I'm putting together a Master Summoner build and I feel pretty good about feat selection, eidolon evolutions and stuff like that, but I'm in a quandry when it comes to spell selection. I'm not building the character to have high DC's, so I figure it'll probably be better to focus on buffs and utility, but I'm also liking some of the battlefield control spells like Grease and the Pit spells...
With the understanding that the standard MO for the character will be to hang back and use her Summon Monster SLA, perhaps while under the cloack of an Invisibility spell, and then to buff/control as needed - can some of the local experts suggest a handful of spells at each level they'd most reccommend and why?
Also, I'm correct in assuming that Augment Summoning affects Summoned Swarms, correct? I ask because additional hit points are nice, but most of the poison saves are DC-based as well. Are Summon Swarm/Summon Insect Plague/etc. worthwhile? It seems that many creatures won't have AoE spells at their disposal, especially at lower levels...
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Earth Elementals are pretty great at bull rush, so you might like the Pit spells to go with them. Haste is of course still an amazing buff, especially if you summon things with one big attack. Mass Bull's Strength is another option for boosting damage output. Other than that I'd just focus on Wall of Stone, etc. to help control the battlefield.
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0-Level —
Detect magic - duh
Light – can’t hurt what you can’t see.
Mage hand – great utility. Useful in all sorts of ways.
Mending – Good out of combat spell.
1st-Level —
Enlarge person – Great early buff for melee allies
Grease – One of the best Early CC spells. Take it early and use often.
Protection from bla– Great defensive buff. Good till 20 (see spells like Magic Jar)
Shield – Another great spell. +4 deflection AC will keep you alive in the early levels
Spells to avoid - Mage armor(you wear armor), Magic Fang (Good for normal Summoners, but bad for a Master summoner’s half strength pet that shouldn’t be in combat), Rejuvenate eidolon (lesser)(Same as Magic Fang… your pet shouldn’t be in combat).
2nd-Level—
Blur – good protection spell
Detect thoughts – great for social challenges and investigation
Glitterdust – Good CC and outlines invis opponents
Haste – His is your first 2nd level spell. Period. It is your go to spell.
Invisibility – Your second best choice at this level. You summon and buff. You don’t need Improved Invis.
Wind wall – Here is your third choice. Now you laugh at all archers.
Slow – My personal 4th. Great debuff for the important melee badies.
Spells to avoid – Alter self – usually a good choice but you have limited slots… buy a Greater hat of disguise), create pit (The create pit line is great but this first one is weak. Wait for some of the better ones) Evolution surge (lesser) (Get a wand of it).
3rd-Level — So many good spells at this level.
Charm monster – Combat, and out of combat spell.
Dimension door – Escape plan
Dispel magic – 1st spell to get in my opinion. It’s just that helpful for every lvl of the game.
Displacement – Another good defensive spell
Fly – Iconic spell for keeping out of the reach of melee.
Spiked pit – Now this is where the pit line gets good. Decent damage/Decent DC to climb out.
Tongues – You summon stuff… lots of stuff. You now can talk to all of them.
Spells to avoid - Heroism (Wait on the greater version), invisibility (greater)(You have Invisibility… you don’t directly attack. This is a waste of a 3rd lvl slot), magic fang (greater) ( Same as Magic Fang), Aqueous orb ( They get constant saves every round. It’s a risky CC), Evolution surge (Get a wand of it), Black tentacles (This gets a lot of flak but I think it decent. The CMD is a bit low though and there are just too many other great spells at this level).
4th-Level— This is your level of Save or suck spells. You become a lot more dangerous now.
Baleful polymorph – two saves but it’s a game over. One of my favorites.
Dismissal – It would seem almost wrong to be a summoner that didn’t know this spell.
Hold monster – Another save or your out of the fight spell. Sign me up.
Magic jar – A save or suck… and you get a new shiny toy when it works. So good.
Planar binding (lesser) – You’re a Summoner… this is what you do. Extract some service from some outsiders.
Purified calling – A reset for your pet.
Teleport – Only take this if you are the only one that can. Otherwise make the stingy wizard grab it.
Spells to avoid - Acid pit (Personally I don’t like destroying loot), Evolution surge (greater)(For a Master Summoner the regular version in wand form should be enough), transmogrify(It’s not like you’re going to be using this every day. If you need it get a scroll)
5th-Level — This is another level with too many good spells.
Banishment – Another Iconic spell. But you might not have the room.
Creeping doom – I would personally choose others but it’s a solid spell.
Dispel magic (greater) – See Dispel. It’s a great spell.
Ethereal jaunt – Good for escaping, sneaking, and scouting. Let the Wizard take it if you have one.
Heroism (greater) – Should be a top choice for you. It is a great support spell.
Hungry pit – Best of the pit spells imo. Ignore those who say its no good. Not EVERYTHING can fly.
Planar binding – Another Iconic spell.
Plane shift – Like Teleport… Let the wizard take it if you have one.
Simulacrum – Supper cheesy. Supper good.
Teleport (greater) - Like Teleport… Let the wizard take it if you have one.
True seeing – One of the best.
Wall of iron – it’s great CC but you might not have the room. You can also tip it over on top of a pit. Hehe.
6th-Level —
Binding – Iconic Summoner spell.
Discern location - among the most powerful means of locating creatures or objects. Your DM will hate you. It’s a Plot smasher.
Dominate monster – Why fight when you can make friends!
Maze – No save CC… nuff said.
Planar binding (greater) – Bind you some better outsiders.