I understand that a normal summon spell require 1 round and the actions of the summoned creature do not occur until the round after the summoner began casting the spell, but in the case of Gate, which requires 1 standard action, does the called creature get a full-round action the round the 'caller' cast the spell?
Probably....but they're not going to spend it attacking something. The creature will probably first threaten and attempt to kill the caster who ripped it from it's own plain, then find that it can't, then attempt to bargain for it's services. Gate really is a out of combat spell.
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Well that's a fancy question. Summoned monsters act the turn they come in, but they usually come in at the start the summoner's turn. I'd say the Gated creature can act the turn it arrives but there's no real evidence I found to prove this point.
That is definitely a GM interpretation. If I were ruling (and have ruled), it would depend on the creature gated in and their motivation. If I ruled they would act first and bargain later, I would say they would get a full round of actions based on the mounted combat rules that say the mount can get their actions and so can the rider in the same round. However, if the GM felt that the creature wanted to take stock of the situation, you could have them wait until the following round just to figure out what they should do.
I think that this spell is a big GM interpretation spell in that there are many variables that could be influencing the situation.
-Strange Doc
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Hmm. Since it's a calling effect, I'd actually have the creature roll initiative and place it in initiative order accordingly, and then it acts when its turn comes up.
It's summon monster I that specifies creatures act on the caster's turn, so that doesn't apply here (calling and conjuration do not say anything about when a creature acts). and I'd assume summon nature's ally I has a similar clause. Now, in those cases, if you used two standard actions over two turns ("start full-round action", "complete full-round action"), it would still appear and act on the caster's second turn, and get a full round.
Edit: I didn't look into the bargaining aspect, so that might take up its own time, but that can be determined separately.
From Gate:
If you choose to call a kind of creature instead of a known individual, you may call either a single creature or several creatures. In either case, their total HD cannot exceed twice your caster level. In the case of a single creature, you can control it if its HD does not exceed your caster level. A creature with more HD than your caster level can't be controlled. Deities and unique beings cannot be controlled in any event. An uncontrolled being acts as it pleases, making the calling of such creatures rather dangerous. An uncontrolled being may return to its home plane at any time.
In this case an 18th level caster summoned an Ice Linnorm (18 HD), so he was able to control him and he could speak Draconic so there was no language issue.
Yes...you control him for one task. So you could say defend us from those guys attacking us right now. However....
If you choose to exact a longer or more involved form of service from a called creature, you must offer some fair trade in return for that service. The service exacted must be reasonable with respect to the promised favor or reward; see the lesser planar ally spell for appropriate rewards. Some creatures may want their payment in "livestock" rather than in coin, which could involve complications. Immediately upon completion of the service, the being is transported to your vicinity, and you must then and there turn over the promised reward. After this is done, the creature is instantly freed to return to its own plane.