Similarly, if the summoner were small and the eidolon were medium, then the fused would be medium. This is actually a pretty common occurrence since both of the small core races have a bonus to charisma.
The major downside for that archetype is that you don't receive the Eidolon's feats and skills as bonuses. I know that "The eidolon has no skills or feats of its own", but if while fused you received up to 60 skill points and 8 feats by 20th level, that would be worthwhile.
The synthesist is a power downgrade but a survival upgrade. Losing the extra actions is huge. On the up side, you get to consolidate your magic item slots and some feats suddenly become great options like arcane strike.
The synthesist is a power downgrade but a survival upgrade. Losing the extra actions is huge. On the up side, you get to consolidate your magic item slots and some feats suddenly become great options like arcane strike.
and yet, you still cannot use Summon Monster while you're fused, your spells are still not suited for combat, your Eidolon spells are rather worthless, and you are STILL not best suited for combat yourself, despite transforming into an Eidolon.
If your Fused Eidolon granted bonus feats and bonus skill points, you would have some incentive to be more active during encounters.
It’s not like the synthesist needs an upgrade. Its survivability upgrade isn’t sexy but it is nice. And the eidolon is decent enough on damage with just its evolutions.
It’s not like the synthesist needs an upgrade. Its survivability upgrade isn’t sexy but it is nice. And the eidolon is decent enough on damage with just its evolutions.
and yet, you cannot bring the primal force of your Eidolon when fused. That's like the most no-brainer thing about it.
You're supposed to transform yourself into your Eidolon, including with some of its abilities, but DM forbid to grant more offenive feats like Multiattack and Power Attack with it, let alone bonuses to Acrobatics, Perception and Survival...
The synthesist also gains access to the eidolon’s special abilities and the eidolon’s evolutions.
Multi attack is gained by the synthesist as a special ability. If you want bonuses to skills take the skilled evolution.
You're supposed to transform yourself into your Eidolon, including with some of its abilities, but DM forbid to grant more offenive feats like Multiattack and Power Attack with it, let alone bonuses to Acrobatics, Perception and Survival...
"I get evolutions that're more powerful than what any martial class in the game grants, plus 6/9 casting with the strongest (for chained) or one of the strognest (unchained) lists in the game, plus I can dump physical ability scores because I can replace them despite Paizo originally removing that concept for Pathfinder, plus I get the ridiculously powerful Summon Monster SLA for utility or emergency usage, but I don't also get bonus feats (on a playstyle that really doesn't need feats)? How terrible and unfair!"
Literally every single thing you said in this thread is ridiculous.
The major downside isn't that you don't get double amount of feats, it's that you is that you don't get twice as many actions per turn!
In what universe are Synthesists not active enough in combat? I'd expect a Synthesist to either cast the best buff spell in the game, or pounce things to death, how's that not active enough?
How are spells like Barkskin, and Greater Invisibility not "suited for combat"? Or even spells like Glitterdust?
And how in hell is turning into a creature that can out-DPR virtually everyone else "not best suited for combat"?
Either you have absolutely no idea how to build a good Synthesist, or you're just whining like a spoiled kid that's complaining that it only got an iPhone 13 and not an iPhone 13 Pro for Christmas.
On a side note, Multiattack is one of the most overrated feats in the game, and on a Eidolon/synthesist should only ever be of any use if you deliberately take flavor options over mechanically better ones.
If you want advice, a synthesist should play different than a regular eidolon. You are a caster and dps in one. Take advantage of that and use a build that maximizes on reach. Get a big attack like slam and pump it up with improved damage and the reach evolution. Cast on your early turns and wait for them to draw attacks of opportunity from your big damage slam. Pounce isn’t really necessary and a large biped threatens a bigger area.
If you want advice, a synthesist should play different than a regular eidolon. You are a caster and dps in one. Take advantage of that and use a build that maximizes on reach. Get a big attack like slam and pump it up with improved damage and the reach evolution. Cast on your early turns and wait for them to draw attacks of opportunity from your big damage slam. Pounce isn’t really necessary and a large biped threatens a bigger area.
Tough luck getting feats requiring natural weapons, since your Eidolon is temporary, not permanent/innate...
It’d be a pretty stingy GM to keep you from getting something like weapon focus with slam. If anything, you could just stay fused for 24 hours so the attacks count as permanent. But you can do just fine without those kinds of feats. The eidolon is accurate and damaging enough with just the right evolutions. And you have spells if you need even more.
Something fun to do is play around with a maneuver build using the dirty fighting feat to get around prerequisites. A grapple build is particularly nice, because the grab evolution gives you +4 to your grapple checks. There are plenty of feats in grapple to keep you busy for a while. And as mentioned before, arcane strike is especially good for a synthesist.
Seriously, the synthesist may be a downgrade from the base summoner, but it is still one of the stronger melee options out there when compared to other classes.
Don't you need to possess those natural weapon sto get feats related to them? Unless I'm wrong, a Druid cannot take Weapon Focus (claw), unless it has a natural claw attack outside of Wild Shape.
Prerequisites: Some feats have prerequisites. Your character must have the indicated ability score, class feature, feat, skill, base attack bonus, or other quality designated in order to select or use that feat. A character can gain a feat at the same level at which he gains the prerequisite.
A character can't use a feat if he loses a prerequisite, but he does not lose the feat itself. If, at a later time, he regains the lost prerequisite, he immediately regains full use of the feat that prerequisite enables.
A strict reading could lead to "no". And being that synthesist is often considered overpowered, you are more likely to get a "no". But a lot of GMs I've played with wouldn't really care about something minor like that.
As for my given example of weapon focus, that was a bad example, because it's allowed regardless. The feat doesn't have a prerequisite of having that attack. Like you could take weapon focus(greatsword) even if you don't happen to own a greatsword at the time. I'm sure there's a specific feat out there that does require a specific natural attack though. In that case, ask your GM.
If you want advice, a synthesist should play different than a regular eidolon. You are a caster and dps in one. Take advantage of that and use a build that maximizes on reach. Get a big attack like slam and pump it up with improved damage and the reach evolution. Cast on your early turns and wait for them to draw attacks of opportunity from your big damage slam. Pounce isn’t really necessary and a large biped threatens a bigger area.
It's possible if you max out Charisma (which you easily can), and has a much lower risk of overshadowing martials, but is in risk of dropping off at mid levels when spell DCs fall behind due to 6/9 casting and the aviable good offensive spells thin out. I wouldn't dismiss a regular pounce build, though, especially not if there's someone else in the party who can provide Haste.
Don't you need to possess those natural weapon sto get feats related to them? Unless I'm wrong, a Druid cannot take Weapon Focus (claw), unless it has a natural claw attack outside of Wild Shape.
Nothing says so - the rules are surprisingly light on the topic, all they say is "Your character must have the indicated ability score, class feature, feat, skill, base attack bonus, or other quality designated in order to select or use that feat." CRB pg. 112 RAW, you need to fulfill the prereqs at the time of level-up, which shouldn't be a problem for a Synthesist, and when you want to use it.
Not that I see any such feat being needed for Melkiador's build.
If you want advice, a synthesist should play different than a regular eidolon. You are a caster and dps in one. Take advantage of that and use a build that maximizes on reach. Get a big attack like slam and pump it up with improved damage and the reach evolution. Cast on your early turns and wait for them to draw attacks of opportunity from your big damage slam. Pounce isn’t really necessary and a large biped threatens a bigger area.It's possible if you max out Charisma (which you easily can), and has a much lower risk of overshadowing martials, but is in risk of dropping off at mid levels when spell DCs fall behind due to 6/9 casting and the aviable good offensive spells thin out. I wouldn't dismiss a regular pounce build, though, especially not if there's someone else in the party who can provide Haste.
There are a lot of good buff spells besides haste. But why not get the best of both worlds and work towards dimensional dervish. Then you don't have to worry about charge lanes. The synthesist really is a different beast than the regular eidolon with different options and strategies.
Imagine your size mismatched synthesis to be doing something like this: image for reference
Imagine your size mismatched synthesis to be doing something like this: fixed image for reference
I imagine it looking like this!
There are a lot of good buff spells besides haste.
Name them. I can see Greater Invis being useful (but as a touch spell casting it limits what area you can protect that turn), but nothing else that I'd want to cast infight.
I get that not everyone wants to play like that, and indeed it does not necessarily make for the most fun games, but the pounce build has everything an Eidolon has and more, making JiCi's complaint that you don't get the "primal force of your Eidolon when fused" false. It's super strong when not compared to the action economy advantage of a vanilla Summoner, and mechanically speaking, pouncing almost any target to death in a single round is actually really hard to beat with spells.
Your build would be awesome if you could use the SM SLA while fused, though...
But why not get the best of both worlds and work towards dimensional dervish.
Comes online pretty late, though (11th level at best), and is incompatible with Arcane Strike. And charge lanes aren't an issue unless you can't fly. Still a perfectly good build, of course, and if you can get some AoOs, probably a tad stronger than quadruped at that point.
Good spells to cast for my build depending on the circumstance:
Longarm
Greater magic fang(depending on items)
Shield
Enlarge person
Resist energy
Displacement
Evolution surge
True seeing
And then the anti-buff. When traveling around a dungeon at higher levels when I’m huge or greater, I cast alter self on myself to be the size of a normal guy so I can go through doors. Standard action dismiss the spell when combat starts.