Summoning Changes

Summoning Changes

Arelith Wiki
Character Creation
Creation (New Players Guide) Race - Deity - Class Gifts - Backgrounds - Alignment Marks - Epic Sacrifice Customization - Head List - Builds
Character Systems
Description - Disguise / Covered Languages - Experience - Quests Pickpocket - Rest - Role Play Bonus Death - Lycanthropy - Investigate Sequencers - Runic Sequencers
World Systems
Settlements - Factions Quarters - Shops - Taverns - Banks Riding - Sailing - Boons Communication - Portals Time - Containers/Bags Radiant Heart - Assassin's Guild Sencliff's Pirates
Item Creation Systems
Alchemy - Art Craft - Carpentry Herb - Smith - Tailor Dweomercraft - Runes
Armor Weapons - Melee / Ranged / Siege Resources - Poison
Arelith Changes
Classes - Skills - Feats - Trap Summons - Familiar Reskins Spells (list) - Misc
Help
Rules - Roleplay - Maps Console Commands Common Bugs - Staff Support Tickets - Character Remake [The Astrolabe]

This page lists and explains Spells that work differently than in Vanilla NWN.

Summoning has been completely overhauled in Arelith. Every form of summoning, from base classes such as the wizard and the cleric, to blackguard and the shadowdancer were completely changed to follow different progressions, tiers of power and functions.

For specific summons stats and details, check the summons article.

Controlling Summons

All summons can be directly commanded using the Player Tool 1.

Prohibited Spells: Summons / Dominated Creatures / Animal Companions and Familiars

NOTE: This is a recent (11 July 2022) and massive change and will require further adjustment and balancing for the foreseeable future.

Summons, Dominated Creatures, Animal Companions and Familiars, for balance reasons, have limited spell enhancement (buffing) options. This is a customization on Arelith that is significantly different from Vanilla NWN. Such creatures can not be targeted with most single target, duration based spells. Multi-target, duration based and single target, instant spells are still fine to use on these creatures.

Note: Henchman are exempted from this limitation.

However, rapid buffing Runic Sequencers have been added to the loot matrix and Crafting systems to allow a single cast item cast into multiple buff delivery process which allows buffing summons with some prohibited spells in limited combinations.

A Prohibited Spells Table can be found here to reflecting which spells are specifically prohibited AND which spells are available using the craftable sequencers.

Multiple Creatures

Many summon spells will bring forth several creatures at the same time. These are treated as a "single" creature; if you summon any other creature that would occupy the "summoned" slot, the previous creatures are automatically unsummoned. Things that don't use the "summon" slot are the familiars, the animal companions, the henchmens, the ranger's charmed animal, dominated creatures, and a few others.

Summoning Streams

"Stream" books may be found randomly as loot. These books may either be used once per day to summon a relatively weak creature, or a character may use and consume them to permanently learn the respective stream. Once a stream has been learnt, the character may use the -stream command to select a predetermined creature out of a summoning spell.

“Streams” can also be transferred from one holder of a stream to another using Prisms.

For example, a wizard with a "Water" stream casting Summon Creature VIII would always conjure a water elemental, instead of randomly getting one between water, fire, earth or air.

There are a few streams that are limited by class and abilities, or having special conditions, like the undead streams, which can only be learnt through a ritual in a very specific location in the Underdark.

Streams affect all summoning spells casted by the character, including those from non-casting classes using items and scrolls.

Selectable Streams are divided up into following categories:

1. Dragon

Usable with Epic Spell: Dragon Knight and allows the selection of which dragon to summon including Dracolich (should you meet the other requirements to summon it)

1. Elemental

Usable with Summon Creature VII - IX and (in some cases) with Elemental Swarm allowing selection of which type of elemental to summon.

1. Outsider

Usable with Planar Ally, Planar Binding, Lesser Planar Binding, Greater Planar Binding, Gate, Planar Gate, Epic Spell: Planar Conduit, Summon Fiend (Blackguard) and Eldritch Summon (Warlock) allowing selection of which type of outsider to summon.

1. Undead

Usable with any Feat or Spell (Excluding Blackguard Undead) that summons Undead allowing selection of which type of outsider to summon.

In addition to the above Selectable Streams there are two other streams granted to summoners depending on starting location

1. Surface Summons

Used with Summon Creature I to Summon Creature VI Spells summoning surface skinned versions of the summoned creature

1. Underdark Summons

Used with Summon Creature I to Summon Creature VI Spells summoning underdark skinned versions of the summoned creature

Alignment divergence

Some summoning spells are random and may result in a variety of creatures. Others will have a specific result based on the alignment of the caster. However, a character that uses a -stream may force creatures from other alignments to come, though that incurs a failure chance in which the creature may turn hostile immediately upon summoning.

The chance is increased by 10% for each horizontal step beyond the first, and 10% for each vertical step away from the caster at a maximum of 30%.

That means that:

• A LE character (bottom-left corner) would have 0% chance of failure at LE, but 10% at CE, 20% at CN, and 30% at CG.
• A LG character would have 0% at LG and NG, but 10% at LN, CG and TN, 20% at LE, NE and CG, 30% at CE.

One can see the chance of hostility using the -stream command, use -stream ? for more details.

NOTE: This is currently not functioning as the color flags are not being processed properly. This has been reported as a bug here.

The three "protection from alignment" spells reduce this chance accordingly, 10% for the first, 20% for the second, and completely negating it with 30% at the third, provided you are warding against the alignment of the creature you intend to summon.

The three spells are Protection from Alignment, Magic Circle Against Alignment, and Aura Versus Alignment. This means that the full 30% negation can be achieved only with the help of a Cleric without needing 65 Lore for an 8th circle spell. As a reminder, Magic Circle Against Alignment and Aura Versus Alignment were changed to a persistent buff at time of casting, and no longer require continuous proximity to the caster.

Note: A Warlock summoning any Evil planar being using any in game spell/feat/item/etc. is exempted from alignment divergence hostility.

Spell Focus Bonus

Spell foci feats will provide a stat bonus to every summon that corresponds to the magic school. Conjuration affects Conjuration summons, Necromancy affects Necromancy summons.

Each level of focus provides:

• +1 to all skills the summon has ranks in
• +1 hit die worth of hit points (meaning, as if the creature was 1 level above in terms of HP, both adding base class HP and CON modifier).
• +1 AB
• +1 Damage
• +1 AC
• +1 Universal Saves

Affected Spells/Abilities List

Spells and "abilities" specifically affected by the corresponding foci.

Conjuration

• Black Blade of Disaster
• Epic Spell: Dragon Knight (Non-dracolich)
• Summon Creature I to Summon Creature IX

Does not receive the above Spell Foci bonuses. Instead, it only has its summon tier raised by 1 with Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration. Casters with one of the Cleric Animal Domain OR the Cleric Vermin Domain AND the Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration feat will receive both the increased tier and the Spell Foci bonuses.

• Elemental Swarm

Behaves as Summon Creature. Receives summons one tier higher or both summons one tier higher and the bonus above if the caster has one of the Cleric Animal Domain OR the Cleric Vermin Domain AND the Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration feat.

• Summon Fiend (Blackguard)
• Eldritch Summon (Warlock)
• Dark Invocation: Planar Gate (Warlock) - Automatically scaled as if Warlock has the Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration feat.
• Epic Spell: Planar Conduit

Evocation

• Mordenkainen's Sword
• Shelgarn's Persistent Blade

Illusion

• Greater Shadow Conjuration
• Shadow Conjuration

Necromancy

• Animate Dead
• Create Undead
• Create Greater Undead
• Epic Spell: Mummy Dust
• Epic Spell: Dragon Knight (Dracolich) (must have the Dragon: Dracolich stream active for bonuses to apply)

Excluded Spells/Abilities List

Spells and "abilities" specifically NOT affected by the corresponding foci.

Conjuration

• Planar Ally
• Planar Binding
• Lesser Planar Binding
• Greater Planar Binding
• Gate

Epic Caster Bonus

Epic levels in the summoning class will also increase the power of epic summons.

• +1 AB per odd epic caster level
• +1 prime attribute per odd epic caster level (i.e. strength or dexterity)
• +1 universal saving throws per even epic caster level
• +1 AC per even epic caster level
• +1 skills per epic caster level
• +1 hit dice worth of hit points per epic caster level
• +1 caster level per epic caster level

Remember that Epic levels start at level 21 for base classes, and 11 for prestige classes, that can be acquired once the character reaches level 20. Only the highest epic caster level is used for this. When the class level is not used, the caster level is used - classes that increase the general caster level, like the pale master and the Harper scout count and the added caster level is used for the bonus.

The bonus apply if they are from the class casting the spell. A cleric 10/blackguard 20 won't get the level bonus from the cleric's spellbook, but he would from his blackguard abilities. Shadowdancers do not apply for any of these bonuses.

Spells and abilities that are affected by epic caster level:

• Elemental Swarm
• Epic Spell: Dragon Knight
• Epic Spell: Planar Conduit
• Gate
• Greater Planar Binding
• Eldritch Summon IV, V and VI (Warlock)
• Summon Creature IX
• Summon Fiend (Blackguard)

Animal Companion

See Ranger/Druid.

Undead Summoning

Necromancy summoning has been completely modified. Now, the undead summoning spells will summon a number of creatures relative to the spell, but the actual creatures summoned will be relative to the UCL. The Undead Caster Level is your highest individual casting class Cast Level (including additive Caster Level prestige classes like Palemaster and Loremaster where relevant, see the prestige class for more details). The UCL becomes irrelevant once you get the Epic Mummy Dust feat, enabling the sixth and seventh tiers.

Undead Tier	UCL/feat requirement	Mummy Stream	Vampire Stream
1	0	Zombie	Ghoul
2	5	Tyrantfog Zombie	Grave-touched Ghoul
3	9	Zombie Warrior	Ghast
4	13	Mummy	Wight
5	17	Mummy Warrior	Frost Wight
6	Mummy Dust	Mummy Lord	Vampire
7	Mummy Dust Special	Dread Mummy	Vampire Count

Undead Summoning Spells

• Animate Dead: 1 summon.
• Create Undead: 2 summons.
• Create Greater Undead: 3 summons.
• Epic Spell: Mummy Dust: 3 summons - 2 at Tier 6 and the third at Tier 7.

Undead Summoning Abilities

Pale master:

• Animate Dead: 2 summons.
• Summon Undead: 3 summons.
• Summon Greater Undead: 3 summons - 2 as defined by UCL, and the third one tier above.

The Blackguard does not use these undead summoning rules, but instead, it has its own progression seen in his page.

Planar Conduit Summoning

See Epic Spell: Planar Conduit.

Shadow Conjuration

Shadow Conjuration: Summon Shadow follows similar rules as necromancy, but the spell belongs to the illusion school.

The duration of Summon Shadow is rounds/caster level. Turns per level with Spell focus. Hours per level with Greater Spell focus. Hours * 2 per level with Epic spell focus.

Shadow Conjuration: 2 shadows.

Greater Shadow Conjuration: 3 shadows.

Shadow

The Shadowdancer does not use this shadow.

• Shadow Stats: 10 Strength, 14 Dexterity, 5 Constitution, 6 Intelligence, 12 Wisdom, 13 Charisma
• Shadows Feats: Blind Fight, Crippling Strike, Improved Knockdown, Sneak Attack (+1d6)
• Shadow Skills: Hide, Move Silently, Listen, Spot
• Shadow Properties: DR 5/+1, 50% Concealment + 10% / Illusion Focus, Undead Immunities
• Shadows come equipped with a random No Damage weapon
• Shadows level up to the caster's level using the Outsider class
• Shadows gain bonus AB equivalent to the caster's prime attribute bonus (e.g. a wizard with 20 intelligence would summon a shadow with an additional +5 AB)

Surface/Underdark summons

The Summon Creature I to Summon Creature VI spells will conjure different creatures depending whether the character is a surfacer or an underdarker, the latter including monster races but excluding outcasts and slaves. The summons are basically the same, albeit thematically dark.

Experience Calculations

• Summons count as only half a party member when calculating experience, but only if this would cause the summoner to lose experience.
• Summons no longer impact the party's overall level for experience calculations unless they are of a higher challenge rating than the summoner level (in which case the summon's challenge rating will be used instead of the summoner's level).
• All members of the party receive XP for any kill in the map, even out of sight and with a summon delivering the killing blow.