Dominions 3: The Awakening/Magic/Summoning

These ritual spells summon creatures to serve the caster. Creatures summoned by the caster might have abilities not available to recruit-able creatures and the most powerful and efficient summons can serve as SC or Thugs.

Summonable Troops
While the number and types of all summonable units are too great to deal with here in it's entirety, there are some notable beasts worth mentioning:

Conjuration

 * Vine Man (Conj-1 N1, Cost 1N gem) 18 hp and poison immunity, otherwise meh. Vine men are notable because they can be summoned in large numbers very cheaply using an Ivy Crown.
 * Wyvern (Conj-2 A2, Cost 6A gems) mostly notable because of flying and poison/shock immunity, making them good for inclusion in airborne raiding parties. Wyverns can be got 3-for-the-price-of-1 when summoned by a Dragonmaster.
 * Kraken (Conj-3 W3, Cost 3W gems) 60 hp, 4x tentacle attacks and Darkvision. These guys are just begging to be buffed into something nasty.
 * Wight (Conj-3 D2, Cost 5D gems) 20 hp, Enc-0 and comes with a sheild and Bane Blade. Solid undead insta-thug trooper, if a bit squishy.
 * Vine Ogre (Conj-3 N3, Cost 2N gems) just a bigger version of a Vine Man with 45 hp. As with the latter, they are of primary of interest due to their low summoning cost with an Ivy Crown.
 * Winter Wolf, Spring Hawk, Summer Lion (Conj-4 ?3, Cost 10/20/30 gems) Summoned in groups of 5, the seasonal animals are notable for being Ethereal and for their respective elemental immunities and auras. The hawks can fly as well, making them good PD-raiders and mage-killers. The wolves are arguably quite cheap for what they bring to the field. When used vs the right enemies, these units can be considered as thugs.
 * Shade Beast (Conj-4 D3, Cost 20D gems) Summoned 15 at a time, these are some of the least expensive Ethereal troops. They have the standard undead immunities, can fight underwater, etc.
 * Spirits of the Wood (Conj-4 N3, Cost 8N gems) 5 inexpensive Ethereal stealthy Hama Dryad units with both Awe and Regeneration but very squishy. They are tricky to use on offense, because they lose 40% of their hp per turn outside their home province (Note: they heal hp back during battle).
 * Kithaironic Lion (Conj-4 N3E1, Cost 6N gems) Notable mostly for its high protection, when given the right buffs it starts to become interesting.
 * Naiad Warriors (Conj-5 W3N1, Cost 30W gems) 15 amphibian troopers with Awe(3).
 * Sea Troll and Troll (Conj-6 W3/E3, Cost 1W/E gem) Decent (45+) hp and Regeneration for a bargain gem cost. Trolls have lots of uses as meat-shields and bodyguards. The sea variety is amphibian. The problem with Trolls is that they actually require fairly expensive gold upkeep per turn, somewhat unusual in a non-commander. But with the right buffs they earn their keep.
 * Ether Warrior (Conj-6 S4D1, Cost 90S gems) quite expensive gem cost for 15 warriors. The greatest thing of note is they are Ethereal and each bears a magical Moon Blade, making them good counters vs other ethereal magical units.
 * Lamia (Conj-6 N3, Cost 4N gems) these aren't all that great fighters, but in female form they have life-stealing, while in serpent form they have 22 hp and 50% regeneration. As bodyguards to draw attention away from their charge, they might be tough to take down by normal troops.
 * Ghost (Conj-6 D2, Cost 9D gems) Ethereal, cold aura, life-drain and undead. The main problem with these guys is they are quite expensive unless summoned by a very powerful Death mage.
 * Asp Turtle (Conj-7 W3, Cost 15W gems) while it represents a tough monster, at this point in the game most opponents will have the means to deal smartly with tramplers. Being aquatic tends to limit it's usefulness.
 * Catoblepas (Conj-7 W3D2, Cost 15W gems) definitely should be considered for a possible thug/SC chassis when given the right buffs.
 * Eater of the Dead (Conj-8 S4D4, Cost 50S gems) 180hp, 10% Regeneration, cold- and poison-immune, Recuperation, tramples and steals strength. One thing to know about the EotD is that if it "breaks free" then it can be re-summoned again, even by another player.
 * Abomination (Conj-9 S5W2, Cost 25S gems) 266hp, 3x tentacle attacks and a Death Gaze special. ^^
 * Tarrasque (Conj-9 N6, Cost 25N gems) a bit under-powered for being so far up the tech tree, still once you can summon it, it is one of Nature's tougher monsters.

Alteration

 * Manifest Vitriole (Alt-6 W2F1, Cost 2W gems) a big Ethereal lion with a corrosive breath attack. Kewl.
 * Iron Pigs (Alt-6 E3N1, 10E gems) summons 7 size-3Animals with Protection(20) that use a trample attack.

Construction

 * Corpse Man (Const-2 A1D1, Cost 1A gem) A shock-immune undead trooper. Use a Lightning Rod or Staff of Storms to recruit more per cast.
 * Manikin (Const-3 N1D1, Cost 10N gems) Summons 10 undead with a Sleep Vine (fatigue) attack.
 * Clockwork Horrors (Const-5 E2, Cost 12E gems) Summons 12 lifeless heavily armored constructs with full elemental immunities that never rout. The downside is that unlike other magical constructs, they suffer from Exhaustion(15).
 * Crusher (Const-5 E3, Cost 15E gems) 110hp, size-6 lifeless and mindless meatshield with Protection(24) but low att/def skills. They are susceptible to cold/fire/shock and being swarmed by smaller enemies, and they never heal, which tends to give them a very brief shelf-life.
 * Lumber Construct (Const-5 N3, Cost 5N gems) At 70hp it is a somewhat smaller but much cheaper version of a Crusher.
 * Mandragora (Const-5 N2D1, Cost 10N gems) a tougher version of an undead Manikin with 2x Sleep Vine attacks and twice the hp. More powerful N mages will summon more of them per casting.
 * Mechanical Men (Const-7 E2, Cost 15E gems) 10 heavily-armored tireless mindless amphibian troopers with full fire/cold/shock/poison immunities.
 * Siege Golem (Const-9 E3, Cost 20E gems) It's everything you wanted the Crusher to be: full fire/cold/shock/poison immunity, 2x hammer attacks, Siege(100) and it heals after battle. A good candidate for GoR to make a proper SC.
 * Iron Dragon (Const-9 E4, Cost 25E gems) 150hp, fire/cold/shock/poison immunity, Prot(24), size-6 tireless mindless flying trampler. Buff it up, then let slip the dogs of war.
 * Poison Golem (Const-9 D4E2, Cost 35D gems) a toned-down version of a Siege Golem having only fire/poison immunity and 1 fist attack. Instead it possesses a Banefire shield. Another good candidate for GoR.

Enchantment

 * Reanimation (Ench-1 D1, Cost 5D gems) 10 mediocre and fairly fragile undead troops, but they do have cold/poison immunity and they never rout. Most effective when used in large numbers or as chaff to assist larger thugs.
 * Clay Men (Ench-4 W1E1, Cost 5W gems) 5+ regenerating amphibious tireless mindless troopers with poison-immunity. Powerful W mages can summon more per cast.
 * Behemoth (Ench-4 D3, Cost 10D gems) An undead size-6 trampler with 105hp and a Fear(5) aura.
 * Pale Riders (Ench-5 D3, Cost 10D gems) A group of undead knights with the lance's first-strike bonus.
 * Watcher (Ench-5 A3E1, Cost 5A gems) A lightning-shooting statue with 75hp, a Patrol Bonus(50) and Darkvision. Although immobile on the battlefield, they can be moved between provinces when assigned to a commander.
 * Gargoyle (Ench-5 E3A1, Cost 10E gems) 80hp poison-immune, lifeless, mindless, tireless, flying thug. It never heals.
 * Living Statue (Ench-6 E3, Cost 20E gems) 15+ poison-immune, lifeless, mindless, tireless troopers that never heal.
 * Skeleton Archers (Ench-6 D2F1, Cost 5D gems) 10 undead skeleton archers armed with AoE Banefire Bows. ^^
 * Ziz (Ench-6 D3A1, Cost 10D gems) a size-6 flying undead bird with 85hp and a Fear(5) aura.
 * Leviathan (Ench-7 D3W1, Cost 15D gems) another size-6 undead trampler with 143hp and a Fear(10) aura.
 * Carrion Reanimation (Ench-7 D3, Cost 10D gems) 100 undead Soulless, dependent on the availability of fresh corpses.
 * Army of the Dead (Ench-9 D5, Cost 10D gems) 40 undead Longdead troopers.

Blood

 * Spine Devil (Blood-1 B2, Cost 3B slaves) A decent early-game tough demon trooper with 2 attacks and poison barbs.
 * Bone Fiend (Blood-1 B1D1, Cost 3B slaves) 3 undead with 2 attacks, but no armor. For those who can't raise normal skellies maybe.
 * Fiend of Darkness (Blood-2 B2, Cost 5B slaves) Another decent early-game tough demon trooper with 2 attacks, stealthy and flying.
 * Crossbreeding (Blood-3 B1N1, Cost 15B slaves) Note that both Luck and Misfortune affect the chances for powerful beings.
 * Frost Fiend (Blood-3 B2W2, Cost 6B slaves) A flying cold-immune demon with 25hp and a Cold aura.
 * Devil (Blood-3 B2F2, Cost 7B slaves) A flying fire-immune demon with 35hp and a Heat aura.
 * Serpent Fiend (Blood-4 B1, Cost 5B slaves) A poison-immune flying demon.
 * Storm Demon (Blood-4 B2A2, Cost 7B slaves) Ethereal shock- and poison-immune flying demon.
 * Demon Knight (Blood-4 B2E2, Cost 5B slaves) A fire-immune mounted demon with a Fear(5) aura.
 * Dark Vines (Blood-5 B1N3, Cost 12B slaves) They have 126hp, poison immunity and 3 attacks, but are very slow.
 * Ritual of 5 Gates (Blood-6 B5, Cost 28B slaves) Summons 5 demon troopers (1 of each type) for the cost of 1 spell.
 * Blood Rite (Blood-7 B2D2, Cost 33B slaves) Summons 8+ life-stealing immortal Vampire troopers.
 * Improved Crossbreeding (Blood-8 B2N2, Cost 20B slaves) Same as Crossbreeding spell, just more of them.
 * Forces of Darkness (Blood-9 B7, Cost 50B slaves) Mass summoning of Fiends of Darkness.
 * Infernal Forces (Blood-9 B5F2, Cost 50B slaves) Mass summoning of Devils and Imps.
 * Infernal Tempest (Blood-9 B5A2, Cost 50B slaves) Mass summoning of Storm Demons.
 * Forces of Ice (Blood-9 B5W2, Cost 50B slaves) Mass summoning of Frost Fiends.
 * Infernal Crusade (Blood-9 B5E2, Cost 50B slaves) Mass summoning of Demon Knights.

Commanders
These are all pathless Commanders. See next section for summon-able magi.
 * Black Servant (Conj-1 D2, Cost 5D gems) Expensive in gems but it is available very early. Ethereal, Enc-0, cold and poison immune, stealthy and life-stealing. Downside is Prot-0 and subject to banishment from priests, who are also available early.
 * Bane (Conj-3 D2, Cost 8D gems) 23 hp, Enc-0 and comes with a 2-handed Bane Blade and cold aura. Solid undead thug-able commander, if a bit squishy.
 * Bane Lord (Conj-5 D4, Cost 12D gems) 42 hp, Enc-0 and comes with a 2-handed Bane Blade. A tougher size-3 version of a Bane.
 * Revive King (Ench-2 D1, Cost 3D gems) Probably the quickest/cheapest way to get an undead prophet for free corpse reanimation, but it never heals.
 * Horde from Hell (Blood-5 B4, Cost 44B slaves) 25 Imps led by a Devil. The Devil has the same stats as the unit from the spell of that name, but is a Commander as well. Don't ask.
 * Succubus (Blood-5 B4, Cost 66B slaves) A flying stealthy demon assassin that occasionally can seduce an enemy commander.

Magic Path Boosting
Assuming item boosters were used to summon them, these magi will generally provide stronger magic in their respective paths:


 * Conjuration:
 * Naiad Conj5 requires W3N1 provides W3N3
 * Kokythiad (Streams from Hades) Conj6 requires W4D1 provides W3D3
 * Troll King Conj6 requires E3 provides E3
 * Sea King Conj6 requires W3 provides W3
 * Ivy King Conj7 requires N4 provides N3
 * Wraith Lord Conj7 requires D5 provides D3
 * King of Elemental Earth Conj8 requires E5 provides E4
 * Queen of Elemental Air Conj8 requires A5 provides A4
 * Queen of Elemental Water Conj8 requires W5 provides W4
 * King of Banefires Conj8 requires D3F4 provides D3F3
 * Enchantment:
 * Revenant Ench3 requires D2 provides D1
 * Treelord Ench7 requires N5 provides N5, N4B1 or N4E1
 * Demi-Lich Ench8 requires D5 provides D4
 * Construction:
 * Golem Const7 requires S3E2 provides S2
 * Thaumaturgy:
 * Telestic Animate Thaum5 requires S3 provides H2. The statue is an immobile priest with 40hp that never heals.
 * Blood:
 * Father Illearth Blood7 requires B3E4 provides B3E3
 * Vampire Lord Blood7 requires B3D4 provides B3D3

Magic Diversification
A handful of summons even provide more options in terms of magic path diversification:


 * Conjuration:
 * Ether Lord Conj6 requires S4D1 Provides S3D2?1 (100% chance of Air, Astral, Death, Blood)
 * Spectre Conj6 requires D3 Provides D1?2 (100% chance of Astral, Death, Earth, Water)
 * Lamia Queen Conj6 requires N5D2 provides N1D2?2 (100% chances of Blood, Death, Nature, Water)
 * Mound Fiend Conj7 requires D3 provides D3H2
 * Faerie Queen Conj8 requires N5 Provides A3N3
 * King of Elemental Fire Conj8 requires F5 chance of providing F4E1 or F4
 * Tartarian Gate Conj9 requires D7 Provides ?5-7
 * Enchantment:
 * Hidden in Snow Ench6 requires W3D1 provides D1?4 (Small chance at Death, Earth, Water)
 * Hidden in Sand Ench6 requires E3D1 provides E1D2H2 (50% chance at +1D, one 100% chance at +2F/E/S, and one 50% chance at +1F)
 * Treelord Ench7 requires N5 chance of providing N5, N4B1 or N4E1
 * Blood:
 * Ice Devil Blood6 requires B3W3 68% chance of providing W3, 16% chance of providing W3S2, 16% chance of W2
 * Arch DevilBlood7 requires B4F2 80% chance of providing F4, 20% chance of providing F3S2
 * Heliophagus Blood8 requires B5 75% chance of providing F4B3, D4B3, D3B3
 * Demon Lord Blood9 requires B8 chance of providing A5D3B4, F4N4B4, F4E4B4, F5D3B4

Magic Diversification (National)
National Summons where summoned creatures have more paths than requirements.

Bandarlog, Land of Apes

 * Devata Conj8 requires S5 provides A3S2
 * Yakshini Conj4 requires N2W1 provides N1W3?1
 * Nagini Conj4 requires W2E1 provides W1E1N1
 * Nagaraja Conj5 requires W2E2 provides W1E1N1
 * Nagarishi Conj6 requires W3E3 provides W2E3S1N1?1

Caleum

 * Amesha Spenta Conj8 requires S5 provides one of 6 unique casters: E4N2H4, W4H3, A4E3H4, E2N3H3, N5H3, F5H3

Ermor Ashen Empire

 * Dusk Elder Conj0 requires D3 provides D3?1

Jomon

 * Dai Tengu Conj5 requires A2E1 provides A3E1N1
 * Dai Oni Conj 8 requires D4F1 provides D2F2E3?1
 * Kitsune Conj2 requires N2 provides N3?1
 * Nushi Conj5 requires W2N1 provides W3N2D1

Kailasa

 * Kinnara Conj6 requires S3 provides S2A2
 * Siddha Conj7 requires S4 provides S3A2
 * Devata Conj8 requires S5 provides S2A3
 * Yaksha Conj4 requires N2E1 provides N1E3?1
 * Yakashini Conj4 requires N2W1 provides N1W3?1

Marignon

 * Harbinger Conj6 requires S4 provides A3
 * Seraph Conj9 requires S7F2 provides S4F4A4 and A3

Marignon conquers of the sea

 * Fallen Angel Blood 7 requires B4S1 provides B3F3D3

Mictlan

 * Tiahuelpuchi Blood 6 requires B2 provides B2D1N1
 * Onaqui Blood 7 requires B4 provides B3D2N1?1
 * Couatl Conj6 requires N1S1 provides N3S3
 * Tialoque Conj7 requires W4 provides W4D2B3

Patala

 * Kinnara Conj6 requires S3 provides S2A2
 * Siddha Conj7 requires S4 provides S3A2
 * Devata Conj8 requires S5 provides S2A3
 * Yaksha Conj4 requires N2E1 provides N1E3?1
 * Yakashini Conj4 requires N2W1 provides N1W3?1

Pythium

 * Harbringer Conj6 requires S4 provides A3
 * Seraph Conj9 requires S7F2 provides S4F4A4 and A3

R'lyeh, Dreamlands

 * Void Spectre Conj6 requires S3 provides S4

Shinuyama

 * Dai Tengu Conj5 requires A2E1 provides A3E1N1
 * Dai Oni Conj 8 requires D4F1 provides D2F2E3?1
 * Kitsune Conj2 requires N2 provides N3?1
 * Nushi Conj5 requires W2N1 provides W3N2D1

Yomi

 * Dai Tengu Conj5 requires A2E1 provides A3E1N1
 * Nushi Conj5 requires W2N1 provides W3N2D1