So there's a Bard only spell that lets you summon NPCs as if using Shadow Conjuration on a Summon Monster spell for some daft reason (with a 1 round casting time too):
FABLE TAPESTRY
Source Inner Sea Races pg. 219
School illusion (shadow) [shadow]; Level bard 5, skald 5 (Varisian)
CASTING
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, F (your kapenia)
EFFECT
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect 1 legendary character/4 caster levels
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Will disbelief; Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
The spell weaves shadows and colors from your kapenia into the shape of legendary characters from Varisian folktales. This spell functions as shadow conjuration emulating summon monster I, except as noted here. You can summon only one copy of the same character at the same time, even with multiple castings of this spell. The shadow creatures are 40% real and are drawn from the list below.
Character | Source |
| NPC Codex 147 |
| Bestiary 3 116 |
| NPC Codex 29 |
| NPC Codex 47 |
| NPC Codex 65 |
| Bestiary 73 |
So it's a bit of a question how to put this spell to use. Worth noting that the bard can immediately summon 3 of them in a single casting. Now, it's possible to add
Solid Shadows and make it 60% real (add
Crook of Cildhureen for another 50%) if you care, but the more interesting question is what to do with a spell that lets you summon a Cleric, Druid, Rogue, and Bard (also those monsters, but who cares). The most interesting aspect that stands out about this spell is the crazy amounts of healing your party can obtain just by summoning the Carousing Champion (who has 7 channel energy uses and can spontaneously convert all his non-domain spells into cures) and the Evasive Slip (who comes with a wand of
cure moderate wounds that has 15 charges remaining). The NPCs come with all their magic items, which makes for a bit of an interesting question. When a summon monster spell expires and the creatures it has summoned disappears, all the spells that creature has cast end. But if you use spells from magic items that the summoned monster possesses? Then it's not exactly the summoned monster casting them. However, a GM might reasonably rule it to fall under that all the same. If not, one of the things that's possible here is summoning the Freelance Thief, Con Artist, and Evasive Slip and getting 4 potions of invisibility, and the Evasive Slip also comes with a wand of barkskin. The summons also come with gold and magic items. I know for sure that the Con Artist's Elixir of Truth will outlast the summon spell, seeing as it's not a spell effect (much like how supernatural abilities don't expire at summon's end), although the double will saves will make it horribly unreliable (unless you either use
Beguiling Gift to make them voluntarily drink it or
Mind Fog to destroy their will saving throws, but both of those spells are pretty rare picks for spells known).
Other stuff you can probably do involves items that interact with the classes in question. A Bard summon can be handed a Page of Spell Knowledge to cast whatever's on it after all (but you might prefer Summon Monster 6 for a 100% real
Lillend Azata that casts as a 7th level Bard) or use its Lore Master ability to make knowledge checks for you (except you are a Bard yourself so you don't exactly need this), but I'm not sure about the rest.
This spell feels like it has some stunts in it (beyond just casting it to out-do Heal with a massive amount of healing spells and channels between the Evasive Slip and Carousing Champion alone), so I'm wondering how far you can push this spell to extract value out of it. It seems to be pretty shitty for combat, tbh, thanks to those shadow conjuration rules giving them garbage health.