Building a Monk/Summoner. Help me tweak him out?

[Ixis]

Here's the concept: I want to play a melee fighter synergist summoner, so I can amp up Strength while fused with the eidolon, benefit from the eidolon's physical stats and evolutions, and generally fly around the battlefield and look cool. I decided it might be nice to dip one level into monk and get the monk's robes, as the loss of 1 evolution point is outweighed by the collection of unarmed monk powers he gets at level 1.

This game is 22-point buy, level 8 campaign. I plan on picking up the monk's robe and maybe some other magic items. I'm playing a half-elf so I can gain the +1/4 evolution point/level racial power from the APG (which, 1monk/7summoner means I just made up that lost point.)

So, anyone have any ideas on what else to do? Or better ways of making this work? The important part is that it's a melee synergist summoner. Everything else can be changed.

 

[marcielle]

Do you want a summoner that can get into meelee WITH its Eidolon or do you just want something like a Synthesist? You would probably lose monk unarmed strike when fusing with Eidolon. I'd like to suggest a level or 2 of Magus instead. Spell combat might come in pretty handy and should still be useable while fused to your Eidolon. But really, there are few things worth dipping into as a summoner. You get enlarge person early on. Grab Combat Reflexes and reach weapon. That makes you more effectual than most monks already. You'll be a bit MAD though.

 

[Qik]

Huh. Small world: I posted asking for advice about a similar build a few weeks ago. Didn't get many responses, but you still might find something of use in there, so here's the linky.

Here's a few sporadic thoughts:
- For a one level dip, the Maneuver Master offers you a free combat maneuver, which could be especially nice on a quadruped with pounce: charge, trip, then full attack (getting the -4 AC on your target), plus the possibility for an AoO when he gets up.
- Feral Combat Training (from UC) would enable you to use both the monk's unarmed damage and style feats with a selected natural weapon. The prerequisites aren't bad (IUS and Weapon Focus with your selected natural weapon), and they can really amp up your power. For example, if you go biped, you can have 4 claw attacks at Synthesist 4 (for only 1 evolution point (!), since you can put claws on limbs (legs) once). If you go Master of Many Styles and choose Dragon Style and Boar Style, you're getting 1.5x your Str mod on your first successful attack (2x if you have Dragon Ferocity), and doing an extra 2d6 bleed damage if at least 2 of your 4 claws hits. With a Str of 18 (which would be low by level 5), that would be 1d6+8 for the first claw, 1d6+6 for the subsequent ones, plus the bleed. Let's say you land two out of the four claws: if my math is correct, that's a 12.5+9.5+7=29 damage average. Not too shabby, especially considering two of your attacks missed.

I'll stop it there for now. Just some thoughts as I've mused on the build myself; help that they're helpful.

 

[Ixis]

[MENTION=6672328]marcielle[/MENTION]: I want someone who can get into melee with synthesist powers. I like how in the ruling I can use the physical stats of the eidolon but the mental stats of my summoner for a power that, essentially lasts until I run out of temporary hit points or is dismissed (unlike the alchemist who has a semi-ok not really worth it rage power.) There's nothing in the rules that states the PC would lose unarmed strike because it's still the summoner attacking. Actually, re-reading the description, I was imagining a character who gains the strength and powers of the summoned monster, not the monster being sort of on top of the summoner. That changes things around quite a bit.

[MENTION=6673727]Qik[/MENTION]: Thanks, but I was imagining a kind of physical bruiser who channels the spirit of a fighting monster. I was originally thinking of making the Eidolon a biped and giving it weapon powers, which would translate well with the summoner being a humanoid inside the spirit of this beast, and then that went to unarmed monk-like later as I liked the image in my head. Scalykind Druids or certain Sorcerer bloodlines would be better for what you're suggesting, I think. However your second suggestion makes sense. I might try that out.

 

[kalgani]

Take the Syntheist, it is already totally overpowered... Amulet of Mighty Fists, Belt of Ginat strength, 2 extra arms with claws, improved claws, energy attack and you got min. 4 Attacks with 1W6 Claw, 1W6 Energy damage + your Strength mod + Powerattack
finally you shuould have 4 Attacks with an attack boni of around +11-13 for EVERY Attack
and a damage output of every blow around 2W6+15... now try this as a fighter/barb... summoners should be banned from the game, they ARE imba.

 

[Ixis]

Thanks, but I'm not going for an overpowered attack character. I just wanted to know if a melee synthesist could be viable. I also wanted to give him the more useful utility evolutions over the evolutions for pure damage.

 

[kalgani]

Thanks, but I'm not going for an overpowered attack character. I just wanted to know if a melee synthesist could be viable. I also wanted to give him the more useful utility evolutions over the evolutions for pure damage.

very viable because he is damage dealer and tank in only one Char!

 

[Castarr4]

Make sure to brush up on the official FAQs for Ultimate Magic: paizo.com - Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Magic (OGL) The party cleric can't heal your eidolon, since there are no effects in Pathfinder that "restore" temporary hit points. I recommend having both Life Conduit and Rejuvenate Eidolon. Life Conduit will allow you to soak the damage that your eidolon took, and the party cleric CAN heal you... or you can just use Rejuv on the eidolon yourself.

 

[marcielle]

Actually, you keep the eidolon till you run out of HP PERIOD because of life link. Also, if you have A con modifier higher than your eidolon, you can keep feeding it hitpoints till you reach zero, you go unconcious, at which point your Eidolon is dismissed, your Con modifier goes up, you regain hp and conciousness and immediately call your eidolon back with Summon Eidolon.

Also, Life Conduit is slightly inefficient at lower levels. It restores 1d6 while doing that damage to you. Your cleric will have to spend a spell to heal you. Rejuvenate restores 1d10 for 1 spell. At higher levels it would be useful out of combat though, but remember that it eats up twice as many spells from your party.

 

[Ixis]

[MENTION=6672328]marcielle[/MENTION]: We don't have any Clerics or healers (well, we have an alchemist but she spends most of her time blowing up rooms.) I picked up a wand of CLW for quick and dirty healing between battles.

But, how does the example in your first paragraph work? Does the Eidolon take away any of my Con while it's out? Where does the Con mod going up come into play?