[PF] Half-elf Summoner

[JadePhoenix]

Hello, playground.
After DMing a campaign, I will be a player for our next game. Our groups is not really high OP and we don't care much about 'roles' per se, we just try to make do with what we get.
That said, I want to play a Half-elf Summoner (Synthesist archetype). The DM has already OKed combining Synthesist with Wild Caller.

What I know:
1) I'm taking the Eldritch Heritage chain. Too useful to pass up with that free Skill Focus half-elf gets.
2) I want a biped eidolon. I'm going for a kind of Kamen Rider vibe.

What I don't know:
1) Is multiclassing worth it? I do get a lot of extra evolution points between Wild Caller and the half-elf's favored class bonus. I was thinking Paladin (Divine Grace and Smite) or Monk (more Kamen Rider feel, Wisdom to AC, access to Dragon Style)
2) Will this become too powerful for a low optimization group?

[Eldaran]

Multiclassing hurts synthesist less so than normal summoners, since you're not using the edilon's BAB. Still, I don't think it's worth it, you can never have enough evolution points.

As for whether it's too powerful, it depends on the rest of the group. If you're grouped with a low op fighter you're going to completely overshadow him. If you're with a wizard or something you'll be playing such different roles that it doesn't matter.

[stack]

If you didn't want eldritch heritage, I would swap it for +2 will saves.

Wild caller, if I remember, loses access to some good evolutions. Still, you could easily overshadow other melee types. Maybe go with a reach + trip bruiser and not a 'kali' multi-weapon blender?

[Propagandalf]

Hello, playground.
After DMing a campaign, I will be a player for our next game. Our groups is not really high OP and we don't care much about 'roles' per se, we just try to make do with what we get.
That said, I want to play a Half-elf Summoner (Synthesist archetype). The DM has already OKed combining Synthesist with Wild Caller.

What I know:
1) I'm taking the Eldritch Heritage chain. Too useful to pass up with that free Skill Focus half-elf gets.
2) I want a biped eidolon. I'm going for a kind of Kamen Rider vibe.

What I don't know:
1) Is multiclassing worth it? I do get a lot of extra evolution points between Wild Caller and the half-elf's favored class bonus. I was thinking Paladin (Divine Grace and Smite) or Monk (more Kamen Rider feel, Wisdom to AC, access to Dragon Style)
2) Will this become too powerful for a low optimization group?

1.) Multiclassing will not hurt. Especially in a low op game. I've seen an Monk/Synthetist in a oneshot campaign and it was easily able to hold its own (high Wis + Skilled evolution on Perception = Nothing could hide).

The only downside is that you lose some BAB since the summoner uses the Eidolons BAB (which depends on the summoner level). That's not much of a downside though, not with bipeds high Str score.

2. Most likely, Yes. Even a normal synthetist can gain some major evolution based bonuses, and that's without the Wild Callers extra Evo points.

This can be mitigated though, by careful selection of evolutions. Since you can change your evolution point distribution at every level up, you can easily tone down & refocus your power if you notice you're starting to overshadow the others.

[Daftendirekt]

If you didn't want eldritch heritage, I would swap it for +2 will saves.

Wild caller, if I remember, loses access to some good evolutions.

It does, but coupled with the Half-Elf's favored class bonus you get a ridiculous amount of evolution points (the 1/4 from Wild Caller and the 1/4 from Half-Elf per level means every other level you get a bonus evolution point.)

[stack]

It does, but coupled with the Half-Elf's favored class bonus you get a ridiculous amount of evolution points (the 1/4 from Wild Caller and the 1/4 from Half-Elf per level means every other level you get a bonus evolution point.)

Yup, its only real use. You'll just have to drown your sorrow about losing energy attacks in your pile of extra arms.

[Daftendirekt]

Yup, its only real use. You'll just have to drown your sorrow about losing energy attacks in your pile of extra arms.

Yeah, that's probably the most painful loss of the bunch.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Skilled (UMD) and Magic Attacks (once you hit level 10 and get aligned attacks) kinda sucks, too.

[nobodez]

Just remember, as a Synthesist, only you can heal your Eidolon's Temp HP, if your group as a healer, it can't heal the temp hp of the Eidolon. I was actually tempted to play a Synthesist Summoner until I realized that the temp HP the eidolon gives you can't be healed except with your own spells.

[JadePhoenix]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'm not going for a Kali build (I want something more like Kamen Rider). How much Monk should I use? I'm going for Dragon Style, probably with Martial Artist.

[Arkwright]

Half-elf Synthesist Wild Caller. Oh that is MEAN.

1) Multiclassing- you are NOT going to have AC issues. Go for Paladin and pump your saves to ungodly levels.
2) Overpowered- yes. yes it is. You'll have the evolution points to pump your AC to something evil, you'll have plenty of attacks, and you'll have the points to get plenty of Skilled evolutions. Put in some Paladin levels to pump saves.... quite overpowered. Not mentioning putting points into other evolutions and putting other characters to shame; skilled in Perception? Rogue is now useless. Etc.

To help with this, have a look through this guide.

http://www.rband.co.uk/?page_id=4

Guidelines For Being Overpowered

So that’s it, you now have an over powered monster of a character to game with. A few guidelines to stick by, call them your characters code of conduct.

1. Don’t go all out on every enemy you find, this will make your GM think you are the same power as everyone else, the moment you show you are overpowered is the moment 30 assassins enter your camp while you sleep and murder you
2. Let others do things, you can kill everything in a dungeon single handed if you want but why not take your time on one while you let the rest of the party deal with the others? I mean if you do everything no one other than you will have fun, it’s a game we are playing, let them do stuff.
3. You have a high charisma so you are easy to get along with if you want, be a polite and reasonable easy character to get along with. Being powerful it is easy to make other players fear for the life of their characters, this can affect their enjoyment, don’t be an idiot and be evil to the party.
4. You cannot go through an anti magic field, build this into your character, either you have a fear of it or you have a mental block that mean you cant move your body through one (except to get out of one). As soon as you cant have your eidolon you are dead, don’t even try without it.

[JadePhoenix]

Just noticed I won't have enough feats for the full Dragon Style tree plus Eldritch Heritage anytime soon, unless I use Master of Many Styles (well, I'm not going to use flurry of blows anyway).
I'll start as a Master of Many Styles 2/Synthesist 5.
With my monk bonus feats, I'll take Dragon Style and Dragon Ferocity.
Regular feats:
1- ???
3- Eldritch Heritage (which one?)
5- Elemental Fist (thanks, Dragon Ferocity)
7- ???
9- Dragon Roar
11- Improved Eldritch Heritage
13- ???
15- ???
17- Greater Eldritch Heritage

I doubt the campaign will make it past level 12. Maybe I should get some other syle with my free feats to get some use out of Fuse Styles?
Also, any help with an Eldritch Heritage? Orc sounds like the obvious choice, but I don't know if Touch of Rage (which is what I'll get for most of my career) is worth a feat slot. Strength of the Beast sounds like a very good match between an Eidolon's Str score and Dragon Style, but it comes online really late. It's also not very appropriate thematically. I don't know - I'm all up for suggetions! :smallcool:

[grarrrg]

since you're not using the edilon's BAB.


The only downside is that you lose some BAB since

No, and No.

The Summoner's Bab is replaced with the Eidolon's Bab, BUT ONLY FOR THE SUMMONER LEVELS.

So a Synthesist 3/Paladin 2 has 4 Bab in 'normal' mode (2 from Synth, 2 from Paladin), and 5 Bab in Eidolon mode (3 from Eidolon, 2 from Paladin).
Summoner's and Eidolons both have 3/4 Bab, the difference is that the Eidolon's "dead level" for Bab is different. If your Synthesist level is a multiple of 4 then your Bab remains the same in either form. Otherwise, you would gain 1 Bab.
(For those of you using "Fractional Bab", putting on the 'Eidolon Suit' raises your Bab by .75)


Also, any help with an Eldritch Heritage? Orc sounds like the obvious choice, but I don't know if Touch of Rage (which is what I'll get for most of my career) is worth a feat slot. Strength of the Beast sounds like a very good match between an Eidolon's Str score and Dragon Style, but it comes online really late. It's also not very appropriate thematically. I don't know - I'm all up for suggetions! :smallcool:

Abyssal (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/bloodlines/bloodlines-from-paizo/abyssal-bloodline) has the same +STR bonus that Orc does, but the 1st level power isn't much better compared to the Orc one...still better though, just not of any real use unless you get your Eidolon-suit removed, or don't have time to 'Hulk-up'.