Echodork's Conjurer Handbook

7/25/2019 Echodork's Conjurer Handbook

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The Conjurers Handbook

Index:

Introduction

What is Conjuration?Specializing in ConjurationFeats

SpellsPrestige Classes and Builds

e!erences

Introduction

What is this Handbook?

This is the Conjurers Handbook" a guide to the care and !eeding o! #our specialist

Wizard$ This Handbook %ill discuss the di!!erent aspects o! building and pla#ing a

Conjurer" including attributes" alternate class !eatures" !eats" &agic ite&s" and prestige

classes$ Well also di'e into the spell list" highlighting i&portant or interesting

Conjuration spells$

What is this Handbook Not?


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This is not a Wizard Handbook$ I assu&e that #ou are alread# !a&iliar %ith ho% a

Wizard is pla#ed$ I in'ite #ou to read Dictum Mortuums Wizard Handbookand The

Logic Ninjas Guide to Being Batmani! #ou ha'ent alread#$

Pla#ing a Wizard" e'en a Focused Conjurer" is about &ore than si&pl# casting

Conjuration spells$ Spells like contingency, greater invisibility, polymorph,

shapechange, dominate person,and e'enfireballand magic missileha'e their place in a

Wizards repertoire$ Its up to #ou to !igure out ho% to co&bine the in!or&ation !ound in

this guide %ith the use!ul spells and strategies inherent in the other schools o! &agic$

Thats %hat being a Wizard is all about(

This Handbook is also not a guide to di'ine &agic$ For the sake o! o%n sanit#" I'eli&ited the crunch# bits in this Handbook to those a'ailable to Wizards and specialist

Wizards$ Sorcerers %ill !ind lots o! use!ul in!or&ation here" and Clerics and )ruids &a#

!ind use!ul tidbits %here their o%n spell lists con'erge %ith the Wizards$

I %ill ad&it up !ront" kno%ledge o! the en'iron&ent books *Frostburn" Ship%rack"

)ungeonscape" etc$+ is so&e%hat lacking$ I ha'e ne'er been in a pla# group that used

these books$ Ill include %hat I kno%" and Ill do best to &aintain the guide %ith

in!or&ation pro'ided b# other posters$

What is Conjuration?

Conjuration is a diverse school of magic that summons or conjures

eects into existence or moves them from one place to another. You

can conjure up walls, creatures, toxic fog, grand banquets, mundane

items, even extra-dimensional mansions. Conjuration also deals with

the elemental planes, conjuring pockets of elemental energ which

can be used for various oensive eects. You can even useConjuration to move ourself, our allies, or our enemies from one

place to another through teleportation magic.

The Subschools

Conjuration spells come in !ve basic "avors. #he are$

Calling:Calling spells transport a creature to our side from anotherplane of existence, usuall to perform some service for ou. Calling

spells summon real, discrete creatures who do not return to their


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native plane if the die while in our service %if ou die in Canada, ou

die for real&. Gateand Planar bindingare calling spells.

Creation:Creation spells create objects or creatures from

nothingness. 'ome creation spells, such as grease, have a duration,which means the item disappears when the spell ends. (ther creation

spells, like wall of stone, are instantaneous. #hese spells conjure real

items which last inde!nitel.

Healing:)ealing spells restore life and cure ailments. *an of the

iconic Cleric healing spells fall into the healing subschool, such

as remove disease, restoration, and all of the curespells. + default,

iards do not get access to Conjuration %)ealing& spells, thoughthere are several was to add them to our spell list.

Summoning:ike calling spells, summoning spells will bring a

creature or object to the place ou desire. /nlike calling spells, all

summoning spells have a duration, and the creature or object

summoned will return to its place of origin when the spell ends. 0f the

creature dies or the object is destroed during the course of the spell,

it will reform 12 hours later at the location it was summonedfrom. Summon monster I-IXand summon swarmare summoning

spells.

Teleportation:#eleportation spells instantl transport creatures or

objects from one place to another. *an teleportation spells, such

as dimension door, simpl move ou around on the same plane. 'ome

of the more powerful spells, likeplane shift, can move ou across

planar boundaries. #eleportation eects are both instantaneous and

permanent, meaning that ou are not held in our new location b

magic, and the eect cannot be reversed or dispelled.

Conjuration Spell Types

hat can ou do as a Conjurer3 #he trite, clich4 answer is 5anthing

ou want,6 but that is also the most complete and most truthful

answer. Conjuration is a ver broad and versatile school of magic, and

it enables a wide variet of combat strategies and tactics. 7ote also


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that this is b no means an exhaustive list of our combat options, this

list simpl enumerates the strengths of the Conjuration school.

8epending on our chosen prohibited schools %if ou choose to

specialie&, there are man other roles ou could ful!ll in addition to

the ones listed here. 9 Conjurer who retains use of his :vocationschool can 'hotgun *age with the best of them;

0 do want to be clear about the purpose of this section. #his section of

the )andbook is not a list of character archetpes. 0


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spells. 'ee the section on @restige Classes for more information.

!isables:8isabling spells %also known as 5debus6& hamper our

enem


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them, so 0 humbl oer ou the 'ummoning )andbook, which expertl

details this area of Conjuration better than 0 could possibl hope to.

#here are a number of feats, alternate class features, and prestige

classes dedicated to summoning. 'o man, in fact, that it


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return to town. Conjuration oers unparalleled mobilit, allowing ou

to move freel through the dungeon, the world, and the multiverse.

+ and large, teleportation spells are usuall bene!cial spells ou


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Specializing in Conjuration

Specialization: Shooting &eter to pay &aul

7ow, before we start talking about specialiation, it should be said

that ou can pla a perfectl respectable Conjurer as a generalist

iard. You can take 'pell =ocus$ Conjuration and pla

ControllerK8isabler with walls and clouds, or ou can take 9ugment

'ummoning and command a legion of =iendish 8ire +adgers.

)owever, specialiing opens up a lot of doors. You get access to

*aster 'pecialist for one, which is an excellent prestige class with lots

of useful, unique bene!ts. You also gain access to the /nearthed9rcana Conjurer variants, all of which are extremel useful. =or the

sake of this handbook, let


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metagaming for ou$ there are fewer :nchantment spells in the 'pell

Compendium than an other school %and there are no Ith or Jth level

spells&. ith that in mind, :nchantment seems like an excellent

candidate to forbid.

)$ocation::vocation has long been the favorite !rst choice of

schools to dump b iards everwhere. :vocation is our blast

school, full of spells that let ou roll lots of dJs. 8on


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and both schools are easil replaced b spells from other schools.

7ever forbid #ransmutation.

(lternate Class 'eatures

!ude, Where-s .y 'amiliar?

9s a level F Conjurer, ou have some choices. #here are lots of

fantastic options available to ou as alternate class features.

)nhanced Summoning%(::nhanced 'ummoning gives ou variant

abilities at level F, I, and FD. 0f ou opt to accept this variant, oumust accept all three abilities, ou can


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spell. 9 level F =ocused Conjurer would have F spell per da of his

choice, plus G bonus Conjuration spells. #his gives ou more total

spells per da, but makes ou hper-focused on the Conjuration spell

school. uck for us, Conjuration is an excellent all-around school, and

is one of the best %if not #): best& school for =ocused 'pecialiing.

=ocused 'pecialist will give ou a simpl ridiculous number of spells

per da. 0f ou choose to become a =ocused Conjurer, ou


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can avoid suering a full attack if ou can escape its threat range with

9brupt Naunt. #hat


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Conjurer 'eats

#hroughout the splatbooks, there are a number of feats which appl

speci!call to Conjurers or Conjuration spells. #his is not an exhaustive

list of feats that are good for iards, these are just the feats that

showcase Conjuration spells or abilities.

General 'eats

Core 'eats

(ugment Summoning:9 no-brainer feat for 'ummoners, 9ugment

'ummoning bus all of our summoned creatures at no cost. You canget 9ugment 'ummoning for free with the :nhanced 'ummoning

alternate class feature, and it comes free with #haumaturgist 1.

*mpro$ed *nitiati$e:)onestl, not terrible. 9s 0


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(rcane !iscipleC!:Choose the 'ummoning domain, and this feat

adds lesser planar all#to our spell list and allows ou to qualif for

#haumaturgist. Choosing the )ealing domain will open up #ouch of

)ealing. 7ote that ou need is FDOspell level to memorie or cast

these domain spells, which ma be prohibitive.

(rcane Thesis&HB/:0 love me some 9rcane #hesis, but it


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=or cloudkilland other clouds that move, ou


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'iery BurstC.:#he other good damage reserve feat. =ier +urst is

nice because it aects a FDxFDE area, although it allows a ?e"ex

save. %rb of $reis the best fourth level (rb spell for ou to memorie,

which sncs up nicel with this feat during the mid levels.

Summon )lementalC.:'ummons a small elemental for a couple

rounds and gives ou OF C on summoning spells. #he short duration

and small sie limit the elemental


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Core 'eats

)nlarge Spell:hat3 ho takes :nlarge3 ell, ou


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Sculpt SpellC(rc:@robabl the +:'# metamagic feat for Conjurers,

because of the control it aords ou over our area spells. You can

sculpt our incendiar# cloudinto FD< cubes to avoid our allies, or ou

can !ll a long, narrow hallwa with F1D< worth of acid fog. #here arelots of amaing things ou can do with 'culpt 'pell, because so man

of our spells are bursts and spreads.

Sudden 7C(rc:(nceKda is kind of lame, but here


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0n cases where the @)+ and '?8 dier in regards to a spell


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8esser 9rb o5 Whate$erSC:0t does damage, it doesn


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+on4Core

Bale5ul TranspositionSC:9s benign transposition!but the targets

need not be willing. 'wap our big dumb =ighter with the other team


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caster level. #he steed can get ou places in a hurr, long before ou

can teleport. 9t C F2, the steed can ", which is essentiall the same

as overland *ight.

Sepia Snake Sigil:@rovides a permanent-duration trap for would-be

spellbook thieves.Stinking Cloud:=unctionall identical to cloud of bewilderment,

except a larger radius and a longer range. #ake it in core, use the

lower level spell in non-core.

+on4Core

(cid BreathSC

:=ireball, kinda. 0 mention it because sometimes oujust need to spit acid.

Corpse CandleSC:?eveals invisible and hidden creatures and objects.

@resumabl, that means the candle !nds valuables hidden in a room,

reveals treasure on or inside creatures, and reveals secret doors. 0t

moves ID< a round, which is a lot of territor to cover. =inall, revealed

creatures don


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level spell. 9nother O1 9C isn


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fogblocks line of sight, provides concealment, and slows all

movement to I< a turn. 7o '?, no save. #his spell lets ou put a group

of monsters completel out of our mind for several rounds, as the

struggle to penetrate the perimeter of the fog. You can


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direct ou to the @lanar 9llK+inding threadstarted b tiluviasRR. #he

normal and greater versions of this spell are much more useful.

Secret Chest:0f ou need to hide something but good, this is our

spell. #hrow some horribl important plot item ou were tasked to

protect into the chest, and if unless our enemies mount a full-scale:thereal investigation, it 5there


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!imension Shu=e&HB/:#he crown of the 5rearrange the battle!eld6

line of spells, this lets ou move friends and foes alike. 7o two targets

can be more than GD< apart, but ou can completel reorganie a tight

battle however ou see !t. 7o somatic.

!ragon (lly, 8esserSC:Bet a Velekhut instead, he


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check.

+on4Core

'reezing 'ogSC:0t


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'eventh level is a little thin, but there are still some powerful abilities.

#he olarut is a terri!c creature to call, and his presence can turn

diAcult battles into free loot. You also get several important travel

options, and stun ra#is as an excellent save-or-lose that isn


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more of these.

)ighth 8e$el Spells

)azeis our ultimate isolation spell. Greater planar bindingis an

excellent spell at the ver least, and it has the potential to wreck

entire campaigns without too much trouble.

Core

*ncendiary Cloud:Your most damaging cloud, but lacks the

movement-stopping properties ofsolid fogand similar spells. Boodspell to use if ou


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mediocre.

'ierce &ride o5 the BeastlandsSC:#he good news is, ou get a pack

of celestial lions and dire lions. :ven better, the sta with ou a good

long time. #he bad news is, prett much nobod ou !ght at level FI

is going to care much about our pack of I )8 kittens. 'till, 0


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(byssal (rmySC:'ee $erce pride of the beastlands. You get a bunch

of cuddl little critters for FD minutesKlevel. #he neat part

about ab#ssal arm#is that ou can command our demon buddies to

summon more demon buddies. 0t


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take half damage and get bull rushed. You can use the bull rush eect

to push creatures back into one of our existing cloud spells, or ou

can simpl bur them in snow and blast them when the emerge.

Breat for hugging a room full of goblins. 9nd when 0 sa hugging, 0

mean killing. 9nd when 0 sa goblins, 0 mean giants.Sphere o5 %ltimate !estructionSC:0t


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templates ou alread have access to. #he class features are

mediocre, ou get two bonus feats %which base iards would get

anwa& in exchange for permanentl crippling our abilit to interact

with people and nonpseudonatural creatures. You can do better than

this.

(rchmage:7ot all of the 9rchmage abilities are useful to ou, but

some are. 9rcane ?each is tpicall considered the best abilit, but

Conjuration doesn


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monsterspells, which reall narrows our focus as an arcane caster.

You get a couple minor bonuses that appl toplanar bindingspells as

well, butplanar bindingis plent broken without prestiging into

*alconvokerX these abilities aren


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monsterspells&, and ou get 9ugment 'ummoning for free. #he abilit

to cast contingent summon spells is not all that useful, as the spell

level of the contingent spell is ver low %FKG our caster level&.

)owever, the planar cohort is absolutel fantastic> at level FS, ou

can hire a @lanetar who casts spells as a FHth level Cleric. 0f our 8*disallows cohorts, then #haumaturgist is a ver bland prestige class.

%ltimate .agusC.:7ot an eective choice for a Conjurer. You lose

caster levels %1 if ou use the @racticed 'pellcaster trick, 2 if not&,

which precludes ou from being an eective 'ummoner. #he /ltimate

*agus


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?ecaster, but ou gain 'udden Puicken and the caster level boosts

from *aster 'pecialist, and ou retain full 1DK1D spell progression with

better racial bonuses. #his is the route m own Conjurer plans to take.

#o get into #haumaturgist, ou need to take 9rcane 8isciple before

level FD.

Summoned .onster Specialist

Conjurer G *aster 'pecialist 1 *alconvoker I *aster 'pecialist

G-H #haumaturgist I

=orbidden 'chools$ :nchantment, :vocation

9lternate Class =eatures$ :nhanced 'ummoning, ?apid 'ummoning

#his is m choice of builds for a Conjurer who wishes to focus on

casting summon monsterandplanar bindingspells. 0f ou use summon

monsterto summon an evil-aligned creature, ou summon two

creatures instead of one, and the creatures get O1 damage per attack,

O2 'trKCon, O1 ill save, and bonus hit points equal to our caster

level O1 hit points per )8 of the creature. #he spell

Echodork's Conjurer Handbook

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