Summoner Class

Just toying with a thought - it is far from developed, and I woul denjoy hearing some feedback from th eplayerbase and maybe some ideas on skills and development.

Anyhow, the idea is this. The class is based around summoned pets, but not like a necro. Rather, their summoned pet is what grants them their power. They have a slew of different pets they can summon, but they can only have ONE summoned at a time. Each type of pet allows for different skillsets, for so long as it remains alive. The pets would do minimal melee damage, but would be hard as hell to kill.

On top of this, the class would get an aura (Greater Binding?) that they can cast which, while it is up, binds the pet to their side. This means that if they flee, the pet flees simultaneously. If they are summoned, the pet comes right along. Recall, same thing. Also, they are immune to isolate.

The summoning spell would have a decent recast time, and drain a significant amount of mana and maybe hp as well. IE. it's a powerful spell, and the caster would need time to recuperate back to full health. If they battle without the aura, or the aura gets dispelled, they are vulnerable to be summoned away from their pet, isolated, or disconnected from their pet by fleeing. If the pet is not by their side, they lose the skills/spells gleaned from that pet until they connect back up with it. Also, the aura can only be cast when their pet is by their side.

All in all, I think the idea of opening up differing skillsets would allow for a neat class that is versatile and fun, and the cost of losing that pet would be a good balancer.

So what do you think? Like it? What type of skills/spells would you tie to different summonings? I would be interested to hear your thoughts...

Interesting, unique idea. Obviously needs tremendous amounts of fleshing out with regards to the specific skills/spells and balance, of course, but the concept is very unique.

Hrmm if each mob made for differnet skill set has the sounding of a very very versitile class.

Another cool spell the summoner could have is the ability to craft weapons for the summoned pets (i.e. give the class the ability to gain a weapon advantage with a minimally damaging charmie).

I could see this idea replacing psions with a hybrid of psion and new skills.

I know a spell they should have.... SUMMON! (the regular one)

Well, I'd say they sound VERY interesting.

Well, it seems like people are interested in this, so help me flesh it out a bit.

I'm thinking in terms of maybe having 5 potential pets to choose from:

Air elemental, Earth elemental, Fire elemental, Water elemental, Chaos elemental

Looking to have one that gives highly defensive skills, one that does melee, one that is just raw spell damage, one that gives healing skills and such, and one that allows some element of stealth abilities.

I thought to go with elementals b/c it can make RP sense to draw power off the nature of a bound elemental.

So... any ideas of what elementals shoudl grant what groups of skills? And what skills/spells would make good for these groups? Thoughts?

Merely base them on the Ninjitsu philosophies;

air is quick nimble and hard to hit,

earth sturdy and hard in defense,

fire is as series of explosive attacks,

water fluid, offensive but just as deadly as fire in a more drawn out way (like tiger vs crane almost),

Chaos (void for ninjitsu) is well. I dont know how to apply it here, but I would imagine it to be strongest and last beast summoned.

Hrmm, just a concept.

Oh and im not suggesting htem be like ninjas or anything, just the motivation/idea behind the sort of style.

As long as they get Bahamut I'm happy.

I guess you'd have to make sure that even if they didn't have a pet with them that they have somewhat of a way to protect themselves. Otherwise, if they are somehow removed from their pet, they would be dead in no time. ALL of their defensive power I don't think should come from the beast, but perhaps most of their offensive power should. That way, if they are seperated from their pet, they don't lose their defenses, but lose a considerable amount of offensive power.

Bahamut Zero ftw.

As long as they get Bahamut I'm happy.

In all seriousness, I like the idea. They would be like...Mage Monks. Somewhat like an antithesis to Blademasters, although that isn't the best comparison.

As always, I am now going to construct a base model and see how it looks.

Skills

Level 1: Dagger, Staff, Mace, Meditation, Wands, Staves, Scrolls, Recall

Level 5: Fast Healing

Level 7: Haggle

Level 8: Trance

Level 11: Parry

Level 13: Second Attack

Level 19: Hand to Hand

Level 29: Shield Block

Level 40: Intensify

Spells

Level 1: Magic Missile, Infravision

Level 3: Detect Magic

Level 5: Invisibility, Comprehend Languages

Level 8: Detect Invisibility

Level 10: Teleport

Level 15: Convoke

Level 23: Delay

Level 30: Restrain

Level 32: Word of Recall

Level 38: Extirpate

Level 42: Glimpse

Intensify

Syntax: Intensify

With extreme focus, a Summoner is able to draw out the duration of their vassal’s duration under their control by increasing the bond between them. This is difficult and will often leave the Summoner vulnerable afterwards, but can also be a sure way to avoid death in many circumstances.

Convoke

Syntax: cast ‘convoke’

Summoners have learned how convoke creatures to serve them. The variety, strength, and duration of the conjuration depends on the level of the Summoner, as well as their alignment.

General/Elemental:

Living Inferno - A swirling haze of fire and brimstone

Caustic Cloud - Searing clouds of poisonous gas

Whirling Blizzard - Destructive ice storm

Stone Hands - Immense, powerful hands hewn of stone

Groping Foliage - Powerful ensnaring vines

Skittering Chaos - Random effects

Good:

Angelic Page - Clerical vassal

Divine Hussar - Lagging vassal

Ethereal Knight - Guardian vassal

Holy Ward - Clerical/Melee vassal

Evil:

Raging Demon - Lagging vassal, melee

Dementia Incarnate - Clerical vassal

Deadly Pudding - Malady vassal

Noxious Slagbeast - Malady/Melee vassal

Neutral:

Stalwart Sentry - Melee, dirt kick

Formless Guardian - Melee, lag/disarm

Juggernaut - High damage, no defense melee

Incorporeal Hellion - Low damage, combat tricks

Delay

Syntax: cast ‘delay’

An alternative to convoking, this will bring about a being of your choice at a later point and will replace your current conjured being immediately.

Restrain

Syntax: cast ‘restrain’

Encased in magical shackles, the chosen target will find it difficult to travel, as well as perform certain attacks.

Glimpse

Syntax: cast ‘glimpse’

This spell is a means to use the channels of convoking to examine a chosen target, instead of summoning them, you simply view them. You will see their condition, their wares, their enchantments, and what they carry. They will feel a tug on them as you bend the arcane to do the spell.

Extirpate

Syntax: cast 'extirpate'

Summoners have found a way to unleash a wave of arcana that will render all attempts at isolation moot. This will also keep the caster of such spells from doing so for a long duration.

I think this is a good rough sketch. It needs a lot of work, but it was just an idea.

Oooo... I like.

I'm not real sure about glimpse - might be neat to catch a brief glimpse of teh room or area they are in, rather than what they are wearing and their condition. Either do it by the room name, so you would have to actually recognize the exact room, or the area name, so you would be able to know their general whereabouts, but still have to get there and search a bit.

And what is extirpate?

I am assuming intensify is the aura that eliminates isolate/summon/etc. Because of how vital each vassal is to the skillsets, I would make it alittle earlier. For a later skill/spell, what do you think about...

Imbue Essence:

The idea here is that the caster takes on some of the elements of teh vassal. It's a deeper extension of drawing from teh vassals power, except instead of opening up abilities, it creates effects. For example, imbuing the essence of the Juggernaut vassal might give the summoner a boost to HP, Hit/Dam, and HP regen. It woudl diffee between vassals, but the idea is that you become more suited to the task that vassal specializes in.

Delay would be nifty if you could pick an amount of time you could go without the summoned mob. Basically go into combat without one and be totally vulnerable and people wonder what the hell you're doing and then the very next tick Summoner waves his hand in a certain motion and some incredibly powerful beast comes out of nowhere to his rescue beating the **** out of the person and changing the tides of battle.

Works. I just wanted a bare bones model to flesh out. Imbue could have a duration like Strength Damned, but would be very useful for giving the Summoner a lot of benefits.

Oooo... I like.

I'm not real sure about glimpse - might be neat to catch a brief glimpse of teh room or area they are in, rather than what they are wearing and their condition. Either do it by the room name, so you would have to actually recognize the exact room, or the area name, so you would be able to know their general whereabouts, but still have to get there and search a bit.

And what is extirpate?

I am assuming intensify is the aura that eliminates isolate/summon/etc. Because of how vital each vassal is to the skillsets, I would make it alittle earlier. For a later skill/spell, what do you think about...

Imbue Essence:

The idea here is that the caster takes on some of the elements of teh vassal. It's a deeper extension of drawing from teh vassals power, except instead of opening up abilities, it creates effects. For example, imbuing the essence of the Juggernaut vassal might give the summoner a boost to HP, Hit/Dam, and HP regen. It woudl diffee between vassals, but the idea is that you become more suited to the task that vassal specializes in.

been out of town on a road trip w/ teh wife for the past two weeks, so I haven't developed much of this. But I want to continue fleshing it out a bit. What did you say extirpate was?

I'm gonna print otu what we have and modify some stuff so that I have abilities I could tie to each vassal. The concept I had is not so much that the vassal itself does a lot of damage - it should be really tough to kill, but not necessarily the damage giver. Rather, having the vassal around gives the summoner certain spells and abilities that make HIM capable of dishing out damage. IE., angelic page might give the summoner spells like Wrath, Cure Critical, Steel Wall, and some abilities that may be unique to the summoner, but still clerical in concept.

Of course, if teh vassal dies or is somehow dispelled, all those spells/abilities go with it...

As long as they get Bahamut I'm happy.

I actually lol'ed at that.

hehe - I went back and reread extirpate and figured out what that was referring to. If skills/abilities are based on the vassal, I would make extirpate available when the first vassal is. And it should be an aura that binds the vassal beyond just preventing isolation, but also from being summoned away from teh summoner.

Also, I would make the vassals chosen like paths, adding to them as they get higher in level, much as a blademaster does with his stances.

I know this might sound cheesy and such but think of Pokemon. There will need to be a way to summon, dismiss, switch and use the skills. Cant think of anything at the moment but that is what I thought when I read the first post.

A Pokemon version of FL? Eew.

Not that this adds much, but as you said the summoning should drain Hp+Mana, maybe have it have an initial spell cost that would be static for all convokations. Then, depending on which pet is summoned give them all like a request timer that would be the balancer for power of the pet.