6 player group....and using summons..... - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

6 player group....and using summons.....

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
xtimmyx
May 02, 2011 17:09:05 i'm in a 6 player group and my character has died, so i'm writing up a new one..... i'm REALLY wanting to play a necromancer master specialist undead summoner type character, how ever there's already a number of other players and adding in "undead allies" as much as 6-10 at a time via animate undead would be too much and i feel as if the other characters will be standing around doing nothing.... what can i do to help this situation?
#2
m4kitsu
May 02, 2011 23:03:07
what can i do to help this situation?

Simple: don't play a summoner.

I'm serious. It sounds like you know that spamming the board with a bunch of summoned undead is only going to bog down gameplay even more than a large group already experiences, so the simplest solution is to find something else to play. Save that for a campaign that's short on PCs and needs the firepower, or for a DM that's better at juggling encounters.

Summoning (I presume you're playing 3.X) is one of the nastiest mechanics to deal with precisely because it slows gameplay down like nearly nothing else. As a DM, I heavily restricted its use in games precisely because of that. Nobody has any fun (except maybe by breaking out their DSes) when the summoner's turn comes up, because they all know it's going to be two hours of him rolling dice for his monsters against the DM rolling dice for his, and at that point the rest of the group may as well go home and you and the DM play a game of Warhammer instead.
#3
rambaldi
May 03, 2011 0:04:05 If you are set on the idea of a necromancer maybe try working with the DM and refluffing some spells etc. giving them an undead feel. Rather than a flaming sphere you have a rabid dog you have raised. Instead of a fireball you have a skull of some creature that you throw and then it explodes, or maybe you raise a bird which then flies over and explodes.
#4
jhanzur
May 03, 2011 5:04:40 Is this 4e or 3.5e? In 4th, I wouldn't worry about cluttering the battlefield of slowing things down. You're likely only going to have 1 summon out per encounter(MAX), and you're going to have to give it your actions to do things.
The most recent 4e release also has a mage build for necromancy that isn't entirely based on summoning. Check it out if you have access to the online CB.

In 3.5, I wouldn't, because if I remember correctly, they'll all get actions, and it's going to take FOREVER to get through your turns.
#5
mccowen
May 03, 2011 13:03:26
Is this 4e or 3.5e?

It's 3.x. Animate undead doesn't exist in 4e, for exactly this reason.

Basically, +1 to the thread: summoning characters always bog the game down, because you get as many turns as you have summons. There's no way around it except to play a different sort of PC.
#6
solik
May 04, 2011 14:01:29 Play something without summons, then reflavor everything you do as using summons.

You don't cast Magic Missile; you summon skeletal bats, which flyby attack the enemy before vanishing. You don't get hit; your zombie minion got hit, until that one that took you to below 0 HP, in which case they finally got past your minions and delivered you a crushing blow.

Use actual minions out of combat, though, to carry your stuff, probe for traps, or whatever else you like.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 xtimmyx May 02, 2011 17:09:05	i'm in a 6 player group and my character has died, so i'm writing up a new one..... i'm REALLY wanting to play a necromancer master specialist undead summoner type character, how ever there's already a number of other players and adding in "undead allies" as much as 6-10 at a time via animate undead would be too much and i feel as if the other characters will be standing around doing nothing.... what can i do to help this situation?
#2 m4kitsu May 02, 2011 23:03:07	what can i do to help this situation? Simple: don't play a summoner. I'm serious. It sounds like you know that spamming the board with a bunch of summoned undead is only going to bog down gameplay even more than a large group already experiences, so the simplest solution is to find something else to play. Save that for a campaign that's short on PCs and needs the firepower, or for a DM that's better at juggling encounters. Summoning (I presume you're playing 3.X) is one of the nastiest mechanics to deal with precisely because it slows gameplay down like nearly nothing else. As a DM, I heavily restricted its use in games precisely because of that. Nobody has any fun (except maybe by breaking out their DSes) when the summoner's turn comes up, because they all know it's going to be two hours of him rolling dice for his monsters against the DM rolling dice for his, and at that point the rest of the group may as well go home and you and the DM play a game of Warhammer instead.
#3 rambaldi May 03, 2011 0:04:05	If you are set on the idea of a necromancer maybe try working with the DM and refluffing some spells etc. giving them an undead feel. Rather than a flaming sphere you have a rabid dog you have raised. Instead of a fireball you have a skull of some creature that you throw and then it explodes, or maybe you raise a bird which then flies over and explodes.
#4 jhanzur May 03, 2011 5:04:40	Is this 4e or 3.5e? In 4th, I wouldn't worry about cluttering the battlefield of slowing things down. You're likely only going to have 1 summon out per encounter(MAX), and you're going to have to give it your actions to do things. The most recent 4e release also has a mage build for necromancy that isn't entirely based on summoning. Check it out if you have access to the online CB. In 3.5, I wouldn't, because if I remember correctly, they'll all get actions, and it's going to take FOREVER to get through your turns.
#5 mccowen May 03, 2011 13:03:26	Is this 4e or 3.5e? It's 3.x. Animate undead doesn't exist in 4e, for exactly this reason. Basically, +1 to the thread: summoning characters always bog the game down, because you get as many turns as you have summons. There's no way around it except to play a different sort of PC.
#6 solik May 04, 2011 14:01:29	Play something without summons, then reflavor everything you do as using summons. You don't cast Magic Missile; you summon skeletal bats, which flyby attack the enemy before vanishing. You don't get hit; your zombie minion got hit, until that one that took you to below 0 HP, in which case they finally got past your minions and delivered you a crushing blow. Use actual minions out of combat, though, to carry your stuff, probe for traps, or whatever else you like.