Altered Summons

[Azulfae]

On City of Arabel in NWN1 there used to be these totems you could buy from various magical ware merchants around the server.

Some were suited to a certain deity domains like some kind of pestilence and vermin type totem or maybe a necromantic one or a gnomish mechanicus totem etc etc.

The point of these was that if you possessed one it altered what was summoned when you used the various summon monsters spells.

No real increase in power was given to the summons it was just a case of them being something more relevant tot he PCs who owned them.

There were a lot of gond worshippers or gnomes going around summoning various clockwork animatrons building up to larger clockwork golums things at higher summon levels.

Talonite priests liked to summon various deseased rats or jellies and such.

Necromancers were summoning various bone constructs, skeletal things and shadow creatures.

One for each element type could be a good idea too, so people could summon maybe just a certain type of elemental of varying degrees of power.

Might be something to have some fun with if it's still possible to do in NWN2.

[Kaeldorn]

of course it's possible. Could have it depend on holy symbols perhaps.

[Product of Void]

I have always wanted palemaster to only summon undead instead of a badger or wolf etc.

or have them terrified for attack him would be comical.

[Zoberraz]

Umberlean priests actually able to consistently summon Water Elemental on spell levels 7+

That would so totally win.

[Redjack]

I would be interesting in such a thing also.

[vexxen]

would be quite a good idea... influence your summoning spell with a totem thing... or your holy symbol, and yea it doesn't have to necessarily more powerful than the creature you originally would summon, more of a just for looks and it could provide RP value. I think its cool hehe

Correct me if I'm mistaken about your idea

[Peridan]

*places stamp of approval*

[Thief Of Navarre]

NWN1's Layonara server has such a mechanic! It uses a 'Censor of Arcane devotion' for mages or just the deity feild for clerics of a particular faith and changes their summons based upon that

http://lore.layonara.com/DeitySummons

I played a gnomish mage/<cleric of Goran for a time, the summons really fit the character and it amused me for a while just slowly leveling to acquire better summons (which I roleplayed as 'new creations')


p.s. I would be particular interested in Priests of Ghaunadaur, purely for selfish reasons because I like jellies

[Phantom Lamb]

I've seen this implemented on Talernon and I loved it. However, it is a fairly hefty project to implement if you do it right. It means creating all the different summonable creatures (9 for each type) and playtesting them.

I'm not a dev, but I'd imagine this would be a great project down the road. Just so the people know what we're working on, our current focus is on finishing up the factions and completing the crafting system.

[Azulfae]

Of course factions and crafting system takes priority, no-one expects a suggestion in the suggestion thread to be acted on immediately even if it is a good idea, may I add.

Woohoo, what a result though.

I only thought of this because I was thinking how awsome it would be if my gnomish inventor was summoning something mechanical instead of animals.

Animals are great for nature deity worshippers but especially for the likes of necromancer types and worshippers of such gods it just seems unrealistic.

I like the idea of such a thing depending on your holy symbol.

[Product of Void]

modifying what is summoned is not that hard to do.

Balancing it is, Plus you have to keep in mind while all kinds of ideas for summons might be possible, the limitation is what monster modules exist unless someone produces a new one. So while a Mechanical horse or Gaint steam bot is very cool, unless someone produces a model for it will have to label another criter it and go wth criter looks close to it.

Could even go so far as having Charged items that when worn will remove a charge and summon that criter instead. I remeber my first PW had necklaces that would allow for many different summons when worn and the right spell cast.

Though my only minor want is a BEHOLDER summon. (and I know the model IS in the hak packs).

[Thief Of Navarre]

What diety or magical domain would would a beholder fit into?

Greater Planar binding for an evil alignment might be good for a beholder. It would be fairly balanced too since beholders are physically frail but mentally extremely fortuitous!

[Azulfae]

I'd guess any evil deity with cavern domain.

[Product of Void]

Well I had planned out summons at one time for Druids to summon criters, Wiz/sorc summon constructs, and palemasters summon strictly undead.

As for beholder I could see it being like Summon Nightmare just a high level spell.

Or if the spell summons get modified it could be assigned by alignments.

The charge idea for necklaces was to create a money sink. You would either have to buy more necklaces or pay to have them recharged either way gold is spent to use them.

Perhaps a topic of ideas for summons per level/class idea topic?

If summons were modified by aligment alone would create 36 summons needed.
Make for undead summons for palemaster add another 9.
Also if we make it so Druids/rangers summon only animals with alignment veriants 36 more though if we just do animals only 9.

54 citers to create and balance is kinda alot though

though necklaces or items could be something created and blanced later seeing the function just checks for the item and the Reserf of it, later a criter could be created.

*edit* oh yeah clerics I forget about them due to never playing one. so actually would be 36 more summons for a total of 90...ouch.

[Kaeldorn]

One important thing to note: there does not have to be some sort of ultimate balance, or dev/DM time spent testing each of the summons for that matter. Can simply pick existing creatures based on CR's similar to the standard animals, and then it should be 'about right', with maybe a slight difference in power between various summons. If the difference is too great in one or two creatures, a custom version of them can be made with proper modifications.

Not saying that this will be implemented soon or anything, just that if we do it, it's not likely that a whole bunch of newly creatued and unique creatures will be made for it. That it doesn't have to be perfectly balanced, but within reason. And lastly, that not every alignment/deity/class combination needs to have a unique set of 9 different creatures. That saves us a lot of time we can spend on other things