Spectrulus
2018-06-30, 06:52 PM
Last week Corvalis asked about making an elemental summoner, and it got me to thinking how that could play, and making it more summon focused than a conjuration wizard.
Here's what I came up with. I tested out various + prof bonuses to summons, and other options. Went with a d6 because with all the extra health a summoner can conjure, giving them any more didn't make any sense balance-wise. Int for summoning as they would have to study on how to bind creatures, Charisma seemed a natural secondary save.
Starting off using your action to have summon attack, and then have the option at higher levels to have the summon forsake its reaction so you (both) can do more damage, albeit without AoO, etc. This actually balances out okay as a Level CR/2 monster doesn't have the best odds of hitting a CR monster, and pairing it with a cantrip attack and eventually a lower level spell can do more damage, but has lower "accuracy."
I checked a lot of possible monsters, monsters + cantrips, monster + spell combos to make sure it wouldn't overshadow the base classes in 5e. As far as I can tell, this should be alright.
Half-caster with highly specialized spell lists, although that's just my rough draft, it obviously still needs a bit of polish, currently fluffless and all.
The Summoner
Level Prof Features
_1st +2 Summon Ally, bonus skills
_2nd +2 -
_3rd +2 Summoner perk
_4th +2 Ability score improvement
_5th +3 Attuned Assault
_6th +3 Summoner perk
_7th +3 Summoner's Strength
_8th +3 Ability score improvement
_9th +4 -
10th +4 Attuned Spellcasting
11th +4 -
12th +4 Ability score improvement
13th +5 -
14th +5 Summoner Perk
15th +5 Enhanced Summoning
16th +5 Ability score improvement
17th +6 -
18th +6 -
19th +6 Ability score improvement
20th +6 Master Summoner
Spell Slots
Cantrips_Known_1st_2nd_3rd_4th_5th
____2____2____-___-___-___-___-
____2____3____2___-___-___-___-
____2____4____3___-___-___-___-
____2____5____3___-___-___-___-
____3____6____4___2___-___-___-
____3____7____4___2___-___-___-
____3____8____4___3___-___-___-
____3____9____4___3___-___-___-
____4____10___4___3___2___-___-
____4____10___4___3___2___-___-
____4____11___4___3___3___-___-
____4____11___4___3___3___-___-
____5____12___4___3___3___1___-
____5____12___4___3___3___1___-
____5____13___4___3___3___2___-
____5____13___4___3___3___2___-
____6____14___4___3___3___3___1
____6____14___4___3___3___3___1
____6____15___4___3___3___3___2
____6____15___4___3___3___3___2
Class Features
Hit Points
1d6 per summoner level
Proficiencies
Armor None
Weapons Simple Weapons
Tools Choose one type of artisan's tools.
Saving Throws Charisma, Intelligence
Skills Choose any three from Arcana, History, Investigation, Performance, Persuasion, or Religion.
Source of Attunement
At first level, choose your summoner's type of binding, Elemental Binder, Fiendbinder, Naturebinder, or Weirdbinder
Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the summoner spell list. You learn additional summoner cantrips of your choice at higher levels.
Summon Ally
Beginning at 1st level you can use an action to conjure a creature from your chosen type. Choose any creature of your chosen attunement of CR equal to half your summoner level or lower. The creature statistics are average for a member of its kind.
In combat, your summoned ally shares your inititative. You may use your action to direct it to attack as appropriate for its form.
You may give your summon may a single piece of equipment to use. The equipment must be appropriate for your summons form. When your summoned ally vanishes, the item in its possession return with it. If it is later summoned again, it retains the items it had.
If your summoned ally would be destroyed or reduced below 0 hit points, it immediately vanishes. If you call out again with your Summon Ally ability, it is restored to full hit points, and cured of any and all conditions it had.
Your summoned ally is unable to use any abilities or spells that recover hit points or summon other creatures. Your summon is also unable to use any Legendary actions if it would normally have them.
You can use this ability twice. You regain expended uses of this ability during a short or long rest. Your summon persists for a number of hours equal to your summoner level. You may only have one active summon at a time.
If you use your action to conjure another ally, your first summoned ally disappears. At the end of a short or long rest your summon vanishes.
Spellcasting
Beginning at second level you have learned to how to cast spells which related to your type of binding. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability.
Spellcasting focus: your focus is your connection to your type of influence, and may take any form, with only you knowing the item is your key to binding the type of creatures you chose at 1st level.
Attuned Assault
Beginning at 5th level, whenever you use your action to cast a Cantrip, your summon may use its reaction to attack your target, if able.
Summoner's Strength
Beginning at 7th level, whenever your summon can see you, it gains advantage on all saving throws.
Attuned Spellcasting
Beginning at 10th level, whenever you use your action to cast a spell, your summon may use its reaction to attack your target, if able.
Enhanced Summoning
Beginning at 15th level, you and your summoned ally share each other's strengths. While your summon is active, you and your summon use the higher hit points, armor class, initiative bonus and saves between you both. For example, if summoned ally had an armor class of 18, your armor class would become 18, unless it was already higher, then your summon would share your total.
Master Summoner
At 20th level, you may use your Summon Ally ability an unlimited number of times.
Elementalbinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Arcana and Investigation skills.
3rd Level: Detect Elements: You may concentrate for 1 minute, and after doing so learn about any magical fire, air, earth, and water within 100ft. You learn the general direction of the magical elements, but not the specific number or power.
6th Level: Elemental Resistance: As a reaction, you may gain resistance to a source of fire, cold, lightning, or thunder damage. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest
14th Level: Primeval Ward: You gain the damage resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities of your active summoned ally.
Fiendbinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Intimidation and Persuasion skills.
3rd Level: Otherworldly Persuasion: As an action, you may make a Intimidation or Persuasion check with advantage against a creature within 10ft of you. You must finish a short or long rest before you may use this ability again.
6th Level: Planar Cage: You may cast Magic Circle once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
14th Level: Fiendish Resistance: At 14th level you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Naturebinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Animal Handling and Nature skills.
3rd Level: Calm the Wilds: As an action, you may attempt to charm each beast or plant creature within 30ft of you. They make a wisdom saving throw against your spellcasting save DC. If they fail the save, they are charmed by you and are friendly to you and other creatures you designate.
6th Level: Breath of Life: You can cast Life Transference once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
14th Level: Vivid Regrowth: As an action, you may cause a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence Modifier, minimum 1, to regain hit points at the start of their turns equal to your half your summoner level, rounded down, for one minute. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Weirdbinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Insight and Investigation skills.
3rd Level: Telepathic Vision: As an action, you can see through your summoned ally's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the summon has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
6th Level: Alien Mind: You have resistance to psychic damage and are immune to the charmed condition.
14th Level: Otherworldly Metabolism: At 14th level any critical hit against you is treated as a normal hit. In addition, as long as you have an active summon, at the start of each of your turns you regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier, minimum 1. This ability is only active if have no more than half your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
Elementalbinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Control Flames
Gust
Mold Earth
Shape Water
Cantrips
Lightning Lure
Magic Stone
Produce Flame
Ray of Frost
Shocking Grasp
Thunderclap
1st Level Spells
Burning Hands
Chromatic Orb
Earth Tremor
Feather Fall
Ice Knife
WitchBolt
2nd Level Spells
Earth Bind
Gust of Wind
Maximillian's Earthen Grasp
Scorching Ray
Shatter
Snilloc's Snowball Swarm
3rd Level Spells
Erupting Earth
Fireball
Fly
Lightning Bolt
Melf's Minute Meteors
Waterbreathing
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Conjure Minor Elementals
Storm Sphere
Stoneskin
Wall of Fire
Watery Sphere
5th Level Spells
Control Winds
Immolation
Maelstrom
Wall of Stone
Fiendbinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Firebolt
Poison Spray
Pretidigitation
Vicious Mockery
Cantrips
Acid Splash
Chill Touch
Control Flames
Green-Flame Blade
Thaumaturgy
Toll the Dead
1st Level Spells
Burning Hands
Charm Person
Command
Disguise Self
False Life
Puppet
2nd Level Spells
Aganazzar's Scorcher
Blindness/Deafness
Ray of Enfeeblement
Scorching Ray
Shadow Blade
Spider Climb
3rd Level Spells
Fear
Fireball
Gaseous Form
Stinking Fiend
Summon Lesser Demon
Vampiric Touch
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Charm Monster
Fire Shield
Summon Greater Demon
Vitriolic Sphere
Wall of Fire
5th Level Spells
Enervation
Flame Strike
Hallow
Infernal Calling
Naturebinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Druidcraft
Resistance
Produce Flame
Shillelagh
Cantrips
Acid Splash
Booming Blade
Control Flames
Frostbite
Primal Savagery
Thorn Whip
1st Level Spells
Animal Friendship
Create or Destroy Water
Faerie Fire
Guiding Hand
Speak with Animals
Wild Cunning
2nd Level Spells
Barkskin
Beast Sense
Flaming Sphere
Lesser Restoration
Moonbeam
Spike Growth
3rd Level Spells
Call Lightning
Dispell Magic
Plant Growth
Sleet Storm
Tidal Wave
Wall of Water
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Dominate Beast
Greater Invisibility
Conjure Woodland Beings
Control Water
Stoneskin
5th Level Spells
Awaken
Greater Restoration
Reincarnate
Transmute Rock
Weirdbinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Mage Hand
Message
Minor Illusion
Thaumaturgy
Cantrips
Chill Touch
Friends
Infestation
Light
Sword Burst
Thunderclap
1st Level Spells
Arms of Hadar
Charm Person
Comprehend Languages
Dissonant Whispers
Tasha's Hideous Laughter
Unseen Servant
2nd Level Spells
Crown of Madness
Detect Thoughts
Hold Person
Mind Spike
Phantasmal Force
Suggestion
3rd Level Spells
Clairvoyance
Enemies Abound.
Hunger of Hadar
Hypnotic Pattern
Major Image
Sending
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Dominate Beast
Evard's Black Tentacles
Dimension Door
Sickening Radiance
Confusion
5th Level Spells
Contact Other Plane
Dominate Person
Rary's Telepathic Bond
Telekinesis
And I think that's got to be 85% of how to make a Summoner in 5e.
Here's what I came up with. I tested out various + prof bonuses to summons, and other options. Went with a d6 because with all the extra health a summoner can conjure, giving them any more didn't make any sense balance-wise. Int for summoning as they would have to study on how to bind creatures, Charisma seemed a natural secondary save.
Starting off using your action to have summon attack, and then have the option at higher levels to have the summon forsake its reaction so you (both) can do more damage, albeit without AoO, etc. This actually balances out okay as a Level CR/2 monster doesn't have the best odds of hitting a CR monster, and pairing it with a cantrip attack and eventually a lower level spell can do more damage, but has lower "accuracy."
I checked a lot of possible monsters, monsters + cantrips, monster + spell combos to make sure it wouldn't overshadow the base classes in 5e. As far as I can tell, this should be alright.
Half-caster with highly specialized spell lists, although that's just my rough draft, it obviously still needs a bit of polish, currently fluffless and all.
The Summoner
Level Prof Features
_1st +2 Summon Ally, bonus skills
_2nd +2 -
_3rd +2 Summoner perk
_4th +2 Ability score improvement
_5th +3 Attuned Assault
_6th +3 Summoner perk
_7th +3 Summoner's Strength
_8th +3 Ability score improvement
_9th +4 -
10th +4 Attuned Spellcasting
11th +4 -
12th +4 Ability score improvement
13th +5 -
14th +5 Summoner Perk
15th +5 Enhanced Summoning
16th +5 Ability score improvement
17th +6 -
18th +6 -
19th +6 Ability score improvement
20th +6 Master Summoner
Spell Slots
Cantrips_Known_1st_2nd_3rd_4th_5th
____2____2____-___-___-___-___-
____2____3____2___-___-___-___-
____2____4____3___-___-___-___-
____2____5____3___-___-___-___-
____3____6____4___2___-___-___-
____3____7____4___2___-___-___-
____3____8____4___3___-___-___-
____3____9____4___3___-___-___-
____4____10___4___3___2___-___-
____4____10___4___3___2___-___-
____4____11___4___3___3___-___-
____4____11___4___3___3___-___-
____5____12___4___3___3___1___-
____5____12___4___3___3___1___-
____5____13___4___3___3___2___-
____5____13___4___3___3___2___-
____6____14___4___3___3___3___1
____6____14___4___3___3___3___1
____6____15___4___3___3___3___2
____6____15___4___3___3___3___2
Class Features
Hit Points
1d6 per summoner level
Proficiencies
Armor None
Weapons Simple Weapons
Tools Choose one type of artisan's tools.
Saving Throws Charisma, Intelligence
Skills Choose any three from Arcana, History, Investigation, Performance, Persuasion, or Religion.
Source of Attunement
At first level, choose your summoner's type of binding, Elemental Binder, Fiendbinder, Naturebinder, or Weirdbinder
Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the summoner spell list. You learn additional summoner cantrips of your choice at higher levels.
Summon Ally
Beginning at 1st level you can use an action to conjure a creature from your chosen type. Choose any creature of your chosen attunement of CR equal to half your summoner level or lower. The creature statistics are average for a member of its kind.
In combat, your summoned ally shares your inititative. You may use your action to direct it to attack as appropriate for its form.
You may give your summon may a single piece of equipment to use. The equipment must be appropriate for your summons form. When your summoned ally vanishes, the item in its possession return with it. If it is later summoned again, it retains the items it had.
If your summoned ally would be destroyed or reduced below 0 hit points, it immediately vanishes. If you call out again with your Summon Ally ability, it is restored to full hit points, and cured of any and all conditions it had.
Your summoned ally is unable to use any abilities or spells that recover hit points or summon other creatures. Your summon is also unable to use any Legendary actions if it would normally have them.
You can use this ability twice. You regain expended uses of this ability during a short or long rest. Your summon persists for a number of hours equal to your summoner level. You may only have one active summon at a time.
If you use your action to conjure another ally, your first summoned ally disappears. At the end of a short or long rest your summon vanishes.
Spellcasting
Beginning at second level you have learned to how to cast spells which related to your type of binding. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability.
Spellcasting focus: your focus is your connection to your type of influence, and may take any form, with only you knowing the item is your key to binding the type of creatures you chose at 1st level.
Attuned Assault
Beginning at 5th level, whenever you use your action to cast a Cantrip, your summon may use its reaction to attack your target, if able.
Summoner's Strength
Beginning at 7th level, whenever your summon can see you, it gains advantage on all saving throws.
Attuned Spellcasting
Beginning at 10th level, whenever you use your action to cast a spell, your summon may use its reaction to attack your target, if able.
Enhanced Summoning
Beginning at 15th level, you and your summoned ally share each other's strengths. While your summon is active, you and your summon use the higher hit points, armor class, initiative bonus and saves between you both. For example, if summoned ally had an armor class of 18, your armor class would become 18, unless it was already higher, then your summon would share your total.
Master Summoner
At 20th level, you may use your Summon Ally ability an unlimited number of times.
Elementalbinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Arcana and Investigation skills.
3rd Level: Detect Elements: You may concentrate for 1 minute, and after doing so learn about any magical fire, air, earth, and water within 100ft. You learn the general direction of the magical elements, but not the specific number or power.
6th Level: Elemental Resistance: As a reaction, you may gain resistance to a source of fire, cold, lightning, or thunder damage. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest
14th Level: Primeval Ward: You gain the damage resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities of your active summoned ally.
Fiendbinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Intimidation and Persuasion skills.
3rd Level: Otherworldly Persuasion: As an action, you may make a Intimidation or Persuasion check with advantage against a creature within 10ft of you. You must finish a short or long rest before you may use this ability again.
6th Level: Planar Cage: You may cast Magic Circle once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
14th Level: Fiendish Resistance: At 14th level you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Naturebinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Animal Handling and Nature skills.
3rd Level: Calm the Wilds: As an action, you may attempt to charm each beast or plant creature within 30ft of you. They make a wisdom saving throw against your spellcasting save DC. If they fail the save, they are charmed by you and are friendly to you and other creatures you designate.
6th Level: Breath of Life: You can cast Life Transference once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
14th Level: Vivid Regrowth: As an action, you may cause a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence Modifier, minimum 1, to regain hit points at the start of their turns equal to your half your summoner level, rounded down, for one minute. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Weirdbinder
1st Level: You gain proficiency with the Insight and Investigation skills.
3rd Level: Telepathic Vision: As an action, you can see through your summoned ally's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the summon has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
6th Level: Alien Mind: You have resistance to psychic damage and are immune to the charmed condition.
14th Level: Otherworldly Metabolism: At 14th level any critical hit against you is treated as a normal hit. In addition, as long as you have an active summon, at the start of each of your turns you regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier, minimum 1. This ability is only active if have no more than half your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
Elementalbinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Control Flames
Gust
Mold Earth
Shape Water
Cantrips
Lightning Lure
Magic Stone
Produce Flame
Ray of Frost
Shocking Grasp
Thunderclap
1st Level Spells
Burning Hands
Chromatic Orb
Earth Tremor
Feather Fall
Ice Knife
WitchBolt
2nd Level Spells
Earth Bind
Gust of Wind
Maximillian's Earthen Grasp
Scorching Ray
Shatter
Snilloc's Snowball Swarm
3rd Level Spells
Erupting Earth
Fireball
Fly
Lightning Bolt
Melf's Minute Meteors
Waterbreathing
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Conjure Minor Elementals
Storm Sphere
Stoneskin
Wall of Fire
Watery Sphere
5th Level Spells
Control Winds
Immolation
Maelstrom
Wall of Stone
Fiendbinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Firebolt
Poison Spray
Pretidigitation
Vicious Mockery
Cantrips
Acid Splash
Chill Touch
Control Flames
Green-Flame Blade
Thaumaturgy
Toll the Dead
1st Level Spells
Burning Hands
Charm Person
Command
Disguise Self
False Life
Puppet
2nd Level Spells
Aganazzar's Scorcher
Blindness/Deafness
Ray of Enfeeblement
Scorching Ray
Shadow Blade
Spider Climb
3rd Level Spells
Fear
Fireball
Gaseous Form
Stinking Fiend
Summon Lesser Demon
Vampiric Touch
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Charm Monster
Fire Shield
Summon Greater Demon
Vitriolic Sphere
Wall of Fire
5th Level Spells
Enervation
Flame Strike
Hallow
Infernal Calling
Naturebinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Druidcraft
Resistance
Produce Flame
Shillelagh
Cantrips
Acid Splash
Booming Blade
Control Flames
Frostbite
Primal Savagery
Thorn Whip
1st Level Spells
Animal Friendship
Create or Destroy Water
Faerie Fire
Guiding Hand
Speak with Animals
Wild Cunning
2nd Level Spells
Barkskin
Beast Sense
Flaming Sphere
Lesser Restoration
Moonbeam
Spike Growth
3rd Level Spells
Call Lightning
Dispell Magic
Plant Growth
Sleet Storm
Tidal Wave
Wall of Water
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Dominate Beast
Greater Invisibility
Conjure Woodland Beings
Control Water
Stoneskin
5th Level Spells
Awaken
Greater Restoration
Reincarnate
Transmute Rock
Weirdbinder Spell List
Bonus Cantrips
Mage Hand
Message
Minor Illusion
Thaumaturgy
Cantrips
Chill Touch
Friends
Infestation
Light
Sword Burst
Thunderclap
1st Level Spells
Arms of Hadar
Charm Person
Comprehend Languages
Dissonant Whispers
Tasha's Hideous Laughter
Unseen Servant
2nd Level Spells
Crown of Madness
Detect Thoughts
Hold Person
Mind Spike
Phantasmal Force
Suggestion
3rd Level Spells
Clairvoyance
Enemies Abound.
Hunger of Hadar
Hypnotic Pattern
Major Image
Sending
4th Level Spells
Banishment
Dominate Beast
Evard's Black Tentacles
Dimension Door
Sickening Radiance
Confusion
5th Level Spells
Contact Other Plane
Dominate Person
Rary's Telepathic Bond
Telekinesis
And I think that's got to be 85% of how to make a Summoner in 5e.