Firstie's Summons Collection

This collection aims to provide more fun and useful options, esp. ranged summons for nature mages, and to experiment with unusual summons like stationaries & miniboss scrolls.

Principles

Stats are based on numbers of similar original summoning spells. See below for details on balancing.

For stationary & explosive summons, gold value, duration & mana cost are much lower.

For miniboss summons, scrolls are used; gold value is much lower, duration & life is much higher.

Required level is around 4/3 of the level where players typically first encounter the creature, similar to the original spells.

Assignment to Nature vs. Combat Magic is done based on the creature, roughly following the shaky logic of the original spells.

Installation

If you use DSLOA, put the "Summons Collection LoA" files into the DSLOA folder. They are split by functional type (Standard / Non-Standard) and by DS version of the creatures (KoE+UP = creatures from the Kingdom of Ehb & the Utraean Peninsula / LoA = creatures from the LoA map).

If you use vanilla DS1, put the "Summons Collection Vanilla" files into the Resources folder. They contain the Vanilla creatures (from the Kingdom of Ehb & the Utraean Peninsula), and are split by functional type (Standard / Non-Standard).

Don't use both at the same time, and don't use the LoA builds with vanilla DS1. The builds are different because the engines calculate damage differently.

To use the Yesterhaven summons, you also need Yesterhaven installed (specifically, you need the Yesterhaven.dsres file).

Spells are added to PContent, which means they appear in shops & drops with some probability.

For multiplayer characters, there's also a convenient mart map where you can buy the spells and scrolls.

Compatibility

- If you play with vanilla DS, use only the Vanilla builds - LoA creatures would not work properly, and balancing of KoE+UP creatures would be

- This mod is compatible with Unlimited Summons, except for the explosive summons (Proxo) and the Doppelgangers, which can still only be summoned once at a time.

Features

- DS Versions: Both Vanilla and LoA (incl. separate builds for proper balancing)

- Maps: creatures from KoE+UP, from LoA, and from Yesterhaven

- Magic Classes: Both Combat Magic and Nature Magic

- Creature Types: All sorts of creatures are supported - humanoids, animals, demonic creatures, plants, elementals, robots, and undead.

Water creatures were omitted because summoning a Shrack or Hydrack on land would be weird.

- Feature Types: The summons fall into these categories:

- Standard summons: The usual. A creature that fights alongside you. The bulk of the Summons Collection falls into this category.

- Non-Standard summons: These contain the following sub-categories (summons can fall into more than one sub-category):

- Stationary summons: Summons like the Skrubb can't follow you. To compensate, they cost only a fraction of the mana.

- Miniboss Scrolls: Minibosses can also be summoned, but only once. They have somewhat higher damage and 3 times the health of their base creatures. Their duration is also a lot longer, so be sure to heal them from time to time.

- Exploding summons: Summons like the Proxo explode to damage enemies. To compensate, they cost only a fraction of the mana.

- Resurrecting summons: The Krug Shaman can resurrect your party members when someone dies.

- Sub-summoning summons: Summons like the Swamp Witch will in turn summon another creature, e.g. a Swamp Slinger.

- Healing summons: The Tesla Heal Coil will heal you, instead of attacking enemies.

- Doppelganger summons: You summon a white cloud, which will turn into the first enemy it sees.

- Extensions:

- Guards: Summon Guards based on the Utraean Peninsula towns.

- Originals: Replace original summons with remade ones. Apart from improved balancing and minor fixes, these also have different level requirements, and some have been reassigned to Nature Magic. The original spells aren't overwritten, just removed from PContent.

Creatures

Around 300 creatures are available for summoning. The Summons Collection now features all (normal & suitable) enemies from KoE+UP, LoA, and Yesterhaven.