Schools of Magic

Conjuration (Summoning) Spells

Most Conjuration (Summoning) spells do not summon Outsiders, but instead teleport the requested creature from a location on the Prime Material Plane to the locale of the caster. This is a change to the Summon Monster table (PHB p. 258) and the Summon Nature’s Ally table (PHB p. 260). Whenever a normal animal is listed on those tables as Fiendish or Celestial, the normal, non-Outsider version of the creature is summoned. A Fiendish or Celestial creature can be summoned using Summon Monster, but at a level two higher than the level listed in the PHB. For example, Summon Monster III can be used to summon a normal black bear or a celestial dog, but not a celestial black bear (as listed on the table). This rule reflects that magic in Feyworld, particularly Conjuration (Summoning) spells, operate along the path of least resistance. It is much easier to translocate a creature than to move it through the planar barrier. Even when merely teleporting a creature, however, a planar catastrophe can occur, as mentioned in the next section.