help making an Archivist/Malconvoker build

[Illithids]

I'd like to build an Archivist/Malconvoker but I've never made a spellcaster and could use help with choosing feats, and flaws, spells, and stuff. pretty much everything. (sorry im bad at 3.5 but please help)

[Zombulian]

Archivist makes for a fairly potent summoner out of the gate. Unfortunately they don't have spontaneous summoning like the druid, but they have access to both the Summon Monster and Nature's Ally lines. Cloudy Conjuration might be a good choice as your 6th level feat.

[Aleolus]

There is a feat in CD that allows you to convert any prepared spell into a SNA of the same level, just like druids do, maybe you could work with your DM to create a variant of that to convert spells to Summon Monster?

EDIT: I make this suggestion because most of the Malconvoker's abilities rely on summoned evil creatures, and I don't think anything you can call with SNA is evil

[Zombulian]

There is a feat in CD that allows you to convert any prepared spell into a SNA of the same level, just like druids do, maybe you could work with your DM to create a variant of that to convert spells to Summon Monster?

EDIT: I make this suggestion because most of the Malconvoker's abilities rely on summoned evil creatures, and I don't think anything you can call with SNA is evil

That would probably be a worthwhile investment even if it wasn't tooled to Summon Monster. The extra utility of whipping out a SNA instead of a prepared SM is still pretty neato.
Does that feat run on turning?

[Aleolus]

...No, and I just looked, and it's apparently not as good as I thought it was. You need to be able to cast SNA to take it, and you can only use it a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier. You also need 4 ranks in Knowledge (Nature), and a partly neutral alignment. Plus a Wis of 13 or higher

[Zombulian]

...No, and I just looked, and it's apparently not as good as I thought it was. You need to be able to cast SNA to take it, and you can only use it a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier. You also need 4 ranks in Knowledge (Nature), and a partly neutral alignment. Plus a Wis of 13 or higher

If they're not taking Academic Priest then their Wis bonus will likely be nothing to sneeze at, so that's not too bad.
If they are taking Academic Priest and likely not going the SNA route, Fiendish Summoning Specialist is probably a good move.

[AnachroNinja]

It's still very good because it lets you qualify for Ashbound Summoning (and Greenbound if your going crazy) which is a very nice buff for your summons. SNA makes great melee summons, SM is better for utility and creatures with cool SLAs, having both is very good.

As for the wisdom modifier times per day thing, how often are you really going to need to do it spontaneously? Having even just two uses as a backup is good.

[Zombulian]

It's still very good because it lets you qualify for Ashbound Summoning (and Greenbound if your going crazy) which is a very nice buff for your summons. SNA makes great melee summons, SM is better for utility and creatures with cool SLAs, having both is very good.

As for the wisdom modifier times per day thing, how often are you really going to need to do it spontaneously? Having even just two uses as a backup is good.

My thoughts exactly, though the grossest part is that Greenbound doesn't even require spontaneous SNA.

[Eldariel]

You even get Conjure Ice Beast for low level high durability constructs with damaging auras/special attacks (thanks to their flat HP bonuses (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#constructType)) and Summon Undead (though frankly, only the incorporeals and perhaps Ghasts/Mummies/Vampire Spawns are really worth using). Then you also get Summon Desert Ally (largely inferior, but worth keeping in mind) thanks to them being available to Druids. Dustform creatures have some nice advantages as constructs (see Conjure Ice Beast) plus Blindsight, Breath Weapon and a Strength-bonus (and as it's a Summoning spell, this can further be enhanced via Augment Summoning), making for a nice option for brawlers. And you can even pick Summon Giants [Frostburn] - if you can get it as a Disciple of Thyrm spell, it's a level 4 spell making it amazing. Less amazing as an 8th level spell á la standard Clerics though.

In short, make use of your whole toolbox particularly early on. Obviously once you get Fiendish Legion, you'll mostly tend towards Summon Monster, but it's still good to keep the other options in your mind for when they should be useful.


Golden Desert Honey [Complete Mage] is a 300gp extra component that enables casting a summon spell as a standard action instead of a full round action. Do pack some of those as soon as possible: Archivists don't have as easy a time making that happen as some of the other summoning classes (Wizards in particular). Though you could take a level in Sacred Exorcist [Complete Divine] acquiring Turn Undead pool and then use Divine Metamagic: Rapid Spell [Complete Divine] to achieve the same...or something like Divine Metamagic: Twin Spell to double the number of things you're summoning (or Repeating Spell as a slightly cheaper, slower option).

[ATHATH]

Spontaneous Summoner is the feat that lets you spontaneously cast SNA, if you're wondering.

[Venger]

the handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2791.0) will do a great job of getting you acquainted with the basics of playing a malconvoker.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You even get Conjure Ice Beast for low level high durability constructs with damaging auras/special attacks (thanks to their flat HP bonuses (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#constructType)) and Summon Undead (though frankly, only the incorporeals and perhaps Ghasts/Mummies/Vampire Spawns are really worth using).
Conjure Ice Beast is not a (Summoning) spell, so it doesn't benefit from your summoning boosts, including most options that let you summon as a standard action. Something to keep in mind.
Though it's still generally better than SM or SNA until 3rd level spells for pure combat unless you're going Ashbound/Greenbound. Mainly because it has attacks that auto-hit.
SDA has many of the same benefits though, and it's a summoning spell.
Dustform changes HD to D10s, grants +5 NA, a breath weapon (10ft cone, 1d6 untyped per 2HD, ref half), 60ft Blindsight, construct traits, DR 5/magic and +4 Str -2 Dex. It loses special attacks but retains special qualities, skills and feats. It also makes the creature weak against bludgeoning crits.

Ice Beast grants the cold subtype, changes HD to D10s and grants extra hp based on size, grants NA based on size (lower than dustform until large), construct traits, DR based on HD (none until 5) and one of: a free-action 1d6 cold damage aura, Engulf, +1d6 cold damage on melee attacks, ice breath (1d6 cold per 2HD, 30ft cone, ref half).
It also loses any fly speed, any burrow speed changes to snow or ice only, all special attacks and qualities, all skills and all feats that don't improve its attacks.

Really the main reason to go Ice Beast is the extra hp (20 for medium) and the free cold damage aura (that doesn't need an attack roll). Otherwise Dustform is probably superior, especially with summoning feats.


Golden Desert Honey [Complete Mage] is a 300gp extra component that enables casting a summon spell as a standard action instead of a full round action. Do pack some of those as soon as possible: Archivists don't have as easy a time making that happen as some of the other summoning classes (Wizards in particular). Though you could take a level in Sacred Exorcist [Complete Divine] acquiring Turn Undead pool and then use Divine Metamagic: Rapid Spell [Complete Divine] to achieve the same...or something like Divine Metamagic: Twin Spell to double the number of things you're summoning (or Repeating Spell as a slightly cheaper, slower option).
Golden Desert Honey needs one dose per spell level, so it gets expensive really fast. At low levels you're better off with a Chronocharm of the Uncaring Archmage (MIC, 500gp). Cheaper for anything but 1st level spells and reusable, but it only works for spells up to 3rd level. On the other hand it also works for other spells with 1 round cast times, so it has extra value for versatility.
Ask your DM if you can wear several of the same chronocharm. (You can wear more than one chronocharm without conflict and i don't think they need to be different ones, but YMMV). 3-4 of them should get you through a day easily enough and they're very affordable.

This works especially well for SNA if you also get a Ring of the Beast (CC, 8000gp), letting you apply it to your SNA summon spells until level 9. It also saves your 4th level slots with no loss of power, the value of which should be obvious.

There's also the Robe of Mysterious Conjuration (MIC, 10000gp), which lets you swap a spell for an equal-level Summon Monster as a standard action 3/day. It requires arcane spells though, so you'll need Alternative Source Spell/Southern Magician or the Spell domain.