that nonsense. It is a really confusing way to look at it.
A Summoner gains access to the Summon Monster spells in two ways. One is through his Summon Monster spell-like ability. This allows him to summon monsters as a standard action and they remain for 1 minute per level. It functions as a summon monster spell at a level according to the table in the Summoner class description. The formula for this is Summoner level divided by two, rounded up. So at 1st and 2nd level he casts summon monster I. At 3rd and 4th level he casts summon monster II. Etc.
This functions as summon monster in all ways except it takes only a standard action, it requires no somatic, verbal, or material components, the monsters are summoned for 1 minute per level, and it cannot be the target of any ability which affects spells, such as metamagic feats, metamagic rods, or the augment summons feat.
The second way a Summoner can gain access to the spells is through his regular spells known and spells per day. A summoner knows a limited number of spells of each level 0-6, according to his level and the chart in the class description. These can be drawn from the summoner's spell list. The available spells are:
Summon Monster I
Summon Monster II
Summon Monster IV
Summon Monster V
Summon Monster VII
Summon Monster VIII
These function as spells of level 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
These behave as the spells in all ways, because they are those spells. They take a full round to cast, the monsters last for 1 round per level, the have verbal, somatic, and focus components, and they can be the target of special abilities that modify spells like metamagic feats, metamagic rods, and the augment summons feat.
Hope that cleared things up kind of.
There is no 'ruling' it's straight from the ability:
Summon Monster I (Sp)See that (SP)? Means spell like -- meaning it's a spell like ability. Also we have the following from the text of the ability:
Starting at 1st level, a summoner can cast summon monster I a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. Drawing upon this ability uses up the same power as the summoner uses to call his eidolon. As a result, he can only use this ability when his eidolon is not summoned. 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 (to a maximum of summon monster IX at 17th level). At 19th level, this ability can be used as gate or summon monster IX. If used as gate, the summoner must pay any required material components. A summoner cannot have more than one summon monster or gate spell active in this way at one time. If this ability is used again, any existing summon monster or gate immediately ends. These summon spells are considered to be part of his spell list for the purposes of spell trigger and spell completion items. In addition, he can expend uses of this ability to fufill the construction requirements of any magic item he creates, so long as he can use this ability to cast the required spell.Allright, totally with you.
Now where in there does it say that metamagic feats do not apply to spell like abilities? (It's late, I'm so tired I could miss it while it's in front of me:)Edit: and with metamagic feats I mean those from rods, who I think do not require a higher spell slot to scratch.
Right, the benefit of rods is they do not require a higher spell slot.
However, they cannot be applied to SLAs because SLAs are not spells. They are spell-like, but not spells. Metamagic feats only apply to spells.
Aha! Very much clearer. Could you point me to the...I think he was looking more for a ruling that you can't apply rods to SLAs than that this instance was an SLA.
Valiant, forget everything you are saying about +1 CL and all that nonsense. It is a really confusing way to look at it.
A Summoner gains access to the Summon Monster spells in two ways. One is through his Summon Monster spell-like ability. This allows him to summon monsters as a standard action and they remain for 1 minute per level. It functions as a summon monster spell at a level according to the table in the Summoner class description. The formula for this is Summoner level divided by two, rounded up. So at 1st and 2nd level he casts summon monster I. At 3rd and 4th level he casts summon monster II. Etc.
This functions as summon monster in all ways except it takes only a standard action, it requires no somatic, verbal, or material components, the monsters are summoned for 1 minute per level, and it cannot be the target of any ability which affects spells, such as metamagic feats, metamagic rods, or the augment summons feat.
The second way a Summoner can gain access to the spells is through his regular spells known and spells per day. A summoner knows a limited number of spells of each level 0-6, according to his level and the chart in the class description. These can be drawn from the summoner's spell list. The available spells are:
Summon Monster I
Summon Monster II
Summon Monster IV
Summon Monster V
Summon Monster VII
Summon Monster VIIIThese function as spells of level 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
These behave as the spells in all ways, because they are those spells. They take a full round to cast, the monsters last for 1 round per level, the have verbal, somatic, and focus components, and they can be the target of special abilities that modify spells like metamagic feats, metamagic rods, and the augment summons feat.
Hope that cleared things up kind of.
I just checked the SRD, and it looks like it is annoyingly silent on this, and so I have only two things to back me up. First, is SLA's as I said above, aren't spells. But, that is kind of a weak argument since SLAs say they "function in all other ways as spells."
My real piece of support is the existence of feats such as Empower Spell-Like Ability. If metamagic could be applied to SLAs, then there would be no need for feats such as this.
If you could get your hands on a Rod of Metamagic SLA Extend then that would solve all your problems, but then you are in purely homebrew territory.
Also, remember that your SLA summons last a full minute per level, so you really don't need to extend them anyways. They already last 10X longer than the spell versions.
Here is the deal. There are metamagic feats which work on spells and other feats that specifically have a similar affect on SLA's. Metamagic feats don't work on spells because a metamagic feat works by using up a higher level spell slot. SLA's don't use slots so metamagic feats can't work on them.
Metamagic Feats
As a spellcaster's knowledge of magic grows, he can learn to cast spells in ways slightly different from the norm. Preparing and casting a spell in such a way is harder than normal but, thanks to metamagic feats, is at least possible. Spells modified by a metamagic feat use a spell slot higher than normal. This does not change the level of the spell, so the DC for saving throws against it does not go up.
Here is the deal. There are metamagic feats which work on spells and other feats that specifically have a similar affect on SLA's. Metamagic feats don't work on spells because a metamagic feat works by using up a higher level spell slot. SLA's don't use slots so metamagic feats can't work on them.
Metamagic Feats
As a spellcaster's knowledge of magic grows, he can learn to cast spells in ways slightly different from the norm. Preparing and casting a spell in such a way is harder than normal but, thanks to metamagic feats, is at least possible. Spells modified by a metamagic feat use a spell slot higher than normal. This does not change the level of the spell, so the DC for saving throws against it does not go up.
Though I agree on not using a metamagic feat on a spell like ability, just for giggles I want to ask:
"Err, ok. But what about metamagic rods then? They don't require spellslots?"
:)
Edit: going around in circles. I am more then happy and agree on the ruling and find it very logical, of course :)
The metamagic rods don't change the rule that a slot has to be burned. The rods just make it so the slot is not burned by the caster.
The wielder can cast up to three spells per day that are extended as though using the Extend Spell feat.
In short the metamagic feats by design require a slot which SLA's don't have, and can't use. SLA's work on an "at will" or "per day" principle.
If they could use slots at all things like empower spell-like ability would not be needed.
edit:It makes it so a higher level slot is not burned.
Though I agree on not using a metamagic feat on a spell like ability, just for giggles I want to ask:"Err, ok. But what about metamagic rods then? They don't require spellslots?"
:)
Edit: going around in circles. I am more then happy and agree on the ruling and find it very logical, of course :)
Metamagic rods do require spell slots -- just not spell slots of higher level. You aren't casting a spell if it doesn't come from a slot.