How do summoned monsters feel about being summoned?

[EpicFail]

Ravingdork wrote:

Sadly, game developers have long since clarified that alignment descriptors do ultimately effect the caster's alignment.

That is too bad if that's the case. For example, our hero Pedantic the Paladin cries out to the Druid- "Stop! Don't summon a L.E. Mite to walk into the boiling tar trap. What are you thinking?? Summon a cute little doggie instead to set off that trap."

[LazarX]

Ravingdork wrote:

Sadly, game developers have long since clarified that alignment descriptors do ultimately effect the caster's alignment (even though nothing in core RAW supports that).

But it's up to the GM to implement that rule as he sees fit. In PFS it remains pretty much a non-issue. So it's no big deal.

[boring7]

Ravingdork wrote:

I run them as magical effects. Even something as simple as saying they retain their memory can lead to problems like "torture via summoning." Imagine a goodly celestial being summoned by an evil entity over and over again with the full knowledge and memory that it is raping and murdering innocent children or some such horrific mind-scarring deed.

Then again...maybe that's how broken souls are made.

Yeah, but the alternative is, arguably, creating a fully sapient life form that will only know a few minutes of violence before dissolving once more. Of course, this raises questions of "what makes a person" and "what is life" (not to mention whether or not SR applies to your walking spell effect) and philosophical ramblings of the definitions of life and will such.

It's all dreadfully boring when there's monsters need killin' and you need a mook to play beatdown.

Additionally, HUMAN psychology has a problem with torture and bad memories and such, but the creatures you summon are, by definition, not human. All kinds of blind alleys you don't want to go down that explore the concept of nonhuman intelligences (spoiler alert, it always ends in Cthulhu).

[Owly]

It is not common knowledge, but amongst wizards it is known that summoned monsters are typically from the Outer Plane of the Beastlands. These are of the essence of incarnated souls from the Prime Material, and make up a vast population of those souls whose intelligence was good or neutral, but spend eternity mastering their more bestial natures in a rubric only the gods can understand. The lower-levels of these beast-souls incarnate on the Prime Material again when summoned as a "test" which is part of their regimen. That dire badger you just summoned? He was an intelligent person just like you only a few hundred years ago on some far away world. When he is slain or dismissed, he returns to his clan in the Beastlands to meditate on his performance.

Of course, demons and angels come from their respective planes. It is all part of a vast cosmic relationship between the Prime and the Outer Planes.

[Ashiel]

EpicFail wrote:

Ravingdork wrote:

Sadly, game developers have long since clarified that alignment descriptors do ultimately effect the caster's alignment.

That is too bad if that's the case. For example, our hero Pedantic the Paladin cries out to the Druid- "Stop! Don't summon a L.E. Mite to walk into the boiling tar trap. What are you thinking?? Summon a cute little doggie instead to set off that trap."

Fortunately the rules have not changed. I'd rather piss on this game than play in a game that you can buy your way into heaven by repeatedly casting protection from evil over and over again.

[Wrath]

I treat it like a real creature is called in and forced to work for the summoner. It is mind bound slavery pure and simple.

Remember that the monster will only move to fight the nearest enemy. Nothing else.

Unless you can comunicate with it some how, making them open doors, or set off traps is outside the purview of the spell completely.

I'm happy for my players to treat them as cannon fodder, but they know it's forcing something to act, and some creatures won't be happy.

Clerics, or other divine casters with a patron, are granted the creature through a pact from their patron. In my home group, this means certain creatures are outside yor summoning ability if your god won't grant them ( we use alignment restrictions ).

Note, these are completely rulings we've made as a home group. It's a sense of immersion and consistency for us, and let's us build in some reasonable control methods for some casting, and possible side quests for DM's.

[Gevaudan]

In my game, we created a "summoning office" and the creatures have discussions around the water cooler about the happenings whilst they were summoned.

Summonings frequently interrupt paperwork tasks and synergy meetings.

[R-Hero]

HowFortuitous wrote:

A player brought up this question to me. Summon Monster x obviously doesn't create the creature from whole cloth. How does a wizard who doesn't know how to cast a heal spell, make a monster that can cast a heal spell afterall? (did not actually check to see if there is a monster on the summon monster lists that can cast heal) So these creatures have to come from somewhere. So...where? And how do they feel about being pulled from their home and made to fight to the (temporary) death?

I treat it like a dream for the summoned.

When I dream, it's like I'm summoned to an alternative plane. I'm not always in charge of my actions and I find myself doing unusual things.

I can see an angel or archon talking to the wife about being summoned like a dream. "...There were a couple of guys in armor, bloody and unconscious, on the floor while a skinny guy in red robes screamed at me to push over a fountain..."

[Vod Canockers]

I have friends that played in a campaign, where one night shortly after dinner, they were the summoned creatures.