Summon Monsters: Responsibility and Justification

[Crimson Sword]

Summon Monster is a neat spell, when it comes to animals and monsters with 2 intelligence or less. At later levels, when devils and angels are summoned and other intelligence creatures, does such a creature have their own will or just work on the will of their summoner? That's something that never quite sat right with me...

Could a caster summon a devil to attack other devils? Can't they be encountered later on, unsummoned intentionally? I would feel rather annoyed as any summoned devil/angel.

[BEGS]

Summon monster is not a calling spell, the summoned monster are prity much yours to do what you want with.
However int does matter to how well the monster can follow your commands.
Any devil summon to fight another devil would do so with out any problems for the caster.
However a Called creature could cause problems.

[Lincoln Hills]

Crimson Sword wrote:

...when devils and angels are summoned and other intelligent creatures, does such a creature have their own will or just work on the will of their summoner? That's something that never quite sat right with me...

As I understand it, the summoned creature must obey its summoner (but might deliberately misinterpret a command that isn't totally clear.) A GM who dislikes such an absolute could easily house-rule that a summoned creature ordered to do something really antithetical can make a Will save (to resist that particular command, or to end the summon prematurely, according to the GM's call), but the RaW doesn't seem to have the sort of clauses you find under dominate person and other enchantments.

That said - a summoned creature that is 'misused' returns home with full memory of the events, and it would be quite understandable for it to seek redress. An archon compelled to kill people who were doing it and its summoner no harm is not going to let the matter stand. Convincing a superior archon to plane shift and hunt down the summoner for just punishment, or persuading an allied priest to lay a quest or mark of justice on the summoner for his/her sins are possible consequences.

[Malfus]

Due to the limitations after summoning, I would assume that you are dealing with an major aspect of the creature's power as opposed to the creature itself. It cannot be "killed", it can't use its most powerful abilities, and it attacks your foes to the best of its ability.

[wraithstrike]

There was even a pathfinder AP where a bad guy summoned an angel or some other good aligned celestial outsider, and got it to lie to the PC's to try to trick them into leaving.

[Fedorarogue]

As far as the rules go it seems that summoned creatures are yours to do with whatever you want. Called ones that you are trying to bind or agree to severing you is a whole other matter and those are not bound to your will. As Lincoln Hills pointed out though they do remember what happened. So a summoned devil or demon will continue to live forever plotting your downfall if you were harsh to it. Or it truly might even if you weren't. That is one thing a Dm can use for more plot or side quests. Though if it does become a big deal the Dm can always make it so summon is more like calling them for a binding. Making you have to rp it out with the creature for aid.