Hello all. Just wanted to itch a certain brain tickle!
The spell Conjure Animals allows you to summon a certain number of beasts (based on CR) to fight/ disco at your side for its duration. Technically, you choose the CR category, and it is up to your DM to choose the appropriate creatures summoned. I, as a DM, never have a problem with my players choosing the beasts they summon; it seems to work just as well (maybe it doesn't when your player chooses to summon a polar bear in the middle of a parching desert, but hey....stranger things have happened in DnD;) ).
There is one summonable creature, however, which seems to be exceedingly powerful (maybe too so?), and that is the Giant Poisonous Snake at CR 1/4.
Say that only half the snakes under your control hit given target on your turn, and that the target succeeds all its saving throws against the inflicted poison damage. EVEN in this circumstance, the damage sums up to 4(1d4+4 + half of 3d6), or an average of 44 damage per round. If all the snakes manage to hit, the average damage rises to 88 (still with all successes on saving throws against the poison damage). Aaaaand, if they somehow manage to fail some or all of their saving throws to the poison damage, the average damage rises dramatically again.
...
Even in the worst case scenario, 44 damage per round, not even using up your action or possible bonus action, seems....a little *overkill* (pun intended) for a 3rd level spell.
Tell me what you guys think:)
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Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
You have to factor that the snakes are easy to hit and have few hit points. They will not last long even against a CR 1 enemy. Also factor the spell requires concentration. Poison immunity is incredibly common too.
It seems fine to me. They could instead summon a pack of wolves. Sure the damage output is less but the battlefield control from their speed, their pack tactics and ability to render targets prone makes them a much greater threat, in my opinion. if you are concerned about it, you can always say that only one snake can be conjured at a time and they'll have to pick different creatures for the other summons.
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The reason that all of the summoning spells let the DM pick which creatures are summoned is because Conjure Woodland Beings lets the caster summon 8 Pixies and each one can cast Polymorph or Fly. The design team fixed that oversight by ruling that the DM gets to pick the summoned creatures instead of the spell caster.
Other than that and one other fey creature, letting the players pick what they summon isn’t over powered. But there are two fey creatures that are over powered when summoned by a PC.
One of the more effective uses of Conjure Animals was when my friend's druid conjured 2xGiant Toad. Having two key opponents restrained was a game changer, especially since they were casters. It made them easy targets and when they got swallowed, they couldn't see to target anyone.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
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Hello all. Just wanted to itch a certain brain tickle!
The spell Conjure Animals allows you to summon a certain number of beasts (based on CR) to fight/ disco at your side for its duration. Technically, you choose the CR category, and it is up to your DM to choose the appropriate creatures summoned. I, as a DM, never have a problem with my players choosing the beasts they summon; it seems to work just as well (maybe it doesn't when your player chooses to summon a polar bear in the middle of a parching desert, but hey....stranger things have happened in DnD;) ).
There is one summonable creature, however, which seems to be exceedingly powerful (maybe too so?), and that is the Giant Poisonous Snake at CR 1/4.
Say that only half the snakes under your control hit given target on your turn, and that the target succeeds all its saving throws against the inflicted poison damage.
EVEN in this circumstance, the damage sums up to 4(1d4+4 + half of 3d6), or an average of 44 damage per round. If all the snakes manage to hit, the average damage rises to 88 (still with all successes on saving throws against the poison damage). Aaaaand, if they somehow manage to fail some or all of their saving throws to the poison damage, the average damage rises dramatically again.
...
Even in the worst case scenario, 44 damage per round, not even using up your action or possible bonus action, seems....a little *overkill* (pun intended) for a 3rd level spell.
Tell me what you guys think:)
Hi there! I'm a Christian musician based in Canada :)
You have to factor that the snakes are easy to hit and have few hit points. They will not last long even against a CR 1 enemy. Also factor the spell requires concentration. Poison immunity is incredibly common too.
It seems fine to me. They could instead summon a pack of wolves. Sure the damage output is less but the battlefield control from their speed, their pack tactics and ability to render targets prone makes them a much greater threat, in my opinion. if you are concerned about it, you can always say that only one snake can be conjured at a time and they'll have to pick different creatures for the other summons.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
The reason that all of the summoning spells let the DM pick which creatures are summoned is because Conjure Woodland Beings lets the caster summon 8 Pixies and each one can cast Polymorph or Fly. The design team fixed that oversight by ruling that the DM gets to pick the summoned creatures instead of the spell caster.
Other than that and one other fey creature, letting the players pick what they summon isn’t over powered. But there are two fey creatures that are over powered when summoned by a PC.
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One of the more effective uses of Conjure Animals was when my friend's druid conjured 2xGiant Toad. Having two key opponents restrained was a game changer, especially since they were casters. It made them easy targets and when they got swallowed, they couldn't see to target anyone.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!