I am sure this is not a new idea, but what I am thinking doesn’t quite match what I’ve been able to find.
Synthesist Summoner using the eidolon as a biosuit so he can dump all the physical stats and pump all the mental stats. Then function as a primary caster and either secondary melee or secondary missile fire.
- With a 20 point buy you could go as extreme as 18, 16, 14, 7, 7, 7 before racial modifiers. At first level level, he could have physical stats of Str 18, Dex 12, and Con 13 with 13 hitpoints (7 from the eidolon) which isn’t bad for a secondary combatant.
- The eidolon would then be mostly just defensive and physical ability increases.
- Summoner doesn’t have all that many spells each day, but probably would not need to use as many defensive buffs as usual.
- Minor fights just operate in secondary martial mode.
- Significant fight use maybe a single spell then go into the secondary martial mode.
- Major fight you could nova your remaining spells as a primary caster.
- Though it by no means has the best offensive spells in the game, the summoner does have a few of the most popular ones. For example: grease, the pit line, glitterdust, black tentacles, etc…
- If those don’t seem sufficient, you could use a Samsaran with the mystic past life to cherry pick the best arcane attack spell of each of the first 5 levels.
What do you think? Has it already been tried and failed?
That's the standard use of a synthesis summoner, and probably what the designers had in mind.
It's also why summoners, esp. synthesists, are generally considered overpowered to the point of broken.
That's not true, of course. Synthesist summoners are actually much weaker than the other summoner archetypes because the truly broken summoners are the ones that break the action economy. But it's still a powerful archetype because it has many fewer weaknesses than a traditional character. So what you get is a character that's very hard for the GM to challenge without killing the rogue outright in the first round.
It works to a point.
Then you hit your first anti-magic field and your suit goes away, leaving you standing on the front line with your 7,7,7.
Is that much different from the wizard being hit with an antimagic field? At least the summoner then has a d8 hit die, light armor and 3/4 bab. What does the wizard or sorceror have in that anti magic field?
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Is that much different from the wizard being hit with an antimagic field? At least the summoner then has a d8 hit die, light armor and 3/4 bab. What does the wizard or sorceror have in that anti magic field?It works to a point.
Then you hit your first anti-magic field and your suit goes away, leaving you standing on the front line with your 7,7,7.
Most sorcerers and wizards don't dump all physical stats down to 7.
CON in particular is usually a 14 for most casters. That's a 3 hp/level difference between the wizard and the stat dumped synthesist. In the wizards favor.
That's the standard use of a synthesis summoner, and probably what the designers had in mind...
Every one I've seen has been a melee monster build. with just enough cha to cast melee buffs.
Have you really seen one tried as a primary offensive caster? How did it work out in use?
Is that much different from the wizard being hit with an antimagic field? At least the summoner then has a d8 hit die, light armor and 3/4 bab. What does the wizard or sorceror have in that anti magic field?It works to a point.
Then you hit your first anti-magic field and your suit goes away, leaving you standing on the front line with your 7,7,7.
Most sorcerers and wizards don't dump all physical stats down to 7.
CON in particular is usually a 14 for most casters. That's a 3 hp/level difference between the wizard and the stat dumped synthesist. In the wizards favor.
Well, I understand your point. But, in the last 3 AP's (haven't finished the 3rd yet) I have seen 1 anti-magic field and the write-up had that so badly positioned it had almost no affect since the PC's didn't actually have to enter the area and could clearly tell where it was.
I think that if summoner hit an antimagic field, he would pretty much just be trying to run away.
Also that example was the extreme limit. I probably wouldn't really dump con I would just leave it at 10. That low of HP just scares me.
Have you really seen one tried as a primary offensive caster? How did it work out in use?
At early/mid game you don't have enough spells and your DCs suffer too much in my experience, but I haven't seen one that went out of his way to jack up the DC's.
Have you really seen one tried as a primary offensive caster? How did it work out in use?At early/mid game you don't have enough spells and your DCs suffer too much in my experience, but I haven't seen one that went out of his way to jack up the DC's.
Well, that's kinda what I'm thinking. The bio-suit makes it so you don't have nearly as much need for things like toughness, dodge, improved initiative. So you have the build space for things like improved spell focus, bouncing spell, and/or persistent spell.
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Ok, if I were to go Samsaran with Mystic Past Life (with the max 18 charisma) I would be able to add any 5 arcane spells to my allowed list to be learned.
What do you think would be the very best ones to learn?
Not absolutely required, but if they have a save, it would be better if they are the same school to get the most out of Spell Focus.
Hmm... Or should I be going for no save spells like magic missile and acid arrow?
Some of the ones that come to my mind are:
1
Magic missile (evoc) – basic boring attack spell
Ear piercing scream (sorc) – evoc, damage target and stun, fort save half and no stun
Vanish (sorc) - illus, rnd/level, invis
2
Create treasure map (sorc) – div, find treasure of dead foe
Versatile weapon (bard) – trans, bypass DR
3
Malicious spite (bard) – ench, day/level, make someone work against another, will neg, probably not worth a known spell, but it could sure be fun sometimes
Force punch (sorc) – evoc, force damage and push back if fail fort save, try to get out of melee
4
Echolocation (bard) – trans blind sight 40’, 10 min/level
Dragon’s breathe (sorc) – evoc, line or cone d6/level elemental damage, reflex half