Summoning classes

[Kelandon]

I don't remember if anyone has ever collected this information before, so I did a whole bunch of work this morning on how summoning works in BoA. I typed it up just to organize it for myself, and I figured I'd post it in case it's useful to anyone else.

 

The following are the default summoning classes in BoA:

Spoiler

0

Giant Rat L2

Bat L2

Wolf L3

Serpent L3

avg = L2.5

 

1

Goblin L1

Nephil L5

Skeleton L3

Zombie L4

Kobold L2

Goblin Fighter L4

Chitrach Larva L4

Unicorn L3

avg = L3.25

 

2

Nephil Warrior L6

Nephil Archer L5

Nephar L5

Ghoul L5

Ghast L7

Cave Slime L5

Giant Lizard L4

Vapor Rat L6

Asp L8

Giant Spider L5

Worg L7

Bear L8

avg = L5.9

 

3

Nephil Shaman L6

Nephil Chieftain L7

Nephar Warrior L7

Nephar Archer L6

Ogre L9

Slith L10

Wight L8

Fire Lizard L8

Mung Rat L8

Ice Lizard L11

Hordling L6

Chitrach L10

Baby Hydra L9

Ursag L13

avg = L8.4

 

4

Slith Warrior L13

Drake L25

Imp L9

Rabid Bat L23

Ruby Skeleton L14

Hydra L15

avg = L16.5

 

5

Cave Giant L20

Vampire L24

Centaur L20

Shambler L20

Flame Hydra L22

avg = L21.2

 

6

Demon L25

Unicorn L22

Mutant Lizard L33

Augmented Giant L35

Ice Hydra L24

Giant Slug L28

Gorgon L25

avg = L27.4

 

7 

Granite Golem L30

Foul Rat L20

Spawned Fungus L22

Spine Beast L25

avg = L24.25

 

8 

Skeletal Warrior L28

Fetid Zombie L30

Rakshasa L30

Naga L28

Efreet L30

avg = L29.2

 

9

Alien Beast L34

Pack Leader L40

Dark Wyrm L30

Drake Lord L36

avg = L35

In general, mage spells depend on summoning classes, as follows:

• Call Beast: Summons monster of summoning class = spell level/2 (rounded down, as BoA always does)
• Create Illusions: Summons monsters of summoning class = spell level
• Summon Aid: Summons monsters of summoning class = spell level + 1
• Arcane Summon: Summons monsters of summoning class = spell level + 3

So, for example, if you know Summon Aid at level 2, it will summon monsters of summoning class 3.

 

The default summoning classes are kind of funky. Assume that monster level is a loose proxy for the power of the monster (which is essentially true). At low levels, increasing your spell level will get you stronger monsters on average but not consistently. For example, if you raise Call Beast from 1 to 2, your average summoned monster goes from level 2.5 to level 3.25, but you have a chance of summoning a Goblin, which is weaker than anything you would've summoned at the lower spell level.

 

At higher levels, the increase is confusingly not linear but also not anything else. The largest jump is from summoning class 3 to 4,where your average monster goes from level 8.4 to level 16.5, but again the spread is confusingly large; in summoning class 3, the levels are pretty consistently clustered between 6 and 10, but in summoning class 4, they range all the way down from a Imp (L9) to a Drake (L25). Summoning class 6 also has a relatively large spread, from a Unicorn (L22) to an Augmented Giant (L35), although at higher levels the spread is less significant.

 

But, weirdly, the average level declines from summoning class 6 to 7 (from 27.4 to 24.25). In other words, if you raise Arcane Summon from level 3 to level 4, the monsters that you will summon are weaker on average.

 

I attached a graph so that you can easily see what I'm talking about.

 

This also illustrates the vampire summoning problem. Vampires have a summoning class of 5, which means that Arcane Summon L2 summons them. But vampires also have their Mage Spells adjusted to 15, which gives them Arcane Summon, and all spellcasters default to having their spell at level 2. In other words, vampires are summoned with Arcane Summon L2, but they also can cast Arcane Summon L2; vampires can summon vampires that can summon more vampires, and so on. One easy solution is to change their summoning class to 6.

 

In contrast, priest spells depend on set creature numbers rather than summoning classes: Summon Shade at levels 1-3 summon creatures 120-122 (defaults to Shade, Greater Shade, and Vengeful Shade, respectively), and at 4 and 5 summon 177 (Fierce Shade) and 178 (Divine Shade) respectively. You're sort of not supposed to raise Summon Shade above level 5, but if you do, then you summon creature numbers above 178; Summon Shade L6 summons creature number 179, etc. Those creatures default to undefined. Divine Host, meanwhile, summons creature 122 (defaults to Vengeful Shade) and at level 4 and higher summons creature 178 (Fierce Shade).