Best summoner class?

[ChumbaWumba]

I'm curious what everyone's opinion of what their favorite summoning class is.

I was thinking of making a guy with a few strong summons our maybe a necromancer

Thanks for any help

[Kolokotroni]

The summoner with the master summoner archetype.

[DeathMvp]

Master summoner archetype hands down. You get 5+chr mod for free a day and they last 1 min a level ie 10 times longer.

[Kolokotroni]

dont forget they are standard action casts, and the free augment summoning

[Fruian Thistlefoot]

I've never played the Summoner class but out of the other classes:
Witch, Druid, Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer

I would easily say a Evangelist Cleric with Heroism domain makes one of the strongest summoners. They bring the same bodies to the field with the same feat line. They can speed that up with Sacred Summons. Then they have Bardic Performance to Buff the Summons up further for more damage and to Hit. Then they increase it Further by providing an Aura of Heroism as the spell as a swift action.... Makes for some really strong summons.

[AndIMustMask]

summoner or wordcaster (ultimate magic optional rule) anything.

reason? standard action summons.

[Imbicatus]

A Half-Orc Saurian Shaman druid. They all get standard action summons when summoning reptiles or dinosaurs, have a dinosaur pet, and have access to Ferocious Summons, Moonlight Summons, and Starlight Summons.

[The Shaman]

I'd vote for the summoner as well. You have an eidolon, lots of summon spells with better than regular duration, and if you need something even longer, you can get the binding spells - where your high charisma gives you a pretty decent edge against a wizard.

[Reynard_the_fox]

Well, if you're looking purely at summoning, it's hard to beat Master Summoner. But I think I would prefer to play a Druid or Wizard.

Druid gets spontaneous SNA, which is pretty awesome. He gets a lot of cool battlefield control and buff spells (like Strong Jaw), gets an Animal Companion, and wildshaping into a bird or a mole means it's really easy to stay safe while you summon. They can also take an archetype like Saurian Shaman which gives them standard action summoning AND increased flexibility in choosing what to summon.

Wizards, meanwhile, get to summon from the Summon Monster list, which has a lot more neat abilities hidden in it. They also get even better battlefield control and buff spells, plus key spells like Teleport, and can get better mileage out of Spell Focus: Conjuration, which is a prereq for Augment Summoning. They get more spells per day than the Druid, even if they have to pick how many summon spells to prepare beforehand. They also get a few bonus feats, whereas Druids practically have negative feats since they need Natural Spell. Plus, once you get Telekinetic Charge, you can go "Finish summoning, Telekinetic Charge my summon at your face giving it a free attack, now my summon gets a full attack." Which is pretty darn awesome.

I would stay away from spontaneous casters, since they get the Summon spells a level later than the prepared casters AND have to eat up all their spells known if they want to keep the most up-to-date version around.

[Captain Zoom]

Imbicatus wrote:

A Half-Orc Saurian Shaman druid. They all get standard action summons when summoning reptiles or dinosaurs, have a dinosaur pet, and have access to Ferocious Summons, Moonlight Summons, and Starlight Summons.

You forgot what makes them really special since no other summoning class can do it - they can modify their summons by applying the young, giant and advanced templates.

A powerful choice, plus they still have Wild Shape and either an Animal Companion or Domain, so they're robust.

Still, if you're going purely by summoning, I'd give it to the Master Summoner because the Summon Monster list is so much better in general than the Summon Nature's Ally list.

[scadgrad]

Master Summoner

/thread

Srsly, is this even in doubt?

[Rerednaw]

Master Summoner.
Period.

Yes, other classes can slap on various templates, spontaneous substitutions, etc...

But you get more summons, learn higher ranking ones just as fast as full progression spell casters (faster than spontaneous casters such as the oracle or sorcerer) free augment, and one of the most powerful abilities of all: summon as a standard action. Mere words cannot express the pure joy (if have one on your team) or pain (if there's one on the other team) of watching monsters pop out of thin air during a surprise round, and then again on the first round. There's usually no second round of course.

EDIT: Subject said "Best", but text said "favorite". My favorite would be Wizard with Conjuration(especially teleportation subschool) since that's one of the best schools for playing hand of god on the battlefield.

[LazarX]

ChumbaWumba wrote:

I'm curious what everyone's opinion of what their favorite summoning class is.

I was thinking of making a guy with a few strong summons our maybe a necromancer

Thanks for any help

Conjurer.... because Wizards. :)

That said, I've found ways to have fun with Summoning Clerics, A Mythic Paladin with the Summon Guardian power, and of course Summoners.

People look for different things in their cake. And there are a lot of ways to bake this one. And one man's cake is going to be another's flatbread.

The only way to answer that question is with more definitive goal posts other than someone who says "I summon."

[Shakalaka]

Hmm, my first post, let's hope it's somewhat useful.
I'd say Sorceror because I prefer spontaneous casters, but it also seemed the best base for a build I nearly finished theory crafting

Gnome - Darkvision
Str 11 (13-2), Dex 12, Con 15 (13+2), Wis 12, Int 12, Chr 15 (13+2)
Neutral
Sorceror – Wildblooded – Primal Fire
Tattooed Mystic
Envoy of Balance

Traits – Diabolic Dabbler, Adopted - Dark Magic Affinity

1 Sorceror Eschew Materials, Spell Focus - Conjuration
2 Sorceror
3 Sorceror Varisian Tattoo - Conjuration
4 Sorceror + Con
5 Sorceror Flagbearer
6 Tattooed (Familiar Tattoo)
7 Tattooed Augment Summoning, (Pouncing Beasts)
8 Tattooed Inscribe Magical Tattoo, +Chr
9 Tattooed Superior Summoning, (Pouncing Beasts)
10 Sorceror
11 Sorceror standard, Skill Focus - Knowledge Planes
12 Sorceror +Chr
13 Tattooed Eldritch Heritage - Abyssal
14 Tattooed (Pouncing Beasts)
15 Sorceror Improved Eldritch Heritage – Abyssal
16 Envoy +Chr
17 Envoy Greater Eldritch Heritage – Abyssal, (Planar Parity)
18 Tattooed (Pouncing Beasts)
19 Sorceror standard
20 Sorceror +Chr

I have no idea how anyone would justify playing it though

[ashern]

Of course, the best part of any summoner is having a handy bard sitting within 30 feet to buff the everliving snot out of all of the critters that are being summoned.

[scadgrad]

To everyone suggesting something other a Master Summoner, can you please comment on how bad your guy is during the first round of combat.

The Champ, Master Summoner
Standard Action to Summon Monster #, Move Action to put himself out of harm's way.
Ediolon Wand Jockey does something valid like Grease or Silent Image at low levels, Enervate later when you're rich.
Summoned Monsters do stuff like, attack, cast spells, eat the bad guys' faces, etc.

All the Other Summoning-types-of-Dudes
FULL ROUND ACTION to Summon Monster #, five foot step

I'm not trying to start a skirmish here, but geez, the standard action timing of his Summon spells alone just completely obsoletes everyone else. Even with a 15-point buy, he has 9 Summon Monster I per day and at 2nd level, they're all getting +4 Str +4 Con.

Maybe you haven't seen what one of these hideously OP characters is really capable of doing.

[LazarX]

scadgrad wrote:

To everyone suggesting something other a Master Summoner, can you please comment on how bad your guy is during the first round of combat.

The Champ, Master Summoner
Standard Action to Summon Monster #, Move Action to put himself out of harm's way.
Ediolon Wand Jockey does something valid like Grease or Silent Image at low levels, Enervate later when you're rich.
Summoned Monsters do stuff like, attack, cast spells, eat the bad guys' faces, etc.

All the Other Summoning-types-of-Dudes
FULL ROUND ACTION to Summon Monster #, five foot step

I'm not trying to start a skirmish here, but geez, the standard action timing of his Summon spells alone just completely obsoletes everyone else. Even with a 15-point buy, he has 9 Summon Monster I per day and at 2nd level, they're all getting +4 Str +4 Con.

Maybe you haven't seen what one of these hideously OP characters is really capable of doing.

And somehow despite that bit of self important screed, you've managed to overlook the fact that for the better part of a decade before the invention of the Summoner there were all those wizards who still managed to be awesome with their s summons despite the full round casting. This includes my Wizard/Loremaster who's not even a specialist.

[Captain Zoom]

scadgrad wrote:

All the Other Summoning-types-of-Dudes

FULL ROUND ACTION to Summon Monster #, five foot step

I'm not trying to start a skirmish here, but geez, the standard action timing of his Summon spells alone just completely obsoletes everyone else.

I've got news for you, there are others who can cast summons as a standard action.

[Renegadeshepherd]

If your comparing the ability to summon the most summons with least amount of effort and such then master summone wins. But I have recently found these numbers do not mean it is the best, at least as it relates to groups tactics and possibly even PvP situations. An evangelist cleric of same level and properly chosen domains and variant channels can be better. For example, the evangelist can boost his army while daze, debuffing, harming the whole army of the summoner. You really have to crunch numbers and get specific but the master summoner has one trick and some spells where the evangelist has a MUCH bigger toolbox.

For that reason i would say neither was "best" but they were the leading contenders by which all others must be judged.

[EpicFail]

The advantages the Master Summoner have are formidable. The entire Summon Monster list is his without even alignment restrictions as a standard action. If that's not enough the critters last a minute per level so you are good to go at level one. You can do that 5 times + Chr. bonus/ day leaving you to play with the spells on your list. You get Augment Summoning for free which is almost like getting two free feats since spell focus Conjuration is so meh.