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Hi all. I know that for most melee eidolons, the conventional wisdom is that getting the Large evolution is key to having a great combat eidolon, thanks to the massive boost to HP, Str and CMB. However, I'm starting an urban campaign shortly (Crimson Throne), so I'd like to hear ideas on making a kickass medium-sized eidolon.
Also, for those who have played with medium eidolons, did you find that the eidolon's strength was enough on its own or did it need the ability increase evolution/Bull's Strength belt to be competitive?
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Competive will likely be determined by:
how well your fellow players design their PCs
If your fellow players have enough treasure to equipt themselves properly
does your GM run the published material as written or boost the challenges
how often you luck into full attack map placement vs move and single attack
I always thought the belt should be a very early purchase because you need to hit to do any damage at all. At 10/11 I noticed I could sometimes hit on a two, but that was with the large ebolution. I would rather have excess to hit and the option to turn on power attack than struggle with even hitting at all.
Have you considered just buying a wand of reduce person o use as needed on the Eidolon?
For all eidolons, I always suggest reach on bite with trip and combat reflexes.
It really depends on your DM and other players on how viable a character is. You should probably go quadruped for your medium eidolon if you're convinced on making a suboptimal, medium eidolon.
If you're going to do mounted combat a small character and a medium eidolon is a reasonable combination.
If you're going to hand the eidolon a wand and say 'use this' large size is irrelevant or even a penalty (especially useful for a First Worlder or Master Summoner archetype).
Large size isn't even an option for quite a few levels of course.
I concur that Master Summoner and First Worlder would make most sense; if you're building an eidolon which is sacrificing raw power to pursue other angles, choose archetypes that are designed with that in mind. The size category evolutions are priced really low for their effects (+8 strength and +4 constitution for 4 EP is nuts; nothing else on the list is even close to that kind of value) so you're making a pretty heft sacrifice by ignoring them.
One possible approach may be to use evolution surge to give your eidolon a size boost temporarily when you're in combat. This will cost you a spell known, but would let you have your cake and eat it too. You could also do this in reverse, using the "reduce person" spell to shrink him when called for. Another option may be to pump your disguise score; have your eidolon actually be large, but use disguises to avoid unwanted attention. By the time you actually have the size evolution, you should be able to manage a disguise check in the 20's pretty easily, good enough to beat the take 10 perception checks that ordinary folk are throwing your way.
Well, the eidolon is basically a 3/4 BAB character (or a 3/4 hit dice character, take your pick). Combined with the scaling boosts to strength and dexterity, it is not exactly falling behind the standards of those 3/4 BAB classes (a +8 in strength is the same as a +4 to attack and damage from things like inspire courage).
So the ability score increase is only strictly necessary if you pick a base form that just doesn't have great scores. With the quadruped being the 'conventional wisdom' as the best choice (I prefer bipeds myself...but eh), you might want to boost that 14 up a bit, if only to start off with a 16. But with the fact that you are saving points by not going large, and the ability score increase is cheaper if you are medium sized, then you will be able to get a decent score without going too far out of your way.
An ability score increasing belt is just there as a standard item for melee characters to help keep it competitive. You might be able to avoid it though if you picked a style that uses few evo points (manufactured weapons and a nice two handed style) and spent more on ability score increases.
Quadruped is the best eidolon form if you are using it to attack with simply because it has access to Pounce. First Worlder has some nice options in that it adds evolution points. (Pounce = Charge and full attack.)
Biped is great if you are going to use the eidolon as a flanking buddy. (Note, you can take the Arms evolution multiple times, this means that you can theoretically have stupid amounts of attacks with mundane weapons, albeit at a penalty via multi-weapon fighting.)
The Serpentine form is...well...kind of useless. Sure, you can use it to climb buildings, and such, but considering the quadruped moves faster than a human and much faster than anyone in medium or heavy armor, you can always run away super easily.