Summoner 5e

[Sirithhyando]

Hi everyone !

I wanted a while ago to make a good summoner at low-level. (max 6 level, up to 10 maybe)

Anyway, how would you do it?

Of course, now with the sheperd druid, it's good, but the more your level go up, the less useful it is. Low-level summoning spell still summon CR2 max. Some you can cast with higher spell slot to summon more CR2 max, but it seem limited.
Of course, summoning 8 CR 1/4, upcasting it until you summon 4 times that is impressive, but that's mostly it...

What are your thoughts?

[Rhedyn]

Edit: I assume you mean homebrew because 5e doesn't support that concept.


I would start at a single 1/4 cr that the player picks (selection list could be part of their abilities). Have the ability require concentration.

Then increase that single cr one step every level a full caster would gain a spell level (so max cr 7 at level 17)

Then I would add an ability that allows them to summon a number of creatures equal to their prof bonus but whose total CR is equal to or less than the max CR they can summon.

The intent is for this to be their main ability other abilities should interact with summons, like giving a summon inspiration, gaining telepathy with summons, planar binding like utility rituals, ect.

I would make a summon list and then have the archetypes add more to the list. So start off with just elementals or something like that.

[tieren]

Druid, and specifically shepherd druid, is the best summoner in the game bar none.

Conjure animals as you described, but then conjure woodland beings, conjure minor elementals, conjure elementals, etc...

Want a stampede of wild boar, done.
Want a half dozen pixies to polymorph the team into flying giant apes, done.
Want a pair of dryads to tend to the party's wounds after a big fight, done.
Want an earth elemental to glide past enemy defenses and attack someone from below, done.

Maybe even take magic initiate wizard to pick up find familiar for a little more flavor. Awaken a couple bushes to serve as henchmen,

[Sirithhyando]

Edit: I assume you mean homebrew because 5e doesn't support that concept.

Nope, i meant with what's official.
There's only two class i can see that does it and it's sheperd druid and conjurer wizard. But it become interesting at higher level so i was wondering how someone would do it at lower level.


Druid, and specifically shepherd druid, is the best summoner in the game bar none.

Conjure animals as you described, but then conjure woodland beings, conjure minor elementals, conjure elementals, etc...

Want a stampede of wild boar, done.
Want a half dozen pixies to polymorph the team into flying giant apes, done.
Want a pair of dryads to tend to the party's wounds after a big fight, done.
Want an earth elemental to glide past enemy defenses and attack someone from below, done.

Maybe even take magic initiate wizard to pick up find familiar for a little more flavor. Awaken a couple bushes to serve as henchmen,

Oh, i only looked at how those creature would fare in combat but using them to support us makes them even better. :smallcool:

[Morphic tide]

The other option is a Necromancer Wizard with high Charisma (maybe a Sorcerer dip to use it for coverage) to get a bundle of extra HP on the undead minions, as well as give a decent bit of health to the party. Or shift the Inspiring Speaker or whatever the feat is to a Bard or Paladin helping you out with their superior Charisma (admittedly, the Sorcerer dip can be damn useful). The real problem is that the versatility of summons is almost nonexistent, but as a Wizard, you have a vast number of potential options to draw on for assistance.

[Jack Bitters]

An out-of-the-box suggestion for a low-damage yet flavorful minionmancer would be a Hexblade Warlock, Pact of the Chain:
At level 3, as a pact of the Chain warlock, you get a familiar. The Imp and Quasit familiars are CR 1, and your DM might let you use a Gazer (from Volo's) as a familiar, which is CR 1/2.
At level 6 you get to control a Spectre when you slay a humanoid that lasts until slain or a long rest.
At level 9 you can pick up the Minions of Chaos invocation, which allows you to cast conjure elemental once per day.
If you make it to level 11, you can cast Conjure Fey, which is another good summoning spell.

Taking the Inspiring Leader feat is almost mandatory, to load these guys up with temporary hitpoints. Aside from that, you won't need much in the way of charisma unless you really feel the need to add your own damage: As a hexblade, you can still put out good damage with Eldritch blast + Hexblade's curse, if need be, so you'll hardly be lacking in the damage department. Instead, a hefty Con score will make it easier to hold concentration on important spells.

Note that the Imp, Quasit, and Spectre have resistance to non-magical B/P/S damage which makes them tougher than expected, especially with THP. However, you should expect ~25 dpr at most when using just them.


I would pick up one level either in Sorcerer or Wizard to get Mage Armor, which is a good buff to your creatures and lasts 8 hours. The level 1 abilities of both should be considered. The advantage of the wizard has at level 1 is to gain ritual casting, allowing you to summon a multitude of Unseen Servants and Tenser's Floating Disks, fulfilling your role as utility summoner.

The sorcerer, on the other hand, gains a more defensive ability.
The Draconic Sorcerer gains 1 hp and a natural armor class of 13+Dex
The Wild Magic Sorcerer gains Tides of Chaos, which can give you advantage on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw(<--very handy).
The Storm Sorcerer can fly 10 ft as a bonus action after casting a spell of 1st level or higher without provoking opportunity attacks.
Divine Soul Sorcerers not only gain access to some handy cleric spells to buff your few minions like Bless, but can also add 2d4 to an attack roll or saving throw once per long rest.
Shadow Sorcerers gain darkvision out to 120 feet, and an ability to deny death with a Charisma saving throw.
If taking Sorcerer as your 1 level dip, consider taking it as your very first level to gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

Side note: synergy between the divine soul sorcerer and pact of the chain warlock may be found in the ability to have a familiar deliver touch-range spells, which the divine soul has two of note: Cure Wounds and Inflict Wounds.


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Edit: Added Wizard
A pretty good summoner, the wizard only really gets going from levels 5-10.
At level 5 wizards get Conjure Elementals, as people have covered already. They also get Phantom Steed, which is sweet.
At level 7, they get Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound, which is sort of useful in niche cases, and then at level 10 (two fifth-level slots), they gain the ability to summon an elemental with Conjure Elemental and make it stick around with Planar Binding. If you have a day to prepare, entering battle with two elementals is much better than one. Then, if you're willing to reflavor it as summoning spirits that possess inanimate objects, Animate Objects is another strong minionmancy spell.

Note that a lore bard can do all this and gets Awaken, which as mentioned gives you friendly trees. They can also take Find Greater Steed at level 10, as they already have Planar Binding on their spell list.

Edit again: Forgot to mention the Summon Greater Demons and Infernal Calling spells in Xanathar's. They're fairly strong, but can be dangerous to use. Warlocks also get these spells.

[Daithi]

Another option is the Warlock. At 5th level he/she could have--

Unseen Servant (1st level spell) -- summoned helper (yeah its crappy but its summoned)
Magic Circle (3rd level spell) -- protect yourself/party from summoned creatures
Summon Lesser Demons (3rd level spell) -- 2-8 demons with CR 1 or lower (XGE)

If you go to 7th level he/she would also get
Summor Greater Demons (4th level spell) -- CR 5 or lower demon (XGE)

Take it to 9th and get
Infernal Calling (5th level spell) -- CR 6 or lower devil (XGE)
Danse Macabre (5th level spell) -- not summoning, but maybe close enough (XGE)
Minions of Chaos (9th level invocation) -- Conjure Elemental

If you go to 11th
Conjure Fey (6th) -- conjuring hags would be cool
Create Undead (6th) -- once again, not summoned but maybe close enough

At 13th level
Finger of Death (7th) -- another close enough - kill someone and create a zombie

At 15th level you get another Invocation that applies
Chains of Carceri (15th level invocation) -- Hold monster at will that can target your summoned fiends who get out of control.

[Kane0]

Shepherd Druid, Chain Pact Warlock, Conjurer or Necromancer Wizard, Bard that steals the best summoning spells...