Favorite Summons

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I'm talking about mage summons here. And more specifically, the biggest bang for your buck, in the sense that a good summon at a low level is better than a good summon at a high level. I think most people will agree that the biggest bang for you buck in the world of clerics is definitely the summon undead, giving you a skeleton warrior at level 15 or more.

For mages, I would like to nominate Mordikien's (sp?) Sword. The thing is damn near indestructable, and does some pretty decent damage against virtually everything. In fact, other than casting something like death fog which destroys all summons, I don't think I've ever seen one destroyed based on pure damage. It only disappears once the duration expires. The other thing I like about it is it's only level 7, which is a level where you usually have a decent amount of spell choices, and you don't feel you are missing out on another good spell by memorizing a version or two of this. Planetars are great at level 9, but you only have a couple of spell slots for this level, and it makes it hard to select more than one planetar without feeling you are missing out on some better choices.

 

Mordenkainen's sword is 100% immune to all types of damage except magical damage. It has no magic resistance either, and low HP, so you'll see it get killed by horrid wilting a bit (or not, since most mages will just death spell it). But it's excellent against most things.

Magic-users also get animate dead as a level 5 spell. You can't really just say one is better than the other... I use skeleton warriors against mages for their MR or if I need a long-term summon, and Mordenkainen's swords against mind flayers and tougher foes.

With a sorcerer you can just PI and summon five planetars if you want to, heh.

 

I like using wand of summoning against Improved Liches.

I summon a whole bunch of low level monsters. Lich kills them with a single spell. I summon again. Lich kills them too, and spends all of his Time Stops, Death, Imprisonments, WoBanshees, ABDHWs, Symbols, Sunfires, and all other deadly stuff. I can just keep summoning via wand fast and infinitely;and the lich will happily waste his spells on completely harmless critters. Once he wastes all of his spells, he is as easy as a goblin to kill! Cheese any one?

 

@ Prine:

I think it's relatively safe to say that the clerical Animate Dead is better. It's a level three priest spell but a level five mage spell and there are quite a few nice level fives for mages. Furthermore, the cleric hits level 15 earlier than the mage.

As for the best summons, I think we've pretty much covered it. Hakeashar's are nice as well at times. For higher levels, if you want a change of pace from Planetars, Pit Fiends aren't bad.

 

^Aahz, do PFs we summon via spells has the same abilities as 'Improved Pit Fiends' we are discussing in another topic? I never tried. If they do then I guess they are pretty fearsome summons, and very good for level 7 spells for a cleric. Oh wait, I remember Jaheira getting this spell too (GATE), but I have Divine Remix. Do druids normally get it?

 

I believe Druids normally get it and yes, they are the same Improved Pit Fiends. They do make fearsome summons indeed and have seen me through many a fight. Of course every once in a while I'll be watching him beat up some mage and just as the mage is about to die, he dispells my Protection from Evil and the Pit Fiend comes after me. But that's when I run to the city guard and leave them to die -- err, deal with him.

 

Yes, that's why I said mage spells. A level 3 cleric spell with Animate Dead is the absolute bomb because you get a ton of level 3 spell slots, and there's no other level 3 spell that's essnetial to have. I usually have a boat load of animate deads in my level 3 spell slots.

The other thing you bring up is it's not nearly as good as the level 5 mage spell, because there are so many other vaulable level 5 mage spells. I couldn't imagine taking Animate Dead over something like Cloudkill or Breach.

Gate is very good for druids, but I usually prefer to summon elemental princes. Also very tough, and they don't ever try to beat you or your party up.

 

Agreed, but luckily those clerics can take care of it. Mord Swords and Hakeashar for the mages, I say.

 

Are Hakeashars really useful? I think since most mages cast from their scripts in my modded games, they may be of little use against them. Do they work wonders in un-modded games? Against liches? (Ah but they now have MMMeteros as well, a pity.)

Do they still destroy stuff? I hate them for doing so! But a fix may have prevented this, I don'T know, didin'T bother.

 

I used to use summons rather as source of time or to mislead opponents. For eg, improved Shadow Dragon drains 6 levels at the beginning of combat, so I summoned a spider and kept my party in a distance.
I started to use Sword when improved Jon casted them many times. It's a great answer for many threats, such as Golems.

 

Hakeashars have their uses even in the modded game. Not all spells are scripted and so they can be useful every once in a while. Their magic resistance is quite high as well. I believe they still destroy stuff but it's not usually that important.

And yes, summons also make lovely distractions, though generally the same summons that are good fighters also distract well enough so you get both.

 

Hmm. Although my favorite overall is definitely Mordenkainen's Sword (I love it! Flying swords, killing stuff on their own! ... I like swords.), I was always a little partial to the fun, but not entirely useful, Call Wyvern. I don't know why. Probably because I liked to think of it as a little mini-dragon (a very stupid, wimpy mini-dragon, but a mini-dragon). Did I mention I like dragons? ....oh. Dungeons and Dragons. Should be obvious I guess And I sorta' like Spider Spawn, too. I feel it's one of the more effective low-level summons. Animate Dead I have some kind of unfounded prejudice against, although i absolutely love it in IWD/2. Probably because I'm usually neutral or good in alignment for BG2, and summoning skeletons just doesn't really feel... appropriate.

 

I like the Spiders at low levels because they can walk through Webs. As a mage, they're great, but as a Sorcerer, I can never justify taking Web or Spider Spawn. I can't say I've used many Wyverns.

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about in the sorcerer thread I just posted! And yeah, I don't remember the last time I bothered to even memorize Call Wyvern.

 

Yay for the Pit Fiend! I am not familiar with mages really, as I usually play rogue but I used to play cleric a ton.

My current party: 6 Mad Clerics all with the gate spell and protecton from evil

Unfortunately most of the time the Pit fiends attack each other...

 

My guy never would have even made it to level 15 without those two spells; that's justification enough for me.

What are all these good fifth level spells that I'm not seeing? Animate dead, lower resistance, breach, spell immunity, maybe cloudkill... I can't think of any others that are essential.

 

You hit the main ones. I always want at least two breach, a cloudkill, a lower resistance, and a spell immunity. That's 5 already - not much room left for animate dead. You see to me, having that many good choices is a lot for a given spell level. An example of a bad spell level for choices is level 4. Stoneskin is indispensable, but beyond that, the only spells that are really worth having are malison and minor sequencer.

 

Pardon me, that other comment already had me thinking like a sorcerer.

I've found there's not very many spell levels with more than four or five worthwhile spells.

 

Favourite summons? Let me remember the BG2 times. I think that Planetars and Elemental Princes, but yeah, Mordankeinen's Sword was also frequently used. Skeleton Warriors were also a must, too bad Melissan could destroy them with two words.

 

Summon Creature II has saved my bacon a few times.