D&D 3.X - Help with a Summoner

[jywu98]

I need help creating a 8th level Archivist focused on summoning with 32 point buy. What feats and spells should I take? Should I prestige?

[jaybird]

Augmented Summoning is nice. If you can get Greenbound and Ashbound Summoning, do it.

[sonofzeal]

Consider this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#rapidSummoning). When combines with Master Specialist: Conjuration, it allows Summon Monster as a Swift action. Even if you want to stay as an Archivist, a single level of Wizard under this variant applies it to all your Archivist "Summon Monster" spells too.

[Akal Saris]

Besides SNA and Summon Monster, you might also consider Summon Ice Creature and Summon Sand (Desert?) Creature from Frostburn and Sandstorm to add to your summoning versatility. Perhaps Summon Undead (LM or SpC) as well.

I wouldn't PrC out until after 11th level's ability. Thaumaturgist (DMG) is a good PrC for a divine summoner. So is malconvoker (C. Scoundrel).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Summon Nature's Ally tends to be far, far better than Summon Monster just because there's so much that can boost it. For example:

Ashbound (feat, ECS): Your Summon Nature's Ally spells' durations are doubled, and the creatures gain a +3 luck bonus to attack rolls.

Greenbound Summoning (feat, LEoF): Animals you summon via Summon Nature's Ally can have the Greenbound template, found in that same book. Greenbound creatures are type: plant thus granting immunities, gain extreme bonuses to natural armor and ability scores, fast healing, DR, energy resistances, tremorsense, misc bonuses to grapple checks and hide and move silently, and they can use Entangle at will and Wall of Thorns 1/day as racial spell-like abilities. A Summon Nature's Ally I can get a Greenbound Dire Rat which immediately uses its Wall of Thorns to create a 10-ft. cube of screwed opponents, for example. Greenbound summons are almost guaranteed to last their full duration, they can Wall of Thorns to completely control the battlefield and either spam Entangle or just make melee attacks while they soak up actions from your opponents.

Ring of the Beast (item, CC): When you cast a Summon Nature's Ally spell, you get to treat it as though it was one spell level higher on that series. For example, your SNA IV counts as an SNA V for what creatures you get. You can only count them as high as the highest level SNA you can cast, but it still allows some extreme efficiency in spell slots.

Augment Summoning (feat, PHB): Has one prerequisite feat tax. This works with any summon spell you use, but it's still worth mentioning. Definitely worth taking if you can afford to spend two feats on it, but also consider Thaumaturgist (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/thaumaturgist.htm) grants it for free.

Rashemi Elemental Summoning (feat, UE): You can summon Air and Earth Elementals with the Orglash or Thomil templates instead, both detailed in that same book. Nowhere near as strong as Greenbound Summoning, but still worth mentioning because it makes your summoned elementals better for no cost other than a feat. Summon Nature's Ally gets stronger elementals than Summon Monster by a full spell level, so it's just better to use SNA with this feat than SM.

Summon Elemental (reserve feat, CM): As long as you have a Conjuration (Summoning) spell of 4th level or higher available to cast, you can create a small+ elemental at will, but never more than one at a time. That critter can Nodwick traps for you, plus any other trick an elemental can perform. Water: douse fires, flow through narrow spaces/under doors to scout; Earth: walk through stone/earth walls/floors; Air: fly/scout, use whirlwind to carry PCs to high places; Fire: set stuff on fire, destroy doors/bridges/etc. One feat gets you a pet that can be infinitely resummoned for absolutely free.

Spontaneous Summoner (feat, CD): Definitely worth mentioning just because it both adds tons of versatility, and it interacts extremely well with Summon Elemental and other feats. You don't necessarily need to use it to swap out spells for SNAs, you just have to be able to use it to swap out spells to SNAs. With this you get to count your highest level prepared spell toward activating your Summon Elemental feat. See Versatile Spellcaster below for more tricks.

Versatile Spellcaster (feat, RotD): With Spontaneous Summoner, you can swap out two prepared spells of the same level to cast a SNA spell you know of one level higher. That means as long as you have two spells of your current highest spell level available to cast, you can consider yourself currently able to cast a SNA spell of yet one level higher, as long as you know the SNA of that level. For example, if you get Spontaneous Summoner at 1st and this at 3rd, you can take Summon Elemental at 6th because you would have had two 3rd level spell slots at that level with which you could have cast a SNA IV. Starting at 8th level, as long as you know SNA V you can consider that the highest level you can cast for the Ring of the Beast, so your SNA IV's can summon creatures as though they were SNA V's. Just be sure to add SNA I-IX to your prayerbook with your starting wealth and you're covered. Just like Spontaneous Summoner, you don't actually use this feat, you just have it and be able to use it because several abilities your character has are based on his capabilities. What Spontaneous Summoner does for you, this amplifies by an entire spell level.


I would go Human with two flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm), get Spontaneous Summoner, Versatile Spellcaster, Greenbound Summoning, and Ashbound at 1st, Spell Focus: Conjuration at 3rd, and Summon Elemental at 6th. Get a Ring of the Beast and a Ring of Enduring Arcana (CM), and check this list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851) for other items, but consider both cost and what you can get from spell buffs. Start out Archivist 7/ Thaumaturgist 1, plan to take all five Thaumaturgist and then Archivist to its 11th level, and after that finish with Paragnostic Apostle (CC). Your alignment must be partially neutral for Spontaneous Summoner. At Thaumaturgist 5 you'll want to get a CG Ghaele (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ghaele.htm) as your planar cohort, which means you'll want to be NG or CN. The Ghaele is your best choice for a planar cohort, especially considering you'll get it at 12th level and it casts spells as a Cleric 14, plus its spell-like abilities and spectacular combat capabilities.