Monster Summoning Limit
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- Monster Summoning Limit89 votes
- I prefer the original BG summoning limit42.70%
- I prefer the summoning limit of five37.08%
- I am undecided20.22%
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Only 5 monsters summoned? Kind of shame...
But how about 10? It's not an army, and it's still more than 5...
Ten would help out for a few more rounds to give your team a little more time to rebuff or use that Dispel Magic you haven't had the time to use.
The following 2 pictures occurred when Imoen solo Ravager w/ an army of 14+ waves of summons from the wand of summoning. I feel a bit shameful after this battle.
Honestly I would not mind a modified cap, coupled with individuals, rather than the party. Three summons per summoner.
If you're playing with six mages, then you may as well let them go all out.
If you have a single mage, you can't just have them spam summons up to the party cap.
This all said however, I'd be much happier if they'd revert to a far more important BG1 behaviour - that of summons triggering traps, not ghosting through them in a shattering blow to my suspension of disbelief.
I think the cap was implemented in BG2 because at those levels you get to summon some very powerful creatures - elementals, devas, planetars, and so on. In BG1, having a 5-creature limit has nerfed summoning more than it should, IMHO.
The limit of 5 hurts only because you're likely to get 5 half-starved dogs which are barely any use. That does, however, keep the wands fun because you hope to get something good..
Maybe instead summon a hit dice worth of creature. So, 5 dogs equals 2 gnolls equals 1 ghast. Mileage will always vary.
Then I did a new install and got no summon limit mod, and abused it horribly, mainly in the Ascension final battle:Aerie had conjured up an army or Aerial Servants, who were real tough creatures thanks to a mod, with innate invisiblity and their grasping hold attack, etc. And Jaheira had an escourting greater fire elementals squad. Still the enemies in that final battle made short work of them so I guess it was okay. Heh.
For consistency between BGEE and BG2, summon limit is however a good thing. Can't imagine running with an armada of Aerial Servants, Invisible Stalkers, Skeleton warriors, and Fire Elementals who live happily in Cloudkill. There are more elegant ways in BG2 to kill tough monsters than with powerful summons.
If the summoning limit were tied to intelligence, it would increase the value of a largely useless stat, in an entirely sensible way, and would provide a better balance than the current (arbitrary) cap -which makes a lot of spells (like MS1 etc) useless.
As an alternative (which might be easier to implement), certain spells should stop contributing to the summon limit after 'x' level. A level 12 wizard has absolutely no reason at all, ever, to choose MS1. That would change if the player could use it without sacrificing a more powerful summoned creature.
ALL WILL FALL AND KNEEL TO MY AWESOME POWA!
...
Rain check on that... My Dire Badgers seem to get lost when I travel to the next map...
Anyway, I don't summon much in BG1/BGee, the summoned creatures are mostly too feeble to bother. Animate Dead is good, I use that, and sometimes Call Woodland Beings is useful too - priests are much better summoners than arcane casters! But the various Monster Summonings and Animal Summonings are pretty useless, I find it easier and quicker just to kill the enemy instead of summoning one-hit meatshields. That's in an unmodded game ... perhaps when I get around to installing SCS, then these feeble meatshields will serve some useful purpose?
So for me, a summoning limit of 2 would probably suffice - I don't think I've yet had more than 2 summoned creatures active at the same time in BGee. The extant limit of 5 is ample!
Perhaps people need armies of summoned creatures if they have no warriors in their party, but surely that's a rare party. If you've got a warrior, then just kill the enemy!
Depending on the level and amount of wizards in the party, you get a specific amount of "control points".
IE.:
A single kobold costs 1 point
An ogre costs 3 points
A berzerker ogre costs 5 points
A lesser elemental costs 12 points
A deva costs 40 points
A planetar costs 60 points
A single level 5 wizard grants 10 points
A level 20 wizard grants 40 points
Two level 15 wizards grant 40 points
Two level 20 Wizards grant 60 points
And so on
This should be the sound used for the spell incantation...
I'm alright with keeping the unlimited summons in BG1. But then they have to change it again for BGEE 2 if they end up making that game. And then it'll just be confusing for people. So keep the 5 summon limit so once BGEE 2 gets here it's a familiar rule.
1 Planetar
1 Elemental prince.
4 polar bears
5 skeletal warriors
3 Fire elementals
Send in the Skeletal warriors first to soak up the spells with their magic immunities. And then send in the rest. Nothing except a death spell would stop this army. Now put haste on them, and chant / bless...