Arcane Summoner

[Amiria]

I want to rebuild a 9th level drow wizardess (diviner 5 / incantatrix 4) as conjurers focused on Summon Monster spells. Prohibited schools stay enchantment and evocation.

By the way, we play with fractional BAB and saves (+2 bonus to good save only once per save).

So far I have (conjurer 5 / master specialist 4) but planning to take a level of paragnostic apostle for fast healing summons.

I'll trade the familiar for Rapid Summoning from Unearthed Arcana but will get it back via a feat (houserule = arcane prestige classes continue to improve the familiar). Feats (4 level, 2 wizard, 2 master specialist) are:

Augment Summoning
Greater Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Obtain Familiar
Scribe Scroll
Silent Spell
Skill Focus (Spellcraft)
Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Spell Penetration

Are there any other good options / items / ideas to improve monster summoning ? Malconvoker is out, +2 LA is enough caster levels lost.

No, the group isn't really optimized, we have another drow (a bladesinger), an aasimar cleric (with a good prestige class that still cost her one caster level), a tiefling warlock ... and more.

[Ionizer]

If you have a decent (14+) Wisdom, you can take the Arcane Disciple feat for the Summoner Domain and then have access to the Thaumaturgist Prestige Class. It's 5/5 spellcasting (not limited to divine only), you get Augment Summoning for free, all your summoning spells are auto-extended, you get Contingent Conjuration, you get a planar cohort and it costs you less money to negotiate when casting Lesser Planar Ally.

A level of MindBender for the telepathy will let you communicate with your summons (regardless of language) and tell them to do more complex actions.

Alienist is...okay at best, but the flavor of summoning Far-Spawn instead of Angels, Demons and Devils is kind of neat.

EDIT: Why Silent Spell? Instead, you might want to try Imbued Summoning from PHBII, if you want to buff your monsters (note that errata specifies that it works on all summoned creatures: If you summon 1d3 elementals, they'll all get the buff spell, not just one of them.)

[Dusk Eclipse]

Mastering the Malconvoker (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872758/Mastering_the_Malconvoker)

List of summonable monsteres (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872206/Legal_3.5_Summonable_Monster_List?post_id=33843571 8#338435718)

Practical Demon-keeping A summoner guide to the lower planes (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5573.0)

[Master_Rahl22]

That Mastering the Malconvoker guide has lots of good advice that applies to summoners in general, not just Malconvokers. One good 1 level dip is Paragnositc Apostle in CC that can get all your summons Fast Healing 2-5 based on your caster level.

[MammonAzrael]

Why Wizard 5? Why not Wizard 3/Master Specialist 6? You aren't taking the Enhanced Summoning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#enhancedSummoning) ACF (which I'd recommend), so I don't think delaying until Wizard 5 is needed. If you did take that ACF you would essentially be crossing Scribe Scroll off your feat list in exchange for entering a PrC 2 levels earlier, netting you another Expanded Spellbook and a caster level boost for all your conjurations.

Also note that while the fast healing ability is nice and flavorful and fitting with the summoner concept, it will rarely be that relevant, as even with fast healing 5, your summons won't be lasting terribly long so it might let them take an extra hit or two, depending on what is hitting them, but they won't become super durable or anything.

[Paul H]

Hi

In Pathfinder there is a Summoner basic class.

You get to create a magical creature based on a points system, or, when that's not around, you can summon as a standard action, and the summoned creatures last 1min/lvl too! :)

Cheefrs
Paul H

[Amiria]

Hmm, I changed her to (conjurer 3 / master specialist 4 / thaumaturgist 2) and changed attributes a bit for better Wisdom => Arcane Disciple.

No Enhanced Summoning ACF, I like Scribe Scroll and she actually uses that feat now and then. And Silent Spell is just great for i.e. silenced Dimension Door when you are grappled or under a Silence effect.

The Summon Elemental reserve feat seems very useful, but I couldn't fit it in the build. Maybe 12th level although that might also be a good level to grab Quicken Spell.

Feat are now

Arcane Disciple (lvl 6, lvl)
Augment Summoning (lvl 9, thaum)
Greater Spell Focus (Conjuration) (lvl 6, m_spec)
Obtain Familiar (lvl 1, lvl)
Scribe Scroll (lvl 1, wiz)
Silent Spell (lvl 9, lvl)
Skill Focus (Spellcraft) (lvl 4, m_spec)
Spell Focus (Conjuration) (lvl 3, lvl)
Spell Penetration (lvl 1, racial1)

Thanks for the link to the guides, that's a lot of interesting stuff to read.

Now I see that the a Malconvoker build would be much more powerful but I think that she'll get by.

Because of Arcane Disciple feat and background/deity restrictions in the campaign she now has to be chaotic good (changed from chaotic neutral).

What does the RAW say about arcanists that summon evil creatures ? Just don't overdo it or also summon good creatures to keep a balance ? There are usually more and more interesting evil creatures on the summon monster lists in the guides.

1 = houserule, drow may choose a racial bonus feat from a small list: Blind-Fight, Highborn Drow, Skill Focus, Spell Penetration, Stealthy.

[Douglas]

What does the RAW say about arcanists that summon evil creatures ?
RAW says that summoning evil creatures is an evil act. Do it too much, and your alignment will shift towards evil. The exact definition of "too much" is vague and left up to the DM. Whether summoning good creatures, which is a good act, will balance it out completely or just shift the trend to neutral instead of evil is unspecified.

I think Malconvoker specifically gets to ignore alignment impact from summoning evil things, but other than that RAW effectively just tells DMs to take a close look at the alignment of anyone who summons evil stuff a lot.

[Cartigan]

Hi

In Pathfinder there is a Summoner basic class.

Which effectively has NOTHING to do with Conjuration (Summoning)

[Cartigan]

Hmm, I changed her to (conjurer 3 / master specialist 4 / thaumaturgist 2) and changed attributes a bit for better Wisdom => Arcane Disciple.

No Enhanced Summoning ACF, I like Scribe Scroll and she actually uses that feat now and then. And Silent Spell is just great for i.e. silenced Dimension Door when you are grappled or under a Silence effect.

The Summon Elemental reserve feat seems very useful, but I couldn't fit it in the build. Maybe 12th level although that might also be a good level to grab Quicken Spell.

Feat are now

Arcane Disciple (lvl 6, lvl)
Augment Summoning (lvl 9, thaum)
Greater Spell Focus (Conjuration) (lvl 6, m_spec)
Obtain Familiar (lvl 1, lvl)
Scribe Scroll (lvl 1, wiz)
Silent Spell (lvl 9, lvl)
Skill Focus (Spellcraft) (lvl 4, m_spec)
Spell Focus (Conjuration) (lvl 3, lvl)
Spell Penetration (lvl 1, racial1)

Thanks for the link to the guides, that's a lot of interesting stuff to read.

Now I see that the a Malconvoker build would be much more powerful but I think that she'll get by.

Because of Arcane Disciple feat and background/deity restrictions in the campaign she now has to be chaotic good (changed from chaotic neutral).

What does the RAW say about arcanists that summon evil creatures ? Just don't overdo it or also summon good creatures to keep a balance ? There are usually more and more interesting evil creatures on the summon monster lists in the guides.

1 = houserule, drow may choose a racial bonus feat from a small list: Blind-Fight, Highborn Drow, Skill Focus, Spell Penetration, Stealthy.

Silence won't help you at all when grappled. What you want is Still Spell. And toss Spell Penetration for Skill Focus (Diplomacy) if you want to be a Thaumaturgist. The only other PrC that really has anything to do with Summoning other than Malconvoker is the Wild Soul, though you do lose a spell level at the first level.

[Amiria]

Silence won't help you at all when grappled. What you want is Still Spell. And toss Spell Penetration for Skill Focus (Diplomacy) if you want to be a Thaumaturgist. The only other PrC that really has anything to do with Summoning other than Malconvoker is the Wild Soul, though you do lose a spell level at the first level.

Silent Spell will help very well. Dimension Door and Teleport don't have somatic components so no need for Still Spell. But you might not be able to speak while grappled or swallowed whole. Silenced these spells are purely mental actions so you can even cast them while paralyzed or bound and gagged !

[Cartigan]

Silent Spell will help very well. Dimension Door and Teleport don't have somatic components so no need for Still Spell. But you might not be able to speak while grappled or swallowed whole. Silenced these spells are purely mental actions so you can even cast them while paralyzed or bound and gagged !
I would think you could speak while grappled unless specifically gagged.

[Amiria]

Usually yes, but this could happen in a grapple.


If You’re Pinning an Opponent

You can attempt to damage your opponent with an opposed grapple check, you can attempt to use your opponent’s weapon against him, or you can attempt to move the grapple (all described above). At your option, you can prevent a pinned opponent from speaking.

[Prime32]

I'll trade the familiar for Rapid Summoning from Unearthed Arcana but will get it back via a feat (houserule = arcane prestige classes continue to improve the familiar).That houserule's not even necessary here, since the familiar from Obtain Familiar is based on caster level. :smalltongue: