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Quintus Vorenus
2019-06-01, 09:17 AM
Greetings to all,

As everybody knows balancing summons and minions is a thought proposition in 5e. With bound accuracy, extra bodies and extra actions impact the game more significantly than in 3.5e.

We currently have 3 types of minions/summons in the game:
- Proxies for player actions, such as familiars and animal companions.
- Companion home-brews based on the pathfinder summoner (eidolon)*
- Spells that flood combat with a high number of creatures, such as conjure spells

I have been playing around with a set of rules to allow players to command multiple creatures, and to give them the feeling of actually playing a summoner. So far itīs only a rough set of ideas, but please share your thoughts on them. Or your own take on multiple summoned creatures.

While I would eventually like to make a class based on these rules I know that for now, it's not thorough or complex enough to do so. So for theory's sake, I've made a simple draft of a warlock patron.*

Cheers!

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Base Rules:

Summon Minion: You may as an action summon one minion. Your minions act on your initiative. You may maintain a*number*of*minions equal to your proficiency modifier.*

Command Minion: As an action, you can directly command all your minions.


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Basic Minion Stats:

Minions: Minions are simple creatures that the summoner binds to his will.
Armour Class: 12 + Summoner Proficiency Bonus
Hit Points: Summoner Level + Summoner Cha Mod
Speed: 30'
Saving Throws: All Saving throws are equal to the Summoner Cha Saving Throw.
Skills: None
Resistances: None
Immunities: Charmed, Frightened
Senses: Darkvision 60'
Languages: Same as Summoner

Abilities:

Simple Minded: Minions that have not been issued commands remain stationary and defend themselves. If they have previously been commanded to take an action they repeat it using the simple minded rules.
Psychic Feedback: If a minion is reduced to 0 hp it is destroyed and the summoner takes 1d4, unreductable unpreventable psychic damage.



Actions:

Ranged Attack (40'/80'): The minion moves and makes one ranged attack with the summoners spell attack modifier, that causes 1d4 + summoners proficiency modifier piercing damage. Simple Minded: the minion remains static and makes one attack ranged attack that causes 1d4 piercing damage.
Melee Attack: The minion moves and makes one melee attack with the summoners spell attack modifier, that causes 1d6 + summoners proficiency modifier piercing/bludgeoning or slashing damage. The minion may use a reaction to make an opportunity attack if provoked. Simple Minded: the minion moves towards the closest adversary and makes one melee attack that causes 1d6 damage piercing/bludgeoning or slashing damage.
Defend: The minion moves towards an ally if it cumulative +1 ac bonus until ordered otherwise. If the ally is hit the minion may expend it's reaction to parry reducing damage by 1d6. Simple Minded: the minion does not move and if the ally is still adjacent it gains a +1 ac bonus until the start of the summoners next turn.



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Advanced Summons: You may choose to summon advanced minions. Such as the Brute, the Envoy, and the Assassin.

Summon Brute: You may choose to summon a larger stronger minion, controlling this minion is more straining, therefore it counts as two regular minions. If it is destroyed you must roll two times the psychic feedback dice. Its statistics are the same as an ordinary minion except for the following:

You minion is large, it has 10' reach and twice the standard hitpoints.

It also gains the following action:

Multiattack: The minion moves and makes two melee attacks with the summoners spell attack modifier, that causes 2d4 + summoners proficiency modifier piercing/bludgeoning or slashing damage. The minion may use a reaction to make an opportunity attack if provoked. Simple Minded: the minion moves towards the closest adversary and makes one melee attack that causes 2d4 piercing/bludgeoning or slashing damage.

Summon Envoy: you may choose to summon a smarter minion, to act as your loyal envoy, maintaining this minion is more straining, therefore it counts as two regular minions. If it is destroyed you must roll two times the psychic feedback dice. Its statistics are the same as an ordinary minion except for the following:

Proxy: As long as you and your envoy are on the same plane you have a telepathic link. As an action, if it and your target are within line of sight, you may cast a spell or cantrip with your envoy as the point of origin.
Autonomous: your envoy acts independently, and is not subject to the simple-minded rules. It also shares your own skill proficiencies.



Summon Assassin: You may choose to summon a minion that is more suited to be an assassin, maintaining this minion is more straining, therefore it counts as three regular minions. If it is destroyed you must roll three times the psychic feedback dice. Its statistics are the same as an ordinary minion except for the following:

Autonomous: your assassin acts independently, and is not subject to the simple minded rules. It may use your spell attack modifier for Stealth checks.
Unseen and unheard: Your minion has a 30 feet climb speed and can move freely along vertical surfaces and ceilings without using its hands. It can also expend its action to become invisible as per the spell.
Sneak attack: If your minion has an advantage on an attack roll it causes 3d6 extra damage. It may reduce the extra damage to employ one of the effects below:

Hamstring: The targets speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. Extra damage reduced to 2d6.
Wound: The target takes 1d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns. At the end of the targets turn it makes a constitution saving throw, if it passes it ends all instances of this ability. Extra damage reduced do 1d6.
Cripple: The target must make a constitution save, if it fails it is incapacitated until the end of its next turn. The minion does not cause extra damage.



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An example of implementation as a Warlock Subclass

Summon Minion: Starting the first level you may as an action summon one minion. Your minions act on your initiative. You may maintain a number of minions equal to your proficiency modifier.

Command Minion: As an action, you can directly command all your minions.

Mystical Affinity: when you summon a minion you may change it's attack damage types to that of any cantrip you know.

1st
2nd Cloud of Daggers, Find Steed
3rd Spirit Guardians, Conjure Animals
4th Evards Black Tentacles, Conjure Woodland Beings
5th Conjure elementals, Teleportation circle

Planar Paradox: Starting at the sixth level your patron teaches you how briefly violate planar law so that your minions exist and unexist at the same time. For one turn all attacks against minions have disadvantage, and all minion saves have advantage, if a minion succeeds on a save it does not suffer any ill effects.
You may invoke this paradox as a reaction once per short rest. You gain an additional use of this ability at the 12th level, and one more at the 18th level.

Advanced Summons (class ability? invocation?): You may choose to summon advanced minions. Such as the Brute, the Envoy, and the Assassin.

Prince Vine
2019-06-01, 12:44 PM
If you'd like I can link you my tentative answer to this issue. It has a few typos and a couple features have changed though that haven't been updated.