Summoning Sorcerer

[Oni]

Ok, so I'm about to start a new game and I thought it might be interesting to make a sorcerer dedicated to the summon monster spells. I figure I'll take all the summon monsters all the way up (not optimal I know, but hey) and the augment summoning feat. What other spells and feats would you choose to make an interesting (and viable) Summoning Sorcerer? Do you think this idea has any merit, or would this character be doomed to death and failure?

 

[Dingleberry]

I'd try to talk your DM into permitting a method (feat, magic item, whatever) for lowering the casting time of the summon spells from 1 full round to 1 action, otherwise you'll never be able to move and cast in the same round.

Also make sure you take the appropriate languages so you can talk to your summoned beasties.

 

[Ace]

Ok, so I'm about to start a new game and I thought it might be interesting to make a sorcerer dedicated to the summon monster spells. I figure I'll take all the summon monsters all the way up (not optimal I know, but hey) and the augment summoning feat. What other spells and feats would you choose to make an interesting (and viable) Summoning Sorcerer? Do you think this idea has any merit, or would this character be doomed to death and failure?

Its a perfectly good concept. I have a very nasty NPC that uses it.

Other good spells for you include

A good offensive spell or three
Good defensive spells
Dispell Magic and Greater Dispell to knock down enemy protections
Buff spells-- They can be used on you and your critters. This includes Invisiblity etc.
Tongues- for those critters whose language you don't know

Good feats for you include
Counterspelling stuff to prevent your guys from being displled.
I think Monte has another Summon Augment if you DM will allow it
Make scroll (more critters, more!)
Leadership-- No I am not Joking, get an extra fighter or three to keep you safe in Meele
Improved Familiar
Any Item feats
Possibly Extend and Enlarge spell or another magic feat if they work on Summon Spell.

Good skills
The usual stuff
Spellcraft
Languages Infernal and Celestial and Elemental oh my


Good Items
Meta Magic feat rods that augment your summons--
Protection stuff
A zappy wand


Your tactics--
Make sure you are in the middle rank and Invisible. Cast spells. Pretty simple.
One thing though, with your limits you are a second tier spell caster-- You will be more effective with a rogue, several fighters, a cleric and another caster to handle the other stuff like extra combat and utility spells
Also remember your critters can flank-- heheheh


Hope this helps

 

[nsruf]

This is certainly an interesting idea, but it has two drawbacks. First, summoning spells seem rather underpowered, at least the first few levels (I-IV?). And second, it bogs down combat as the DM has to look up the creature's stats (especially for fiendish/celestial animals, where he has to calculate them). If neither bothers you (and your poor, overworked DM), I think you can still have a lot of fun.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

This is certainly an interesting idea, but it has two drawbacks. First, summoning spells seem rather underpowered, at least the first few levels (I-IV?). And second, it bogs down combat as the DM has to look up the creature's stats (especially for fiendish/celestial animals, where he has to calculate them). If neither bothers you (and your poor, overworked DM), I think you can still have a lot of fun.

Well, you could always help out your DM on that. When I played a summoner, I made an index card with the stats for each creature I could summon. Then it was a simple matter of pulling out the right card for the right situation.

I really liked that character. He was a pampered noble who was basically too lazy to do his own fighting, so he'd summon big nastys to do it for him. Very fun.

 

[Oni]

This is certainly an interesting idea, but it has two drawbacks. First, summoning spells seem rather underpowered, at least the first few levels (I-IV?). And second, it bogs down combat as the DM has to look up the creature's stats (especially for fiendish/celestial animals, where he has to calculate them). If neither bothers you (and your poor, overworked DM), I think you can still have a lot of fun.

Well this brings up a second question. I could swear I've seen a list of all the summon monster stat blocks before. Anyone know where I could find that?

 

[StalkingBlue]

You don't have to bog down your GM with having to look up your monster stats. You can have stat sheets ready to use. There used to be a list of summonable monster stats somewhere (on EN World?). I think I've still got it somewhere, so if you want it and no one's got the link, let me know and I'll e-mail the list to you.

(Edit: Done.)


The Psionics Handbook has a feat that for one single ladder of powers allows you to forget a lower power once you learn the higher-level equivalent. (So, forget smI once you get smII etc.). Your GM might be willing to allow this feat for you. Whether this is overpowered for sorcerers or not has been discussed in various earlier threads on these boards. If you can search, you may want to look for them for arguments in your favour.

 

[Oni]

Well this brings up a second question. I could swear I've seen a list of all the summon monster stat blocks before. Anyone know where I could find that?

never mind, I already found it.

If your interested:

http://yoyodyne.virtualave.net/summon/

 

[StalkingBlue]

never mind, I already found it.

If your interested:

http://yoyodyne.virtualave.net/summon/

You are fast, aren't you?

*mutters and slinks away*

 

[Jeph]

You'll want to get your critters, make 'em bad-ass bullies, and them keep 'em around as long as possable.

Feats
Extend Spell
Persistant Spell
Maximize Spell and Empower Spell (Instead of getting 1d3 critters of a lower level, you get 5! Yay!)

Spells
Animal Growth
Antimagic Field (Your critters wreak mayhem, other's can't even cast)
Blur
Bull's Strength
Cat's Grace
Charm Monster (If your critters don't like you much . . .)
Comprehend Languages (If you don't share a language with your summonee)
Contingency (when I enter combat, sommon celestial hippo)
Displacement
Endurance
Endure Elements
Enlarge
Evard's Black Tentacles (Kinda like summoning. Plus, just cool.)
Fly
Freedom of Movement
Gaseous Form
Gate (another suedo-sommoning goodie)
Haste
Improved Invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility Sphere
Jump
Keen Edge (Keen Tarrasque claws, baby!)
Levitate
Mage Armor (For the summoned clestial hippo)
Magic Circle (for your guys, and to counterspell it on your enemies)
Mass Haste
Mord's Mangy Mut (aka, Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound, suedo-summoning)
Mount
Permanancy, if you can convince your GM that you can use it on your critters (If they're smart, theyl say NO!!!!)
Phantom Steed
Polymorph Any Object (Turn your Clestial Bunny into a Celestial Dragon!)
Polymorph Other (see above)
Protection spells (see Magic Circle)
Protection from Elements
Protection from Spells
Reduce (really, really little Elder Elementals!)
Resist Elements
Shadow Conjuration
Shades
Spell Immunity
Spider Climb
Summon Monster (DUH!)
Sommun Swarm
Timestop (What? He dissapeared! Wow! He reapeared! With 7 Elder Elementals!)
Tongues (talk to the beasties)
Water Breathing (Celestial Hippo goes aquarian!)
Wish ( . . . for this summoned tarrasque not to disappear when the spell ends)


Well, that about sums it up. I went through the PHB spell list page-by-page, so there isn't anything in here from other sources. But it is a fairly comprehensive list.