Animal Summoning III is a 6th level priest spell that summons between 2 to 3 animals to aid the caster.
Description[]
| “ | By means of this spell, the caster calls 2 or 3 animals that have 12 Hit Dice or less. Only animals within visual range of the caster at the time the spell is cast will come. The summoned animals aid the caster by whatever means they possess, staying until they are slain or the spell's duration expires. Only normal- or giant-sized animals can be summoned. | ” |
Summoned animals[]
The animals summoned are chosen randomly among the following:
| Animal | Stats | Combat Abilities | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | 42 HP
18 STR 9 everything else |
THAC0 15 (before STR bonuses)
3 attacks per round 1d12 piercing damage (before STR bonuses and strikes as +1) |
Base AC 5 |
| Winter Wolf | 63 HP
16 STR 19 DEX 15 CON 9 everything else |
THAC0 10 (before STR/DEX bonuses)
3 attacks per round Ranged attack: 4d6 cold damage (save vs breath for half and strikes as a normal weapon) -2 bonus to hit Melee attack: 2d4 cold damage (no STR bonuses and strikes as +2) |
Base AC 3 (before DEX bonuses)
100% resistance to cold |
| Cave Bear | 50 HP
16 STR 16 INT 9 everything else |
THAC0 13 (before STR bonuses)
3 attacks per round 1d10 crushing damage (before STR bonuses and strikes as +2) |
Base AC 6 |
| Mountain Bear | 70 HP
18/00 STR 17 CON 16 INT 9 everything else |
THAC0 11 (before STR bonuses)
3 attacks per round 1d12 crushing damage (before STR bonuses and strikes as +3) |
Base AC 6 |
Gameplay[]
The animals summoned have different uses and, due to their unusually high amount of attacks per round (the majority of summoned creatures only have 1 or close to that) scale up well with buffs (e.g. a Skald's +2 damage to allies is better served with an ally that strikes multiple times per round than an ally that strikes only once).
- The Mountain Bear's +3 enchantment means it does not rely on a Mage's Enchanted Weapon to hit almost any enemy in the game and with its 18/00 STR it ends up with a starting THAC0 of 8 (really good for a summoned creature), plus, they output 1d12+6 damage per attack and are able to hit even creatures that require crushing damage to defeat (e.g. Clay Golem) or are resistant to other physical damage types (e.g. some skeletal undead). Moreover, Improved Haste can get them (and the other summoned animals) up to a devastating 6 attacks per round.
- The Winter Wolf is the other noteworthy animal here, as its attacks are entirely elemental and the default one (ranged) is considered a normal weapon, meaning it'll bypass both Protection From Magical Weapons and Stoneskin entirely, making it an excellent (non-Lich) Mage killer. Plus, this ranged attack also does a lot of damage (4d6 cold, save against breath for half) and the Enchanted Weapon arcane spell can be used to make them affect most enemies in the game. As for their +2 enchantment cold-damage melee attack, it's deceptively useful against Liches, as, despite the fact Liches are immune to cold, their spell casting still gets interrupted by the attack (that, once again, bypasses Stoneskin) and it will also still break Mirror Images, so a few Winter Wolves (used after another animal baits Death Spell) can make it very difficult for a Lich to cast spells, unless protection against magical weapons is in effect. As for the "attack mode switching" it's entirely handled by the creature's AI and happens depending on whether or not there are enemies close to the Winter Wolf (so if you want it to use the melee attack, leave it close to an enemy and don't give it any direct orders, and if you want it to use the ranged attack, keep it far away from all enemies). Finally, there's a good chance that a Winter Wolf will be summoned together with a second one, making the duo especially deadly and they have by far the best AC of the group at -1 (when the DEX bonus is added) and an excellent THAC0 of 5 for the ranged attack (base 10, -3 from DEX and -2 bonus).
- The Cave Bear and the Lion aren't bad either (they still have 3 attacks per round, after all), but are basically worse versions of the Mountain Bear.
Mod content[]
This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
Spell Revisions mod has replaced Animal Summoning III with Animal Summoning VI, see details below:
Animal Summoning VI
Level: 6
School: Conjuration
Sphere: Animal
Range: Long
Duration: 3 turns
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None
By means of this spell, the caster calls a number of animals, which serve the summoner under any conditions. The type and number of creatures that appear depend upon the level of the druid casting the spell.
11th : 2 cave bears
13th+ : 3 cave bears
The summoned animals will aid the caster by whatever means they possess, staying until the spell duration expires.
Cave Bear (6 Hit Dice):
STR 19, DEX 13, CON 19, INT 6, WIS 12, CHA 10; AL Neutral
HP 78, AC 3, THAC0 11, Saving Throws 11/15/11/13/15
2 Attacks Per Round, 2d4+9 Crushing Damage (Claws & Bite)
External links[]
- Animal summoning III on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.