What the heck are lammasthas for????

[Vicious Love]

I suppose an Empoisoner with a death wish MIGHT be able to bring down a powerful target by summoning Lammashtas, although methinks this is far less reliable than, say, Tangle Vines-Attack-Hand of Dust, or a dozen other low-level combos.

Methinks the Lammashtas are intended to be, above all, an effective desperate measure, a Last-ditch effort to take out one's opponent at any and all costs, no matter how suicidally exorbitabt. Unfortunately, they make for a pretty feeble Last resort. I've seen a suicide communion summon over FOURTY Lammashtas(In two turns) to attack a horror marked Son of Niefel pretender, with no more than a Wraith Sword(Mostly for reinvigoration), a bit of miscellaneous gear(I'm pretty sure he was wearing his default armor, and his defense skill was on the low end of the SC scale), and a two-spell buff queue(Quickness and Breath of Winter).
Said Lammashtas never stood half a chance. Didn't even inflict an affliction.
Instead of wasting two turns of my thaumaturgs' time, I coulda gotten off a few mind burns, and instead of wasting 20 gems, I coulda summoned enough dispossessed spirits to mob that pretender into unconsciousness a dozen times over.
Definitely not the best of suicide spells.