optimized malconvoker summon list

[samuraijaques]

hey guys,

I recently undertook the daunting task of putting together an optimized list of summons for a malconvoker that i am playing in an upcoming campaign. I was looking for some input on balance and possible changes that could be made. Keep in mind that each level can have a maximum of 10 creatures and they must all be evil.

here is the list with the books that each monster comes from. if there is a number then it is from a dungeon magazine, if there is no source than it is SRD.

Summon Monster I
Fiendish dog
Fiendish badger
Fiendish monkey
Fiendish dire rat
Fiendish hawk
Fiendish monstrous spider, Small
Fiendish octopus
Fiendish snake, Small viper
Skiurid (MMIV)
Kalabon (FCII)

Summon Monster II
Fiendish eagle
Demon, Mane (BVD)
Devil, Lemure
Fiendish wolf
Fiendish shark, Medium
Kaorti (FF)
Fiendish monstrous spider, Medium
Fiendish snake, Medium viper
Howler Wasp (MMIV)
Githyanki (MM)

Summon Monster III
Fiendish black bear
Abyssal maw (MMII)
Legion devil (FCII)
Imp
Fiendish ape
Hell Hound
Demon, Dretch
Demon, Nashrou (MMIV)*
Fiendish crocodile
Windrazor (MMIV)

Summon Monster IV
Kocrachon (BVD)
Demon, advespa (MMII)
Barghest
Nightmare, lesser (PlH)
Spined devil (FCII)
Yugoloth, Voor (MMIV)
Demon, Gadacro (MMV)
Demon, Skulvyn (FF)
Howler
Wrackspawn (MMIV)

Summon Monster V
Vorr (FF)
Reth Dekala (ToB)
Demon, Bar-lgura (BVD)
Yugoloth, Canoloth (MMIII)
Achaierai
Devil, Bearded
Demon, Jovoc (MMII)
Devil, narzugon (FCII)
Demon, Guecubu (FCI)
Shadow Eft (CPsi)

Summon Monster VI
Devil, pain (FCII)
Devil, Gulthir (MMV)
Demon, Amnizu (FCII)
Yugoloth, Corruptor of Fate (MMIV)
Demon, Artaaglith (Ghostwalk)
Fiendish monstrous spider, Huge
Devil, chain
Demon, shadow (BVD)
Quori, Tsucora (ECS)
Rakshasa, Naityan (ToB)

Summon Monster VII
Devil, Bone
Souleater (MoI)
Yugoloth, Piscoloth (FF)
Demon, Babau
Demon, Solamith (MMV)
Fiendish girallon
Akleu (348)
Demon, succubus
Demon, yochlol (MoF)
Demon, arrow (MMIII)

Summon Monster VIII
aspect of bel (FCII web enhancement)
mavawhan (345)
aspect of levistus (FCII web enhancement)
Malelephant (FF)
Demon, Vrock
Demon, chasme (BVD)
carnevus (expedition to demonweb pits)
ethergaunt, red (FF)
yugoloth, dreadful lasher voor (MMIV)
cerebrilith

Summon Monster IX
Demon, kelvezu (MMII)
Yugoloth, ultroloth (MMIII)
aspect of kurtulmak (FCII web enhancement)
aspect of sekolah (FCII web enhancement)
aspect of tiamat (dragon magic)
Obriyah, Verakia (357)
radiant idol (sharn city of towers)
ethergaunt, white (FF)
demon, oculus (expedition to demonweb pits)
demon, vathugu (337)

and there she is. I have also compiled a 50 page document of all of the creature's statistics, attacks and abilites in a convenient list so that you never have to rummage through your books to find the monster you are looking for. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in looking it over. if you are PM me and i can send it to you. if enough people like it i will find a way to make it publicly available.

looking forward to hearing from you.

[Cyrocloud]

Huh, didn't know you could summon white Ethergaunts, that's a lot of spells.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Here's the Mastering The Malconvoker handbook link:
http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2791

Class specific lists are always welcome, and long work.
Are these your best choices, or are you presenting
these as the best choices?

[spacemonkey555]

Huh, didn't know you could summon white Ethergaunts, that's a lot of spells.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5573.0

For creatures without a RAW method to summon them: Here’s the Summon Monster CR scale that I’m basing the guide on. It’s a fairly lenient scale – harsher DMs might skew it down a notch or two.

I don't think you can, I'm pretty sure that's off a homebrew list

[samuraijaques]

@cryocloud
yeah the summon monster variant rules are pretty vague. do you think its too powerful?

@awaken_d_m_golem
I was presenting this as an optimized list of creatures for a malconvoker and I consider this to be a good start towards making the best list of summons for one. obviously though it still needs work

@spacemonkey555
so the variant summon monster and summon nature's ally rules say that you should "simply start with the standard list of monsters and add and remove creatures of the appropriate power level." i found the CR guidelines on the practical demonkeeping to be pretty balanced. If you look at the CR of the creatures that are already on the summon monster list from the nonstandard books they are all really skewed. doing it this is potentially less unbalanced even if it seems like some of the creatures are too powerful.

plus, its a level 9 spell, you better be getting something good out of it.

thanks for the replies guys.

[Cyrocloud]

White Ethergaunts are effectivly 13th level wizards with an extra 20 hp, they would be way too powerful if the player was allowed to choose the spells it has, it's given list though is pretty good...They are IMHO significantly better than anything on the SRD summon monster IX list, heck most the summons on there are only CR 10, with only fiendish colossal spiders being at CR 13, A Red ethergaunt would probably be a really good summon monster VIII mediocre summon monster IX. Kelvazu is also WAY TO STRONG! they are a CR 18 monster they should not be on summon monster anything.  I think in general Summon Monster IX should only be monsters in the CR 9-12 range, I'd just throw out all the monsters out of that range. A dirty way to do it would be Have SM IX be CR 10-12,  SM VIII CR 9-10, SM VII CR 7-8, SM VI CR 6, SM V CR 5, SM IV CR 4, SM III CR 3, SM II CR 2, SM I CR 1

[samuraijaques]

@cryocloud
so the thing about white ethergaunts that justified them to me is that they can only be on the material plane for 11 rounds before they pop back to the ethereal plane. that, and i would never let a player choose the ethergaunt's  spells, he fits on the list if you use his given spells. the expanded summon monster list (like with the monsters from other books) goes as high as CR 16 for summon monster IX. not that i think that would be balanced.

as to the kelvezu, WTF was i thinking? i was taking the information from the practical demonkeeping handbook and he lists its CR as 14. okay, well then his slot is going to be taken by either an abyssal giant (expedition to the demonweb pits) or a jarilith (MMII)?. which would be better?

thanks for the replies, looking forward to hearing from you

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

Color those entries.

Also, Sky Drive.

[spacemonkey555]

@spacemonkey555
so the variant summon monster and summon nature's ally rules say that you should "simply start with the standard list of monsters and add and remove creatures of the appropriate power level." i found the CR guidelines on the practical demonkeeping to be pretty balanced. If you look at the CR of the creatures that are already on the summon monster list from the nonstandard books they are all really skewed. doing it this is potentially less unbalanced even if it seems like some of the creatures are too powerful.

plus, its a level 9 spell, you better be getting something good out of it.

thanks for the replies guys.

I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't homebrew, I was just letting Cryocloud know that was what you were doing. As far as the power level of white ethergaunts, if I had to rule I'd give you reds for sm IX. There's a reason the wimpy little couatl takes the caster slot on that list. Replacing couatl with red ethergaunt replaces a 9th caster with a 9th caster, you want to replace a 9th with a 13th, bad enough without being able to double it. It's a wonderful deal to trade 1 9th slot for 2 double quickened disintegrates, and still have 60 or so more double quickened spells to go after the disintegrates.

Also, the summon monster spell brings them to your plane for the duration, it would be kind of worthless if it didn't. They wouldn't need to get themselves to the material plane with material jaunt.

[Havik_Stormcrow]

I actually had a friend play a Human Wizard (conjurer)3/Archivist3/Mystic Theurge 4/Malconvolker 9/Paragnostic Apostle 5. It was an interesting build to say the least.