I posted this elswhere but it got lost in the OMG claw attacks post. I wanted to offer an alternative to the summoner as is.
I love the concept. My thing with the summoner is more a personal thing than anything else. I would say summoner is the wrong term for this incarnation. Alienest seems a more appropriate term because the eidelon reminds me of a psionic entity more so than a summoned creature. It doesnt seem to come from any known or set plane and has no stigma if its evil or good its just is.
I am going to use the idea of a demon summoner but please understand that this could easily be done for any planar alignment
I think you might be better going with a perma beefy summon monster that is themed by type and call it demonic call 1-9 . Every few levels give the players a few new summonables to choose from. I.E. at level 6 a summoner could cast demons call to summon a succubus or similiar level demon monster. You could also create new demons for the summoner but by giving new things that could be summoned at each few levels you have a power bar set. Also have the creatures that are going to be used that day get summoned in an hour long ritual at the beginning of the day and can be put on a kind of standby. However make the stand by cost something. Either make it so the caster visibly shows demonic features or must use one of his summon monster as a standard action abilities to call his pet to him quickly.
Have the evolutions become forced pacts in the case of a demonic caster that give you points in the demon category that are added to all creatures summoned using demons call .
lvl 5 summoner gets 7 points
Speak the name of the fiend (2pts of forced pact, monster get +4 vs banishment and you can speak to it telepathically and you can heal yourself 1 point for every two points you steal from the creature because during the casting you spoke its true name ) stigma, The names of demons should not be spoken on the mortal plane you bear the mark of a demon on your tongue saying anyones name while so marked is painful to that persons ears.
Call on the winds of ghenna(4pts of forced pact, when you open the gate and summon the demon you open a link to ghenna infusing the demon with its droning winds +2 categories of flight skill or flight if the monster doesnt have it and +4 to all concentration checks for verbal spellcasting in 100ft)stigma, the droning winds of all the lies ever spoken break through the world to swirl around you. If you fail a diplomacy check the npc drops two spaces on the chart for interaction. If you fail a bluff by more than 10 the opponent thinks you made a threat against them.
You could have summoners get more points or more effect if they stayed in their specialty and have the monster be lessened if its in the wrong line, a demon summoner summoning a devil. This will reduce on super built monster twinking and give players an I can't wait till 18th level I will be calling on Srayter Higlotum the bleeding eyed ancient demon of hate.
As for feats have feats focus on the casters link to his summoned creatures or demonic parts.
blighted blood
feat level 12 requirement cha 16 demonic summoner
Whenever you have an demonic summoned creature your body pulses with its life force and you cease to be considered human for spell targeting and are considered an outsider of the same alignment as your creature.
wings of the erines
feat level 8 requirement
for level +cha mod in minutes per day you can fly using bloody wings that seem to scream as you fly. You must keep an erines wing feather on you embedded in your skin for 24 hours before this feat has effect at which point it burrows into your skin unless forcibly removed. If this is done you will have to complete the 24 hour process again.
I like the spell list for the summoner. If a GM is not running "hey one fight today and then done" your summoner shouldn't be blowing every spell in a combat. The only spell I saw that made me go ick was haste at second level spells.
Lastly you could reduce magic item use by making the spellcaster have to wear the item or make the calling spell interfere with magic items.
if you guys completely hate this just say so ill nuke it.
