
manolo-mm |
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Hey everyone but especially the paizo writers...
First of all I like the summoner very much but there is a little room for improvement and I wanted to take the time to give some feedback for the next errata.
Manifest Eidolon:
I think this is the biggest point to address. 3 actions at the start of the battle is a huge bummer. I think it would be good to reduce the actions on higher levels (lvl 5 2akt, lvl 10 1akt, lvl 15 free akt) and replace the lvl 19 feat with something that feels more like a benefit. Maybe an additional evolution feat at Manifestation or a free evolution surge. That would show the progression of the bond to your eidolon and that it becomes more natural to call it.
Meld Into Eidolon:
I think this is a missed chance for so much cool builds! For example a full Mech Build! I think it would be enough that you lose your act together action to make it balanced. Maybe push it to a higher level or make a follow up feat that enables to possibility to take control of the eidolon. Also it would reduce this awkward feeling that the eidolon is the main class while the caster stands in the rear doing nothing as using boost every round!
Sizes:
Hulking Size and Towering Size are great options to make a for example a dragon rider build but the size can be a problem in houses, dungeons and so on. People say you can get shrink down to mitigate the problem but that seems wrong to me that you need additional feats to suppress an effect that you already bought via a feat while the opposite feat has this option build in. Especially with a class with so many strong feats. So it would be great if you make hulking/towering size like shrink down and so that you have to use an action to activate it and be able to dismiss it as well.
Spellslots:
I think reducing the spellslots over all is totally ok to balance the class but right now it feels a lot like a Martial class that has some Appendix that can cast a very minor way. I would like to have something similar on low level spellslots like the Magus because these spellslots are more utility and not very powerful. That would give the Summoner a little bit more flexibility on things to do with his actions instead of always attack with the eidolon. It should be a choice if you attack your if you do a grease to hinder the opponents.

manolo-mm |

Not to be That Guy, but the playtest did finish up quite a while ago. I think looking for errata much in the same way like game devs would patch a game may not be the way to approach this.
Sure but it has been done, for example with the alchemist. A lot could also be done via additional rules in new books like with the APG additions to the main classes. Or nothing will happen. Its feedback and the writers will decide if its valid or not...

Alchemic_Genius |
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To address these:
Manifest eidolon doesn't have a duration; nothing stops you from having it out at most times. It's not like wild shape where you need to up it every time. Since it can take a seperate exploration tactic from you, there's actually little reason to not keep your buddy up most of the time.
Meld Eidolon is basically just for avoiding multiple hit boxes and let you use your eidolon's physical abilities; synthesist is confirmed to be a class archetype in the works to allow for the mech build.
I agree with sizes, they should be optional per manifest
Spell slots were a disappointment to me, I really wished they got something akin to the magus where they got free eidolon boosting spells with a restricted list themed on the eidolon.
Of all the stuff though, I'm actually surprised you didn't mention the issue of ostentatious arrival hurting the summoner when they manifest their eidolon, as well as Eidolon's wrath hurting a rider. These issues imo are actually the biggest things that should need a lookover

manolo-mm |

To address these:
Manifest eidolon doesn't have a duration; nothing stops you from having it out at most times. It's not like wild shape where you need to up it every time. Since it can take a seperate exploration tactic from you, there's actually little reason to not keep your buddy up most of the time.
Meld Eidolon is basically just for avoiding multiple hit boxes and let you use your eidolon's physical abilities; synthesist is confirmed to be a class archetype in the works to allow for the mech build.
I agree with sizes, they should be optional per manifest
Spell slots were a disappointment to me, I really wished they got something akin to the magus where they got free eidolon boosting spells with a restricted list themed on the eidolon.
Of all the stuff though, I'm actually surprised you didn't mention the issue of ostentatious arrival hurting the summoner when they manifest their eidolon, as well as Eidolon's wrath hurting a rider. These issues imo are actually the biggest things that should need a lookover
Hey...
I think with some Eidolons you can keep it out all a long like the Angel but others might be a big problem in Citys for example a Demon, Dragon or so. Especially if its large/huge. But what is synthesist?
I personally didnt skill ostentatious arrival and Eidolon's wrath. And thats why I didnt think of it. But I thought its kind of stupid that the Eidolon has to cast Eidolon's wrath itself and therefor triggering Attack of opportunity. Especially if the caster has not much to do anyway.

QuidEst |
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Manifest Eidolon:
I think this is the biggest point to address. 3 actions at the start of the battle is a huge bummer. I think it would be good to reduce the actions on higher levels (lvl 5 2akt, lvl 10 1akt, lvl 15 free akt) and replace the lvl 19 feat with something that feels more like a benefit. Maybe an additional evolution feat at Manifestation or a free evolution surge. That would show the progression of the bond to your eidolon and that it becomes more natural to call it.
If you are in a situation where you need to hide your eidolon, it seems reasonable that calling it up isn't faster than summoning. I'd definitely rather not get into free-action calling territory; that starts making "dismiss and call" part of movement.
Meld Into Eidolon:
I think this is a missed chance for so much cool builds! For example a full Mech Build! I think it would be enough that you lose your act together action to make it balanced. Maybe push it to a higher level or make a follow up feat that enables to possibility to take control of the eidolon. Also it would reduce this awkward feeling that the eidolon is the main class while the caster stands in the rear doing nothing as using boost every round!
Synthesist Summoner is coming as a class archetype, focused on only summoning your eidolon around you. Appropriate tradeoffs can be made there. Meld Into Eidolon exists so that you can get places your eidolon can- it's not much use for your eidolon to breathe underwater if you can't.
Sizes:
Hulking Size and Towering Size are great options to make a for example a dragon rider build but the size can be a problem in houses, dungeons and so on. People say you can get shrink down to mitigate the problem but that seems wrong to me that you need additional feats to suppress an effect that you already bought via a feat while the opposite feat has this option build in. Especially with a class with so many strong feats. So it would be great if you make hulking/towering size like shrink down and so that you have to use an action to activate it and be able to dismiss it as well.
"The feats are really good, please make some of the best better" is… not terribly persuasive. Spend one feat for a benefit and drawback, and spend a second to remove the drawback. That's probably the intention. Shrink Down comes with the option to turn it off because being small all the time isn't really a benefit by itself, while being large is. I wouldn't mind this change, but it seems like it'd make the size feats must-take.
As it is, you can dismiss your eidolon to get through tight spaces.
Spellslots:
I think reducing the spellslots over all is totally ok to balance the class but right now it feels a lot like a Martial class that has some Appendix that can cast a very minor way. I would like to have something similar on low level spellslots like the Magus because these spellslots are more utility and not very powerful. That would give the Summoner a little bit more flexibility on things to do with his actions instead of always attack with the eidolon. It should be a choice if you attack your if you do a grease to hinder the opponents.
I disagree on this. You've got four top-level slots. That's enough to drop a slotted spell every round of the day's big fight, or to solve four out-of-combat problems in a day, or open each fight of the day with a slotted spell. To fit in more casting, you'd probably have to strip out the free eidolon features- see fey eidolon for the exchange rate.

HumbleGamer |
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I am quite ok with everything
-Manifest Eidolon: The eidolon can be active 100% of the time, so it's not an issue.
-Meld into eidolon: It gives, at the cost of a lvl 1 class feat, the 3rd and missing option ( 1° summoner with no eidolon, 2° summoner with eidolon, 3° Eidolon with no summoner ). It's really good in terms of effectiveness and feat cost. Also, as Alchemic_Genius already mentioned, the Synthesist is going to be a future archetype.
-Size: Imo, those feats comes almost for free and with no clumsy condition. The shrink down is a feat which allows the summoner to deal with these conditions. What they might add is a line of text ( to the shrink down feat ) which says "if your eidolon is unmanifested, you can manifest it casting shrink down as a free action". This will allow the summoner which a huge eidolon to manifest it already shrinked.
-Spell slots are ok ( the eidolon can get spells too. Eventually, dedications are there if the summoner would like to get extra spells ). All wave casters are martial classes after all.

Alchemic_Genius |
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Hey...I think with some Eidolons you can keep it out all a long like the Angel but others might be a big problem in Citys for example a Demon, Dragon or so. Especially if its large/huge.
A demon can be disguised, and riding drakes are a thing, so you could reasonable pass it off that way. In social settings where you need to hide you eidolon, everybody would have to hide/leave behind their armor and weapons for the most part. When adventuring out of town, this isn't really an issue
When you compare a character that spends and action to draw their concealed knife and another to start stabbing an possibly might not even have their armor to the summoner who can call their eidolon out in three actions and get a free swing, you really only have a one action disadvantage, but in exchange, you're at full power while the others are probably using weaker weapons than normal

Perpdepog |
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I'd agree that the level 19 benefit of one-action manifesting feels a bit lackluster. Unless, is there a reason it's really good that I've missed? Honestly asking here; I only really gave the ability a cursory glance since it's so high level and also a baked in feature, so I haven't considered what can be done with it.
Oh. I guess it does allow for casting a spell and summoning the eidolon in one round. That's not nothing, for sure.

Dubious Scholar |
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I'd agree that the level 19 benefit of one-action manifesting feels a bit lackluster. Unless, is there a reason it's really good that I've missed? Honestly asking here; I only really gave the ability a cursory glance since it's so high level and also a baked in feature, so I haven't considered what can be done with it.
Oh. I guess it does allow for casting a spell and summoning the eidolon in one round. That's not nothing, for sure.
Also can be used to do other shenanigans, like unmanifesting (1 action) and then calling it again (1 action, it gets to go immediately) to pull it out next to you. And you can then Act Together to fall back while it hits the thing threatening you again, etc.

Gortle |

Perpdepog wrote:Also can be used to do other shenanigans, like unmanifesting (1 action) and then calling it again (1 action, it gets to go immediately) to pull it out next to you. And you can then Act Together to fall back while it hits the thing threatening you again, etc.I'd agree that the level 19 benefit of one-action manifesting feels a bit lackluster. Unless, is there a reason it's really good that I've missed? Honestly asking here; I only really gave the ability a cursory glance since it's so high level and also a baked in feature, so I haven't considered what can be done with it.
Oh. I guess it does allow for casting a spell and summoning the eidolon in one round. That's not nothing, for sure.
Well there is ostentatious arrival, which is something you will have the tools at that level to use.

manolo-mm |

Also can be used to do other shenanigans, like unmanifesting (1 action) and then calling it again (1 action, it gets to go immediately) to pull it out next to you. And you can then Act Together to fall back while it hits the thing threatening you again, etc.
Then make it a class feat in the mid lvl range but its no lvl 19 feat...

Temperans |
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Reason why Synthesist was not in the book was because it's honestly a lot more complicated than just "merging with the Eidolon" willy nilly. A proper Synthesist wouldn't work as a level 2 feat.
I am surprised your problem with "Manifest" Eidolon is the action economy. When the biggest problem in my opinion is the fact that you are not "Summoning" the Eidolon. But I wont go into that can of worms in this thread.
I was not expecting the ability to shrink in the first place. However, I do think that the amount of feats needed is excessive. Then again I never liked evolution as feats in the first place.
I agree that the Summoner has a complete and utter lack of spell slots. I don't think that just giving a few more low level slots would be enough. Also the people saying "it's fine because the Eidolon can get spells", that's besides the point. The Summoner should be the one who has more spells, not the Eidolon.

Squiggit |
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Spellcasting Eidolons are neat but it is a little unfortunate the only way to expand your spellcasting without archetypes is to put them on your eidolon and for some reason the ability to cast them yourself is a really high level option.
Though in general I feel like they seemed a little too anxious about not letting the Summoner have things (like being stuck with Expert weapons on your main chassis which really hamstrings melee summoner builds for... honestly no good reason at all).
The action economy is a bit rough, but getting stuck without your eidolon at the start of a fight shouldn't be that common all things considered and as pointed out, the Summoner has an easier time getting their 'weaponry' into social situations than a Fighter probably does.

HumbleGamer |
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Why call them Martials ? Is the Summoner only casting spells that boost their eidolon ?
Anyone able to cast the same 9th level spells as a Wizard or Cleric or Druid or Bard is a Caster in my book.
Wavescasters have the martial armor and weapon proficiency, and because so are martial combatants.
The summoner is simply a character split in 2 tokens, one meant to cast and the other to fight ( it has pros and cons, and tweaks can give some spellcasting to the eidolon or allowing the summoner to also strike in melee, with tandem strike ), while the magus is a fighter which traded HP, saves, armor proficiency and legendary weapon proficiency for some daily spells.
An AP map has from 4 to 8 encounters per day, which may last from 4 to 6 rounds.
4 high level spells indeed are cool and would do the job, but it's a fact that a magus and a summoner would be able to fight as combatants all day long, while only be able to occasionally use some high level spell ( a spellcaster would be easily able to use 2 spell slots per fight, and even more ).
It's the closest concept to a hybrid class ( sorry warpriest and druid ) we have.

Deriven Firelion |
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Why call them Martials ? Is the Summoner only casting spells that boost their eidolon ?
Anyone able to cast the same 9th level spells as a Wizard or Cleric or Druid or Bard is a Caster in my book.
They play more like a martial than a caster as their primary source of damage is a martial eidolon. I think they would take a martial slot in a group. 4 spells is not sufficient sustained casting to match a caster. They max at Master Casting as well.
They seem like they both play like a martial with a MC casting archetype with some additional modifications. I would compare their damage more to a martial than a caster.
Then again they are kind of their own thing. But I look at them as a versatile martial with some casting.

QuidEst |
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Why call them Martials ? Is the Summoner only casting spells that boost their eidolon ?
Anyone able to cast the same 9th level spells as a Wizard or Cleric or Druid or Bard is a Caster in my book.
If a martial multiclassed to casting, they would end up with master weapon/unarmed attack proficiency, master casting proficiency, some feature to boost damage and/or accuracy, and 8th level spells.
If a caster multiclassed to martial, they would end up with expert weapon proficiency, legendary casting proficiency, maybe some feature to boost damage and/or accuracy, and 10th level spells.
Summoner has an eidolon with master unarmed attack proficiency, master casting proficiency, a feature to boost damage, and 9th level spells.
On the whole, they look pretty similar to a martial with a casting multiclass. So, they get described as a martial, with casting being an important note to that, but not the leading point.

QuidEst |

In fact I classify them as Gish or Martial-Casters. Almost as good as Martials in pure combat AND with the ability to cast potent spells at key moments to turn the tide.
Comparing them to pure Martials without taking into account the latter will give biased results IMO.
That's fair, and more accurate. I tend to think of them as martials, because I'm mostly interested in using the spells to provide more out-of-combat utility. It makes the casting feel more like a treat on top.

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TBH I still love my Combat Mage I played in Shadowrun more than 25 years ago. An assaut rifle in one hand and a mana ball in the other. Not as good as the Street Sam with the gun, but still pretty good, and with the mana ball for the times when it was more efficient than the gun.
That is always what I am looking for in Martial-Casters hybrids.

Dargath |
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Spellcasting Eidolons are neat but it is a little unfortunate the only way to expand your spellcasting without archetypes is to put them on your eidolon and for some reason the ability to cast them yourself is a really high level option.
Though in general I feel like they seemed a little too anxious about not letting the Summoner have things (like being stuck with Expert weapons on your main chassis which really hamstrings melee summoner builds for... honestly no good reason at all).
The action economy is a bit rough, but getting stuck without your eidolon at the start of a fight shouldn't be that common all things considered and as pointed out, the Summoner has an easier time getting their 'weaponry' into social situations than a Fighter probably does.
I wanted a melee summoner so bad man. Tandem Strike gave me hope. I woulda taken Sentinel and gotten some heavy armor and fight side by side with a Greatsword on the front lines with my Eidolon. One day I am sure we can get some support for this idea. Obviously it will cost feats to get a martial weapon and heavy armor, but the proficiency is the biggest thing for me. If the summoner could just hit master then we could really be a team.

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Squiggit wrote:I wanted a melee summoner so bad man. Tandem Strike gave me hope. I woulda taken Sentinel and gotten some heavy armor and fight side by side with a Greatsword on the front lines with my Eidolon. One day I am sure we can get some support for this idea. Obviously it will cost feats to get a martial weapon and heavy armor, but the proficiency is the biggest thing for me. If the summoner could just hit master then we could really be a team.Spellcasting Eidolons are neat but it is a little unfortunate the only way to expand your spellcasting without archetypes is to put them on your eidolon and for some reason the ability to cast them yourself is a really high level option.
Though in general I feel like they seemed a little too anxious about not letting the Summoner have things (like being stuck with Expert weapons on your main chassis which really hamstrings melee summoner builds for... honestly no good reason at all).
The action economy is a bit rough, but getting stuck without your eidolon at the start of a fight shouldn't be that common all things considered and as pointed out, the Summoner has an easier time getting their 'weaponry' into social situations than a Fighter probably does.
I want a class archetype where I lose out on casting any spells, but I get martial abilities on the summoner themselves. Similar to Twinned from PF1

Squiggit |
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I'd like to hear some feedback on how the summoner is performing in combat. Is it doing pretty well? How do people rate it against other martials?
Been playing a psychopomp summoner with a friend and so far it's been pretty effective. Not having electric arc has definitely negatively impacted my damage output, but the Summon's been a decent second frontliner after our fighter (who obviously does a lot more damage but still) and the group has appreciated that I can throw out a heal and still make two strikes in the same round.
I took Extend Boost early but I've found it hard to use, not having much Wisdom means the check fails a lot and not being able to use it with act together is awkward. It's nice when it goes off though and I can let that damage buff ride for the whole combat.
We're not very high level but I haven't really found any opportunities to cast Evolution Surge.
I want a class archetype where I lose out on casting any spells, but I get martial abilities on the summoner themselves. Similar to Twinned from PF1
A class archetype would be cool, but honestly they could just... give the Summoner the same weapon progression as the Magus and it'd have almost no impact on their power because the Eidolon already has that and they share MAP anyways. It'd just make Tandem Strike less of a detriment.

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Deriven Firelion wrote:I'd like to hear some feedback on how the summoner is performing in combat. Is it doing pretty well? How do people rate it against other martials?Been playing a psychopomp summoner with a friend and so far it's been pretty effective. Not having electric arc has definitely negatively impacted my damage output, but the Summon's been a decent second frontliner after our fighter (who obviously does a lot more damage but still) and the group has appreciated that I can throw out a heal and still make two strikes in the same round.
I took Extend Boost early but I've found it hard to use, not having much Wisdom means the check fails a lot and not being able to use it with act together is awkward. It's nice when it goes off though and I can let that damage buff ride for the whole combat.
We're not very high level but I haven't really found any opportunities to cast Evolution Surge.
Verzen wrote:I want a class archetype where I lose out on casting any spells, but I get martial abilities on the summoner themselves. Similar to Twinned from PF1A class archetype would be cool, but honestly they could just... give the Summoner the same weapon progression as the Magus and it'd have almost no impact on their power because the Eidolon already has that and they share MAP anyways. It'd just make Tandem Strike less of a detriment.
You can get electric arc as a human...

Puna'chong |
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I had the fortune that the timing worked out and I converted a certain Age of Ashes book 3 villain into a demon summoner. The action economy was pretty fluid, and with the right feats you can do some pretty interesting stuff, like Transpose swapping the summoner with a surprise eidolon hidden in another room, or casting wall of flesh to cast certain spells through the eyes version while the eidolon beats down on the other side.
The various monster abilities are also pretty cool. Knockdown is always fun. Overall was fun to build and fun to smack players with.

Deriven Firelion |
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Deriven Firelion wrote:I'd like to hear some feedback on how the summoner is performing in combat. Is it doing pretty well? How do people rate it against other martials?Been playing a psychopomp summoner with a friend and so far it's been pretty effective. Not having electric arc has definitely negatively impacted my damage output, but the Summon's been a decent second frontliner after our fighter (who obviously does a lot more damage but still) and the group has appreciated that I can throw out a heal and still make two strikes in the same round.
I took Extend Boost early but I've found it hard to use, not having much Wisdom means the check fails a lot and not being able to use it with act together is awkward. It's nice when it goes off though and I can let that damage buff ride for the whole combat.
We're not very high level but I haven't really found any opportunities to cast Evolution Surge.
Thanks. Good info. I'm working on modifications right now. I don't plan to implement them until I get more information and run the summoner in a campaign first.
I definitely don't want electric arc to be the only way to be competitive. I plan to remove the shared MAP. It seems extremely unnecessary given they've already throttled down the eidolon damage and the summoner only goes up to expert. I always wonder what motivates such decisions given the mechanical effectiveness of not sharing MAP is not at all imbalanced as near I can see.

pixierose |

I am currently playing two summoners.
One is a high level summoner(level 9, base rules) , my Eidolon is the construct Eidolon and I took bard dedication. In game my summoner is focused on Buffing allies and de-buffing enemies while my Eidolon tanks.
My summoner utilizes
inspire courage
Enlarge
haste
bon mot(We have a fencer swashbuckler)
And Demoralize.
And of course evolution surge.
I usually use evolution surge to make my Construct Huge size, which allows her to utilize her Attack Of Opportunity to punish enemies who try and get to the back line. She does a d6 of damage but has fatal, and due to the debuffs, flanking, and teamwork she crits a decent amount. I intend to eventually give her knockdown to help with the crowd control and to provide an easy source of flat-footed for our flurry archer who took rogue dedication and has sneak attack. Resilient Shell will also help with the tanking on my Eidolon.
My Other summoner is a divine summoner in a game where we play with free archetype. My free archetype is witch, and I took the basic witchcraft feat for the cauldron feat. ( I have only played a couple of sessions in this current build previously she was a cosmos oracle with the beast-master archetype). I also specifically played her in a current arc where there were a lot of undead, so I was able to utilize the 1 good damage on my angel eidolon, and the positive energy from heals in a lot of useful ways. I did feel the limited nature of my spell slots, but our team was still able to win in the end. I went down and lost my eidolon a few times. This however was a haunted house with a time limit on the mission, both in the limit of preparation and the fact we had to stay in the house until a certain time. So we had to be careful with our rest and resources. This Eidolon also has the d6 base damage, fatal combination and was able to get a couple of crits off so far but not many. I also utilize boost eidolon on this character, and their bludgeoning damage was really useful against the Skeletons.

Deriven Firelion |

HumbleGamer wrote:Means the Extend Boost, as it's a metamagic that the next action must be Boost Eidolon, so it can't be used with Act together as your next action/activity is act together and not boost eidolon.@squiggit: why are you not allowed to cast boost eidolon with act together?
Can't you use Act Together, give the eidolon 1 action to strike, then use a free action along with your 1 action to cast Extend Boost and Boost Eidolon? Seems like that was intended.
Then let the eidolon use the remaining 2 actions to attack more or you can cast a spell or what not.
No? Free actions are free and is there any rule stating they can't be used with the single action from Act Together? All Act Together would do when executed is give you a single action to do something without a specific order of operations. You don't think you can combine that single action with a free action?

QuidEst |
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Squiggit wrote:Deriven Firelion wrote:I'd like to hear some feedback on how the summoner is performing in combat. Is it doing pretty well? How do people rate it against other martials?Been playing a psychopomp summoner with a friend and so far it's been pretty effective. Not having electric arc has definitely negatively impacted my damage output, but the Summon's been a decent second frontliner after our fighter (who obviously does a lot more damage but still) and the group has appreciated that I can throw out a heal and still make two strikes in the same round.
I took Extend Boost early but I've found it hard to use, not having much Wisdom means the check fails a lot and not being able to use it with act together is awkward. It's nice when it goes off though and I can let that damage buff ride for the whole combat.
We're not very high level but I haven't really found any opportunities to cast Evolution Surge.
Thanks. Good info. I'm working on modifications right now. I don't plan to implement them until I get more information and run the summoner in a campaign first.
I definitely don't want electric arc to be the only way to be competitive. I plan to remove the shared MAP. It seems extremely unnecessary given they've already throttled down the eidolon damage and the summoner only goes up to expert. I always wonder what motivates such decisions given the mechanical effectiveness of not sharing MAP is not at all imbalanced as near I can see.
That seems really imbalanced to me.
- At 1-4 and 11-12, you are getting +5 to one or two attacks (when you make two or three attacks), and possibly getting a free attack at +10 (when you make four attacks in a round).- At all other levels, you are getting in order (for second, third, and potential fourth attack) +3, +5, and an extra at +8.
That's a massive upgrade on Ranger and Monk's multiple attack sequence, even on the levels where the Summoner is behind by a proficiency step.

Kyrone |
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Kyrone wrote:HumbleGamer wrote:Means the Extend Boost, as it's a metamagic that the next action must be Boost Eidolon, so it can't be used with Act together as your next action/activity is act together and not boost eidolon.@squiggit: why are you not allowed to cast boost eidolon with act together?
Can't you use Act Together, give the eidolon 1 action to strike, then use a free action along with your 1 action to cast Extend Boost and Boost Eidolon? Seems like that was intended.
Then let the eidolon use the remaining 2 actions to attack more or you can cast a spell or what not.
No? Free actions are free and is there any rule stating they can't be used with the single action from Act Together? All Act Together would do when executed is give you a single action to do something without a specific order of operations. You don't think you can combine that single action with a free action?
You can't use free actions inside activities unless they have a trigger.

Deriven Firelion |

Deriven Firelion wrote:Squiggit wrote:Deriven Firelion wrote:I'd like to hear some feedback on how the summoner is performing in combat. Is it doing pretty well? How do people rate it against other martials?Been playing a psychopomp summoner with a friend and so far it's been pretty effective. Not having electric arc has definitely negatively impacted my damage output, but the Summon's been a decent second frontliner after our fighter (who obviously does a lot more damage but still) and the group has appreciated that I can throw out a heal and still make two strikes in the same round.
I took Extend Boost early but I've found it hard to use, not having much Wisdom means the check fails a lot and not being able to use it with act together is awkward. It's nice when it goes off though and I can let that damage buff ride for the whole combat.
We're not very high level but I haven't really found any opportunities to cast Evolution Surge.
Thanks. Good info. I'm working on modifications right now. I don't plan to implement them until I get more information and run the summoner in a campaign first.
I definitely don't want electric arc to be the only way to be competitive. I plan to remove the shared MAP. It seems extremely unnecessary given they've already throttled down the eidolon damage and the summoner only goes up to expert. I always wonder what motivates such decisions given the mechanical effectiveness of not sharing MAP is not at all imbalanced as near I can see.
That seems really imbalanced to me.
- At 1-4 and 11-12, you are getting +5 to one or two attacks (when you make two or three attacks), and possibly getting a free attack at +10 (when you make four attacks in a round).
- At all other levels, you are getting in order (for second, third, and potential fourth attack) +3, +5, and an extra at +8.That's a massive upgrade on Ranger and Monk's multiple attack sequence.
That is what I will look at. The ranger and the monk both get damage enhancement and can focus on their main combat stats. Whereas a summoner will max out at normal specialization with no damage enhancer and will likely have to focus on Charisma for spellcasting.
If the summoner decides to swing a weapon with full MAP for a single first attack, will it do enough to offset the monk and ranger damage enhancement abilities?
Would it look different than say a ranger using an an animal companion with Twin Shot or Twin Takedown?
The main concern is how a MC summoner might use this, though the eidolon will be the one with expert proficiency at best. That would be abuse to allow a MC summoner with a martial main class to essentially have an extra no MAP attack.
I don't think allowing no MAP for the summoner would do much, but it might make the summoner MC way too attractive.

Deriven Firelion |

Deriven Firelion wrote:You can't use free actions inside activities unless they have a trigger.Kyrone wrote:HumbleGamer wrote:Means the Extend Boost, as it's a metamagic that the next action must be Boost Eidolon, so it can't be used with Act together as your next action/activity is act together and not boost eidolon.@squiggit: why are you not allowed to cast boost eidolon with act together?
Can't you use Act Together, give the eidolon 1 action to strike, then use a free action along with your 1 action to cast Extend Boost and Boost Eidolon? Seems like that was intended.
Then let the eidolon use the remaining 2 actions to attack more or you can cast a spell or what not.
No? Free actions are free and is there any rule stating they can't be used with the single action from Act Together? All Act Together would do when executed is give you a single action to do something without a specific order of operations. You don't think you can combine that single action with a free action?
That seems unintentional. That is how it interacts with the action rules.

shroudb |
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QuidEst wrote:That is what I will look at. The ranger...Deriven Firelion wrote:Squiggit wrote:Deriven Firelion wrote:I'd like to hear some feedback on how the summoner is performing in combat. Is it doing pretty well? How do people rate it against other martials?Been playing a psychopomp summoner with a friend and so far it's been pretty effective. Not having electric arc has definitely negatively impacted my damage output, but the Summon's been a decent second frontliner after our fighter (who obviously does a lot more damage but still) and the group has appreciated that I can throw out a heal and still make two strikes in the same round.
I took Extend Boost early but I've found it hard to use, not having much Wisdom means the check fails a lot and not being able to use it with act together is awkward. It's nice when it goes off though and I can let that damage buff ride for the whole combat.
We're not very high level but I haven't really found any opportunities to cast Evolution Surge.
Thanks. Good info. I'm working on modifications right now. I don't plan to implement them until I get more information and run the summoner in a campaign first.
I definitely don't want electric arc to be the only way to be competitive. I plan to remove the shared MAP. It seems extremely unnecessary given they've already throttled down the eidolon damage and the summoner only goes up to expert. I always wonder what motivates such decisions given the mechanical effectiveness of not sharing MAP is not at all imbalanced as near I can see.
That seems really imbalanced to me.
- At 1-4 and 11-12, you are getting +5 to one or two attacks (when you make two or three attacks), and possibly getting a free attack at +10 (when you make four attacks in a round).
- At all other levels, you are getting in order (for second, third, and potential fourth attack) +3, +5, and an extra at +8.That's a massive upgrade on Ranger and Monk's multiple attack sequence.
if you remove the map you also run the risk of having the summoner go maneuver heavy which bypasses his low weapon proficiency limits.
especially since he shares skill ranks with the eidolon, you can have some really ridiculous control for really not much investment, or simply have the summoner grabbing stuff for the eidolon to pummel without any MAP inconveniences.
you have then scenarios like tandem move/mount into 2 action act together, with the summoner grabbing and the dragon eidolon unleasing 3 attacks on a grabbed target all in a single round. Which sounds kinda busted imo.

Kyrone |
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Kyrone wrote:That seems unintentional. That is how it interacts with the action rules.Deriven Firelion wrote:You can't use free actions inside activities unless they have a trigger.Kyrone wrote:HumbleGamer wrote:Means the Extend Boost, as it's a metamagic that the next action must be Boost Eidolon, so it can't be used with Act together as your next action/activity is act together and not boost eidolon.@squiggit: why are you not allowed to cast boost eidolon with act together?
Can't you use Act Together, give the eidolon 1 action to strike, then use a free action along with your 1 action to cast Extend Boost and Boost Eidolon? Seems like that was intended.
Then let the eidolon use the remaining 2 actions to attack more or you can cast a spell or what not.
No? Free actions are free and is there any rule stating they can't be used with the single action from Act Together? All Act Together would do when executed is give you a single action to do something without a specific order of operations. You don't think you can combine that single action with a free action?
Looks pretty intentional to be honest, as it avoids it being a must pick to not trivialize the action economy price of boosting the eidolon damage.

Deriven Firelion |

Deriven Firelion wrote:Looks pretty intentional to be honest, as it avoids it being a must pick to not trivialize the action economy price of boosting the eidolon damage.Kyrone wrote:That seems unintentional. That is how it interacts with the action rules.Deriven Firelion wrote:You can't use free actions inside activities unless they have a trigger.Kyrone wrote:HumbleGamer wrote:Means the Extend Boost, as it's a metamagic that the next action must be Boost Eidolon, so it can't be used with Act together as your next action/activity is act together and not boost eidolon.@squiggit: why are you not allowed to cast boost eidolon with act together?
Can't you use Act Together, give the eidolon 1 action to strike, then use a free action along with your 1 action to cast Extend Boost and Boost Eidolon? Seems like that was intended.
Then let the eidolon use the remaining 2 actions to attack more or you can cast a spell or what not.
No? Free actions are free and is there any rule stating they can't be used with the single action from Act Together? All Act Together would do when executed is give you a single action to do something without a specific order of operations. You don't think you can combine that single action with a free action?
Is the damage even high enough to be concerned? Eidolon damage looks low to me.

Squiggit |
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Boost is pretty mediocre tbh and conflicts with other status bonuses (unlike most martial combat mechanics which are untyped).
Extent Boost is also awkward because it runs off a stat tied to your tradition, which means a Wisdom or Int skill... won't be as high/consistent as your Cha stuff, so the check can be weirdly hard to make sometimes.
While these issues are very obviously RAW, I'm not sure it's intentional per se so much as just... weird consequences of how things were written.
Who knows though, maybe the Devs were really worried about Extend Boost or Ostentatious Arrival for some reason.

Deriven Firelion |
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Boost is pretty mediocre tbh and conflicts with other status bonuses (unlike most martial combat mechanics which are untyped).
Extent Boost is also awkward because it runs off a stat tied to your tradition, which means a Wisdom or Int skill... won't be as high/consistent as your Cha stuff, so the check can be weirdly hard to make sometimes.
While these issues are very obviously RAW, I'm not sure it's intentional per se so much as just... weird consequences of how things were written.
Who knows though, maybe the Devs were really worried about Extend Boost or Ostentatious Arrival for some reason.
That's what I was thinking. Boost is a status bonus to damage whereas the ranger precision, rogue backstab, barbarian rage, and swashbuckler all stacks. Even the monk using ki strike stacks, though that ability is far inferior to even boost given it can be used once a flurry per focus point.
You are limited to a d8 main attack and a d6 secondary. If you don't focus on strength, you'll do even less damage. It seems the eidolon progresses like the following:
1d8+4+2 with boost for an average of 10 per hit.
2d8 +4 +2 +4 with boost for an average of 19 per hit.
3d8 +5 + 6 +6 with boost for an average of 30 per hit.
4d8 +7 +6 + 8 with boost for an average of 39 per hit with your main attack at lvl 20.
This doesn't include energy runes. It isn't particularly impressive using an extra action.
Then you have to look at what the summoner can do with their spells.
It seems the eidolon damage is fairly low with boost, doesn't stack with bard or witch abilities for buffing, and is very limited.
I can see when you can use electric arc early on doing decent damage to multiple targets. I often do the same thing with martials early on and do good damage. I've made MC monks with electric arc who use flurry with arc in the same round and even their damage is just ok compared to a barb, rogue, or fighter.
I'll have to see how it works.