Eidolons Re-Unchained (I keep complaining about it, so here is a fix)

[Knight Magenta]

So My problem with the eidolon and its unchained brother is that it forces you into a cookie cutter build where you max the natural attacks you can bring to bear and then take pounce. I don't this it is necessarily broken but i think it is boring. Also, I feel that a lot of the option of the eidolon have sort of forced flavor. (And why does gore cost 2 points when bite costs 1?)

The goals of these changes is to make eidolons that use different combat styles viable and interesting without re-inventing the wheel. For example, I should be able to build an lillend azata, a unicorn, a marilith or a spider or a dragon and have them all be viable. Not laughed into the ground by the claw-ball.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fpjXvogxG7q0v2YxuHot9dW-u-8KFu59a28Oxtf w_XI/edit?usp=sharing

The tl;dr is:
- Most abilities key of the summoner's hit dice.
- There is a specific pool of attack evolution points that can be used to gain more attacks or strengthen other natural attacks.
- Weapon attacks come from the same pool of attack evolution points
- did away with base types or spending evolutions on limbs. If you want to build a snake that moves at 60ft per round, more power to you. If you want to have your angel have wings at level 1, that's cool too.

Please let me know if you think that something is broken, or if there is an obvious best build that is hiding in there. I like the sub-types Paizo added, but maybe I should make them optional and increase the evolution pool?

[Kadus]

I've always been a huge Summoner fan and am always looking for how to make the class balanced and fun both technically and thematically. I think that this approach has the same goals that I do, but I think that it loses some of the flavor of the class with how the combat evolutions section is set up. My favorite mid-late game eidolon build is a constrictor so let me use that as an example.

Primary Evolutions:
Bite + Bite
Increased Damage
Gore
Grab
Reach (Bite)
Large
Skill: Sneak
Fly (Magic)
Shadow
Constrict
Poison

This is a 16ft (longer if you can convince you GM that your eidolon doesn't look like a slug, 32ft standard with Enlarge Person) snake that can fly, hide in the shadows, reach down from the cieling and pull a victim into Constrict. With a standard action attack, Greater Grapple, and Rapid Grappler I get 3 grapple checks per turn in addition to the attack. My Bite Damage is (2d6 +1.5 x STR mod) . This increases to (3d6 + 1.5x STR mod) for grapple checks since I will also take Deadly Grappler. My full round damage is 2d6+1.5 x STRmod + 3(3d6 + 1.5 x STRmod) without any elemental attack evolutions. Add in an item enchanted with Silent Table that my eidolon wears/ has tatooed, the Nightstalker monster feat, and the feat Lunge and I can pull someone into a dark corner of the ceiling and strangle them to death without anyone even knowing my eidolon was ever there. This is why I love eidolons. With the ability to call my Eidolon to my side and a great Bluff skill, I can sneak a 15 ton snake into any place I want by calling to my side once I'm inside.

Me: No sir, I don't know what happened to the High Priest of Darkness, he just walked into the great hall through that door, I swear.
Lieutenant: Hey I found his focus he must be...Oh m--

You combat evolution system is balanced in that it doesn't favor one style over another, but at the same time it removes the rewards that come from picking thematically appropriate evolutions that stack together to create a truly awesome eidolon. I think that the system has potential, balancing combat evolutions in the same way that Fighters as a class are limited in the number of combat feats that they take. But it lacks access to the fluff that Unchained tried to give it and the the original allowed you to create for yourself.

[Knight Magenta]

I think that my system allows for the same idea as your shadow snake, if anything, it is what I was trying to enable. I don't have shadow in evolutions because it was not part of the unchained list that I copied.

At level 12, you have 5 Offense Points that you can spend on:
1 - natural attack (bite)
2 - grab (bite)
1 - constrict (bite)
1 - reach

You could choose the elemental subtype, choosing earth to give you earth-glide for more sneakiness. and an extra evolution point. Taking extra evolution will let you grab magical flight too.

You also have 8 evolution points. you can go
4 - large
4 - flight (magic)
1 - skill (stealth)

More relevantly, you can get grab at level 1; and you can spend evolutions on increased speed without adding legs to your snake :) Though I agree that reach feels kinda bad if you only have one attack.

This differed from the original eidolon because it lacks a gore attack and poison. However, I've tried to make poison a more relevant combat option.