I know that there's an excellent thread out there with a list of great Summon Monster choices

by Funny Slaughter. However, perusing that thread, I noticed that it was somewhat incomplete,
and that lots of people complained about the inclusion of things not on the original summon
monster list, and especially about the use of the Dragon mag summoning rules.
Since my DM also will only allow the PHB summons list, I'd like to dedicate this thread to
various tactics for Summon Monster, as well as a definitive summon monster list.
So far my only thought has been to include summoning tactics, and suggestions for
summoning, including their uses. I'd love to see some nice suggestions for this.
TACTICS:
1. Aiding/Flanking: This is the way to go with those lower-level summons. The ability to aid
another or provide a flanking buddy can be excellent, especially when paired with a party
rogue, or when difficult checks need to be made. This is also best used by summoning multiple
lower-level creatures.
It should be noted that in order for a creature to flank, it has to be at least small-sized (so no
celestial owls flanking). (thanks to Gadren for pointing this out)
2. Skills and Abilities: A vastly overlooked summoning tactic, IMO, I strongly suggest looking
at the skill list for summoned creatures. This is especially nice in parties where your
skillmonkey is limited/nonexistent, or for when said monkey is disabled for some reason. For
example, the Hell Hound (which can be summoned by level 5) has a +15 bonus to Survival
when tracking by scent. The duration is certainly limited, but when you're lost, summoning a
hell hound for five rounds can certainly help you pick up almost any trail at that level.
3. Spells/SLAs: Many summoned creatures pack spell-like abilities, even at lower levels.
While a caster of your level will probably be better at this, if you are a prepared caster who
does not have a necessary spell prepared, or a spontaneous caster who does not have a
certain spell on your known list - or if you need access to a spell not on your spell list at all this can certainly come in handy.
4. Bait: In an area full of traps, but you don't have your party rogue handy? Send that lemure
bumbling down the hallway and see what happens. Need someone to open that door for you,
but you know the first person to open it will get blasted by the forty warmages on the other
side? Send in a few of them, and while the warmages are occupied, you and your party can
prepare yourselves and assume the best possible tactical positions.
5. Scry'n'Die: A favorite tactic of mine, this involves scrying your opponents, and then coming
up with unique battle strategies to exploit their weaknesses. Summoned monsters are an
excellent way to do this, allowing you to pick out certain types of damage reduction, tactical
movement, etc.
6. Scouting: Many of the creatures on the SM lists make excellent scouts. Though the limited
duration of the spell can hurt this, and makes scrying a significantly better tactic, I thought I'd
include this for the sake of completeness.
7. Bash 'em in!: The most obvious summon monster use, bringing in a creature for combat
purposes. I've decided I'll make some subcategories for this.
.....7a. Grappling: IMO, the ideal use for a summoned monster in combat. Simply choose the
biggest possible summons with the highest possible strength, and go to town. For example,
the huge-sized fiendish monstrous centipede (SMIII) has a grapple check of +15 - pretty nasty
at fifth level.
.....7b. Meat shield: Pick the toughest summoned monster on your list, preferably with a
difficult-to-overcome DR or energy resistance. Stick him in the front lines, and while your
opponent tries to deal with it, have your party go to town.

.....7c. Multiple attacks: Look for creatures with lots of attacks - hydras, fiendish/celestial
animals with pounce, etc. If you can get some area buffs in, it's all the better.
8. Polymorph: A lot of the monsters you can summon make excellent polymorph targets.
They have high hit dice, they won't mind whatever you turn them into, and best of all - a good
few of them are outsiders! This breaks the polymorph cap on no outsiders, and allows you to
do things like combine your favorite features of two monsters - for example, taking the Avoral
for its spell-like abilities, Roar, and the like, and polymorphing into a form with greater combat
capacity. An interesting side note is that the Leonal (SMIX) gets polymorph as a spell-like
ability at will. Though a 9th-level slot is a rather expensive way to polymorph at will, the option
is certainly there, and never forget that, should you wish to change the Leonal's physical
capabilities, he can always polymorph himself.
Other ways to maximize your summoned monsters:
Summoned creatures are an excellent way to completely disable spellcasters when combined
with spells like Silence. For this, you want to look at creatures with high grapple checks, such
as the monstrous centipedes. Simply summon them next to an enemy spellcaster, cast Silence
on the beastie, and have it grapple. They are now restricted from casting spells with any verbal
or somatic components, and should they have a silent, still spell prepared, they still require a
concentration check to cast it.
Because Summoned spells are aligned, remember that the Good/Evil domains extend their use
somewhat. This is especially useful in early levels, when your summons only last one or two
rounds. (Thanks to Mommy was an Orc for this tactic)
Similarly, the best divine summoners tend to be true neutral casters with neutral gods, since
they aren't restricted by their alignment (remember that clerics have alignment restrictions on
what spells they can cast, and summoned spells are aligned).(Thanks to Mommy was an Orc
for this tactic)
A devestating way to start off a battle is to summon on round 1 while people are still closing
in, and follow it up with a Haste on round 2 before the summoned creature acts. This is a very
effective tactic when you can pull it off, especially with single attacking creatures like the bison
providing flanks for your melee types. (Thanks to Mommy was an Orc for this tactic)
For an excellent thread on Polymorphing summoned monsters, see RadicalTaoist's thread here.
Looking for more suggestions to add to this list/extrapolate on what I have! Keep them posted.
SUMMONING LISTS:
Summon Monster I
Celestial dog - 1 HD magical beast. Scent for finding invisible fellows and other useful things.
Celestial owl - 1 HD magical beast. Swift flier with a good AC at lower levels - great for
delivering things, and a decent flying attacker. Listen +14 is nice, too.
Celestial giant fire beetle - 1 HD magical beast. Flanking/aid buddy and a short duration
light spell, all in one.
Celestial porpoise - 2 HD magical beast. One of the fastest possible summoned creatures
(80'/rd movement), especially at this level. Also has blindsight and makes a decent low-level
combattant. Heck, I've used one to ferry kobolds and halflings across lakes before...
Celestial badger - 1 HD magical beast. A fairly decent choice. A burrow speed, scent, and
three attacks is nice.
Celestial monkey - 1 HD magical beast. Eh. Decent climb speed and great balance checks
have to be worth something.

Fiendish dire rat - 1 HD magical beast.

Fiendish raven - 1/4 HD magical beast.
Fiendish monstrous centipede, medium - 1 HD magical beast. DC 10 poison, 1d3 dex. Eh.
Fiendish monstrous scorpion, small - 1 HD magical beast. DC 12 Con poison. Best poison
yet, though the -4 on sting attacks hurts.
Fiendish hawk - 1 HD magical beast. See "celestial owl" entry, but replace listen with spot.
Altogether not as useful as the owl, IMO.
Fiendish monstrous spider, small - 1 HD magical beast. DC 10 Str poison, web (!),
tremorsense.
Fiendish octopus - 2 HD magical beast. Improved grab is nice (though the poor grapple
check hurts a lot), but Ink Cloud is an excellent ability to have at will in an aquatic
environment.
Fiendish snake, small viper - 1 HD magical beast. DC 10 Con poison. Meh, might come in
handy.
Summon Monster II
Celestial giant bee - 3 HD magical beast. 80' fly speed with good maneuverability and a
weak poison. Other than that, not so hot.
Celestial giant bombardier beetle - 2 HD magical beast. 10' cone of acid is nice, even if
Melf's is better. I've summoned these to melt down locks and things, though, which is nice,
since (I believe, haven't checked in a while) according to the FAQ acid ignores hardness.
Celestial riding dog - 2 HD magical beast. If your DM decides that all summoned riding dogs
are wartrained, this is a great choice. Otherwise, stick with the wolf.
Celestial eagle - 1 HD magical beast.
Lemure - 2 HD outsider. Good DR for low levels, great immunities and energy resistances, and
mindless can certainly come in handy. My favorite meatshield/bait/etc.
Fiendish squid - 3 HD magical beast. I'd generally rather summon 1d3 octopi, for the ink
clouds.
Fiendish wolf - 2 HD magical beast. Scent is fun (see celestial dog). Trip attacks are great
against small or low-strength creatures. Wolves are especially nice when you can summon a
few of them at a time - their trip check is low, but when you have a few of them, it's likely that
at least one will get the trip in, and flanking is nice.
Fiendish monstrous centipede, large - 3 HD magical beast. +7 grapple check. The poison
still sucks, though.
Fiendish monstrous scorpion, medium - 2 HD magical beast. DC 13 Con poison.
Fiendish shark, medium - 3 HD magical beast. Blindsense and keen scent are nice, but the
medium shark really isn't all that great.
Fiendish monstrous spider, medium - 2 HD magical beast. Again, webs are great, and the
DC for poison bumps to 12 here.
Fiendish snake, medium viper - 2 HD magical beast. The snake still isn't particularly
interesting, IMO.
Summon Monster III
Celestial black bear - 3 HD magical beast. A high strength for opposed checks, but the black
bear is mediocre otherwise - nowhere near as good as, say, the bison.
Celestial bison - 5 HD magical beast. +13 grapple checks, scent, DR 5/magic, energy
resistances, SR 10, and deals some decent damage. One of the better SMIII choices.
Celestial dire badger - 3 HD magical beast. Good survivability, with its 23 Con when raging.
If only it had 1 more HD, so it could get DR from the celestial template, it would be great.
Celestial hippogriff - 3 HD magical beast. Great fly speed, an excellent summons when you
need a quick transport somewhere and don't have another means of flight.

Elemental, small - 2 HD elemental. Elemental mastery can always come in handy. I

especially like earth elementals for finding fun uses of Earth Glide and the free bull rush.
Whirlwinds and vortexes can be handy, too.
Fiendish ape - 4 HD magical beast. +12 grapple, decent climb speed, and damage reduction.
Not a poor choice.
Fiendish dire weasel - 3 HD magical beast. Blood drain is vastly underrated. If you can
ensure that the weasel stays attached, 1d4 Con/rd with no save is awfully nice.
Hell Hound - 4 HD outsider. Breath weapon, fire immunity, +15 on survival checks to track by
scent.
Fiendish snake, constrictor - 3 HD magical beast. By the time you can cast SMIII, a +5
grapple check isn't all that great compared to what else you can do, though I guess Improved
Grab and constriction damage helps a little.
Fiendish boar - 3 HD magical beast.
Fiendish dire bat - 4 HD magical beast.
Fiendish monstrous centipede, huge - 6 HD magical beast. +15 grapple check, DR
5/magic, SR 11, DC 14 poison. My favorite SM III spell, especially for grappling enemy casters.
Fiendish crocodile - 3 HD magical beast. Does some fairly decent damage, and if it's up
against a small or low-strength creature, Improved Grab is nice, but again, I prefer the huge
centipede.
Dretch - 2 HD outsider. Another favorite of mine. Casts stinking cloud (a third level spell),
meaning you can essentially cast stinking cloud and have a creature for various purposes left
over. Good DR, immunities, resistances, and it has telepathy within 100'. Scare is also nice
because even if they make their save, they get -2 to saves for a round - a good lead in to a
finisher spell on your part.
Fiendish snake, large viper - 3 HD magical beast.
Fiendish wolverine - 3 HD magical beast.
Summon Monster IV
Archon, lantern - 1 HD outsider. The fact that the light ray can overcome any type of DR has
helped me in one or two scenarios, even if it is only 1d6. It's also nice for the permanent
magic circle surrounding it, the aura of menace, tongues, and the great immunities and DR.
Summoning multiple Lantern Archons is also a great use of your higher level summons,
especially if you come up against something with decent damage reduction that is likely to
make its SR checks against your damaging spells. This is especially nice if you can Haste them
and/or have a bard running up some music. The multiple saves for Aura of Menace, magic
circles, and each Archon firing off three light rays per round really adds up. (Thanks to incubus
for suggesting this tactic)
Celestial giant owl - 4 HD magical beast. Unless you absolutely need something with the
low-light vision, the eagle is much better.
Celestial giant eagle - 4 HD magical beast. Evasion, good fly speed, and flyby attack, can
make this a very annoying summon in outdoor encounters.
Celestial lion - 5 HD magical beast. Pounce, improved grab (+12 grapple check), DR 5/magic,
SR 10, resists acid/cold/elec 5.
Mephit (any) - 3 HD outsider.
Fiendish dire wolf - 6 HD magical beast. Another favorite. Scent, +15 on grapples, trip
attack with large size and an excellent strength, and all the standard fiendish resistances for
creatures with 5+ HD.
Fiendish giant wasp - 5 HD magical beast.
Fiendish giant praying mantis - 4 HD magical beast. Improved grab and +11 grapple check,
but still not all that good.
Fiendish shark, large - 7 HD magical beast. Okay choice for an aquatic summon.

Yeth hound - 3 HD outsider. I once summoned a yeth hound in an evil campaign and, using
the bay ability, panicked an entire village of commoners. 300' spread is an awfully big distance.
Other than that, it's got a mediocre trip attack, decent DR, and a good fly speed.
Fiendish monstrous spider, large - 4 HD magical beast.
Fiendish snake, huge viper - 6 HD magical beast. +15 grapple and DC 14 poison. Makes me
wonder why this is SMIV when the huge centipede is SMIII.
Howler - 6 HD outsider. Howlers make decent combatants, but you'll never be able to keep
one around long enough to ever use the howl ability (which isn't all that great anyways).
Howler is also a great way to lower saving throws for major spells, since each quill that sticks
in gives a -1 on attacks, saves, and checks. (Thanks to TychoEnoch for pointing this out)
Summon Monster V
Archon, hound - 6 HD outsider. Magic circle always on, great SR, good DR, aura of menace, a
couple of okay SLAs, change shape, and it makes an okay warrior, too.
Celestial brown bear - 6 HD magical beast. Improved grab, +16 grapple bonus, and
excellent survivability between the 19 con and the resistances/reduction from the celestial
template. Too bad we had to wait until level 9 to summon one.
Celestial giant stag beetle - 7 HD magical beast. Deals excellent damage on its bite attack,
and has okay survivability. I always think trample will be useful, and it never has been for
me...
Celestial sea cat - 6 HD magical beast.
Celestial griffon - 7 HD magical beast. Good fly speed, good grapple check, pounce, and
rake.
Elemental, medium (any) - 4 HD elemental.
Achaierai - 6 HD outsider. Nothing like a damaging Insanity cloud 3/day. SR 19 is nice, too.
Devil, bearded - 6 HD outsider. Bearded devils make, obviously, excellent combatants, with
frenzy and their Infernal Wounding glaive.
Fiendish deinonychus - 4 HD magical beast. IMO a poor choice. Far inferior to, say, the
fiendish tiger.
Fiendish dire ape - 5 HD magical beast.
Fiendish dire boar - 7 HD magical beast. These things are always surprisingly difficult to kill,
making them decent meatshields or flank buddies - although I still prefer multiple lower-level
creatures for that.
Fiendish shark, huge - 10 HD magical beast. With 10HD and a grapple check of +20, this
makes one of the better mid-level aquatic choices.
Fiendish monstrous scorpion, large - 5 HD magical beast. DC 14 poison, improved grab,
constrict. Eh.
Shadow mastiff - 4 HD outsider. Bays better than the yeth hound, trips better than the yeth
hound, and total concealment in anything but full daylight. Doesn't have the DR or flight of the
yeth hound, though.
Fiendish dire wolverine - 5 HD magical beast.
Fiendish giant crocodile - 7 HD magical beast. Improved grab and a +21 grapple check. I'm
a fan.
Fiendish tiger - 6 HD magical beast. Improved grab, pounce, and rake can lead to some
decent damage.
Summon Monster VI
Celestial polar bear - 8 HD magical beast. IMO the polar bear is not so significantly better
than the brown bear as to warrant a higher spell slot. Getting 1d3 celestial brown bears is
better, unless you need the swim speed.
Celestial orca whale - 9 HD magical beast. +22 grapple and blindsight 120'.

Bralani (eladrin) - 6 HD outsider. Nice SLAs (mirror image, wind wall, cure serious, lightning
bolt, gust of wind, blur, etc... all things that can come in handy sometimes but aren't worth
always preparing), whirlwind form, tongues, decent DR/SR/immunity/resistances, and fights
with a +1 holy scimitar. Good call.
Celestial dire lion - 8 HD magical beast. Makes for a good combatant.
Elemental, large (any) - 8 HD elemental. Here's where I start to like summoning elementals
again. DR 5/--, and they generally become excellent combatants. Again, earth elementals are
a favorite, especially since they now have a free bull rush with 25 strength and large size and
earth mastery bonuses.
Janni (genie) - 6 HD outsider. Kind of an interesting one. I'd use them more if they could cast
invisibility on targets other than self, but they get little things like create food and water,
enlarge/reduce person, and they can ethereal jaunt for an hour.
Chaos beast - 8 HD outsider. Corporal instability (Fort DC 15) and okay spell resistance. Not
bad, but if you're planning on polymorphing it into something better, think again - it'll revert
back to its normal form the very next round.
Devil, chain - 8 HD outsider. If you've got some chains lying around, summoning the kyton
for his dancing chain attacks is fun. They get a decent Intimidate skill, good SR, and
regeneration, too.
Xill - 5 HD outsider.
Fiendish monstrous centipede, gargantuan - 12 HD magical beast. +27 grapple check, DC
17 dex poison, DR 10/magic, SR 17. I like.
Fiendish rhinoceros - 8 HD magical beast. Powerful charge is fairly decent (4d6+24
damage).
Fiendish elsasmosaurus - 10 HD magical beast. +23 grapple check and awesome
survivability. A nice aquatic choice.
Fiendish monstrous spider, huge - 8 HD magical beast. DC 16 poison, +18 grapple,
tremorsense, and webs.
Fiendish snake, giant constrictor - 11 HD magical beast. Improved grab, constrict, and +23
grapple checks, as well as a climb and swim speed. Still not as good as the centipede though,
IMO, unless you need the Improved grab to get a grapple off.
Summon Monster VII
Celestial elephant - 11 HD magical beast. I'm always surprised by how fun summoning
elephants is. Strength of 30 is nice for opposed rolls, +26 grapple, decent attacks, trample
(with a DC 25 reflex save), and all the standard celestial resistances, including SR 16.
Avoral (guardinal) - 7 HD outsider. Excellent SLAs at will, like dispel magic, and magic circle.
Great spot checks, good fly speed, fear aura, true seeing, speak with animals, SR 25, and very
nice elemental resistances and immunities. A very versatile choice.
The Avoral's Dispel Magic at will can be incredibly handy at times - since it can cast Dispel
Magic at least 13 times, it is likely to get a better roll than you would with Greater Dispel
Magic. Not necessarily useful when a dispel is immediately required, but it can come in handy,
and may even be better for multiple spells. (Thanks to Mommy was an Orc for suggesting this
tactic)
The Lay on Hands of the Avoral can be an excellent mini-heal for a wizard who normally lacks
in healing spells. (Thanks to Mommy was an Orc for suggesting this tactic)
Another good use for the Avoral (wow, there are quite a few - this is rapidly becoming one of
my favorite summons) is a constant counterspeller. Since Dispel Magic can be used as a
counterspell, you can have your Avoral ready an action to counter a spell every single turn,
and free yourself up for casting other spells with less to worry about from opposing casters.
Celestial baleen whale - 12 HD magical beast. +33 grapple checks and a lot of hit points are
the biggest reasons to summon this one.

Djinni (genie) - 7 HD outsider. Again, it's all about SLAs. The djinni has some weird ones,
including create wine, create food and water, major creation, wind walk, and persistent image.
Add on an excellent appraise skill (kind of weird, but you never know - lots of people never
take ranks in it, so I guess you can always ask the djinni, although I don't know if appraise
checks can be done within a minute or so), whirlwind form, and air mastery, and you've got an
odd ace up your sleeve for that random occasion when only a barrel of wine and some poison
will save you.
The djinni is also excellent because its major creation ability is permanent if being used to
create any sort of vegetable matter, which can lead to all sorts of abuses, including infinite
wealth. (Thanks to Lokiyn for pointing this out)
Elemental, huge (any) - 16 HD elemental. While I don't think I need to reiterate why the
elementals are decent, I'd like to point out the feats they get once huge - air now has flyby
attack and combat reflexes, earth has improved bull rush and awesome blow (fun stuff), fire
has spring attack and combat reflexes, and water has imp. bull rush.
Invisible stalker - 8 HD elemental. You know, I've never used an invisible stalker. Natural
invisibility has to be worthsomething. Doesn't seem all that great, though.
Slaad, red - 7 HD outsider. Eh.
Devil, bone - 10 HD outsider. Good SLAs (some highlights include dimensional anchor, fly, and
wall of ice), fear aura, DC 20 poison, SR 21, good DR/elemental immunities and resistances,
Intimidate +17, and Knowledge (any one) +15, telepathy. Has come in handy for me,
especially when I didn't prepare that dimensional anchor spell and I needed one.
Fiendish megaraptor - 8 HD magical beast. Eh.
Fiendish monstrous scorpion, huge - 10 HD magical beast. DC 18 poison, Imp Grab and a
+21 grapple check.
Babau (demon) - 7 HD outsider. I'm not a huge fan. The only thing I can see a use for is
summoning one to hide himself and take advantage of that Dispel Magic at will.
Fiendish giant octopus - 8 HD magical beast. 9 attacks per round, improved grab on 8 of
them with +15 grapple check, and 20' ink clouds that grant total concealment. Might come in
handy.
Fiendish girallon - 7 HD magical beast.
Summon Monster VIII
Celestial dire bear - 12 HD magical beast. Decent, I guess, but not exciting.
Celestial cachalot whale - 12 HD magical beast. If you want an aquatic fighter, I guess these
are okay - they get some good damage on their bite attack. I prefer whales as massive aquatic
grapplers, in which case 1d3 celestial baleen whales is a much better choice.
Celestial triceratops - 16 HD magical beast. SR 21, about 200 HP, damage reduction, +30
grapple checks, powerful charge, and trample with a DC of 28. Sounds good to me.
Lillend - 7 HD outsider. Lillends are okay, but just okay. Hallucinatory terrain 3/day is
interesting, and I guess bardic music comes in handy, but they're such low level bards that it
doesn't help all that much. Only 45 hp and no damage reduction is what really kills them.
Elemental, greater (any) - 21 HD elemental. Good choice, see any other elemental entry.
Slaad, blue - 8 HD outsider. This is a surprisingly good choice. Fast healing and okay
resistances, but they really shine in that they can cast passwall and telekinesis at will.
Especially nice for divine casters, as those are two rather handy spells that neither one gets
short of miracle, and with this you get multiple castings of them.
Fiendish giant squid - 12 HD magical beast. 11 attacks, 10 of which have improved grab,
+29 grapple checks, and ink cloud.
Hellcat (devil) - 8 HD outsider. Mediocre, IMO.
Fiendish monstrous centipede, colossal - 24 HD magical beast. A grapple check of +42
and DC 23 poison which deals 2d6 dex. I'm telling you, I'm in love with these centipedes.

Fiendish dire tiger - 16 HD magical beast. Sadly enough, I tend to find these lots more
useful than the hellcat.
Fiendish monstrous spider, gargantuan - 16 HD magical beast. See all other spider
entries, but bump the poison up to DC 20 (2d6 str).
Fiendish tyrannosaurus - 18 HD magical beast. Improved grab, swallow whole, and a +30
grapple check. Hey, what happens when a t-rex that swallowed a creature whole is dismissed?
Vrock (demon) - 10 HD outsider. Another excellent choice. Major image and telekinesis at
will, heroism 1/day, dance of ruin (if you can summon 3 of them, either through multiple
castings, metamagic, or using SMIX) dealing 20d6 damage in a 100' radius, stunning screech,
and decent survivability thanks to all of the resistances.
Summon Monster IX
Couatl - 9 HD outsider. Casts practically any spell up to fourth level, has some moderate
psionics, ethereal jaunt, +17 on Use Magic Device checks, Empower Spell as a feat (nice for a
sorcerous caster), and a strong poison (even if the save DC is a little low).
Leonal (guardinal) - 12 HD outsider. Lesser globe of invulnerability and magic circle always
surrounding the leonal, polymorph and wall of force at will, cure crit/neutralize poison/remove
disease/heal 1-3 times per day, roar (essentially a damage holy word that works in a 60' cone)
3/day, SR 28, lay on hands, pounce/imp grab/rake, and decent at combat. Fun stuff.
Celestial roc - 18 HD magical beast. Flyby attack and snatch are nice feats for the roc,
although overall I think it could be better. I once used one to dive-bomb a BBEG, though,
which was interesting.
Elemental, elder (any) - 24 HD elemental. Finally caught up with the druid in elemental
casting. Good choice.
Slaad, green - 9 HD outsider. I guess the SLAs are okay, but overall not as good as most
other choices. Certainly not worth a 9th-level spell slot.
Devil, barbed - 12 HD outsider. Decent, but there's better stuff out there.
Fiendish dire shark - 18 HD magical beast.
Fiendish monstrous scorpion, gargantuan - 20 HD magical beast. Grapple +37, improved
grab, poison DC 23. I'd still rather summon a colossal spider.
Night hag - 8 HD outsider. Eh. Etherealness at will is interesting, I suppose, but there are far
better choices.
Bebilith (demon) - 12 HD outsider. DC 24 poison, rend armor, and webs are decent, but I
prefer the......
Fiendish monstrous spider, colossal - 32 HD magical beast. DC 28 poison, +50 grapple
check, webs, and SR 25. Again, an excellent anti-caster choice.
Hezrou (demon) - 10 HD outsider. The only thing interesting about the hezrou are the
resistances (which other choices get), and blasphemy/stench (which are decent but not
spectacular).
However, because the stench ability is Constitution-based, the DC is pumped up by two if
you're running Augment Summoning (and more if you're using the Conjurer UA wizard
variant). This brings the DC to 26 or 27 Fort save or be nauseated at 17th level, which is
actually pretty decent. And even if they make the save, their still sickened. (Thanks to Mommy
was an Orc for suggesting this)
*phew*
Believe it or not, I just wrote all that in one sitting.