For the other arcane classes, it seems pretty clear: wizards are made, sorcerers are born. Witches are pretty much made, by a pact; magi are made; alchemists are made.
It's not clear how summoners get to become summoners. Let's examine the data that could point us in one direction or another.
1.) They cast spontaneously, using CHA as a major stat. That seems analogous to a sorcerer, who we know are born.
2.) On the other hand, they are very analogous to the Bard class, who study at bardic colleges and such and are therefore made. They also cast spontaneously, using CHA.
Has there been any consensus on how a summoner goes about becoming a summoner? For instance, does one find an arcane ritual in a library and use it to summon an eidolon which then imbues you with arcane power? Or are you born and your eidolon appears to you as a baby?
I'd ask James Jacobs, but he hates summoners and I'd probably get a snarky answer. I like them, so I'm hoping there's some info out there to guide character background.
First off, I want to go on record as saying that I love summoners and our group loves having a Summoner in it. I'm fine with JJ not liking them if that is indeed the case - I don't like Gunslingers. I don't like their mechanics, I don't like the anachronistic distraction of firearms in my games and I don't like the way they draw cheese... but I can readily admit that others might feel the same way about Summoners and for the same reasons.
I can't speak to a consensus, but we have had three major games that have included Summoners, each with their own unique background.
In Second Darkness we had a pair of siblings, a brother and a sister, half-elves. One was a Summoner and one was a Master Summoner - the summoning powers were part of an ancestral magic passed down from their parents and their parents before them, manifesting a little differently in each of them. It was part of a family pact or bond with the fey realms, their eidolons reflected that as did their summoning preferences.
In Skull n Shackles we had a half-elven Master Summoner who had encountered an elemental spirit in his youth - she related to him as an outcast for she was and outcast as well, of two worlds - fey and elemental - just as he was. They became the truest of friends and she began to teach him all she could about her world while he did the same... the result was that he tended to only summon elementals and took the Eldritch Heritage feats for the Fey bloodline. The more he learned of her, the more fully he could draw her spirit into this world, resulting in her own growing power... she was sort of a Tinkerbell aboard ship, fascinated by all aspects of ships and sailing and when she wasn't invaluable as a scout both above and beneath the waves, she proved to be a general nuisance with insatiable curiosity.
In Way of the Wicked (an evil campaign) we had a female half-elven Summoner (sensing a trend here?) whom had made a pact with a Demon and had, in return, gained control over this creature who would serve her without thought or hesitation... and as her power grew, she would be able to shape his chaotic form more and more to her liking.
In every instance the PC had a different background or explanantion for their power and I think that shows the richness of potential there for the class from a role-playing aspect. In every instance as well, the PC('s) more than pulled their weight, filled their roles and complimented rather than distracted fromt he rest of the group.
At the end of the day, most of the problems people have with Summoners (much like Paladins and other select classes) are in truth problems that they have with the players themselves. And while there doesn't appear to be a consensus as to the origins of Summoners, I hope you take from this post that there are seemingly infinite possibilities for individual characters or homebrew campaign worlds.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I made a melee summoner named JoJo and his eidolon is the physical manifestation of his inner power. His nemesis is a vampire summoner that has time stop as at will power.
While many who dabble in the arcane become adept at beckoning monsters from the farthest reaches of the planes, none are more skilled at it than the summoner. This practitioner of the arcane arts forms a close bond with one particular outsider, known as an eidolon, who gains power as the summoner becomes more proficient at his summoning. Over time, the two become linked, eventually even sharing a shard of the same soul. But this power comes with a price: the summoner's spells and abilities are limited due to his time spent enhancing the power and exploring the nature of his eidolon.
Also:
Eidolon: A summoner begins play with the ability to summon to his side a powerful outsider called an eidolon. The eidolon forms a link with the summoner, who, forever after, summons an aspect of the same creature. An eidolon has the same alignment as the summoner that calls it and can speak all of his languages.
Similar to a witch's pact with a patron, the summoner forms a pact with a specific outsider. As part of that pact, the summoner can call on an aspect of the outsider (the eidolon).
Sugar, spice, psycho-reactive slime, ...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A lot of it is going to come down to "how does Magic work" fluff for your setting or even your specific character.
The Fluff for my game setting is that every single Spell Known by a Summoner is in fact small minor spirit that he has captured and tamed.
The Eidolon may be his big toy but his Open/Close cantrip, his Endure Elements Spell, Shield, Charm Monster, Wall of Stone, Incendiary Cloud, etc...
every single one of them is a spirit or demon or Genie or thing from beyond or whatever it is he works with, that he can call up to obey his commands.
Some summoners are nice and make even bargains with his spirits, other are brutal and cruel enslaving spirits to their will.
Yeah, that is a pretty neat take...
Yeah, that is a pretty neat take...
can't really take credit, got the idea from an old Anime called Record of Lodoss War. The elf in the show did all her magic my summoning different spirits while the human mage did all his with his staff.
that show (and another one called Shadow Skill) kind of influenced how I've had magic work in my own setting.
When Pathfinder came out with the Arcane Bond item for wizards I was like "Hell, that's how I've seen it working the whole time."
I kind of like that there isn't an innately tied-in origin to the Summoner's powers frankly. It gives a lot of leeway to determine the specifics of the backstory for the player.
1) Summoner who undertakes a ritual bonding with an eidolon pledging mutual support.
2) Summoner who binds an eidolon to him as a servant.
3) Summoner whose eidolon is really a manifestation of his own troubled/heroic psyche.
4) Summoner whose eidolon is a physical expression of his dreams.
etc.
(EDIT: Or, as a suggestion I made in one of the Iron Gods threads recently, an android whose eidolon is really a swarm of nanites.)
The official Summoner Background Generator has a few suggestions. I'm also pretty certain there was a thread like this before, that had a whole ton of ideas for different summoners. I'm too tired right now to look it up, but it should be pretty easy to find. G'night, all.