Sleeper Island Summoning Guide
Sleeper Island uses custom rules for summoning spells, to make combat easier and provide a better experience for all players involved.
Change 1: Minion Limit
Characters are limited to 4 minions or 4+1 if you have a familiar and/or animal companion.
Change 2: Upcasting
Upcasting spells no longer increases the number of creatures summoned.
Instead the CR maximum for the respective summons are increased by 1 per duplicate set.
Example: If it would normally double then CR+1, if it would normally triple then CR+2, if it would normally quadruple then CR+3.
CRs are rounded down to nearest whole number if the resulting CR is over 1. Single summoned creatures instead increase their CR by 1 per spell level upcasted, this is in addition to any behavior that currently exists with increasing CR when upcasting.
Change 3: Encountering creatures
The player gets the choice of what creatures are summoned. The player must have encountered the creature type before and succeeded in an arcana/religion/nature check (whichever is appropriate). The DC is equal to 10 + the creature’s CR, rounded down.
If the player does not specify a creature type, it is up to DM discretion as to what creature is summoned, if any.
Only official or third party unofficial stat block creatures can be summoned – homebrewed DM creations are exempt from your summoning attempts.
Change 4: Non-concentration Swarm Tokens
Each swarm token can only have one creature type attached to it (e.g. zombie or skeleton but not both).
Each swarm token takes a single minion slot.
They are named “Swarm of {creature type} {number of creatures in swarm}”
Any aoe damage is multiplied by the number of creatures in the swarm.
The swarm’s number should be updated AFTER combat.
You are responsible for keeping track of this and if found to not be obeying the rules will have your summoning privileges revoked and possibly be kicked from the campaign.
They either do:
- 1 attack roll, full damage (add total damage of all mobs together)
- No attack roll, compare to-hit with AC (total damage = average/mob # of mobs hit %)
Hit % = number of average hits for the mobs.
Change 5: Maximum HP
Change 6: Casting Time
All summoned spells require either their current casting time or a full minute casting time, whichever is longer.
To compensate, the spells durations are doubled, if the caster desires
Summoning Spells Table
Spell Name | Casting Time | Duration | Effect |
Phantom Steed | 1 minute | 1 hour | Max HP Mount |
Unseen Servant | 1 minute | 2 hours | Duration Increase |
Conjure Animals | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Animal Swarm, Duration Increase, Swarm Token |
Conjure Celestial | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Celestial, Duration Increase |
Conjure Elemental | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Conjure Fey | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Fey, Duration Increase |
Conjure Minor Elementals | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase, Swarm Token |
Conjure Woodland Beings | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Being, Duration Increase, Swarm Token |
Danse Macabre | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Undead, Duration Increase, Swarm Token |
Infernal Calling | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Devil, Duration Increase |
Summon Greater Demon | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Demon, Duration Increase |
Summon Lesser Demons | 1 minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Demon, Duration Increase |
Animate Objects | 1 minute | 30 minutes (C) | Max HP Object, Tiny and Small size not allowed, Duration Increase, Swarm Token |
Bigby’s Hand | 1 minute | 30 minutes (C) | Duration Increase only |
Giant Insect | 1 minute | 30 minutes (C) | Max HP Insect, Duration Increase, swarm token |
Tiny Servant | 1 minute | 8 hours | Max HP Servant |
Animate Dead | 1 minute | Instantaneous | Max HP Undead, Swarm Token |
Bones of the Earth | 1 action | Instantaneous | Unaffected, Not in rule scope |
Create Homunculus | 1 hour | Instantaneous | Max HP Homunculus |
Create Undead | 1 minute | Instantaneous | Max HP Undead, Swarm Token |
Find Familiar | 1 hour | Instantaneous | Unaffected |
Find Greater Steed | 10 minutes | Instantaneous | Unaffected |
Find Steed | 10 minutes | Instantaneous | Unaffected |
Finger of Death | 1 action | Instantaneous | Max HP Zombie |
Mighty Fortress | 1 minute | Instantaneous | Unaffected |
Negative Energy Flood | 1 action | Instantaneous | Max HP Undead |
Planar Ally | 10 minutes | Instantaneous | Max HP Ally |
Simulacrum | 12 hours | Until dispelled | Uneffected |
Summoning Items Table
Item Name | Casting Time | Duration | Effect |
Bowl of Commanding Water Elemental | 1 Minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Brazier of Commanding Fire Elemental | 1 Minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Censer of Controlling Air Elemental | 1 Minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals | 1 Minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Elemental Gem, Emerald | 1 Action | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Elemental Gem, Red Corundum | 1 Action | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Elemental Gem, Blue Sapphire | 1 Action | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Elemental Gem, Yellow Diamond | 1 Action | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Elemental, Duration Increase |
Bag of Tricks, Tan | 1 Minute | Until Dawn | Max HP Creature, Duration Increase |
Bag of Tricks, Gray | 1 Minute | Until Dawn | Max HP Creature, Duration Increase |
Bag of Tricks, Rust | 1 Minute | Until Dawn | Max HP Creature, Duration Increase |
Hat of Vermin | 1 Action | 1 hour | Max HP Creature |
Ring of Djinni Summoning | 1 Minute | 2 hours (C) | Max HP Djinni, Duration Increase |