Best summoning spells

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I'm planning to solo with a sorcerer (ouch, wish me luck) and I guess one way to stay alive so that the enemies don't charge you, is to use summoning spells. Unfortunately, most of the summoned creatures are pathetic and serve only as fodder. They get killed too quickly to be useful. Are there any *good* summoning spells (with creatures that don't get killed easily and can do a decent amount of damage)? Something I can use to distract a dragon, for example.

 

My solo sorcerer uses mostly Mordekainens sword and Animate dead. But it really depends on what level you are. You should for example choose spider spawn as you first 4th level spell. This will make much easier to get out of the first dungeon. I've also got summon earth elemental, but I rarely use it. One other thing is to get haste. Not for you but for your summonings.

Btw solo with a sorcerer is very easy and not really a challenge. But it's fun anyway and you get to learn how to use those spells to best advantage.

 

Hmmm...

I would also recommend to choose spider spawn first(Phase and sword spiders are very though pets; compared to monster summoning I-II-III, which are waste!!!) then animate dead. (Skeleton warriors are extremely powerful, have 90% MR, stay for 8 hours they are resistant to non blunt phisical damage, and almost immune to missile damage, immune to cold damage, charm, confusion, and psionic blast.)
mordaiken's sword is an excellent option, but it lasts for small amount of time, and it attacks only once per round.

I tried out the invisible stalker spell too, but a skeleton warrior is mutch more stronger, and more resistant then the stalker.

If you are in a though battle, you can bombard the enemy with fireballs and other area damage spells, without hurting the skeleton warriors(90% MR great!!!)

You could have guessed that the animate dead is my favorite summoning.

 

I agree with the others regarding spider spawn and animate dead (I'd use SS until your level is high enough for AD to produce the skeleton warriors). When you get high enough in level to cast Project image, you can project yourself and create a squad of 5 skeleton warriors without your real character's having to use up any of his level 5 spells.

Also, you might consider the benefits of collecting the elemental staves found around the Realms. The earth and air staves give you one elemental a day and the fire staff gives you up to 30 before you need to sell and re-buy the thing. It also doesn't hurt to get the spider figurine and djinn summoning bottle and so forth.

With few exceptions, you shouldn't have too much trouble running the solo sorcerer - he kicks so much butt, it's almost embarassing.

 

Gate is also good, but you can only use that from scroll but it seems a good solution against dragons...

 

Animate dead and Mordakainens sword are probably the 2 summoning spells you really need through the entire game. For some situations a Nishruu or Ragahashar? (can't spell, improved nishruu) might be usefull, but wasting a Sorcerer spell ability might be a bit too much.

I dont know if you consider this a summoning ability, but simulacrum is really great as well. Especially if you want to play on in ToB and get higher levels


[This message has been edited by Lokken (edited August 22, 2001).]

 

since a sorcerer doesnt have to scribe scrolls, does it make sense to have a minimal INT and have a high WIS for the Save bonus?

 

If you're soloing with your sorcerer, conjuring elementals is a pretty good option, even for the lesser elementals. They have poor THAC0, but on a hit, the lesser elementals can do as much as 20 or so damage. (strangely enough, Haer'Dalis was killed by a lesser fire elemental once the other day when the conduit was opened and we had to fight the extra-planar creatures) Mordenkainen's Sword, Animate Dead (at 15+ level), and project image are all great spells, and since you're soloing, you'll be able to get those quickly. When fighting enemy wizards, you could have Summon Nishruu or Summon Hakeashar. Also, consider having demon summoning spells. (although that would make you also have to learn the level 1 spell Protection From Evil, obviously) The items that summon are also great, the Efreeti from the Efreeti bottle can fight well and cast spells. Kitthix the spider is okay in the first few chapters, but becomes obselete later on. I believe that there's also a glitch that makes the figurine disappear after Kitthix is unsummoned.

 

I recommend that your sorcerer avoid the elemental summoning spells like the plague! IMO they are very bad spell choices. Control is not automatic with these.
Stick with Spider Spawn, Animate Dead and Mordenkainen's Sword for summoning.

Do not take Gate!
Summon Fiend at level 8 is just as good if you want a demon and there are so many other level 9 spells that are truly great - Time Stop, Spellstrike and Chain Contingency.

 

Demons are the best pets in BG2 SoA; but since you can't control them they aren't the perfect choice.

 

Best summoning spells must be animate dead and mordakainen's sword, imho animate dead could be fine substitute to nishuru.

 

For you can't learn level 9 spells, I think one of the best summoning spells is the lvl 8 Summon Fiend spell. However you need Protection from evil casted on all your allies or he will also attack you. Well the level 7 summon spells (efreeti, Djinni and Hakeashar) aren't bad and the Summon Nihruu is also great... I don't realy like the lower level monster summoning spells...

 

Mordekainen's sword has some very impressive abilities: 100% resistance to every phisical attacks; immunity to fire, cold, acid and electricity; immunity to hold, charm and psionic blast. It can be only destroyed by pure magical energy, just like magic missile, abi dalzim's horrid wilting(there aren't many spells that can hurt that sword )

Its weakness lies in its low HP-s(30 or 40) but it is a perfect summoning, slightly better than animate dead.

 

The only bad thing about Mord's Sword is that it can be dominated/dire charmed - this happened to me pretty frequently.

The demon summoning spells are ok, I suppose (they are fun to drop into a room full of hostiles) but I liked controllable critters better. The fact that you get no XP for your demon's kills is offset by the fact that your solo character will get more than enough elsewhere. You could always keep gate or whatever scrolls you can find, cast project image and then summon demon from scroll (so you can avoid wasting spell slots).

 

unfortunately, the best summoning spells are cleric (actually, druid). fire elementals, animated dead and invisible stalkers can clear rooms and provide remarkably strong targets for the most powerful.

there are several items in the game that can summon monsters for you--lesser fire elementals, bezerkers, lesser air elementals.. these are nice substitutes.

the m. swords are about the best you have--not much in SoA will touch them--they may not single-handedly win the battle but will provide very hearty targets.

fiends are ok. they tend to be unreliable and .. quite evil for a good party to pull into the prime material plane (but that is role-playing..)

 

I always hear of solo sorcerers. What about solo wizards? They are a great deal more versatile than sorcerers, though they cannot cast as often. How do they do?

 

I agree that summoning demons is the most effective way of summoning in Bg2 SoA.
They are extremely though and dangerous, but completely uncontrollable.

I also agree, that dropping a demon into the prime material plane is an evil way indeed, so that is why I hesitate to take in the summon fiend spell, into my chaotic good sorcerer's spellbook.

Should I?