Summoners in D&D...

[provik]

Combine

I would human option and go with (in order) Druid and Sorcerer (and perhaps one level in Cleric).

This gives you, within your first three levels, a bunch of low-level summoning spells. Not only that, when you come across magic items that duplicate summoning spell effects, you can go through them all.

Next up, match up Sorcerer and Cleric...making my way into Mystic Theurge....

The Augmented Summoning feat is the bomb, and beef up on a couple of defensive spells (and/or divination spells to prepare you for encounters) to keep you safe before the ugliness hits...

Entangle is a real low level life-saver when it comes to saving your hide while chanting away long combat rounds in summoning...

But later on, having access to all three spell lists lets you carry a variety of combat wands and keep your summoning spells available....

Just nother pebble in the river of this thought....

 

[Darmanicus]

I'd go specialist summoner and take the Summoner PrC from Relics and Rituals which I think someone previously stated sucks. IIRC it actually doesn't and allows you to summon a creature from 1 table higher than normal as an extra free spell slot. It also allows you to use metamagic feats with that summons for free, (no increased level cost).

UA also gives you some useful variants and again, IIRC, you could possibly use all of them.

Feat choices.....

Augment Summons - a MUST.
Spell Focus: Conjuration - prereq for the above.
Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration - what with all those new orb spells kicking about.
Extend Spell - keeps 'em around longer.
Sudden Maximize - for the full allotment.
Sudden Empower - for the not so full allotment.

I'd also seriously consider taking a LOT of buffing spells.....helps the party AND yer critters.

My DM used to use a ruling that you summoned the same creature/s every time which allows you to personalise them somewhat, (give 'em low key magic items).

Hope that helps?

P.S. Make it human btw. Oh yeah, take Evards Black Tentacles when you hit 5th, (widen spell feat makes this even more nasty), and try to get a ring of freedom of movement.

 

[Darmanicus]

I wonder though: why the lack of good summoner PrCs?

I was hoping to see one in CA but no, (you would have thought they'd have done one for each school........maybe in 4ed?).

 

[Remathilis]

I was hoping to see one in CA but no, (you would have thought they'd have done one for each school........maybe in 4ed?).

Mayhaps there is still room for one in 3.5, there are lots of books still to come. Personally, there is plenty of room for specialist PrCs in D&D.

Abjurer: Geometer, Init of Sevenfold Veil
Divin: Loremaster, Divine Oracle (?)
Trans: Master Transformgist (sp)
Evoc: Argent Savant, Elemental Savant
Necro: Pale Master
Illus: Shadowcraft Mage
Conj: Alienist, Wayfarer Guide
Ench: Mindbender

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Just a question about using Empower Spell with summoning. Does that mean you could get more than 5 creatures (when summoning creatures from a list below the spell you're casting)? Up 7? Which makes it better than Maximized.

 

[glass]

Just a question about using Empower Spell with summoning. Does that mean you could get more than 5 creatures (when summoning creatures from a list below the spell you're casting)? Up 7? Which makes it better than Maximized.

Don't see why not.


glass.

 

[cdsaint]

I'm currently playing a 6th level Spirit Shaman with SFC, Augment Summoning, Beckon the Frozen, and Spontaneous Summoning feats. I started out as a human, but was just recently reincarnated as a kobold. Even with being 1 to 2 levels behind the rest of the party this character packs a lot of punch.

My current dilemma is that I have no idea where he's going from here. It's almost tempting to take some levels of sorcerer or bard and go mystic theurge. But I'm not sure it's really worth losing the spirit shaman special abilities, and I'm also at a loss as far as what feats to take from here on in.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread hoping for some ideas.

Chris

 

[Remathilis]

I'll ask again...

Is there room for a summoner base class, or does the druid handle that role well?

 

[Brother MacLaren]

You will note that under the "burrowing" trait in the MM (in the back) it says that the tunnel collapses on itself unless the text specifically says it does not. That is the case with the Thoqqua.

The dire badger's description does say that it leaves behind a usable tunnel.
The greatest problem facing summoners in my experience is multiple casters using Dispel Magic. Even lower-level casters will get lucky; a caster of equal level has a 50% chance of succeeding, but two casters of 4 levels lower will also have about the same chance between them (70% chance that either will fail, 49% chance that both will fail).

In our group's last fight against a large mixed group, when we were heavily outnumbered, I thought summoning would help balance the odds. But two clerics dispelled the first summons and one more used silence to interrupting and ruin the casting of the second. So, just went ape on them instead. I guess next time the rule is "kill the clerics first" before summoning things to take out the tough fighter-types.

 

[azmodean]

Some major points for psions as summoners.
Astral Constructs do exactly what you want them to, no worrying about communication.
You can fine-tune their abilities for the situation much more easily than with summon monster or summon nature's ally (sure there are specialists with the other two spells, but you seem to need an encyclopedic knowledge of your monster lists to get the most out of them)
Astral Constructs are constructs, with construct immunities and more importantly they are not subject to spells that effect summoned creatures such as banishment, holy word, protection from X, or magic circle.
Astral construct is just one power

Anectdotally:
Last game a player of mine summoned 7 astral constructs and put out over a thousand points of damage with them in under a minute at a range of 120' from the target (a city gate) The constructs were immune to arrow fire and practically immune to ballista bolts due to their 16/magic damage reduction.