| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hi everyone,
I recently started to play my Summoner quite extensively. It is still low level but I already got a blast playing it. The class is fulfilling my need for complexity while packing quite some punch, everything I love.
But I feel the way I play it is very different from both the discussions I've read here, the builds I've seen posted and the only guide I've found about the Summoner.
I wanted to write a long post about what I call the "Caster Summoner", but as I can't modify posts on these boards after an hour I thought it'd be better to format it like a guide and maybe update it along my experience and your comments.
Here it is: Guide to the Caster Summoner
Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it.
Some thoughts. Initially like most people I have just written off the ranged attack of the Eidolon as a d4 range 30 unarmed attack is not very good. I do appreciate it will get the benefit of a few runes as you go up levels. So maybe it is not so bad. But I trust you have run your numbers right.
1) Ranged Unarmed was a vacant space early on in the books so I'm not confident the CRB, and some GMs won't throw you a few curve balls.
2) It is surprising but some of the eidolons abilities work fine with ranged unarmed. Like the +1 damage several of them get, or Beast's Charge.
3) Isn't the reverse easy to do. I mean a Summoner might start with 16 Dex and can find a way to train in a bow. You would be down on proficiency for that bow, but the Eidolon can use your spell DC. All it takes is the Magical Understudy feat. So one feat out of an otherwise normal Strength based build.
4) Are you a fan of the Arboreal Sapling animal companion. Which can fufill a similar role for a Druid. But with a much worse attack roll - I could never quite bring myself to try it out.
Initially like most people I have just written off the ranged attack of the Eidolon as a d4 range 30 unarmed attack is not very good.
I must admit I did the same. A year from now, maybe even just a couple of months, I would have rated it orange at best.
But I trust you have run your numbers right.
I ran them quite a few times. The main issue of this build are the single digit levels. Overall, you deal less damage than the classical Eidolon build, but you really have more flexibility and when you decide to unleash your real spells you reach superior efficiency (which is a strong asset in my opinion).
About your other points:
1) As the Eidolon can't benefit from feats and from most magic items, I don't see what curve balls they could launch. I don't really see a potential bad rule interaction with it.
3) The Summoner starts at 16, ends up Expert, and at level 17 you need to choose between +2 Dex and +2 Cha. On top of it, the Eidolon can only cast cantrips (and low level spells) when the Summoner has access to its whole spell list (and Scrolls, Staves and Wands). Electric Arc is your bread and butter spell but you keep the same strategy when you have to cast a slotted spell.
Also if you want a strength Eidolon, you can. You'll only lose 15% damage at range at level 10+ and you have both the versatility of a ranged combatant and the excellent melee damage of the Strength Eidolon (5% more damage than the Dexterity one at level 10+). Actually, if you can retrain your Eidolon from Strength to Dexterity, I encourage you to start with a Strength Eidolon and retrain it at level 10. This is by far the best of both worlds.
4) Not much. I've looked at it. At level 8 and 9, if you build it Nimble, you have nearly the efficiency of the Eidolon. But as soon as you reach level 10 the Sappling becomes ridiculous. At level 10+, Animal Companions are really bad. They are a low level choice.
The real advantage of the Sapling (to the degree that there is one) is that it's a free attack. Once it gets to mature, it'll have an action per round to play with regardless of what your'e doing, and as a ranged-capable companion, you can just have it play turret. Unfortunately, it becomes a less and less useful turret as the levels scroll, but if it doesn't have to engage in melee and it doesn't have to move, then it's one attack per round that didn't cost you anything other than the feats to set it up.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The real advantage of the Sapling (to the degree that there is one) is that it's a free attack. Once it gets to mature, it'll have an action per round to play with regardless of what your'e doing, and as a ranged-capable companion, you can just have it play turret. Unfortunately, it becomes a less and less useful turret as the levels scroll, but if it doesn't have to engage in melee and it doesn't have to move, then it's one attack per round that didn't cost you anything other than the feats to set it up.
It's an advanced maneuver, you can't use it with the free action from Mature.
It's an advanced maneuver, you can't use it with the free action from Mature.
Huh. Well that's useless.
Man... I just keep being wrong today. I need to take this as a sign or something.