Most useful summons?

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Is it me or are the combat oriented summons just useless in the later game?

In the beginning one can conjure a few elementals that are almost always immune to normal damage. However, the farther you go the more useless they become.

So basically what in your opinion are useful summons? Something that can actually dash out some damage like the fighting PCs.

 

My personal favorite is 'Gate'. Toss a 'protection from evil' spell in the mix right before casting 'Gate' and you're good to go.

You should have posted this in the ToB forum so we could discuss a few other summons that *really* help.

As for non-combat oriented summons, 'Wizard's Eye' has to be the most usefull in the entire game.

 

Yes, but i want to know about the regular summons.

Are there any powerful summons before the gate?

 

There's a bug in the game which allows your summons to hit every monster, even monsters who are immune to +3 weapons which makes them great for such fights.

3 fire elementals summoned by my druid defeated the hardest enemy in the game, Kangaxx.

If you want your summons to be tougher you have to buff them up like your party members with (improved) haste and other spells.

Aerial servants (cleric level 6) are similar to fire elementals, high level animate dead gives skeleton warriors which are also useful and have many immunities.

Near the end you can find a staff which can summon shambling mounds, I haven't tested them yet but if they are as good as in IWD then they are the best ones.

 

Spider Spawn. Sword spiders can rip through Stoneskins like nobody's business. Summoning them right next to an enemy mage pretty much neutralizes them.

 

Mord Swords come to mind. Being immune to physical attacks, they make a great combat summon.

The summon with two bears is ok damage-wise, if they didn't move so slowly. And sword spiders... they get like 4 attacks per round.

 

C'mon people! There are so many summons. Tell us which one you use and how.

 

I love Aerial servant, he does a lot of damage per hit!

Mordy sword is perfect for hard-hitting foes and the like.

Monster summoning wand is priceless and the best summoning machine in the game! It summons numerous but weak critters, great to distract opponents and have them waste their powerful attacks and limited spells, and you can keep it going each round, it is casted almost instantly too unlike all other summoning spells. I love to use it against mages and liches. They waste all of their Horrid Wiltings and other stuff. The area is covered with bodies in the final though, I am victorious! (usually)

 

Invisible stalkers are excellent agianst mind flayers and the like, cast a few "beef up spells on them and they are extremely potent

 

15th level and higher Animate Dead is just awesome. The spell takes a long freakin' time to expire, and they have so many immunities.

Great for fighting Mind Flayers, especially.

 

Love, love, love the 6th level druid spell Conjure Fire Elemental. The reason Jaheria rarely leaves my party. One of the best "Cheese" tatics is to save right before using that spell and just keep reloading until you get the 24 HD elemental price, he absolutely recks shop. Not to mention his fire immunity makes him nice against the millions of fire based spells and the like within the game.

 

2 Level 15 Skeleton Warriors (My personal favorite summons...they last a looong time) with 2 Mordy's Swords (Immune to all damage except magic damage, probably the best fighting summon), all improved hasted and buffed, plus a wizard Eye is a lovely combination. Wizard Eyes are near indestructible. Win fights without getting near the battle. Of course you could just go invisible and add another summons instead of the wizard Eye. Greater Fire Elementals are good too.


Pit fiend (Gate) rocks but isn't technically a summons because it's gated.

Greater Malison+Web(s)+4 Sword Spiders+Kitthix is awesome.

Nisshru/Hakeasher are great against spellcasters.

Wand of Summoning is good early on. Later on it's good for fodder or for making mages waste their spells.

Early on I sometimes use Call Woodland Beings for the Mass Cure, Confusion, Mental Domination etc.

 

How does the wizard eye help in battles? I thought it was a spy of sorts...

 

@Saber:

To put it simply, it doesn't, aside from maybe providing a longer "Sight range of the caster" for those spells you simply don't want to be right next to the target for.

 

So... Jaheira leaves your party because you cheat and abuse her power?

 

In 2 ways. It enables you to see so you can use your other summons without your party being near the battle...complete party safety. Farsight can do this too (allowing you another fighting summons) but you gotta know where to cast it so you see the enemy area properly, and it can't move around to scout.

You can also actually attack with Wizard Eye. You have to select it in a group along with other units and order an attack. The wizard Eye does no real damage but when it attacks it becomes Improved Invisible instead of (regular) Invisible and enemies will attack it. You can send the Wizard Eye way ahead and recall the other troops to have ONLY the Wizard Eye attack. Since in SOA it is nearly invulnerable the enemies will waste all their spells on it and it can distract fighters from other targets as well. Only Dispel Magic, Remove Magic and Death Spell can kill it iirc.

I don't know if any patches address this but I know TOB changes it.

@Felinoid: Where is that quote in your last post from? I don't see it in this thread.

[ April 28, 2006, 08:00: Message edited by: Isshy ]

 

I figure you either didn't read carefully enough, or your grasp of english isn't quite 100%.

Rare = seldom, not often.

As for summons, I'd have to go with Animate Dead from level 15 and above. Mordy's Sword is also very powerful, being immune to all forms of physical damage. Early on it's Summon Spiders all the way. With web it's awesome.

For the divine part of magic the various elemental summons are very good, especially the fire elemental. Aerial Servant is also a very good summon.

 

Kitrax, first reply, last sentence. I figured that was what Saber was referring to since I didn't see anyone else mention Wizard Eye (at the time, anyway; I guess I missed yours).

 

Spider Spawn, Fire Elementals, Aerial Servant, Animate Dead (from level 15). These are the only summons I really bother with. Nishruu & Hakeashar are fine in principle, but I don't want any magic items the wizard may have been carrying to be drained! Props to Fel for recognising the usefulness of the spidies; I thought I was the only one who used that spell!

@ Fel:

Err... I'm pretty sure that you mean to be talking about Isshy, there, Big Cat. Mistaken identities are catching, it seems!

 

No, I mean Kitrax. If you'd care to, oh I don't know, actually look at the first reply in this thread, you'd see what I was talking about. And if you looked at the last sentence in Isshy's first reply, you can see it has nothing to do with Wizard Eye. Give me at least a little credit.