Pathfinder Adventure, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
I'm creating my first summoner and am looking for advice on what feats to select for my eidolon as it levels up. I've played casters before but don't have experience with melee classes. I want my eidolon to be as effective a tank as possible. Any advice would be much appreciated :)
You will want to get as many levels of improved natural armor that you can, for your level.
You also need to consider the Eidolon base form. You cannot change it once selected. - Pounce is powerful, but then you will not get Reach when it goes Large. Biped has better saves and 2 more STR and as said, reach, when Large.
I have run some math and my findings indicate you get most dpr by not using weapons at all. Pick Claws and toggle Bite as the odd attack on those levels. Wepon Focus, power attack, imp. Nat. Attack (claw).
You want to check the resistance evos too, being able to send it into the fire, literally, can be handy.
Use it as your skill monkey. It chooses 4 skills as class skills. Use this for best gain in your party. The +8 racial to any skill is also very powerful.
Your Eidolon is also quite social. More than the Summoner. Use it, it is not a mute automaton. You are for most intents playing two characters.
Pathfinder Adventure, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Thanks Xraal, your advice is very helpful! I was thinking of a biped build. My summoner is a gnome so i was thinking that my Eidolon would look something like a clockwork golem or something along those lines.
If you are allowing normal 3.5 feats I would recommend a Biped with...
1st) Shape Soulmeld(Mantle of Flame)
3rd) Combat Reflexes.
5th) Hold the Line.
7th) Bonus Essentia.
9th) Large and in Charge.
Anything that moves through the threatened area gets an AOO that checks against Large and in Charge. Anything that charges through its threatened area gets two AOO, both of which check against Large and in Charge. Anything that does attack the Eidolon in melee gets 3d6 Fire Damage. If you find yourself fighting many ranged attackers, you can exchange Hold the Line for Shield Proficiency, and Bonus Essentia for Tower Shield Proficiency if you are really desperate.
Also, if you happen to be Lawful Evil your Eidolon can pick up Brand of Evil and Mark of Malbolge.
I'm creating my first summoner and am looking for advice on what feats to select for my eidolon as it levels up. I've played casters before but don't have experience with melee classes. I want my eidolon to be as effective a tank as possible. Any advice would be much appreciated :)
I personaly went with the one big slam attack , on a biped.
since the eidolon only has one attack it gets 1.5 to str dmg, and power attack gets 1.5 dmg ( 3 for every -1 to hit).
I took the reach evolution , and the imp dmg evolution for slam.
the slam atack ends up doing 2d6 dmg(3d6 with enlarge 5d6 with strongjaw).
the feats i took where
1)power attack
2)conbat reflexes
3)cleave
4)planning either vital strike , or lunge ( 20 foot reach , or 10d 6 slams ).
, I think the combat reflexes, body guard, in harms way might be a neat chain to .
also the dark vision one 120 foot dark vision with the + 8 skill focus in perception is prety nice.
I think the combat reflexes, body guard, in harms way might be a neat chain to.
If you are riding your Quadruped like a Mount, it's hard to get better mileage than the feats he just mentioned.
Unless you combine them with the Mantle of Fire combination I mentioned above. There is nothing more hilarious than causing attacks to strike your mount and then punishing the attacker for his arrogance.
Toughness is a good choice. Power Attack is potentially fun.
Improved Natural Attack or Ability Focus might prove handy, if allowed (and if it has an attack that Ability Focus would improve, like poison or a breath weapon).
Take Improved Initiative with your Summoner, not your Eidolon, if the GM has summoned / controlled creatures go on your action, as that will give your Eidolon (and any summoned creatures, via spell or SLA) the benefits of Improved Initiative 'for free.'
If the GM doesn't rule that, you still definitely *don't* take Improved Initiative with an Eidolon, cohort, whatever. Even with Link, you only give directions as a free action, not an immediate action, so you wouldn't be able to give directions to a companion creature that went before you until your initiative count anyway, leaving it possibly doing random things that it thinks are terribly clever (with it's sub-orcish Int score) before you can tell it not to...
I made a gnome summoner with quadruped eidolon. heres what he looks like.
1st Level Gnome Summoner
Spoiler:
Abilities Scores: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18
Size: Small
Skills: Dump as many points as I could in these. Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Feats: EWP (Lance)
APG (Page 327) Racial traits
Gifted Adept: Your interest in magic was inspired by witnessing a spell being cast in a particularly dramatic method, perhaps even one that affected you physically or spiritually. This early exposure to magic has made it easier for you to work similar magic on your own. Pick one spell when you choose this trait—from this point on, whenever you cast that spell, its effects manifest at +1 caster level.
Adopted: You were adopted and raised by someone not of your actual race, and raised in a society not your own. As a result, you picked up a race trait from your adoptive parents and society, and may immediately select a race trait from your adoptive parents’ race.
Warrior of Old: As a child, you put in long hours in combat drills, and though time has made this training a dim memory, you still have a knack for quickly responding to trouble. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.
Quadruped Eidolon
Starting Statistics:
Hit Points: 5
BAB : +1
Size Medium;
Speed 40 ft.;
AC +2 natural armor;
Saves Fort +2 (good), Ref +2 (good), Will 0 (bad);
Attack bite (1d8);
Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11;
Free Evolutions bite, limbs (legs) (2).
Evolutions (3 pts) : Improved Damage,Mount,Reach
Skills: Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Perception (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Stealth (Dex)
Mount (Ex): An eidolon is properly skilled and formed to serve as a combat-trained mount. The eidolon must be at least one size category larger than its rider. This
evolution is only available to eidolons of the quadruped and serpentine base forms.
Reach (Ex): One of an eidolon’s attacks is capable of striking at foes at a distance. Pick one attack. The eidolon’s reach with that attack increases by 5 feet.
Improved Damage (Ex): One of the eidolon’s natural attacks is particularly deadly. Select one natural attack form and increase the damage die type by one step. This evolution can be selected more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time an eidolon selects this evolution, it applies to a different natural attack.
2nd Level: Pounce (Ex): An eidolon gains quick reflexes, allowing it to make a full attack after a charge. This evolution is only available to eidolons of the quadruped base form.
3rd Level:Bite (Ex): An eidolon’s maw is full of razor-sharp teeth, giving it a bite attack. This attack is a primary attack. The bite deals 1d6 points of damage (1d8 if Large, 2d6 if Huge).
If the eidolon already has a bite attack, this evolution allows it to deal 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier on damage rolls made with its bite.
Use it as your skill monkey. It chooses 4 skills as class skills. Use this for best gain in your party. The +8 racial to any skill is also very powerful.
Your Eidolon is also quite social. More than the Summoner. Use it, it is not a mute automaton. You are for most intents playing two characters.
Good luck!
When I first heard of the PF summoner, this was immediately what I thought- build a damage focused summoner and call in the eidolon when skills are necessary. I was even going to have it look like an owl and say "Wise Mr. Eidolon, how many..."
Unfortunately, the Eidolon is stuck with low INT. There is nothing you can do to fix that, at least as of the APG. Ultimate magic may fix that, but for now, all 3 base forms start with INT 7 (-2). The +8 racial to one skill is nice, but outside of that, you have to use up ability score increases to fix the skill point issue, and you can only take that evolution once per score. That leaves us with an INT 9 (-1) eidolon. Using the three +1 ability increases, you can get a whopping 12 INT (+1) by level 15.
Unfortunately, the Eidolon is stuck with low INT. There is nothing you can do to fix that, at least as of the APG. Ultimate magic may fix that, but for now, all 3 base forms start with INT 7 (-2). The +8 racial to one skill is nice, but outside of that, you have to use up ability score increases to fix the skill point issue, and you can only take that evolution once per score. That leaves us with an INT 9 (-1) eidolon. Using the three +1 ability increases, you can get a whopping 12 INT (+1) by level 15.
Actually, you CAN take it more than once per score. You just need to get to level six to take it a second time, twelve to take it a third time, and eighteen to take it the fourth time. Save your +1 ability increases for important physical stats if you ever plan on having it fight.
"Ability Increase (Ex)
An eidolon grows larger muscles, gains faster reflexes, achieves greater intelligence, or acquires another increase to one of its abilities. Increase one of the eidolon’s ability scores by +2. This evolution can be selected more than once. It can only be applied once to an individual ability score, plus 1 additional time for every 6 levels the summoner possesses."
