Need help with a Summoner Smackdown
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DarkJester
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Wizard level 20
Round 1:Quickened Haste,Gate in Solar,Gate in Solar.
Ahh....So simple.
And don't forget to pump your CHA. You only need 19 Intelligence,pick up another wizard cohort and have him do the same thing. 4 Solars in one round can be a little tough for the opposition............
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BUT, if I were actually going to make a Summoner character, I would be a Cleric. Make sure you pick up the feat "Augment Summoning" (Defenders of Faith,Magic of Faerun),it gives your summons +1 to hit,+1 damage,and another HD of hp.
Being a cleric gives you full acsess to the Planar Ally spells,far superior to the Planar Binding spells a wizard gets. Take at least one level of Contemplative(Defenders of Faith),and take "Summoning" as your prestiege domain. It lets you cast all your summonings at twice your effective caster level.
Also get the feats Extend Spell and Persistant spell. Keep up persistant "Prayer" ( I think this can be done,it has a fixed range of 30 foot radius....not sure though). You can also use the extends and persistants to keep you and your party buffed up.
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If Cleric isn't your thing,go the Wizard (Or sorcerer) route,headed towards Incantarix (Magic of Faerun). You can use the lessened meta magic powers to enhance your summons,namely maxamise and empower for more summons per spell.
Round 1:Quickened Haste,Gate in Solar,Gate in Solar.
Ahh....So simple.
And don't forget to pump your CHA. You only need 19 Intelligence,pick up another wizard cohort and have him do the same thing. 4 Solars in one round can be a little tough for the opposition............
_________________________________________________
BUT, if I were actually going to make a Summoner character, I would be a Cleric. Make sure you pick up the feat "Augment Summoning" (Defenders of Faith,Magic of Faerun),it gives your summons +1 to hit,+1 damage,and another HD of hp.
Being a cleric gives you full acsess to the Planar Ally spells,far superior to the Planar Binding spells a wizard gets. Take at least one level of Contemplative(Defenders of Faith),and take "Summoning" as your prestiege domain. It lets you cast all your summonings at twice your effective caster level.
Also get the feats Extend Spell and Persistant spell. Keep up persistant "Prayer" ( I think this can be done,it has a fixed range of 30 foot radius....not sure though). You can also use the extends and persistants to keep you and your party buffed up.
________________________________________________
If Cleric isn't your thing,go the Wizard (Or sorcerer) route,headed towards Incantarix (Magic of Faerun). You can use the lessened meta magic powers to enhance your summons,namely maxamise and empower for more summons per spell.
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CRGreathouse
Community Supporter
Wouldn't that be a "calling" smackdown? 
CRGreathouse
Community Supporter
Thanee said:
I agree. Obviously, only druids can do this - they have animal growth[/]i and can summon Animal animals instead of Magical Beast animals.
Wizards get the shaft!
Try Alienist PrC
Go for the Alienist PrC in T&B and you can apply the pseduonatural template to all of your monsters. This gives them the ability to apply a True Strike effect to one of their attacks 1/day in lieu of Smite Good/Evil. A particularly effective low-level combination is:
1) Summon something with the rend ability, like a Girallon or Fiendish Dire Ape.
2) If they hit with one claw attack, True Strike with the other for an automatic rend
Also, with higher level summoning spells summon something with Power Attack like a Xorn or Earth Elemental. Then put the maximum possible damage into Power Attack and True Strike.
Another combination w/ a Neutral or Evil summoner is to bring to Eryines (SM VI) and cast Darkness, Deeper Darkness, or Blacklight on her. Then tell her to move into a group of foes and charm them. If she looks at an enemy humanoid it is charmed (DC 18) but the target will do anything to protect the Eryines, even obeying suicidal orders to do so. Also, this is not a gaze attack and the creature does not need to see the Eryines. Thus, since all devils can see perfectly in darkness of any kind this is a lethal combo.
Try SM V and bring in a Giant Constrictor. With the pseudonatural template, it gets a +33 to hit on a True Strike-applied hit. Then it will grapple (being Huge it will almost always succeed against Medium size opponents) and deal constriction damage. Great for preventing spellcasters from casting spells. For an even more lethal combination, drop a Dimensional Lock or Silence spell on the Constrictor to preven the caster from escaping via Teleport or D. Door.
Go for the Alienist PrC in T&B and you can apply the pseduonatural template to all of your monsters. This gives them the ability to apply a True Strike effect to one of their attacks 1/day in lieu of Smite Good/Evil. A particularly effective low-level combination is:
1) Summon something with the rend ability, like a Girallon or Fiendish Dire Ape.
2) If they hit with one claw attack, True Strike with the other for an automatic rend
Also, with higher level summoning spells summon something with Power Attack like a Xorn or Earth Elemental. Then put the maximum possible damage into Power Attack and True Strike.
Another combination w/ a Neutral or Evil summoner is to bring to Eryines (SM VI) and cast Darkness, Deeper Darkness, or Blacklight on her. Then tell her to move into a group of foes and charm them. If she looks at an enemy humanoid it is charmed (DC 18) but the target will do anything to protect the Eryines, even obeying suicidal orders to do so. Also, this is not a gaze attack and the creature does not need to see the Eryines. Thus, since all devils can see perfectly in darkness of any kind this is a lethal combo.
Try SM V and bring in a Giant Constrictor. With the pseudonatural template, it gets a +33 to hit on a True Strike-applied hit. Then it will grapple (being Huge it will almost always succeed against Medium size opponents) and deal constriction damage. Great for preventing spellcasters from casting spells. For an even more lethal combination, drop a Dimensional Lock or Silence spell on the Constrictor to preven the caster from escaping via Teleport or D. Door.
Sollir Furryfoot
Explorer
Honestly...I would go for:
Cleric 5/Summoner 10 (from Relics and Rituals)+whatever
The summoner prestige class will let you gain 1 extra summoning spell, and it will be of your highest possible summoning +1, so if you were a Cleric 5/Summoner 4, you could cast up to Summon Monster V, with the extra summoning slot you could summon with the Summon Monster VI spell. These creatures however must be of your patron's type. (read more in Relics and Rituals)
Also, the summoner PrC grants you up to 5 metamagic feats only usable on summoning spells, and it will let you use up to 5 of these feats to enhance a summoning spell (1 feat at a time) without raising its spell level. So that Cleric 5/Summoner 4 could summon something from the Summon Monster VI table, and make it Twinned (FRCS I think, either that or T&B) or Repeated (T&B) for free
If you can talk your DM into getting that summoning prestige domain at level 1, go for it, otherwise get that 1 level in contemplative.
Augment Summoning is a must-have feat of course.
One of these two items, the first prefered...
Ring of the Blue Conjurer from the Book of Eldritch Might (I don't know which one)
blue conjurer gives summoned critter +4 def ac bonus, +4 to con (effectively +2 fort saves, +2/hd hp) +2 bonus to strength (effective +1 to melee attack and damage rolls)
Price-42k
Ring of the Red Conjurer: +2 defl ac, +2 con to all summoned creatures
Price-14k
Spell Thematics from Magic of Faerun (errata'd one), to all of your summon monster spells, so that they are +1 caster level (net +2 with summoning) and they can look even cooler!
Item with Bless activatable at will, price is only 2k!
Spell Girding (Magic of Faerun), gives you a +2 against dispel checks so that your summoned creatures are harder to dispel.
Edit-Be LN or similar and summon Element animals instead of fiendish/celestial mostly, these get past that alignment restriction since most of the creatures are turned into N alignment.
Cleric 5/Summoner 10 (from Relics and Rituals)+whatever
The summoner prestige class will let you gain 1 extra summoning spell, and it will be of your highest possible summoning +1, so if you were a Cleric 5/Summoner 4, you could cast up to Summon Monster V, with the extra summoning slot you could summon with the Summon Monster VI spell. These creatures however must be of your patron's type. (read more in Relics and Rituals)
Also, the summoner PrC grants you up to 5 metamagic feats only usable on summoning spells, and it will let you use up to 5 of these feats to enhance a summoning spell (1 feat at a time) without raising its spell level. So that Cleric 5/Summoner 4 could summon something from the Summon Monster VI table, and make it Twinned (FRCS I think, either that or T&B) or Repeated (T&B) for free
If you can talk your DM into getting that summoning prestige domain at level 1, go for it, otherwise get that 1 level in contemplative.
Augment Summoning is a must-have feat of course.
One of these two items, the first prefered...
Ring of the Blue Conjurer from the Book of Eldritch Might (I don't know which one)
blue conjurer gives summoned critter +4 def ac bonus, +4 to con (effectively +2 fort saves, +2/hd hp) +2 bonus to strength (effective +1 to melee attack and damage rolls)
Price-42k
Ring of the Red Conjurer: +2 defl ac, +2 con to all summoned creatures
Price-14k
Spell Thematics from Magic of Faerun (errata'd one), to all of your summon monster spells, so that they are +1 caster level (net +2 with summoning) and they can look even cooler!
Item with Bless activatable at will, price is only 2k!
Spell Girding (Magic of Faerun), gives you a +2 against dispel checks so that your summoned creatures are harder to dispel.
Edit-Be LN or similar and summon Element animals instead of fiendish/celestial mostly, these get past that alignment restriction since most of the creatures are turned into N alignment.
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Wizard 8 / Summoner 2 / Alienist 1 w/ Augment Summoning Feat.
Five Pseudonatural Girallons w/ special Summoner spell Maximized with Summoner ability.
10 ft. Reach, arrange around target(s) so that those without reach have to provoke an AoO to close into attack range. Twenty Claw attacks at +13 to hit for 1d4+9, five bites at +18 to hit for 1d8+5, plus if any two Claws hit, automatic Rend for 2d4+13. Use True Strike to ensure that two Claws hit.
Alternately, skip Alienist and summon Cold Elemental Girallons (using the Manual of the Planes template). They will get +3 Natural Armor, +1d4 Cold damage / successful attack and their Hit Dice will drop to d8's instead of d10's.
Round two, cast Adrenaline Surge to increase their effectiveness. Or Mass Haste, if you have it.
Wizard 14 / Summoner 5 / Alienist 1 w/ Augment Summoning Feat.
Use Monster Summoning IX via Summoner enhancement (to get 1d3 creatures), then Maximized with Summoner ability, to call 3 Pseudonatural Elder Earth Elementals.
15 ft. Reach, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (Slam) and Power Attack. Space them to take advantage of all this incredible goodness (to get lots of Cleave opportunities with their 15 ft. Reach).
Remember that True Strike affects only the first attack after it is cast, while Power Attack affects EVERY attack of the round, so if you use it on the very first attack, all four Slams will be at -20 to hit / +20 to damage. It would be more effective to use it on the *last* attack of the round, taking 10 pts out of it with Power Attack to add to damage.
Counting Augment Summoning and Earth Mastery (assuming it applies), attacks will be +29 / +24 / +19 / +24 (+10 from True Strike), doing 2d10+18 for the first three hits, and 2d10+28 for the fourth (using Power Attack to take 10 pts of the True Strike). Remember to apply Improved Critical: Slam and Great Cleave (with a 15 ft. Reach), as appropriate.
For a Wizard, Haste, Mage Armor, Mass Haste, Emotion: Rage and Adrenaline Surge (MotW) are all good.
For a Cleric, Prayer.
For a Druid, Adrenaline Surge (MotW), Natures Favor (MotW), Animal Growth, Barkskin, Greater Magic Fang and Magic Fang.
For a Bard, sing puppy, sing.
Five Pseudonatural Girallons w/ special Summoner spell Maximized with Summoner ability.
10 ft. Reach, arrange around target(s) so that those without reach have to provoke an AoO to close into attack range. Twenty Claw attacks at +13 to hit for 1d4+9, five bites at +18 to hit for 1d8+5, plus if any two Claws hit, automatic Rend for 2d4+13. Use True Strike to ensure that two Claws hit.
Alternately, skip Alienist and summon Cold Elemental Girallons (using the Manual of the Planes template). They will get +3 Natural Armor, +1d4 Cold damage / successful attack and their Hit Dice will drop to d8's instead of d10's.
Round two, cast Adrenaline Surge to increase their effectiveness. Or Mass Haste, if you have it.
Wizard 14 / Summoner 5 / Alienist 1 w/ Augment Summoning Feat.
Use Monster Summoning IX via Summoner enhancement (to get 1d3 creatures), then Maximized with Summoner ability, to call 3 Pseudonatural Elder Earth Elementals.
15 ft. Reach, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (Slam) and Power Attack. Space them to take advantage of all this incredible goodness (to get lots of Cleave opportunities with their 15 ft. Reach).
Remember that True Strike affects only the first attack after it is cast, while Power Attack affects EVERY attack of the round, so if you use it on the very first attack, all four Slams will be at -20 to hit / +20 to damage. It would be more effective to use it on the *last* attack of the round, taking 10 pts out of it with Power Attack to add to damage.
Counting Augment Summoning and Earth Mastery (assuming it applies), attacks will be +29 / +24 / +19 / +24 (+10 from True Strike), doing 2d10+18 for the first three hits, and 2d10+28 for the fourth (using Power Attack to take 10 pts of the True Strike). Remember to apply Improved Critical: Slam and Great Cleave (with a 15 ft. Reach), as appropriate.
For a Wizard, Haste, Mage Armor, Mass Haste, Emotion: Rage and Adrenaline Surge (MotW) are all good.
For a Cleric, Prayer.
For a Druid, Adrenaline Surge (MotW), Natures Favor (MotW), Animal Growth, Barkskin, Greater Magic Fang and Magic Fang.
For a Bard, sing puppy, sing.
How does +1 caster level help you here? Adding an entire +1 round to how long a summoned monster stays around doesn't excite me, especially for a smackdown. The x2 duration for Summoning domain is much more useful.Sollir Furryfoot said:
I don't understand what you're saying here. At first I thought you are suggesting summoning elementals instead of outsiders, but your statement about "turned into N alignment" suggests adding an elemental template. What did you mean to say here?
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