RAW, in dnd 5e the GM chooses what creature is conjured, not the caster. The caster chooses the category.

I recognize that stock photo of the orca from that one forced meme on ytmnd

Sure but there’s often not too much harm in letting the player choose and if they get too obnoxious with it make the spell fail every now and then

Does anyone actually run it that way though?

On my table, if the player gets too obnoxious they will have to suffer the consequences.

At least once per game, someone will want to drop some large animal on something / someone. Maybe its wildshape, maybe its conjure animals but its coming.

Reminds me of the time I wild shaped into an Elk when fighting a dragon on a ship so I didn’t lose all my health. Admittedly I did just stand there bleating for a few turns but that was part of the appeal honestly.

Hehe, I’m reminded of the time I learned Share Spells let me turn my familiar into a bigass tree as I was flying over some hapless creature

The original rules didn’t specify. I think they errata’d that in, and in the 2014 edition they replaced it completely with a damage-dealing Emanation so you don’t have to add a whole bunch of turns.

The spell was not the best worded, because of course it wasn’t, but it was in the original rules. Caster picks a category. GM has the statistics.

Conjure Woodland Beings

Level 4 Conjuration Casting Time: Action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S, M (one holly berry per creature summoned) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You summon fey creatures that appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears:

• One fey creature of challenge rating 2 or lower
• Two fey creatures of challenge rating 1 or lower
• Four fey creatures of challenge rating 1/2 or lower
• Eight fey creatures of challenge rating 1/4 or lower

A summoned creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which have their own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.

The DM has the creatures’ statistics.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using certain higher-level spell slots, you choose one of the summoning options above, and more creatures appear: twice as many with a 6th-level slot and three times as many with an 8th-level slot. Classes: Druid, Ranger

The only mention of the DM is that they have the creatures’ statistics. It never says that they choose, or that the player doesn’t choose. It doesn’t specifically say that the player does choose, but that’s true of lots of things. For example, the rules say that you decide whether to move first or take an action first, but not that you decide whether or not to move or take an action, or where to move or what action to take. Nobody would say that that means it’s RAW that the GM decides all those things.

You’re not saying anything I didn’t already address in last comment. Have a good one, mate.

but it was in the original rules. Caster picks a category. GM has the statistics.

I see. I agree that the original rules pick the category and the GM does have the statistics. But it doesn’t say anything about the GM choosing which creature is summoned, which is what they were saying before.

Like I said. Every game. Mine is usually a polymorph into a T rex off something