Just for fun here is a poll for players to express their opinion about what would be a good new summoning theme.
Feel free to suggest another proposal in a response.
Votes are public.
Fungi theme please
Corrupted/ Blighted Creatures (with something alike cloud-spore creatures, russet mold and blight retchers)
Beeeeeeeeeeetles.
This probably falls under a similar field as necromancy, so not summoning, but I'd love to see villains running around with animatronic minions.
Voted for wild illusions, cause that sounds awesome and varied.
Is updating older themes appropriate for here? if not, well, While i personally like Wolves as a potential theme ( i can build a concept off of it!), there are some things about the old themes tha are.. strange. a lot of them aren't very powerful save for specific circumstances, unless their the type of things that can kill you. (aberrant, lower planes, undead, etc.)
Lizard/Dinosaur theme
I'd vote for both cats and alternate aberrations if possible! I just have a personal preference for more alien, formless unknowable aberrant horrors of tentacles and terrible unreal mutations like gibbering mouthers. Cat theme was sorely missing on Ymph :( I'd like to see a Magic theme though. The different tiers might summon different manifestations of magic incarnate, perhaps of randomized strength or type in a similar way to the war themes. Maybe first tier a floating spellbook of (random school) casting that schools spells,second a gloaming star, and from then on motes or other forms of entities of manifest magical powers.
Goblins, definitely goblins. Then you can have goblin PCs leading small swarms of minions to be slaughtered horribly!
I'd rather see a theme people would use. Alternate aberration would just be used rarely, and we've already like, 3 Aberration themes afaik.
Totally worms. Who wouldn't want a scaled-down version of the Purple Worm model as their summon?
Alternatively, a larval theme as a sub-aberration theme. Use those psionic blasters from the hardcore prelude and the worms.
Alternate Aberrations and Wild Illusions sound the coolest to me; some horrifying theme to rep the more esoteric aberrant stuff going down like horrors beyond the stars and so on.
There are enough aberrants :( Orcs need love
Magic EIG theme. (e.g appropriate for a Priest/cultist of a God of Magic)
Redstar anomalies/old dead wizardly spirits/Magic eaters/Faerzee emanations/Conscious spells etc.
I like the idea of a red gloaming theme that speaks in the voices of all the sacrificed mages.
Wild illusions where appearance is randomized each casting.
Spore clouds and fungal retchers...mostly stationary summons and summons that do no damage only cause certain effects
Where is the "Vote all" button?
I am one of those people who would like all of these...
All of these have their own thematic reasons to exist. An Orc Shaman calling forth the spirits of the ancestors of his tribe to fight in battle, a Wild Shaman calling forth a pack of wolves... A worminger Sorcerer (or wizard) calling forth worms, or beetles... The one theme I feel the least supporting for is the Birds Theme, as I cannot imagine people using it (unless there was a twist to it that I yet cannot see).
Out of all those however I would love to see the Orc Spirits the most. Because... it would just be so awesome... I cannot provide any other explanation.
Imps.
MUDMEN
Duplicate Summon Theme -
Cast an image of the caster (Illusion) that can summon a duplicate of itself once. (this duplicate can't copy itself again). Unlimited cantrip casts. As the summon spell gets more powerful increase the number of times the summon can duplicate itself and give additional benefits to summons like concealment etc.
MUD! (and as a bonus, some IC reference to Scumbar)
I have been talking about that goblin summoning theme for Years. If it happens, I know what my first order of business upon returning will be. lol.
Going off of the animatron theme: Modrons.
Those rot shambler things are cool. It would be nice to see a rot summon theme that is essentially the different stages that are broken down form these shamblers I.e
Level 1 - Maggots
Level 2 - Worms
Level 3 - Small Mushrooms
Level 4 - Larger Mushrooms
Level 5 - Largest Mushrooms
Level 6 - ???
Level 7 - Profit.