So, for an upcoming campaign I'm thinking of rolling up a summoner. Now, I always like to take the opportunity when playing a high-tier class like the summoner to delve into some outre kinds of low-powered but flavorful builds, the kind that just aren't very viable when working with a monk, ninja or a cavalier, etc..
So I had this idea; creating a character loosely based on the classic Big Strong Hero + Wacky Sidekick combo, a la Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and probably a lot of other examples I can't think of off the top of my head. Basically, I'm hoping to build a summoner who uses his SLAs and spells mostly to buff himself and conjure up fighting companions in battle, and then have his eidolon be a sort of skill monkey/scout/utility guy. I don't want to do a master summoner, because I really want to split my focus evenly between the summoner and the eidolon, plus I don't want to focus overly much on summoning in combat.
Anyway, just throwing this out there to see if people have any sorts of suggestions or ideas. I'm very open to trying out different builds. What sort of skilldolon (possibly to work as a flanking buddy too, if resources allow) would work best when teamed up with a melee summoner? What sort of abilities on the summoner's part could complement an eidolon mostly focused on skill usage and utility-based evolutions?
This would probably be a build that should work from level 5 and upwards, and a 25-point buy. So, any takers?
I was thinking, since the eidolon won't need his feat slots for combat stuff to the same extent in this scenario, there might be some useful teamwork feats or such out there? I'm not sure if any of them are worthwhile, though. I've also considered making the summoner ranged or at least a switch-hitter, though I'm not sure if the former is even possible considering the dearth of bonus feats...are there spells enough on the summoner spell list to make up for that?
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Making a 3/4 BAB d8 hit die light armor class with no inherent bonuses to hit or to AC into a front line combatant is a pretty tricky affair - just ask your nearest Rogue. Still, you do have options.
Option 1: Strength based. Try to get up to an 18 strength and pick up your simple weapon of choice. Get Power Attack and Arcane Strike and you'll be dealing pretty reasonable damage... when you hit, that is. You'll need as many bonuses to to-hit as you can get: flanking, bull's strength, etc. Make sure you pick up Haste as a level 2 spell - it will more than double your damage output on full attacks and give you other bonuses besides. Your AC won't be great, so bolster it with Shield and enchanted armor, and consider spells like Blur and Displacement. MINIMUM CONSTITUTION 14! (Charisma isn't terribly important here; stay away from spells with saves.) Keep a longspear and some javelins handy to increase your range - using a lonsgpear with Enlarge Person to have a 20 foot reach is always fun.
Option 2: Dex based. This will require an Agile weapon or Dervish Dance to work, don't bother if you can't get one of those two. Keep in mind you don't have Scimitar proficiency naturally - a human or half-elf can pick it up at 1st level as a bonus feat, or you can use the trait Heirloom Weapon and be less effective than a limp biscuit if it gets sundered. Your damage will suffer considerably compared to a strength-based character, even with Arcane Strike, but your AC and skills will be better, you'll be less MAD, and it opens up small races like Halfling and Gnome.
As for the Eidolon... well, feel free to go crazy with it. You can totally change the evolutions every level, so take your preferred movement, senses, and Skilled evolutions. Giving it a Bite with Trip and possibly Reach and Poison can make it quite a nuisance in combat. Improved Natural Armor and energy resistances are good, but not essential, since if it dies in combat it just comes back the next day. I'd probably go Quadruped or Biped, but there's really no wrong way to go here. You may consider teamwork feats like Outflank, but for a real laugh, get your DM to approve an Eidolon with Antagonize.
Good luck!
... [B]ut for a real laugh, get your DM to approve an Eidolon with Antagonize.
Guy in a homegame is playing a master summoner, we are still low level at this point. He made his eidolon a small frail coughing, almost skeletal snake. It uses antagonize. The flavor of it is that upon seeing this malnourished horror of a creature, they are filled with a need to wipe it's existence from the world.
I just saw that and thought - yeah... it's pretty funny.
Hey, thanks for that rather thorough breakdown, Reynard. Yeah, I figured melee was the way to go, since frankly I just have barely enough feats for that. I suppose possibly a human with PA, Arcane Strike, Combat Reflexes and a longspear and, I dunno, a spiked gauntlet or something might be doable? Could look sort of cool, too. I was considering a tengu and going all out on natural attacks, but I'm really not a fan of biting and scratching people, from a flavor standpoint.
As for the eidolon, Antagonize might actually be a great idea. I see nothing in the feat preventing the little (well, Medium-sized) sucker from taking in...am I missing something here? Certainly would play well with the wise-cracking sidekick feel of the concept. Cheers!
EDIT: Hrm. There's this evolution from a 3pp book that gives an eidolon bardic performance as a bard of a level equal to its HD. It's a 2-point evolution and seems totally broken and ill-thought out in a general context, but for a supoptimal build like this I might be able to get my GM to approve it...
Oh, thanks. Actually, I'm already familiar with Punching Expectations in the Mouth, as that guide will forevermore be called in my heart of hearts. I swear by it and teach it to my unborn children as a catechism. But it is very focused on having a melee summoner side by side with an equally brutish eidolon, so I figured there might be a few tweaks required when the outsider buddy in question is a skilldolon. Regarding making this character a broodmaster...I'm not sure. Conceptually I think it might tarnish the idea a bit, as I really want these guys to be a bromancin' dynamic duo, really only with the eidolon and the summoner switching around their traditional brute/smart guy roles. Is there any especially salient mechanical argument in favor of broodmaster that I'm missing?
Try this guide. Its part of a trio, so check out the others as well. This one's the guide to the eidolon.
There was at least 1 error in the guide in a section about using the eidolon for scouting. It suggests using Message with the eidolon for information transmission. This is unnecessary as the eidolon and its summoner share a telepathic bond.
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My 'main' character in PFS is a Summoner who's Eidolon is built this way, and let me tell you it's really fun. I built him mostly off of the second guide that Experiment 626 linked, with my personal spin using traits to give him Bluff and Diplomacy to make him The Face. His Eidolon is built like a rogue, using Slight of Hand, Stealth, Perception, Sense Motive and Disable Device. She works wonders as his eyes and ears. As a bonus, I'll be putting her first stat point into Intelligence, bringing it to an even 8 and allowing me to retroactively put some ranks into Use Magic Device.
Since you're playing a melee summoner, you'll likely want to give yourself a bonus HP per level. Sadly, this means you can't play Human and give an extra skill rank to the Eidolon, which gives it more versatility AND bonus skill ranks for one-point-wonders on those occasional levels that don't grant it any bonus hit dice.
Skill feats are a great, I started with Deft Hands to make up for her relatively low dexterity, and Alertness followed suit. The Skilled evolution for Stealth and Perception, plus a Climb speed make her a fantastic scout. Even if she tends to get shredded half the time. But hey, silver lining: You have a general idea of what I'm up against, AND I don't have to spend an action to unsummon her before I can start casting my SLA Summon Monster!
As for suggestions on your Eidolon? Depends on what you want to do, and how well you want it to function in combat. Quadruped with Skilled: Perception and the Trip evolution means you've got a fantastic set of eyes along with a Trip Pal. Being a Summoner, you also have the best way to make use of the Lookout teamwork feat this side of Inquisitors. If you wanna do something really odd? Pick a flavorful set of skills and pimp your Eidolon out right and proper. Hell, give it Knowledges and Spellcraft, ignore the skills yourself, and roleplay as a regular Fighter Guy who has some kind of support from a diety/outsider.
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I'm not sure this would be a 'low powered' build, as using the summons SLA ability in combat and reserving the eidolon for skills and utility is pretty much the most powerful way to go with a Summoner... it's only all the players who insist on building 'combat eidolons' and using them exclusively that really keep the class on a managable power level to begin with! IMHO, YMMV, natch... ;)