D&D General Summoner Thoughts (w/Rum)

[SkidAce]

I think there is something to be said for the idea. Some players would certainly enjoy a summoner class built around this concept. The hardest balance to achieve isn't so much the power of the summons, I don't think (that's just math) but the versatility. If the summoner can replicate or better any other class role, you will.end up with problems.

That's a valid point.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I'll be interested to see what conclusions you draw. I've been working on my own 5e Summoner, built off the 5.0 Warlock chassis, that is, the "split subclass" model where to some extent both Pact and Patron are partial subclasses.

I decided to go all in for the association with strange, esoteric stars and Forces From Beyond. Mine first contacts some other plane through an Astral Sign, which defines the form of your Visitant: the Sign of the Protean (hyper-morphic scout-/skillmonkey-leaning option), Sign of the Muses (support-focused helper option), or Sign of the Chimaera (Synthesist-style "fusion" option).

At 3rd level, your Visitant has developed its connection to the mortal world enough that you can bond with the ultra-distant planes where your Visitant comes from: Elemental, Celestial, or Umbral planes. Elemental is things like eldritch equivalents of genies, dragons, elementals, giants, that sort of thing. Celestial is the Biblically Accurate Angel option, but also any other form of theoretically-friendly but very bizarre entity. And Umbral is things like the Far Realm or the weird outer reaches of places like the Plane of Shadow, or even things like the WH40k Immaterium.

 

[Minigiant]

Conjure X: Conjure Emenation of an X
Summon X: Summon an independent X
Call X: Call a stronger X and mind control it.

 

[Tonguez]

The Swarm Keeper Ranger was very good in as much as the Swarm was merely an extension of the ranger rather than getting separate actions. So when the ranger gets a successful hit, the swarm surges and adds damage or shoves the opponent, at level 3 the swarm can be extended out as a manifestation of mage hand, and at level 7 the swarm lifts the ranger up (10' flying speed)

The Drakewarden was also good as it required the rangers bonus action for it to do anything other than dodge.

 

[TigerDude]

w/Rum

I was under the impression there would be rum.

 

[SkidAce]

I was under the impression there would be rum.

There was. While I was typing the OP.