I've got a synthesist summoner in my game, whose eidolon is a giant wolf. She's taken "Mage Armor" as one of her spells, but I'm having trouble figuring out how she would cast it on her eidolon. In fact, I'm having trouble figuring out how she would cast anything on her eidolon.
She can't cast spells while the eidolon is summoned, since it doesn't have hands. When it's not summoned, she can't target it with anything. And if she casts the spell on herself, it doesn't have any effect when the eidolon is summoned.
Is this all correct, or am I missing something?
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I think, if you wanted to be lenient, you could let the wolf rear back on its hind legs and use its front legs to cast (I seem to recall it saying that you need to have "limbs" to cast spells, not necessarily "arms") but that's definitely the area of GM fiat.
Logically, one would just buy the arms evolution and ignore this problem completely.
You are missing something, but it's not much.
A) If the eidelon has no hands, she can't cast any spells with somatic components while it's summoned. Spells that do not require somatic components can be cast normally (they caster has full use/access to his gear, including spell component pouch) while in his synthesist form.
B) When fused, the summoner and synthesist are one, and the synthesist gains all his own abilities and all the eidelon's abilities. That means if she casts Mage Armor on herself before summoning the eidelon, then it is a spell on her, and after merging, the spell continues to function. Just like if it's an Aasimar, the merged synthesist get's the aasimar's energy resistances too. They are both eidelon and summoner combined.
looking at the synthesist section it states
"The eidolon must have limbs for the synthesist to cast spells with somatic components"
this requirement seems to be meet
Somatic (S): A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.
A quadruped does not have a free hand to cast spells with, since they have no hands, only 4 feet.
^ I ran into this before and was kind of confused. Dragons are specifically called out as being able to cast spells, both in the nature that dragons generally cast spells as sorcerers (not SLAs, actual sorcerer spells) and under the polymorph rules:
...and can only cast spells with somatic or verbal components if the form you choose has the capability to make such movements or speak, such as a dragon.
However, the general stance of a dragon seems to be four 'feet.' (Though correct me if I'm wrong. I certainly might be.) If the limbs in question needed to be hands specifically, how can dragons cast somatic spells?
Also, in regards to rearing up on hind legs, I personally don't think that much would be needed. A 4-legged creature can easily stand on 3 legs, and you only need one free hand (limb?) to cast.
The synthesist can control the appearance, so you can hide the arms and hands and just say it is the thing's tongue.
Specific trumps general mdt.Since the synthesist sections states that a "limb" suffices that overrules the hand requirement.
SKR disagrees with you.
Need hands to cast spells
And again
And again
Ad naseum
Providing some additional insight - e.g, note specifically
The rules assume a humanoid caster, and using a non-humanoid body (whether polymorphed, wild shaped, or fused) means you're limiting yourself.
Which by implication, if you are not by default a humanoid caster, such as being a naga or a dragon, then spells with somatic components use your tail, or claw, or other appropriate appendage.
Which in turn by implication, if a naga was polymorphed into a non-snake form the naga would be unable to cast.
Thanks BBangter, was out looking up SKR's posts, you beat me to it. :)
Heh, I'd just gotten through reading most of that thread earlier today hoping to find an answer to a different question.
Actually to quote the book
"The Eidolon must have limbs for the synthesis to cast spells with somatic components"
Note it just says limbs it does not say limbs(arms) therefore any limb evolution would work including legs.
Actually to quote the book
"The Eidolon must have limbs for the synthesis to cast spells with somatic components"Note it just says limbs it does not say limbs(arms) therefore any limb evolution would work including legs.
Poor thread, please follow me.
Remember also that the summoner is wearing the eidolon like a biological, all-encompassing "suit," and the eidolon's shape limits what the summoner can do. If the eidolon doesn't have arms, the summoner can't use his own arms to manipulate objects, make attacks, cast somatic spells, or anything else requiring arms--while fused, the summoner's limbs are trapped within the armless eidolon-suit, and he isn't able to use them to manipulate things. The summoner isn't able to extend his own body parts outside of the eidolon-suit; if he wants to be able to manipulate things with arms, the eidolon needs arms (though tentacles are sufficient for simple tasks).
Emphasis mine.