The spell is completed at the beginning of the next round
The monster appears and can act on your initiative in round 2.
The monster gets to act 5 times starting on round 2 so it leaves just before your initiative starts on round 7.
The spell says the monster act immediately after the spell is completed so I would say the monster would go first, but most GM's really don't care that I have gamed with.
The monster can be attacked when it appears.
For sacred summons the monster gets to act in the same round that you cast the spell as soon as the standard action is completed.
Surprise rounds only give you a standard action so it would use up the standard action for your first round. At that point your monster appears and it can attack.
The spell says the monster attacks your enemies which it does. You can not direct it otherwise unless you can speak to it.
1) Ends right before your next turn. Until that point, you are casting the spell.
2) At the beginning of your next turn.
3) 5 rounds after he came into existence, so round 7.
4) At the beginning of round 2.
5) Whenever you want on your turn in round 2, regardless of when he does.
6) Starting on round 2, because that's when it appears.
7) If meet all the requirements of the feat, it'll appear on your turn, so they can attack on the turn you cast the spell.
8) Can't use summon spells during surprise rounds, since they take longer than a standard action to cast.
8.5) BUT if you have sacred summons and the monster satisfies the very specific requirements of the feat, then it'll act on...hell, I don't know. He wasn't a part of the surprise round, so probably next turn.
9) The summoned creature follows your commands if you can command it. They will not attack your allies, as they only attack your enemies by default. The demon will not attack the paladin (although the paladin will probably attack the demon...which causes all sorts of issues. Ask your GM.)
My 5th level caster chooses to cast summon monster 3 on round 1.
When is the casting complete? (full round action, ends at end of round 1)
No. Casting is complete just before your next turn. So your initiative count in round 2. You only provoke AoO when you begin to cast, but must make concentration check every time you are damaged until the spell is complete in round 2.
When does the monster appear? (on my initiative on round 2)
Correct.
When does the monster disappear? (on my initiative on round 6)
No. Duration is 5 rounds. It appears in round 2 and disappears in round 7 (before it acts).
When can the monster act? (on my initiative on round 2)
Correct.
When can I act (on my initiative on round 2, before or after monster at my choosing?)
The rules are unclear. The summon monster acts "on your turn." I play that the summoner gets the choice of before or after.
When can the monster be attacked? (after it appears)
After it appears on your turn in round 2 until it disappears in round 7.
How about sacred summons? (appears on round 1 at my initiative and can act immediately, but after me)
What about suprise rounds? (casting ends at end of suprise round, monster appears on my initiative in the next round.)
No. You can only use a single action in the surprise round. To cast the spell you must use the 'start full round action' action as a standard action in the surprise round. Then use another standard action in round 1 to 'complete full round action.' The summoned monster immediately appears during your turn in round 1. (Yes. You are generally better off not starting to cast this in the surprise round as this will consume two standard actions rather than a single full-round action.) edit: incorrectly said round 2
How much atonomy does the monster have? (No, the demon cannot choose to maul the party paladin instead of fighting the enemy demon, even though I can't speak abyssal. Yes the lantern archon must murder the small inncoent child because I want him to.)
The demon will attack "your opponents" and fight to the best of its ability, which is arbitrated by the DM. You have no control over it unless you can communicate with it.
But unless your party paladin in considered an opponent it can't choose to attack her.
Casting for 1 round means that I have to make concentration checks for any attacks, etc. until my next round, Could theoretically be counterspelled during that entire time, or do they have to counter me when I begin (or end?) casting?
You typically ready an action to counterspell. Since it is a 1 round casting time that would seem to preclude using it as a counterspell. Although dispel magic could still be used. I think I would require your enemy to have readied it before you began.
Summon monster in a surprise round is a poor choice.
On further reflection, I think I overstated the problem with Summon Monster in the surprise round. Since you will complete it in Round 1 the monster should appear in that round and act on your turn. It still has the disadvantage of requiring a standard action in the surprise round and another in round 1 rather than a full round action (the equivalent of a standard action and a move action).
Now that everything is clear... what an epic post ninja battle. ;)
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What about suprise rounds? (casting ends at end of suprise round, monster appears on my initiative in the next round.)
In a surprise round, you can only take a standard or move action. You can take the standard action "Begin a full-round action". In the first full round, you can take the standard action "Complete a full-round action". The monster then appears and acts.
How much atonomy does the monster have? (No, the demon cannot choose to maul the party paladin instead of fighting the enemy demon, even though I can't speak abyssal. Yes the lantern archon must murder the small inncoent child because I want him to.)
It must attack your enemies to the best of its ability. Unless you can communicate and order it otherwise, it can decide which of your enemies to attack and which of its equally-good abilities to use.
Can you spend a standard action in one round and then another in the second round to complete a full round of casting?
Let's say the character moves, then starts casting Summon Monster by spending a standard action. The round passes as the other people do their stuff, and on the character's next initiative, she completes casting by spending a standard action (thus the monster appears), then moves again.
Like this?
That works.
It's been hinted at in regards to your last question but I would like to emphasize it. If you want to be able to control your summoned monsters you need to speak their language. As such, any summoner based character should invest the skill points and learn all the appropriate languages using the linguistics skill.
That works.
Huh?
You give up two rounds to be able to move in both. It still has all the disadvantages of a 1 round cast though.That works.Huh?
Yep you can. That's exactly what the "Start/Complete Full-Round Action" standard action is for. Clicky in the post above yours.
No you can't split your spellcasting action. It's all or nothing.Can you spend a standard action in one round and then another in the second round to complete a full round of casting?
Let's say the character moves, then starts casting Summon Monster by spending a standard action. The round passes as the other people do their stuff, and on the character's next initiative, she completes casting by spending a standard action (thus the monster appears), then moves again.
Like this?
just like Quatar said. YES.
I don't believe that applies to spells, both logically, and as per the rules.
When you begin a spell that takes 1 round or longer to cast, you must continue the invocations, gestures, and concentration from 1 round to just before your turn in the next round (at least). If you lose concentration after starting the spell and before it is complete, you lose the spell.
You've lost concentration by splitting the action up.
You've lost concentration by splitting the action up.
Please explain.
When you begin a spell that takes 1 round or longer to cast, you must continue the invocations, gestures, and concentration from 1 round to just before your turn in the next round (at least). If you lose concentration after starting the spell and before it is complete, you lose the spell.
That condition isn't being satisfied if you split the action up.
Further, spells can't be interrupted.
Starting to cast a spell, stopping (meaning you can still threaten, move about, etc), and finishing on the next round is being interrupted.
I have a feeling this debate has been going on since 3.5 or earlier.
Whelp, this Rules of the Game says it's possible.
You can use this action to begin or complete a spell with a full-round casting time, to perform a coup de grace, or to begin or complete moving 5 feet through difficult terrain
So, guess that's still the case. Weird, and counter to common sense.
Hmm... a spell with a full-round casting time (like, for example, a meta'ed spontaneous spell) is not the same as a spell with a casting time of '1 round'.
The former happens at your initiative (and eats up all but your swift action), the latter will come into effect at your initiative in the next turn.
I think the 'splitting' only applies to the 'full-round action' spells, not the '1 round' ones.
Actually you're wrong:
"A spell that takes one round to cast is a full-round action."
It's still a full round action, even if normally you have to continue casting through everyone else's turn and can be interrupted.
Metamagic'd spells are also a Full-round action, but are done in the same round.
Both can be used with the Start/Complete Full Round Action action though.
Lets look at the actual rules quote that's relevant here:
Most spells have a casting time of 1 standard action. Others take 1 round or more, while a few require only a swift action.
A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed.
A spell that takes 1 minute to cast comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later (and for each of those 10 rounds, you are casting a spell as a full-round action, just as noted above for 1-round casting times). These actions must be consecutive and uninterrupted, or the spell automatically fails.
When you begin a spell that takes 1 round or longer to cast, you must continue the concentration from the current round to just before your turn in the next round (at least). If you lose concentration before the casting is complete, you lose the spell.
The way I read this, there is no longer a distinction between a "1 full round action" spell and a "1 round" spell. In fact, I don't know of any spells which specifically cite a full round as a casting time. I certainly don't know every spell out there, so feel free to cite an example at me, but all the ones I checked were just "1 round".
Also, it says that the continuous full-round actions need to be uninterrupted. That's written regarding spells that take a minute or more to cast, but I think it's safe to apply that to spells started as a standard action then finished as a standard action next turn.
The "start full-round action" standard action lets you start undertaking a full-round action, which you can complete in the following round by using another standard action. You can't use this action to start or complete a full attack, charge, run, or withdraw.
There's a specific list of things you can't use the Start/Complete action to do. Casting a spell is not on that list, and is a full round action, so there's no reason to disallow it. However, because of the wording in the casting time session, if you do anything at all between taking those two standard actions, you lose the spell. So you can't move, make attacks (and thus don't threaten), cast immediate spells, etc. You could, however, move, start casting, and then next turn finish casting then move.
The way I read this, there is no longer a distinction between a "1 full round action" spell and a "1 round" spell. In fact, I don't know of any spells which specifically cite a full round as a casting time.
I don't know if there's an actual spell with "1 full-round action" but spontanous casters using metamagic get increased to that, instead of "1 round".
Click here: (Important part bolded by me)
Casting a Metamagic Spell
Sorcerers and bards must take more time to cast a metamagic spell (one enhanced by a metamagic feat) than a regular spell. If a spell's normal casting time is 1 standard action, casting a metamagic version of the spell is a full-round action for a sorcerer or bard (except for spells modified by the Quicken Spell feat, which take 1 swift action to cast). Note that this isn't the same as a spell with a 1-round casting time. Spells that take a full-round action to cast take effect in the same round that you begin casting, and you are not required to continue the invocations, gestures, and concentration until your next turn. For spells with a longer casting time, it takes an extra full-round action to cast the metamagic spell.
But that's really the only example I know.
I have a feeling this debate has been going on since 3.5 or earlier.
It's one of those questions that is often academic as very few people want to split up their spells in such a way, as using two standard actions in not very economical.
You can use this action to begin or complete a spell with a full-round casting time, to perform a coup de grace, or to begin or complete moving 5 feet through difficult terrainSo, guess that's still the case. Weird, and counter to common sense.
Yes and it can get weirder. If you read the Rules of the Game article you can actually move before or after the start/complete full round action.
So, you could (in normal rounds) begin casting summon monster, move out of the line of fire. Then the next turn move back into sight of the target and finish casting.
I only used it once, on my witch.
I wanted to get the Enlarge Person of on the melee ASAP, and started casting it during the surprise round.
Sure I lost 1 standard action, I could have Evil Eye'd someone in the surprise round and then cast it in round 1, but this way the Enlarge was on the target a whole round earlier.
I thought it was worth it.