Summon spells. How many actions.

[Ezzard]

Alright today we're going to summon a Djinni. No particular reason I just like them.

So let's take a look at what we need. Looks like Three(3) actions to cast the Summon Elemental spell.

So once this is done the Djinni will gain the minion trait and be granted two(2) actions to use on the turn it's summoned.

Oh. But can it use those actions, without the caster commanding it?

"Your minion acts on your turn in
combat, once per turn, when you spend an action to issue
it commands. For an animal companion, you Command
an Animal; for a minion that’s a spell or magic item effect
like a summoned minion you Sustain a Spell or Sustain
an Activation; and if not otherwise specified, you issue a
verbal command, which is a single action with the auditory
and concentrate traits." (page 301)

This breaks it down into three sections.

Animal Companion - command.
Spell or magic item - sustain.
If not otherwise specified - verbal command.

The fun part is the following text from page 637:
"If you can communicate with it, you can attempt to command it, but
the GM determines the degree to which it follows your commands."
-excerpt from the summoned trait

So I speak Common. The Djinni speaks common. I spend three(3) actions to summon it.
Do I then need to wait until my next turn to both sustain the spell, and then give a verbal command, for a total of two (2) actions? With the final total being five(5) actions over the course of two(2) turns for a single summoned creature that is only able to stay summoned up to a minute?

P.S.
Had to make a minor edit to make sure what was being asked was clear.

[Draco18s]

Page 637 wrote:

summoned (trait)

A creature called by a conjuration spell or effect gains the
summoned trait.

Immediately when you finish Casting the Spell, the summoned creature uses
its 2 actions for that turn. Summoned creatures can be banished by various spells
and effects. They are automatically banished if reduced to 0 Hit Points or if the
spell that called them ends.

[Ezzard]

Draco18s wrote:

Page 637 wrote:

summoned (trait)

A creature called by a conjuration spell or effect gains the
summoned trait.

Immediately when you finish Casting the Spell, the summoned creature uses
its 2 actions for that turn. Summoned creatures can be banished by various spells
and effects. They are automatically banished if reduced to 0 Hit Points or if the
spell that called them ends.

I read that part. But what commands it to do so for that turn?

And what of the subsequent turns after that? I have a specified instance of needing to command my summoned creatures on page 637. In addition to that I have every summon spell telling me I need to spend an action to sustain the spell. That's 2 actions every turn after it's summoned.

Is that right?

[Draco18s]

It gets 2 actions, just as if you'd given it a command. You get the "issue a command" part for free as part of casting the spell.

Quote:

In addition to that I have every summon spell telling me I need to spend an action to sustain the spell.

In the playtest the "sustain a summoned creature spell" action automatically gave you the "issue commands" for free. I'd have to check the CRB for similar language.

Found it.
The...language is awful. I've trimmed it for easier parsing.

Page 301 wrote:

Minions are creatures that directly serve another creature.

A creature with this trait can use only 2 actions per turn
and can’t use reactions. Your minion acts on your turn in
combat, once per turn, when you spend an action to issue
it commands. [...] for a minion [that is] a spell [...] you Sustain a Spell or Sustain
an Activation; and (if not otherwise specified), you issue a
verbal command...

That is:

When you use the "Sustain a Spell" action that is the Issue Command action:

Quote:

when you spend an action to issue [the summon] commands. For [summons] that [action] is the Sustain a Spell [action].

[Quandary]

I'm not sure on how language plays into this...
The OP chose example where Summon speaks Common, but that isn't always true.

On one hand Summon spells are Commanded via Sustain, distinct from Animal Companion Command, and others minions' "verbal commands"

Then there is "If you can communicate with it, you can attempt to command it"

Is language needed to communicate and command a creature who knows languages?

[Caleb Garofalo]

I believe what is causing some confusion is that we need to consider that summoned creatures have both the Summoned and Minion traits.

If the summoned creature only had the minion trait then on the turn the creature is summoned and it gains it's two actions it can only use those two actions to "defend themselves or to escape obvious harm." This is because the Sustain and Verbal command are both actions and you've already spent all three actions summoning it. Since you cannot give it a command as per the Minion trait, "If given no commands, by default minions use no actions except to defend themselves or to escape obvious harm."

However the summoned creature has both the Minion and Summoned traits. Because of this on the turn the creature is summoned and it gains it's two actions it will "attack your enemies to the best of it's abilities." This is because the Sustain and Verbal command are both actions and you've already spent all three actions summoning it. Since you cannot give it a command as per the Summoned trait, "It generally attacks your enemies to the best of its abilities."

The next round you spend one action to Sustain a Spell to give it two actions as per the Minion trait, "Your minion acts on your turn in combat... when you spend an action to issue it commands. For a... summoned minion you Sustain a Spell." If you can communicate with it when you Sustain a Spell you get to tell it what to do. To what degree it listens to what you told it to do is up to the GM as per the summoned trait, "if you can communicate with it, you can attempt to command it, but the GM determines the degree to which it follows your commands." If you cannot communicate with it when you Sustain a Spell it will continue to "generally attack your enemies to the best of it's abilities," as per the already cited text in the Summoned trait.

TL:DR - The summoned creature spends it's two actions the turn it's summoned to attack your enemies to the best of it's ability. On the summoner's next turn he spends one action to Sustain a Spell wherein which he can give the creature commands as part of the Sustain a Spell action if he can communicate with the summoned creature.

[Caleb Garofalo]

I believe your confusion will be cleared up partially when you understand that what the Minion trait is telling you.

There is one of two possibilities:
1. When it says, "you spend an action to issue it commands," it is describing an action separate from the actions it is describing in the next sentence.
2. When it says, "you spend an action to issue it commands," it then defines for you specifically what action that is in the next sentence.

We can be confident it is the second possibility because actions in 2E always come with traits and it doesn't define any traits for that action. Thus the following text that outlines three different actions (one of which it creates here giving it traits even) is defining what that "spend an action to issue it commands" is. It has to define that action in a follow up sentence because there are three possible ways the creature is a minion (either because it's an animal companion, summoned creature from a spell or magic item effect, or other). If there was only one possible way it would of defined it in that original sentence (for example if you could only get a creature with the minion trait by it being an animal companion it would say, "Your minion acts on your turn in combat, once per turn, when you Command an Animal to issue it commands.")

This conversation is not helped by the fact that the game terms 'Command an Animal' and 'issue a verbal command' are using the same words for the general concept of giving a creature orders; words which we need to use to have this conversation in the first place.