Summon Monster: how does it exactly work?

[Damog Damog]

Hi everyone!

We started a new campaign of Pathfinder last week (Beginners Box, I chose a wizard), and since I'm kind of new to this RPG thing, I'm becoming full of doubts, and I think that I have bothered enough my game's master xD So I hope you guys here could answer this question, because the sentence in the description that says that the summoned creature "attacks to the best of its abilities" is confusing me a bit.

So, for example: I summon an eagle (lvl 1) which has as melee 2 talons + 3 (1d4), bite + 3 (1d4). How does it attack and how much damage it delivers (keeping in mind the "to the BEST of its ability" bit).

a) It automatically lands 3 hits with 4 hp each (I doubt this is the right option but it would be soooo nice...)
b) I have to roll melee attack 3 times to see if it lands the hits, and then the hits are 4hp each
c) It automatically lands the 3 hits but I need to roll for damage
d) I need to roll for hitting and damage 3 times
e) I need to choose 1 out of the 3 attacks
.
.
.

I'm very sorry if I'm asking a silly and/or obvious question, but I'm confused about it (and I have been looking for an answer on the Internet for 1 hour and I didn't find a satisfying answer.

Thank you guys in advance! :)

[Jeraa]

Attack rolls and damage rolls are all done normally. "Attacks to the best of its abilities" just means it tries its best when it attacks. It doesn't just stand there taunting the opponent, it doesn't make a single attack if multiple attacks are possible, and so on.

[Brew Bird]

It makes all the attacks that same creature would make if you were fighting it. It's just on your side, instead of against you. Interpretation "d & e" are both kind of correct.

Keep in mind, creatures with multiple attacks (be it through high BAB or multiple natural weapons) can only use all those attacks when they take a full-attack action.

So on one turn, your eagle can either
A) Take a move action, then use a standard action to make one attack (either a single claw attack, or its bite attack). You roll to hit, and roll for damage if the attack hits.

or

B) Take a full-attack action to make all 3 attacks. You roll to hit for each, and roll damage for each that hits.

In general in Pathfinder, whenever there's a die listed, you need to roll. If anything is automatic, it will be explicitly called out (like with a coup-de-grace, which is a special type of attack that automatically hits, or certain effects that might treat dice if they rolled the highest possible)

[Damog Damog]

Ok! Perfect then. Thank you very much guys! :D

[Ellioti]

something, we never are sure of: What's the summon's initiative? does it roll or does it get the summoner's? When does it act for the first time? Right after the summoning?

[Glorf Fei-Hung]

Ellioti wrote:

something, we never are sure of: What's the summon's initiative? does it roll or does it get the summoner's? When does it act for the first time? Right after the summoning?

The summoned Creature acts on the initiative that it was summoned. So on the summoner's turn. If the summoner delays/readies the summoned creature sure maintain that same place in initiative.

Normally unless the summoner does delay/ready the summoned creature just becomes part of the summoner's attack round.

[Murdock Mudeater]

While not mindless, a summon is not a party member or a team player, they just attack to the best of their abilities, the targets that you, the summoner, designate. They may choose the fastest route to the enemy, even if that means blocking charges for allies, or granting soft cover, or otherwise impairing the summoner's allies. They won't go out of their way to be disruptive, but they are just a summon that is attacking an enemy.

It is notable that if you share a language with the summoned creature (speak with animals, in this case), you can get them to do things other than just attack or give them more complicated commands. Like to assist your allies in attacking the target, using Combat Maneuvers, or just going first down that dark alley and reporting what they see.

Summon Nature's Ally is especially nice for this, since the first level version can summon a Mite, which is a creature with the Undercommon Language, allowing the summoner to give them more advanced commands with that language learned. Mites are not the most impressive in combat, but they have lots of sensory abilities (like 120ft of darkvision, low light vision, AND scent)