Summoning Magic • Legacy Nature Spell

Summon Nature’s Ally VI

Summon Nature’s Ally VI calls one powerful natural ally or several weaker creatures to fight for the caster. The Witch archive preserves it at 6th level, while published class access depends on edition.

Summon Nature’s Ally VI at a Glance

5.5e / 2024	No spell by this name in SRD 5.2.1
5e / 2014	No core spell by this name
Pathfinder 1e	Druid 6, Hunter 6, Shaman 6; no standard Pathfinder Witch access
D&D 3.5e	Druid 6; preserved Witch archive also lists Witch 6

Spell Rules by Edition

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

5.5e / 2024

Status: no spell by this name in SRD 5.2.1.

5e / 2014

Status: no core spell by this name.

Pathfinder 1e

School	Conjuration (Summoning) [see text]
Level	Druid 6, Hunter 6, Shaman 6
Components	V, S, DF
Casting Time	1 round
Range	Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect	One or more summoned creatures
Duration	1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw	None
Spell Resistance	No

Summon one creature from the Pathfinder 6th-level list, 1d3 creatures of the same kind from its 5th-level list, or 1d4+1 creatures of the same kind from any lower-level list. Creatures appear where you designate, act immediately on your turn, and cannot summon or teleport other creatures. Use Pathfinder’s creature lists and environmental restrictions; the historical Witch-archive placement does not grant Witch access in this edition.

Rules source: Archives of Nethys — Summon Nature’s Ally VI.

D&D 3.5e

School	Conjuration (Summoning) [see text]
Level	Druid 6; Witch 6 in the separate preserved legacy Witch archive
Components	V, S, DF
Casting Time	1 round
Range	Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect	One or more summoned creatures, no two more than 30 feet apart
Duration	1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw	None
Spell Resistance	No

As Summon Nature’s Ally I, except that it calls one 6th-level creature, 1d3 creatures of the same kind from the 5th-level list, or 1d4+1 creatures of the same kind from a lower-level list. A creature with an alignment or elemental subtype may add the corresponding descriptor; this does not replace the Pathfinder spell’s independent list.

Rules source: D&D 3.5 SRD — Summon Nature’s Ally VI.

What Changed?

Creature lists, descriptors and summoning procedures vary by edition. The Witch archive entry does not automatically place the spell on modern Witch lists.

Using Summon Nature’s Ally VI in Play

The spell trades flexibility against action economy: one strong creature is easier to manage, while several weaker creatures can control more space. Always use the creature list legal in the selected edition.

Counterplay and GM Rulings

Legal spaces: place all creatures in an environment that can support them; do not summon aquatic animals onto dry ground and ignore environmental restrictions.
No summoning chains: creatures called by these spells cannot conjure other creatures or use teleportation or planar travel effects under their published summoning rules.
Counterspell and Dispel Magic: an appropriate counterspell can stop the one-round casting; dispelling may end the continuing summoning effect.
Separate creatures: when summoning more than one, pick creatures of the same kind as the spell prescribes and use the target edition’s creature list, not a mixture of Pathfinder and 3.5e monsters.

Mythical Context

Pan, the Greek god of remote and wild places, is shown with animal features even when his expression is unmistakably human. Summoned creatures in a dangerous forest may similarly feel like emissaries of a landscape that has its own moods and interests. See the Metropolitan Museum’s bronze mirror depicting Pan.

Historical Context

The blending of human, animal and woodland imagery appears on ancient Greek objects. A sixth-century BCE Laconian mirror has a girl standing on a lion with griffins by her shoulders, recalling the Mistress of Animals. It is artistic symbolism, not evidence of an actual summoning rite. See the Laconian bronze mirror.