Why life as a Master Summoner is good...

[Mercurial]

I'm going to be updating my journal soon (located here), but I wanted to say that so far my halfling master summoner is having a blast and has made some very difficult battles winnable. Thematically he plans on sticking to summoning elementals, but at very low levels you have to use what's available to you.

In the Bilges

Spoiler:

Summoned Dire Rats - augmented to boot - took care of the threat down there without us so much as having to get our feet wet, giving us plenty of time to explore... the weapons were found and carefully re-hidden, later saving our main Fighter from being killed by a couple of knife wielding thugs.

The Man's Promise I

Spoiler:

As the rest of the PC's crossed the grappling lines to the sterncastle of the Man's Promise, more than a half dozen sea shrikes (summoned celestial eagles) harried and harrassed the sailors on deck. This allowed our two main melee types to cross fairly unmolested and establish a foothold. They continued to interfere with sailors who would otherwise be raining crossbow bolts down on us for the remainder of the fight.

The Man's Promise II

Spoiler:

We decided to mutiny before the storm hit us, and with most of Plugg's lackeys asleep in the officer's quarters, I summoned a swarm of augmented dire rats (Superior Summoning resulting in 2-4 per cast x8) - our melee type threw open the doors and allowed them to flood in, with our allies able to escape in the chaos. From there we just fought to keep them in there with the beasts while our best fighter and Sandara faced off with Plugg in a long overdue showdown.

Shipwrack Isle

Spoiler:

The sea caves where the grindylows dwelt was tough, but being able to summon a handful of water elementals (whom our GM rules have 50% concealment when fully submerged) made our fight against the Devilfish, the Queen and the Whale doable - it would have been a TPK otherwise, especially once I got swallowed!

And then, having an eidolon who can breathe underwater and see in the dark made it very easy to search out all the treasure in the nooks and crannies before we made our escape.

Having turned 4th level at the end of the first volume, I've finally got Hasten available, and did I mention we also have a bard in the group?

Life is good.

[Trinite]

Yeah, Master Summoner sounds awesome, as long as you have a group that doesn't mind keeping track of all those little critters!

[Mercurial]

Trinite wrote:

Yeah, Master Summoner sounds awesome, as long as you have a group that doesn't mind keeping track of all those little critters!

Yeah, but there are ways to streamline things - when there's a bunch, usually we roll for their attacks as a group. Our party has four PC's and to tell you the truth, I find a 6 or 7 man party a lot more cumbersome and time-consuming than a 3 or 4 man group with a Master Summoner.

That, plus the fact that the rest of the party would rather my critters absorb alpha strikes, spring traps and ambushes and give them pretty much constant flanking.

[Trinite]

Mercurial wrote:

Trinite wrote:

Yeah, Master Summoner sounds awesome, as long as you have a group that doesn't mind keeping track of all those little critters!

Yeah, but there are ways to streamline things - when there's a bunch, usually we roll for their attacks as a group. Our party has four PC's and to tell you the truth, I find a 6 or 7 man party a lot more cumbersome and time-consuming than a 3 or 4 man group with a Master Summoner.

That, plus the fact that the rest of the party would rather my critters absorb alpha strikes, spring traps and ambushes and give them pretty much constant flanking.

Cool! I'd love to play a Master Summoner someday.

[Mercurial]

Trinite wrote:

Mercurial wrote:

Trinite wrote:

Yeah, Master Summoner sounds awesome, as long as you have a group that doesn't mind keeping track of all those little critters!

Yeah, but there are ways to streamline things - when there's a bunch, usually we roll for their attacks as a group. Our party has four PC's and to tell you the truth, I find a 6 or 7 man party a lot more cumbersome and time-consuming than a 3 or 4 man group with a Master Summoner.

That, plus the fact that the rest of the party would rather my critters absorb alpha strikes, spring traps and ambushes and give them pretty much constant flanking.

Cool! I'd love to play a Master Summoner someday.

A reccomendation was recently made to dip 1 level of gunslinger before going all-out Summoner. I've always been against gunpowder in fantasy role-play, but this pirate-themed adventure seems the exception - I mean really, pirates without cannon shot or pistols?

Anyway, I'm thinking about re-making the character, going Half-elven Gunslinger 1 (Mysterious Stranger) / Summoner 19 (Master Summoner), and using the half-elf favored class bonuses to create a sort of sea-elf gal-friday type eidolon...

[Mad Jackson]

I'm playing a master summoner as well, just hit 3rd in Kingmaker, and I've also been thinking of firearms. A musket just fits so well. If you're not summoning, you're shooting (or occasionally casting). And you're shooting a BIG gun with decent range. Considering that the musket hits touch AC if you're within range, you probably don't need Point Blank or Precise Shot. Vital strike becomes a viable option at later levels.

I have my 5th & 7th level feats already planned, but there's room at later levels for a nice gun, I think.

[Mercurial]

This is what I'm thinking...

Half-elven Gunslinger 1 (Mysterious Stranger) / Summoner 19 (Master summoner)

Attributes:(25 point buy)
STR - 10
DEX - 16
CON - 12
INT - 14
WIS - 8
CHA - 16 (+2 racial bonus, +1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th level)

Traits:
Touched by the Sea
Reactionary
Arcane Training (racial alternative)

Feats:
1st - Gunsmithing
1st - Rapid Reload
1st - skill Focus: Knowledge - Planes
3rd - Augmented Summoning
3rd - Superior Summoning
5th - Extra Summons
7th - Extra Summons
9th - Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air)
11th - Improved Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air)
13th - Extra Summons
15th - Quicken Spell
17th - Greater Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air)
19th - Extra Summons

The Eidolon will resemble a mute sea-elven girl who has a swim speed, flight speed, can breathe underwater and specializes in perception and stealth... basically a personal scout and gal-Friday who can go anywhere. I'm going to make her especially skilled in UMD and give her a wand to help out in combat if I ever need her to.

If I go this route he'll carry a pistol, though to be honest I'm not sure its worth it long-term. For the first six levels or so it should be a lot of fun but at higher levels a pistol really won't do anything for me that a wand of Fireballs or Scorching Ray wouldn't do better...

[Trinite]

So's you're aware, the AP as-written only goes up to about level 15.

[Mercurial]

Trinite wrote:

So's you're aware, the AP as-written only goes up to about level 15.

Of course. I always build characters from 1st to 20th as a matter of course.

[Trinite]

Mercurial wrote:

Trinite wrote:

So's you're aware, the AP as-written only goes up to about level 15.

Of course. I always build characters from 1st to 20th as a matter of course.

Fair enough!

[Eric Hinkle]

Say, Mercurial, dumb question here: why the Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air) feats?

[Mercurial]

Eric Hinkle wrote:

Say, Mercurial, dumb question here: why the Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air) feats?

I've tweaked the character a little bit since the last posting, this is what he looks like now:

.
Half-elven Summoner 20 (Master Summoner)

Attributes: (25 point buy)
STR - 10
DEX - 14
CON - 14
INT - 14
WIS - 10
CHA - 16 (+2 racial bonus, +1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th level)

Traits:
Touched by the Sea
Reactionary
Arcane Training (racial alternative)

Feats:
1st - Skill Focus: Knowledge - Planes
1st - Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air)
3rd - Augmented Summoning
3rd - Superior Summoning
5th - Extra Summons
7th - Extra Summons
9th - Improved Initiative
11th - Improved Eldritch Heritage (Primal Bloodline: Air)
13th - Extra Summons
15th - Extra Summons
17th - Spell Focus: Enchantment
19th - Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment

To answer your question though, in addition to a nice little attack at 1st, which is just a bonus, really, the main purpose is to grant all of my summoned creatures the ability to deal +1d6 electrical damage with every natural attack... over time that translates into a LOAD of additional damage with Superior Summoning and creatures who make multiple attacks/round.

I liked havigng flight as an at will movement speed, but Overland Flight will serve that purpose well enough... being able to cast more potent versions of Charm Monster, Hold Monster and Dominate Monster is more important at high level in my opinion.