I was messing around with the Monster Manual and Lords of Madness the other day trying to fill the alienist's butchered summon monster lists back up with aberrations and the freakier-looking magical beasts, outsiders, and so on, and this was the result.
I did look at other books, but most of them didn't have enough of anything really interesting that I wanted to use, so I decided to keep it simple. Summon monster I doesn't lose anything, but the higher lists are hit pretty hard, and I tried to fill in substitutes in a reasonable order and give something interesting; the chaos beast went straight back onto summon monster VI, since losing it makes no real sense from a flavour point of view.
Since this was a bit of a hack job, I'd love to hear some feedback on any obvious gaps, problems, or just some thoughts on the matter.
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
Should the destrachan be on a lower list? What about aboleths? Or the cerebrilith? Are the gray render and/or athach sufficiently strange? Sorry for the random stream of consciousness; I'm staring at swirling snow.
"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same. If you are too attentive to the former, you will most certainly not do the hard work of securing the latter." -Condoleezza Rice
"My fellow Americans... I've just signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. Bombing begins in five minutes." - Ronald Reagan
This user has been brought to you by the letters "O-R-C" and the numbers "2, 3, 4, and 6"
Resident Pithed-Off Dragon Buttler of the House of Trolls
The cerebrilith I left out because it's a demon (flavourwise, the alienist is dropping all the regular planar stuff for freaks from the Far Realm) and because I was limiting the number of books to the most useful ones for monsters; the Expanded Psionics Handbook had a couple of viable options, but it came up short even against the Fiend Folio. Tthe athach and gray render are a bit less creepy, flavourwise, but the list also retains some decent bruisers of their type in the psuedonatural creatures that substitute directly for their celestial and fiendish equivalents.
The destrachan was one of the last ones I filled in, so it went on as a utility extra to bulk out the 8th level summons with its blindsight; the aboleth is kind of inconvenient for being Huge, and aquatic, but might still be better than the destrachan now that I look at it. The destrachan has a nice range of abilities with which to bomb opponents, but its save DCs are low.
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
I could have sworn the cerebrilith was an aberration. *shrug* What about some of the beholder-kin?
"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same. If you are too attentive to the former, you will most certainly not do the hard work of securing the latter." -Condoleezza Rice
"My fellow Americans... I've just signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. Bombing begins in five minutes." - Ronald Reagan
This user has been brought to you by the letters "O-R-C" and the numbers "2, 3, 4, and 6"
Resident Pithed-Off Dragon Buttler of the House of Trolls
I could have sworn the cerebrilith was an aberration. *shrug* What about some of the beholder-kin?
The director, eye of the deep, gauth, and spectator are all in the right range (CR is a surprisingly good guide for summoned creatures, along with a basic check on troublesome abilities). The annoying thing with them is that they generally have at least one ability that you wouldn't want to put in along with them; the eye of the deep would be constantly using its baleful flash and both eye rays (all of which are free actions once per round), the gauth includes a no-save exhaustion ray and a stunning gaze, the spectator has plane shift and is way too weak to put at a level where that would be reasonable. "Beam-spamming artillery piece" just doesn't seem like the best option for a summoned monster.
Looking at it again, the director might work since the worst it's got is an enervation ray (which allows a Fortitude save to prevent the negative levels, and it's at the level where it wouldn't be too much of a problem. It hasn't got a lot of hit points, but I could see it going in on the 8th-level list instead of something like the destrachan.
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
Looks like I forgot about the slaad already being on the summon monster lists when I was working off the SRD, which certainly gives some room to fit in the director on the 8th-level list.
The hound of the gloom can go in to fill out the 9th-level list, though an alternative would be the example half-farspawn umber hulk from Lords of Madness (I prefer not to use it, though, since the list will already be full of psuedonatural creatures).
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
How about a chilblain from Frostburn for Summin Monster IX?
"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same. If you are too attentive to the former, you will most certainly not do the hard work of securing the latter." -Condoleezza Rice
"My fellow Americans... I've just signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. Bombing begins in five minutes." - Ronald Reagan
This user has been brought to you by the letters "O-R-C" and the numbers "2, 3, 4, and 6"
Resident Pithed-Off Dragon Buttler of the House of Trolls
How about a chilblain from Frostburn for Summin Monster IX?
They've got the style, being an aberration and all, but they're well above the usual power level.
You get some really cool possibilities that just don't work because they're too strong all round, or have specific abilities that are too good (like the silthilar using a version of polymorph any object), or that will be dangerous to the summoner (like the umber hulk's confusing gaze).
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
*shrug*