Summoning X vs Y

[Eman Resu]

Ive always enjoyed using a summoner as the bbeg. It didnt give the players more exp pts, it weakened them and could keep them off the bbeg as he did?

I havent really found an interest in metamagic feats, or other feats that took the parties most powerful class and made an even greater contrast. Buuut now Ive got a new bug. I want to apply the same strategy as the BBEG above to my pc. And when my summoned beasties are attacking/defending, I can be doing "other".

Ive noticed that the wizard/sorcerer summon monsters list is limited in alignment & selection in comparison to the Druids summon natures ally. What is the opinions of all you who are experienced with all that revolves around summoning? Does the Druid have the summoning superiority? What are the feats that are must haves? The stongest class-for summoning?

Its a 15th level evil and gestalt campaign, none of us are true optimizers (as you may have gathered). The guys are going on a weekend camping/ gaming marathon and the trip isnt for a month or 2. None of us have ever played a "summoner" specialist soooooooo, so if you could help me create a summoner specialist I would very much appreciate your help/advice/opinions etc

thanks guys

EmanResu

 

[Rhun]

Ive noticed that the wizard/sorcerer summon monsters list is limited in alignment & selection in comparison to the Druids summon natures ally. What is the opinions of all you who are experienced with all that revolves around summoning? Does the Druid have the summoning superiority? What are the feats that are must haves? The stongest class-for summoning?

The alignment restriction is there for clerics, not for wizard/sorcerers. At least, that is how I've always played it.

As far as strongest class goes, I'd likely look into the Conjurer Variants going into Thaumaturgist when I qualify.

I don't have my books with me, but I'm sure there are plenty of strong options from some of the splatbooks as well.

 

[aboyd]

If I were creating a summoner again, I would take the variant class abilities called Rapid Summoning & Enhanced Summoning. That would get me 2 feats and some bonus features for mostly free (well, I'd have to lose my familiar & scribe scroll, but I can get either back later). Then I'd take human as my race so that I could get the bonus feat, taking Spell Focus (Conjuration) and Imbued Summoning as my 1st level feats.

That gets your 1st level spellcaster pretty close to the same power level that is listed in my other thread where I posted my 6th level summoner. And all we had to do was play it smart with the order of the feats and ACFs. Of course, this 1st level PC won't have the scrolls & teleport ability that my other PC has, but it's otherwise close.

At 3rd level, take Metamagic School Focus (Conjuration) feat. Now you can imbue your summons with a bonus spell for free, no need for it to take up a higher slot. Make sure you get the Heroics spell ASAP. Once you have that, you can attach any fighter bonus feat to your imbued summoned critter, which will throw off any enemies expecting the same old usual summons.

Depending upon how your DM rules, imbued summoning affects one or all the summoned creatures coming from a single spell. (It affects one if you follow the FAQ ruling made in 2007; it affects all if you follow the errata in 2008.) If you decide it affects all, you can cast Summon Monster III imbued with Girallon's Blessing, but use it to select 1d4+1 monkeys from the Summon Monster 1 list. Suddenly you have a hilarious scenario where -- poof! -- a few 4-armed monkeys appear and start rending anyone they can get to. Of course, they're glass cannons with only 6 HP and 14 AC. But it's still awesome to have a handful of 4-armed monkeys wreaking havoc. Or use it to imbue the Fly spell into 1d4+1 spiders from the level 1 list, and they can fly overhead, webbing everyone, staying out of reach of the swords.

I don't know what you'd take for the 5th level bonus feat and beyond that. We've accomplished with 3 levels what it took me to do organically with 6.

 

[Dandu]

(It affects one if you follow the FAQ ruling made in 2007; it affects all if you follow the errata in 2008.)

Let's keep in mind that the errata is RAW, while the FAQ is not.

 

[Jimlock]

When i don't have a personal problem with a rule (like barbarians waking up enraged after having been unconscious...) I take the FAQ as seriously as i take the RAW...

Why do you say that Dandu are there any inconsistencies in the official FAQ???

 

[Dandu]

Yes.

The FAQ was written by customer service representatives, aka English majors who couldn't get a real job, and Skip Williams, the Sage, who is notorious for being hit or miss when it comes to rules questions.

 

[Eman Resu]

Heroics spell? Ive never heard of it, where to find/what book or whats its basics?

 

[aboyd]

Heroics spell? Ive never heard of it, where to find/what book or whats its basics?

It's a 2nd level transmutation spell from the Spell Compendium. It grants the subject any single feat from the fighter’s bonus feat list for 10 minutes/level. All prerequisites for the feat must be met by the target of this spell. So you can't give a Fiendish Ape the Combat Expertise feat, because it requires an INT of 13. However, you can give it the Combat Reflexes feat, and suddenly it can use its 10' reach to do a lot of AOO.

 

[Rhun]

The FAQ was written by customer service representatives, aka English majors who couldn't get a real job, and Skip Williams, the Sage, who is notorious for being hit or miss when it comes to rules questions.

I am in 100% agreement with Dandu on this!

 

[Eman Resu]

I read/heard high level warlocks are summoners? summon swarm and evards black tents, do they conjure/summon anything else by 15th level?

How do you compare the psions ability to manefest an astral construct-I do believe the only conjuration / monster summoning they have right?

Archivist has or could have access to both summon monster and summon natures ally so if they get a feat that boosts summoning that would buff both?

Any other classes that make or with tweaking could make a worthy summoner? Dont say Bard, its an evil campaign, without the distortion pedal on bass guitar evil bard music just doesnt fly with me, I mean I can only imagine playing "Bow to me faithfully" (Morbid Angel) on a freagin flute! or a lyre based Cannibal Corpse rendering!...ewwww goose bumps!