The Summoner is a unique class in Pathfinder, introduced in the Advanced Player’s Guide, specializing in summoning and conjuration magic. They wield spells like a Bard but focus on summoning powerful creatures, with the Eidolon being their signature companion. This class offers versatility, blending spellcasting with strategic creature control, making them a valuable asset to any party.
1.1 Overview of the Summoner’s Role in Pathfinder
The Summoner excels as a versatile spellcaster and master of conjuration, focusing on summoning creatures to aid allies and control the battlefield. Their primary role involves calling forth powerful beings, such as the Eidolon, to bolster party capabilities in combat and exploration. This class balances offensive and supportive playstyles, making them adaptable to various adventuring needs while relying on strategic creature management.
1.2 Unique Features of the Summoner Class
The Summoner’s standout feature is the Eidolon, a customizable, powerful companion that evolves with the Summoner. Their spellcasting is Charisma-based, emphasizing conjuration and summoning. Unlike other classes, Summoners can control and direct summoned creatures, offering unparalleled versatility in combat and exploration. This blend of spellcasting and creature command makes the Summoner a distinctive and adaptable class in Pathfinder.
Choosing the Right Race for Your Summoner
Selecting the right race enhances your Summoner’s magical and combat capabilities. Races like Humans, Half-Elves, and Gnomes offer traits that boost Charisma and spellcasting efficiency, benefiting your Eidolon.
2.1 Races That Complement the Summoner’s Abilities
Humans, Half-Elves, and Gnomes are ideal races for Summoners due to their racial traits. Humans gain an extra feat, enhancing summoning potential. Half-Elves boost Charisma and skill versatility, while Gnomes improve Intelligence for skill mastery. Kitsune, with their innate magical aptitude, also excel. These racial traits synergize with the Summoner’s spellcasting and Eidolon customization, making them top choices for optimized builds.
2.2 Racial Traits and Their Impact on Summoners
Racial traits significantly influence a Summoner’s effectiveness. For example, races like Humans or Small races may offer bonuses to Charisma or skills, enhancing spellcasting and eidolon management. Certain racial abilities, such as increased resistance or movement, can complement the Summoner’s role in combat and exploration, providing strategic advantages. Choosing a race with traits that align with the Summoner’s abilities ensures optimal performance;
Summoner Class Abilities and Mechanics
Summoners excel at casting spells and commanding summoned creatures. Their abilities focus on conjuration, with spell slots replenishing daily. Charisma powers their magic, making it crucial for effectiveness.
3.1 Key Class Features and Their Functions
The Summoner’s core features include the Eidolon, a powerful, customizable companion, and access to summoning and conjuration spells. They gain spells like summon monster and can augment their Eidolon with evolutions. The Summoner also benefits from abilities like life link, which protects the Eidolon, and summoner immunities, granting resistance to certain effects. These features make the Summoner a versatile and strategic class in Pathfinder;
3.2 Understanding the Eidolon and Its Role
The Eidolon is the Summoner’s loyal, otherworldly companion, serving as a versatile fighter and caster. It evolves through levels, adapting to the Summoner’s playstyle. With customization options like evolutions, the Eidolon can specialize in combat, support, or exploration. Its bond with the Summoner enhances both allies’ abilities, making it a cornerstone of the class’s identity and a powerful asset in any scenario.
Eidolon: The Summoner’s Versatile Companion
The Eidolon is the Summoner’s powerful, customizable creature companion, serving as both a combat ally and strategic partner. It evolves alongside the Summoner, adapting to their playstyle.
4.1 Eidolon Types and Their Specializations
Eidolons come in various forms, each with unique abilities. Assault Eidolons excel in combat, dealing massive damage. Tank Eidolons focus on defense, protecting allies. Buffer Eidolons enhance party capabilities, while Utility Eidolons offer versatile support. Each type adapts to different playstyles, allowing Summoners to tailor their companion’s role in combat and exploration. This customization ensures the Eidolon remains a dynamic and integral part of the Summoner’s strategy.
4.2 Evolutions and Customizing Your Eidolon
Evolutions allow Summoners to customize their Eidolon, tailoring it to specific roles or playstyles. By selecting from a variety of abilities, such as enhanced movement, elemental resistances, or offensive capabilities, players can craft a companion that complements their party’s needs. Strategic evolution choices ensure the Eidolon remains a versatile and powerful asset in both combat and exploration scenarios, adapting to challenges as they arise.
4.3 Eidolon Tactics in Combat and Exploration
In combat, the Eidolon excels as a frontline defender or damage dealer, drawing enemy focus while the Summoner supports from a distance. Use its abilities to control crowds or deal precise strikes. In exploration, the Eidolon can scout ahead, navigate hazards, or bypass obstacles, such as using Water Breathing to explore underwater. Proper positioning and ability synergy enhance its effectiveness in both scenarios.
Advanced tactics involve pairing the Eidolon with party members, creating flanking opportunities, or using evolutions like Flight to outmaneuver foes. Communication with allies ensures coordinated strategies, maximizing the Eidolon’s versatility and the Summoner’s spellcasting. This dynamic duo thrives in adaptability, making them invaluable in diverse challenges.
Summoner Spells and Magic
The Summoner’s spellcasting focuses on conjuration and summoning, with access to spells like Summon Monster and Dimension Door. Their magic supports both combat and exploration, enhancing versatility.
5.1 Spell Selection for Different Playstyles
Summoners can adapt their spell selection to fit various playstyles. Offensive spells like Fireball and Lightning Bolt excel in dealing direct damage, while defensive options such as Shield and Mirror Image provide protection. Utility spells like Teleport enhance mobility, and Dispel Magic counters enemy spells. Buffs like Bless and Heroism boost party performance, while spells that support or heal the Eidolon ensure the companion’s reliability in combat.
5.2 Maximizing Spell Efficiency in Combat
To maximize spell efficiency, focus on strategic spellcasting that enhances your Eidolon’s effectiveness. Use concentration to maintain key buffs and select spells that complement your playstyle. Avoid wasting spells on redundant effects and prioritize situational utility. Balance direct damage with support spells to adapt to combat dynamics. Timing and spell selection are crucial to ensure your magic impacts the battle effectively without overextending resources.
Feats for Summoners
Essential feats like Improved Initiative and Extra Evolution enhance summoning capabilities, while others like Augment Summoning boost creature stats, optimizing the Summoner’s combat effectiveness.
6.1 Essential Feats for Summoner Builds
Essential feats for Summoners include Extra Evolution to enhance the Eidolon’s abilities, Augmented Summoning for stronger summoned creatures, and Extend Summon Monster for longer durations. Ability Focus (Eidolon’s Attacks) improves the Eidolon’s combat effectiveness, while Improved Initiative ensures the Summoner and Eidolon act first in combat. These feats provide a solid foundation for any Summoner build, focusing on enhancing both the Summoner and their Eidolon.
6.2 Advanced Feat Selection for Veteran Players
For experienced Summoners, advanced feats like Extra Evolution and Augment Summoning enhance Eidolon customization and summoned creature potency. Ascetic Form boosts Eidolon survivability, while Spell Penetration ensures spells bypass resistances. These feats refine playstyles, allowing veterans to optimize their Eidolon and spellcasting for complex encounters, making them indispensable in high-level campaigns and challenging scenarios.
Building Your Summoner Character
Building a Summoner involves selecting races with traits like high Charisma, optimizing stats for spellcasting, and choosing feats like Extra Evolution to enhance your Eidolon, ensuring a balanced build.
7.1 Step-by-Step Character Creation Guide
- Choose a race that complements the Summoner’s abilities, such as Humans or Half-Elves for bonus feats or skills.
- Assign ability scores, prioritizing Charisma for spellcasting and Strength or Dexterity for combat.
- Select the Summoner class and begin with the Eidolon, customizing its type and evolutions.
- Pick starting spells, focusing on summoning and utility magic.
- Choose feats like Extra Evolution or Improved Initiative to enhance your Eidolon and combat effectiveness.
- Select equipment, prioritizing items that boost Charisma or provide defensive bonuses.
- Finalize your character’s background and personality to complete the build.
7.2 Optimizing Stats for Summoners
Summoners benefit most from high Charisma, as it enhances spellcasting and Eidolon abilities. Prioritize Dexterity for better AC and Constitution for survivability. Strength is less critical unless your Eidolon focuses on melee. Allocate ability scores to balance these stats, ensuring your Eidolon remains effective while maintaining personal survivability in combat scenarios.
Equipment and Gear for Summoners
Summoners benefit from staves, wands, and magical items like celestial armor and rings of protection. Enchanted weapons enhance Eidolon abilities, while bags of holding provide convenience.
8.1 Important Gear Choices for Summoners
Summoners benefit from gear that enhances their spellcasting and supports their Eidolon. Focus on items like staves or wands for spellcasting efficiency. Magical items boosting Charisma improve spell DCs and Eidolon abilities. Consider armor or cloaks for survivability. Additionally, items granting resistance or elemental protection can enhance both the Summoner and their Eidolon’s performance in combat. Prioritize gear that complements your playstyle and build.
8.2 Enchanting and Upgrading Equipment
Enchanting and upgrading equipment is crucial for Summoners to enhance their magical and combat capabilities. Focus on items like wands, staves, and magical armor that boost charisma and spellcasting. Upgrading your Eidolon’s gear, such as weapons or armor, can significantly improve its effectiveness in battle. Allocate resources wisely to balance personal enchantments with Eidolon upgrades for optimal performance.
Advanced Summoner Strategies
Mastery of Eidolon tactics and synergizing with party members enhances combat effectiveness. Adapting strategies to diverse scenarios ensures versatility, making summoners invaluable in dynamic encounters and complex battles.
9.1 Mastering Eidolon Tactics in Combat
Mastery of Eidolon tactics involves strategic positioning, ability synergy, and adaptive evolution use. Position your Eidolon to control battlefield chokepoints or protect allies. Use its abilities to disrupt enemies while maintaining line of sight for spellcasting. Adapt evolutions based on enemy weaknesses, ensuring your Eidolon remains a versatile and potent force in every combat scenario.
9.2 Synergizing with Party Members
Summoners excel at supporting allies through strategic summoning and spellcasting. The Eidolon can act as a frontliner, absorbing damage and freeing the party to focus on offense. Additionally, the Summoner’s spells can provide buffs, debuffs, or area control, enhancing the party’s effectiveness. Effective communication ensures the Summoner’s abilities complement the party’s strengths, creating a cohesive and powerful team dynamic in both combat and exploration scenarios.
9.3 Adapting to Different Combat Scenarios
Summoners must adapt their strategies to various combat scenarios, leveraging their Eidolon and spells effectively. In tight spaces, focus on area control spells and melee Eidolon builds. Against flyers, use ranged attacks or summon flying creatures. In underwater combat, utilize water-adapted Eidolon evolutions. Always assess enemies’ weaknesses and adjust tactics, swapping evolutions or spells as needed to maximize impact and protect allies.
Multiclassing and Archetypes for Summoners
Summoners can multiclass with Wizard or Druid to enhance spellcasting, while archetypes like Master Summoner or Unchained Summoner specialize in Eidolon enhancement or summoning mastery.
10.1 Exploring Multiclass Options
Summoners can multiclass with Wizard or Bard to enhance spellcasting, or Sorcerer for bloodline powers. A Wizard adds arcane mastery, while a Bard boosts charisma and performance skills. Multiclassing with Druid grants druidic magic and nature-based abilities. Each option expands versatility, allowing Summoners to adapt to different playstyles while maintaining their core summoning abilities and Eidolon synergy.
10.2 Archetypes That Enhance Summoner Abilities
Archetypes like the Master Summoner and Unchained Summoner enhance the class’s core abilities. The Master Summoner boosts Eidolon power, while the Unchained Summoner offers increased flexibility. The Broodmaster archetype allows summoning multiple smaller eidolons, adding tactical depth. The Synthesist archetype enables the Summoner to merge with their Eidolon, creating a formidable, unified combatant. These archetypes tailor the Summoner’s role to specific playstyles, enhancing effectiveness in various scenarios.
Summoner Playstyles at Different Levels
Summoners adapt their strategies as they level up, starting with basic summoning at low levels, evolving with Eidolon customization, and mastering advanced techniques at high levels.
11.1 Early Level Strategies for Summoners
At low levels, focus on spells like Summon Monster I and Mage Armor to support your Eidolon. Invest in charisma for better spellcasting and eidolon abilities. Prioritize feats like Improved Initiative and Extra Evolution to enhance your companion. Use your eidolon to tank while you provide ranged support. Explore utility spells for versatility in exploration and combat scenarios to maximize your early-game impact effectively.
11.2 High-Level Play and Advanced Techniques
At higher levels, Summoners master advanced Eidolon evolutions and spellcasting strategies. Focus on maximizing Eidolon abilities through evolutions like energy attacks or flight. High-level spells like Summon Monster IX provide powerful allies, while strategic use of buffs and debuffs enhances party synergy. Advanced techniques include optimizing Eidolon positioning, using Dimension Door for tactical repositioning, and combining spells for devastating area effects, ensuring the Summoner remains a formidable force in any encounter.
Summoner’s Role in Party Dynamics
The Summoner excels as a flexible supporter, using spells and their Eidolon to adapt to party needs, enhancing combat and exploration efficiency through strategic synergy and adaptability.
12.1 Contributing to Party Success
Summoners enhance party dynamics by providing versatile support through their Eidolon and spells. They can act as a tank, absorbing damage, or deal direct harm to enemies. Their ability to summon creatures and cast debuffs allows the party to focus on strategic objectives. This dual capability makes Summoners invaluable, balancing offense and defense while freeing allies to concentrate on their roles.
12.2 Balancing Combat and Support Roles
The Summoner excels at balancing combat and support, using their Eidolon to deal damage while casting spells to buff allies or debuff enemies. By strategically managing their actions, Summoners ensure their Eidolon remains aggressive in combat.
Meanwhile, their spellcasting provides crucial support, keeping the party viable and enhancing overall effectiveness in various scenarios.
Optimizing Your Summoner for Maximum Impact
Optimize your Summoner by strategically selecting feats like Extra Evolution and Improved Initiative. Focus on ability score optimization and evolve your Eidolon for maximum combat effectiveness.
13.1 Min-Maxing for Effective Builds
Min-maxing involves optimizing stats and feats to enhance the Summoner’s effectiveness. Focus on boosting charisma for spellcasting and constitution for survivability. Invest in essential feats like Extra Evolution and Improved Initiative to maximize the Eidolon’s potential. Prioritize evolutions that enhance combat prowess or utility, ensuring a balanced yet powerful build that leverages both the Summoner and Eidolon’s strengths effectively in various scenarios.
13.2 Utilizing Advanced Summoning Techniques
Advanced summoning involves mastering complex strategies like optimizing Eidolon evolutions, leveraging spell combos, and timing summons precisely. Focus on enhancing your Eidolon’s abilities through evolution points and strategic feat selection. Adapt your summons to combat scenarios, ensuring they complement party members. Efficient use of summoning spells and abilities can turn the tide of battles, making you a invaluable asset.
Common Mistakes to Avoid as a Summoner
Neglecting Eidolon customization and failing to adapt strategies to combat scenarios are common errors. Overextending spell resources and ignoring environmental challenges can also hinder effectiveness in gameplay.
14.1 Pitfalls in Character Creation
- Avoid poor race choices that don’t synergize with summoning abilities.
- Don’t neglect Wisdom, as it’s crucial for Eidolon and spellcasting;
- Overextending on feats can weaken your Eidolon’s potential.
- Neglecting to optimize stats like Charisma and Constitution early on.
- Ignoring archetypes that enhance your summoner’s unique abilities.
14.2 Avoiding Errors in Combat and Exploration
Avoid overextending your Eidolon in combat, as it can become a target for enemies. Manage your spells wisely, focusing on utility and control rather than direct damage. Ensure your Eidolon is positioned strategically to protect allies without obstructing movement. Avoid relying solely on summoned creatures; balance their use with your own abilities. Keep your Eidolon healed and upgraded to maintain its effectiveness. Don’t neglect exploration tools, as summoners often need to adapt to environmental challenges. Prioritize teamwork and communication to synergize with your party. Overcommitting resources early in encounters can leave you vulnerable later, so pace yourself. Remember, your Eidolon is a partner, not a disposable asset—treat it with care. Stay aware of battlefield hazards and enemy abilities that could target your Eidolon. Lastly, always have a contingency plan for unexpected threats or failures in your strategies.
Summoner Resources and References
Explore the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide for core class details. Online forums and communities offer extensive builds and strategies. Paizo’s official resources provide essential clarifications and updates.
15.1 Essential Pathfinder Books for Summoners
The Advanced Player’s Guide is crucial for Summoners, introducing the class and its core mechanics. The Bestiary provides detailed creature stats, essential for summoning. Ultimate Magic expands spell options, while Monster Codex offers strategic insights for summoning. These resources are vital for optimizing your Summoner build and mastering their unique abilities in both combat and exploration.
15.2 Online Communities and Guides
Online forums like Paizo and Reddit offer extensive resources for Summoners, including optimization guides and strategy discussions. Communities share builds, feat selections, and Eidolon customization tips. YouTube channels and blogs provide in-depth tutorials and class insights. These platforms foster collaboration, helping players refine their Summoner builds and explore advanced techniques, ensuring they stay competitive in both combat and role-playing scenarios.
Mastering the Summoner requires balance and creativity. Experiment with builds, leverage your Eidolon’s strengths, and adapt to challenges. Embrace versatility and enjoy the journey of commanding powerful allies!
16.1 Wrapping Up the Summoner Guide
16.2 Final Thoughts and Encouragement
Crafting a Summoner is a rewarding journey, blending creativity and strategy. Embrace the versatility of the Eidolon and experiment with unique builds. Whether focusing on combat prowess or support roles, the Summoner offers endless possibilities. Don’t hesitate to explore and adapt—every playstyle is valid. With patience and practice, you’ll master this intricate class and lead your party to victory with flair and imagination.
