@@ManAmazing-eb6ekJust cause other than if you get the Danse Macabre skill, you don't get the higher level summons. So while their Aura of Hate is incredible. Going 7 Levels of Paladin locks you out from 5th/6th level spells. It's not like having 3 zombies around you with that Aura is bad by any means, it's what I meant about give all the stats to all the summons. Just as the summoner themselves, they lack the options. Having to wait til 11th level for multiple 22HP Zombies is tough to recommend. Could have brought it up, though!
The item you talk about is the Necromancy of Thay book you get in act 1 (you get the book from the secret wizard laboratory in the blighted village behind the magic mirror, and you activate it with the gem you get after killing the phase spider matriarch) You need a quest in act 3 to read the last page, that gives you the ability to summon ghouls
Also, little sidenote, but since it is already a good idea to include a Paladin (Oathbreaker especially) in a summoning party, to protect from AoE spells, if you take the inspiring leader feat, that should also give all your minions a lot more HP and survivability
Important to note about zombies - they inflict a disease on hit for 1 turn, if in that time, the target dies of anything, a "Newborn Zombie" is immediately summoned, which is computer controlled and follows the zombie that created it. It has 10 base HP and loses 1hp each turn, but they too can create the newborn zombies. It gets out of hand really fast, and comically so if you're a Necromancer Wizard like I've been playing.
@@theukwolfy No spoilers, but act 2 is tough for this specifically. But there's a trick - you can raise multiple zombies from one corpse for some reason. So you can keep returning to a fight from hours ago, refreshing your horde at the cost of one corpse. Give necro another shot! It's been insane here towards end of the game.
If your looking for the Danse Macarbre skill, the 6 ghouls one read Spoilers below... Necromancy of Thay book from act 1 with the Gem and I imagine you have to pass the skill checks when you read it (the ones that gives you speak to Undead) but I'm not sure, then in the lower city of Baldurs gate in the arcane shop (where gale asks to go) there is 2 Vaults with a book each the one in the Elminster vault will curse you (which you can just Remove curse) and will allow you to read the necromancy of Thay book giving you the Skill it requires 6 corpses but if you only have 1 you can still summon just the one ghoul and they can paralyses enemies with their basic.
For anyone wondering. To get the spell that summons six ghoul's you have to complete the Necromancy of Thay book quest. After you get finish passing all the checks in Act 1 you will have to hold on to the book and stone until Act 3 when you get bauldurs gate. Go to the big Magic shop gale will talk and run through the whole thing. In the vaults beneath the building you will find a book the will allow you to read the final page of the Necromancy book, thus unlocking the spell
ye i play with 6ghoul and 1fire elemental with my wizard + my bard make air elemental too. btw if u kill the necromancer in act3 u can loot his staff and u can spam spellslot 5 necromancy aoe spell. u can swap back to ur legendary staff coz the necro staff buff still on u
I feel like the Spore Druid zombies were very glossed over here. Very bad class early on but getting Animate Dead at 5 and 4 charges of Fungal Infestation at 6 that can stack gives you a full swarm of 5 zombies that can all spread zombification to anyone they attack and you get Druid support spells on top of it
Shh, keep it a secret. ;) I had little issue with the class being a Drow dual wielding hand xbows. Decent non-spell damage with the nectrotic damage add, and the big chunk of temp hp's.
A Spore Druid half wood elf I s my first play through of BG3, and one of my favorites. It’s a complex balance to achieve in beginning game, however proper teamwork helps a lot. I did dual wielding with scimitars, because I had my Dex as my main and wisdom as my second. The result is a Natures blade which is oh so gratifying
It's kind of disappointing that youcan't spec into a summon focused build with warlock where you can either summon a horde of smaller demons or one big one.
Spoilers: Abyss Beckoners: Demonspirit Aura: The wearer’s summoned creature has resistance to all damage except Psychic damage. At the start of the summoned creature’s turn, it must succeed a Wisdom Saving Throw or be driven Mad. It just requires you to steal from the Zhents
Becon of hope and the buff from the paladin aura would go crazy. The whole squad would get healed for max, make great saves and great wisdom saves especially.
Notable for the familiars: A wizard can add the summon Quasit spell from the blighted village to their spellbook and gain permanent access to it that way
You can get Shovel on Gale, and one other part member (any caster class other than cleric and storm sorcerer I think, simultaneously. My MC respecced to wizard, had Gale summon Shovel after paying to learn the scroll in the basement. Then, leave the first conversation between Shovel and Gale and switch characters so your MC talks to Shovel instead. Then, do the mirror puzzle with the Mc and talk to shovel when you passed the mirror and viola. MC can summon once for no cost per short rest, while Gale can summon him for a level 1 spell slot.
Djinni is wild. Cleric is like 75% of a party member in damage, but that Djinni is also 75% of a party member. Crazy mobility and such utility with the knock back.
So I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but there is a weapon you can make in Moonrise Tower that allows you to summon one of the Shadows that you've encountered throughout the act once per long rest. Search Balthazar's room in the tower and you might just find a neat lil secret. I don't have the save myself or I'd add their stats as well, but it's a nifty addition to a Necromancer's army.
It stinks that you're the only one who even tried to list all Summons instead of a clickbait "best summons" video, bc learning of some Summons that aren't listed, it makes me wanna know who all else is available.
Honestly the 6 ghouls can carry your party soooooo easily. I was in the House of Hope room with the spectators and imps and my ghouls took them all out thanks to lucky paralysis. 6 ghouls + dryad + woad + spiritual weapon + guardian of faith + planar ally + elemental was usually what I stopped at just because it was getting a little annoying with all the clicking and stuff
A few summons that were left out: Scratch, Us, that white raven you get as a ring (or is it amulet) ability from a quest in act 2. It's just a raven with slightly better stats.
Oathbreaker Paladin was a bit left out of this video imo, as they have some interesting Summon related abilities, although probably would never be your full caster. They get Control Undead as an Oath Spell, which lets you control an enemy undead until long rest. At Level 6 I think they get Animate Dead, but I'm pretty sure they get it at some point. The generic Paladin protection aura is great at protecting summons against dex save AoE spells, and their Aura of Hate adds their charisma modifier to the damage of nearby Fiends and Undead (and maybe their attack rolls as well, I don't remember.) Was thinking for a more evil playthrough, a Necromancer or Spore Druid supported by Oathbreaker Paladin could be a bunch of fun.
Thanks for this video. I was wondering about a summoner build. I'm upset that Warlock, which literally has a pact with a demon/god, has no demonic/fey summons beyond an imp and a quasit... why???
think about it this way... do you really think your MASTER (you are in fact their SLAVE) would allow you to command THEIR forces? cus i dont think they would...
That's a shame. One of the funny things you can do in tabletop is summon a Barlgura or other demon behind your enemies and watch the chaos unfold as it rampages.
I accidentally summoned a level 5 elemental at a level 6 slot on Jaherira and got a totally OP Water Myrmiddon that can mass heal every 3 turns, and teleport to enemies as a bonus action, 3 lines of damage and 127 HP like whoah!
I played with both summon elemental and summon planar ally in the late game as summons and they felt incredibly strong to have around. Definetly would recommend!
Full party: me: half elf necromancer, jaheira respec spore druid, minthara Oathbreaker paladin, last position open to anyone (Gale/necro, Whyll tome/necro, Shadowheart/respec). This is the party of villains in my dnd campaign where they try to summon vecna before my players can stop them. The final fight Vecna raises them as wights to rebuild a powerful undead army. In 5e there’s a death themed subclass for nearly every class. This is the best I could do for bg3 but it’s totally fun.
I'm actually happy you included the Beast Master pets. I was thinking about playing one, and this just made me more excited to try it out. I look forward to playing with my bear! xD
Ive never commented on a youtube vid in my life. But i felt obligated to say this video is fantastic. The formatting is nice and informative and you're orating skills are nice.
At only once per short rest, it's not as useful as the REAL cantrips in the game that can be cast infinitely. I refuse to even call it a cantrip given it's severe limitation on usage
The way I see it, if a summon prevents more damage to my party (by being a dumb meat shield to take hits) than an equal-level spell slot could heal back after battle, the summon was worth it even if it did no damage.
I feel Spore Druid is the best summoner. Im in Middle Act 3, my druid has: 3 skeletons, a familiar, 4 spore zombies, 4 ghouls, a dryad, an ent, 2 minor elementals, and a normal elemental, anytime the zombies get a kill i get a temporary zombie and my druid is near impossible to kill as they can gain 40+ temp health with one ability. By the way, everyone on my party of four is a druid. :)
The Djini is basically throwing AOE thunderwave hand grenades every turn while also actually having as much HP as a barbarian I love that creature so much.
Im not sure what other spells you can put on them or how they may affect them (im still in act 1 ). Could make them worse or better, especially in the early game, as your summons will be weak, but it is worth testing out different spells and potions before combat that way you can get the most out of them with less down sides
@@JohnnyBlake-bu4hl yea. The imo is great early game. And the water elementals are solid later. Definitely not the strongest summons but they are great as an aid/bonus. Sort of a best of both worlds
There are gauntlet that give an aoe effect boosting summons damages, but they have to succed a wisdom roll to not go insane, it's a very rare red item, i think it's sold by dark dwarf in the underdark, not sur but it's definitly in act 1. Lucky me, my second playthrough is a spore druide.
The danse Macabre skill come from the Necromancy of Thay book, in Act 1. When you first get it you need to unlock it a first time, granting bonus on wisdom saving throw and talk with dead. Then in baldur gate act 3 you can unlock it a second time to get dance macabre.
I did a Spore Druid for my first run of the game and it was amazing. Basically I summoned a bunch of ghouls thanks to a certain book and then I just stayed back summoning lightning from afar!
I appreciate the spoiler-free comment. People have been coming in here posting that thing every third comment it feels like, haha. Glad you had a good go of it!
@@Ghostzapper No problem lol, it's a big game and I know most people don't have the time to play a lot of hours so many people haven't finished it yet, I wouldn't like people to spoil me the game so I try to do the same :) But yeah, summoner builds are really fun and you video game me some ideas haha
One early game nod in favor of the Imp and Quasit(or Shovel) is their at will Invisibility. This means they can often avoid being thrown into a fight with the rest of the party. Once you see a nice opening in enemy positioning you can guide them in for a sort of assassination strike; since they aren't considered to be in combat you can select and move them at any point where someone in your group has initiative.
One thing you missed about the level 11 raven that's so cool: their flight now leaves a small cloud of darkness upon landing. Since they and their summons are immune to being blinded from darkness, you can do crazy shenanigans. With bonus action disengage, you can hop around, blidning enemies for free, and still get two attacks off (with advantage!). Add in a character with devil's sight and you can absolutely bully some fools, giving advantage to your attacks and disadvantage to enemies.
High spell level summons have saved my ass a few times, especially some difficult act 3 encounters. Elementals specifically are great, most have at least 1 direct and aoe attack as well as good relocation abilities
Hi there, so a previous comment (Fzoulcmbyl2134) said to do 11 levels of cleric and 1 of wizard. Does that mean the very last upgrade level should be lvl 1 wizard? Or, can you dip into that level one wizard at any point? Also it doesn't matter which type of cleric? I'm just trying to get as many summons as possible, like a pokemon master ha ha ha. Thanks for all the responses!
Thinking of starting as cleric, then tap into wizard. MAYBE another dip into ranger for beast companion. Is that ideal or am I unknowingly hindering myself.
1 Level of Wizard at any time is fine. That's just for learning spell scrolls. Doesn't matter which type of Cleric. And Ranger dip will make you unable to cast 6th level spells if you got deep enough to get the companion subclass. Companion will be extremely weak as that levels up with Ranger levels, too.
Danse Macabre has seemingly been nerfed in the latest patch. I was finishing Act 3 when the update went into effect and it changed the summon from 6 undead to 4 and you do not have control of the summons anymore.
It probably "needed" the nerf. Didn't realize it got double tapped. But not having to control them might mean slightly more people will want to use it. Still seems really good! Thanks for the update!
@@Ghostzapper well atleast i wont have to go looking for them xD thx, well im interested in all ^^'' kind of, would have been awsome to have the lvl's , class or subclass that gous with them, i know you give a lot of info but im not a D&D player and i only understand half of what you are saying =P any way thx i realy wanted to know everything you can summon or pet, just seem there is a lot for act 2 or later over lvl 6-7 i gues?
@@toonstyle1 Gotcha. I was saying the Level of Spell before the summon. Like Animate Dead is a 3rd Level spell, etc. If you're not familiar with D&D can be weird to learn that 3rd Levels spells aren't learned at 3rd Level, so I get you, lol! If you're a full caster class (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock* is kinda special). 1st Level Spells are Learned at Level 1, 2nd Level Spells at 3, 3rd at 5, 4th at 7, 5th at 9, and 6th at 11. So you're right, most good stuff won't start showing up til Level 7. Best stuff not til the endgame!
i dont much play summoner but i do tend to do a lot of building (for me and friends so im the wiki slave) but i was thinking some version of cleric + druid could be coolfor the same reason you like straight druid so you arent 100 percent a straight summoner and have some more utility on your bones , and i agree i think making wizard a straight blaster is normally the better way to go so instead of making a better class"worse" we make a "worse" class (worse meaning less damage focused in this context i suppose) better by giving a supporty member more units and ways to support
Good timing, I'd been thinking about another playthrough with a summoner group. Fully agree that clerics are awesome, but so are druids - definitely my favourite classes!
Also, I think Pact of the Chain is bugged, because the level 5 feature that gives your familiar a second attack doesn't seem to work. Not that I'd consider that a true summon build, lol. The primary benefit of the Warlock familiars is that the Imp can fly, AND go invisible. So even if you aren't using it to fight, it's free sneak attacks for your party Rogue since you can always put it next to ideal targets and they'll never really do much about it aside from possibly waste their action looking for it, lol.
Oh my gosh, there's a video for people like me. I just finished watching a class video and he did not mention a summon anywhere and I was like no you can't tell me there are no summons. Well, he did say rangers had familiaries but they didn't look like they were for combat and druids can well shaped but that's not summoning. But your video has me excited that there might be an option for me to be a summoner
You mentioned that Cleric is your favorite class-I’m curious to see what you would do with a Tempest domain cleric build! I hope you’re planning a build guide for it!
Wasn't planning on it, but never say never? I'd likely just do the Multiclass with Storm Sorcerer that should be really popular already.. or Cleric 11/Wizard 1 for all the Cleric goodness plus the high level Lightning/Thunder Damage spells. Maybe there's something really interesting with Spell Crit, I'd have to look into more. Couple sentences later and I'm more interested than when I started. Thanks for the topic!
@@juusovuolle8251using the channel divinity on the thundering smite isn't that great unless you are also crtting. With a 6th level slot the thunderous smite does at most 84 damage to a single creature. Meanwhile a wizard could use the same channel divinity and same level spell slot on Chain lightning and do 160 damage to 4 targets with create water or a water bottle
It's a great way to play it. Most summons are up all day. So unless you care about terrorizing a town, can just summon everything at the start of the day and shift for the fights!
Awesome & thank you! I was wondering because I saw a few spells on the wiki and was confused how I would get them with a Circle of the Moon Druid. I bet they will come down the line though and I look forward to using them! @@Ghostzapper
If anyone gets bored of controlling each entity every turn or their main concern with playing a necromancer/summoner is the drawn out combat there are a few mods that have popped up on nexusmods that give you the option for summoned entities and sometimes even your entire party to be ai controlled if thats what you want.
The highest number of active summons should be a Circle of Spores Druid. Take a wizard level and can get any of the ones that are scrolls not naturally on their spell list, too!
You're looking for the Necromancy of Thay, and it's a tome that you can find in Act One in the Blighted Village area. There's a cellar door in the building closest to the Blighted Village fast travel point that leads to a hidden lever that reveals a small cave with several coffins. In one of these coffins is a scroll that lets you summon a unique summon; Shovel, the Quasit. He asks you if you're and I quote: "Horny for the book", and will direct you to a magic mirror. The mirror will ask you three questions. Answer them correctly and it will open, revealing a laboratory with some chests and a trapped cell door. In it is the Necromancy of Thay and here you have two choices. You can keep the book, and go into another underground area that is packed with Phase Spiders and other nasties, including a Phase Spider Matriarch. In this area, you can find something called a Dark Amethyst. This is used to open the Necromancy of Thay, but it will try to curse you. You will need to pass a couple of difficult skill checks, so save scum for your life, but if you pass all of them, you will be rewarded with the Speak with Dead spell. Make sure you hold onto the book until Act 3 where you'll find another book within Sorcerous Sundries, and when you combine them together(I think) you will be given Danse Macabre. Which will summon 6 ghouls that you control. This spell can be cast once per long rest.
The concept I was going with was a single class build. Oathbreaker is excellent at supporting minions, but aside from the Danse Macabre skill, they can only get multiple zombies, etc. Starting at class level 11.
If their 14th level feature was in the game (30 Temp HP to summons), they would be incredible. Otherwise it's just a position swap and can't be damaged out of your concentration spells. Definitely not bad to have that second bit. But not some crazy advantage on anything else, unfortunately.
currently waiting for the ps5 release and im fighting to hard to not spoil me everything... still watched the video tho so i guess im fighting a lost battle
Im kinda not new to dnd, but new to the game and i felt eveything just flew past me lol! I must rewatch and find a combination i like i love summoners and wanted to make it work. 😀
Not to my knowledge, but that kinda got under my skin, too. I haven't looked super hard or anything, so I hope that someone can come along and just tell us "do this". But as it stands, there are a few sounds in the game that I really wish.. weren't.
Much as I love this, I wish there was an owl or hawk for familiar or beast master companions. Owl could have flyby and dark vision and maybe the hawk could have some sort of increased damage when attacking from a higher place. I just wanted to be a falconer in this game, but this is the only gripe I have, the game is 10/10
@@Ghostzapper *SPOILERS *is in little cage in a room with a bugbear says chop chop chop. With other devours walking around. Under moonrise before the big boss fight.
Been playing too much Path of Exile, I guess. Kept calling Spiritual Weapon Animate Weapon. Whoops.
how come oath breaker paladin wasnt mentioned at all?
@@ManAmazing-eb6ekJust cause other than if you get the Danse Macabre skill, you don't get the higher level summons. So while their Aura of Hate is incredible. Going 7 Levels of Paladin locks you out from 5th/6th level spells.
It's not like having 3 zombies around you with that Aura is bad by any means, it's what I meant about give all the stats to all the summons. Just as the summoner themselves, they lack the options. Having to wait til 11th level for multiple 22HP Zombies is tough to recommend.
Could have brought it up, though!
The item you talk about is the Necromancy of Thay book you get in act 1
(you get the book from the secret wizard laboratory in the blighted village behind the magic mirror, and you activate it with the gem you get after killing the phase spider matriarch)
You need a quest in act 3 to read the last page, that gives you the ability to summon ghouls
Also, little sidenote, but since it is already a good idea to include a Paladin (Oathbreaker especially) in a summoning party, to protect from AoE spells, if you take the inspiring leader feat, that should also give all your minions a lot more HP and survivability
I love that game! Too bad my current comp can't handle it yes but works path doesn't
Important to note about zombies - they inflict a disease on hit for 1 turn, if in that time, the target dies of anything, a "Newborn Zombie" is immediately summoned, which is computer controlled and follows the zombie that created it. It has 10 base HP and loses 1hp each turn, but they too can create the newborn zombies. It gets out of hand really fast, and comically so if you're a Necromancer Wizard like I've been playing.
I keep finding myself in fights where there aren't any corpses, had to ditch necro because of it :(
@@theukwolfy No spoilers, but act 2 is tough for this specifically. But there's a trick - you can raise multiple zombies from one corpse for some reason. So you can keep returning to a fight from hours ago, refreshing your horde at the cost of one corpse. Give necro another shot! It's been insane here towards end of the game.
Just put corpses in your bag
Carry a corpse with you. I have some shadow ravens to throw at people.
@@theukwolfy Chest of Mundane items to store corpses for all your replenishment needs
I absolutely love the Djinni, 5d8 thunderwave on every turn is actually fuckin nuts, i just coral enemies together
If your looking for the Danse Macarbre skill, the 6 ghouls one read Spoilers below...
Necromancy of Thay book from act 1 with the Gem and I imagine you have to pass the skill checks when you read it (the ones that gives you speak to Undead) but I'm not sure, then in the lower city of Baldurs gate in the arcane shop (where gale asks to go) there is 2 Vaults with a book each the one in the Elminster vault will curse you (which you can just Remove curse) and will allow you to read the necromancy of Thay book giving you the Skill it requires 6 corpses but if you only have 1 you can still summon just the one ghoul and they can paralyses enemies with their basic.
what about the fungal zombies?
For anyone wondering. To get the spell that summons six ghoul's you have to complete the Necromancy of Thay book quest. After you get finish passing all the checks in Act 1 you will have to hold on to the book and stone until Act 3 when you get bauldurs gate. Go to the big Magic shop gale will talk and run through the whole thing. In the vaults beneath the building you will find a book the will allow you to read the final page of the Necromancy book, thus unlocking the spell
ye i play with 6ghoul and 1fire elemental with my wizard + my bard make air elemental too.
btw if u kill the necromancer in act3 u can loot his staff and u can spam spellslot 5 necromancy aoe spell. u can swap back to ur legendary staff coz the necro staff buff still on u
my character is a dwarf cleric. i destroyed the book instantly :)
Also the spell doesn't require any corpses to work, can just spawn 6 ghouls anywhere, likely a bug though.
@@ltcenxx also can dual wield staffs.
@@Ailtir that or just 1 corpse
I feel like the Spore Druid zombies were very glossed over here. Very bad class early on but getting Animate Dead at 5 and 4 charges of Fungal Infestation at 6 that can stack gives you a full swarm of 5 zombies that can all spread zombification to anyone they attack and you get Druid support spells on top of it
Shh, keep it a secret. ;) I had little issue with the class being a Drow dual wielding hand xbows. Decent non-spell damage with the nectrotic damage add, and the big chunk of temp hp's.
A Spore Druid half wood elf I s my first play through of BG3, and one of my favorites. It’s a complex balance to achieve in beginning game, however proper teamwork helps a lot. I did dual wielding with scimitars, because I had my Dex as my main and wisdom as my second. The result is a Natures blade which is oh so gratifying
It's kind of disappointing that youcan't spec into a summon focused build with warlock where you can either summon a horde of smaller demons or one big one.
Would have loved that. They really needed warlocks power
There's actually a pair of gauntlets in act 1 that makes your summons a lot more tanky at the cost of them potentially going mad
Spoilers:
Abyss Beckoners: Demonspirit Aura: The wearer’s summoned creature has resistance to all damage except Psychic damage.
At the start of the summoned creature’s turn, it must succeed a Wisdom Saving Throw or be driven Mad.
It just requires you to steal from the Zhents
@@MageJiro and that would be? seriously i need to know
@@MageJirodang I thought you were being sarcastic haha
Becon of hope and the buff from the paladin aura would go crazy. The whole squad would get healed for max, make great saves and great wisdom saves especially.
@@dirtiestdan4756Is that the solution to the summons going mad?
Notable for the familiars: A wizard can add the summon Quasit spell from the blighted village to their spellbook and gain permanent access to it that way
You can get Shovel on Gale, and one other part member (any caster class other than cleric and storm sorcerer I think, simultaneously. My MC respecced to wizard, had Gale summon Shovel after paying to learn the scroll in the basement.
Then, leave the first conversation between Shovel and Gale and switch characters so your MC talks to Shovel instead.
Then, do the mirror puzzle with the Mc and talk to shovel when you passed the mirror and viola. MC can summon once for no cost per short rest, while Gale can summon him for a level 1 spell slot.
Djinni is wild. Cleric is like 75% of a party member in damage, but that Djinni is also 75% of a party member. Crazy mobility and such utility with the knock back.
An absolute unit of HP, too!
So I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but there is a weapon you can make in Moonrise Tower that allows you to summon one of the Shadows that you've encountered throughout the act once per long rest. Search Balthazar's room in the tower and you might just find a neat lil secret. I don't have the save myself or I'd add their stats as well, but it's a nifty addition to a Necromancer's army.
If you bring Gale, you can instead choose an option that instead gives him permanent advantage on Concentration checks.
It stinks that you're the only one who even tried to list all Summons instead of a clickbait "best summons" video, bc learning of some Summons that aren't listed, it makes me wanna know who all else is available.
sorry
@@Ghostzapper You did your best, and I still learned stuff from it!
Honestly the 6 ghouls can carry your party soooooo easily. I was in the House of Hope room with the spectators and imps and my ghouls took them all out thanks to lucky paralysis.
6 ghouls + dryad + woad + spiritual weapon + guardian of faith + planar ally + elemental was usually what I stopped at just because it was getting a little annoying with all the clicking and stuff
A few summons that were left out: Scratch, Us, that white raven you get as a ring (or is it amulet) ability from a quest in act 2. It's just a raven with slightly better stats.
Us is basically a nice bag of hp to distract something.
@@theepicduck6922 Us is where you gamble on it gobbling some brains.
The raven is a gauntlet
Oathbreaker Paladin was a bit left out of this video imo, as they have some interesting Summon related abilities, although probably would never be your full caster. They get Control Undead as an Oath Spell, which lets you control an enemy undead until long rest. At Level 6 I think they get Animate Dead, but I'm pretty sure they get it at some point. The generic Paladin protection aura is great at protecting summons against dex save AoE spells, and their Aura of Hate adds their charisma modifier to the damage of nearby Fiends and Undead (and maybe their attack rolls as well, I don't remember.) Was thinking for a more evil playthrough, a Necromancer or Spore Druid supported by Oathbreaker Paladin could be a bunch of fun.
I said they would be a great support, giving all the stats to all the things. Just as a primary summoner, they wouldn't be it.
I actually hate using Hunter pets or any kind of summons because all of the towns folk always go ape shit bananas
Yeah best to keep em outside a building and such otherwise you have people running for the hills when you want to talk.
Thanks for this video. I was wondering about a summoner build. I'm upset that Warlock, which literally has a pact with a demon/god, has no demonic/fey summons beyond an imp and a quasit... why???
think about it this way... do you really think your MASTER (you are in fact their SLAVE) would allow you to command THEIR forces? cus i dont think they would...
That's a shame. One of the funny things you can do in tabletop is summon a Barlgura or other demon behind your enemies and watch the chaos unfold as it rampages.
I accidentally summoned a level 5 elemental at a level 6 slot on Jaherira and got a totally OP Water Myrmiddon that can mass heal every 3 turns, and teleport to enemies as a bonus action, 3 lines of damage and 127 HP like whoah!
Huge step up, Myrmidons are monsters!
I played with both summon elemental and summon planar ally in the late game as summons and they felt incredibly strong to have around. Definetly would recommend!
Heck yeah.
The djinn is the best summon imo. Having infinite use thunderwave and that drunk inhale ability is crazy.
Full party:
me: half elf necromancer,
jaheira respec spore druid, minthara Oathbreaker paladin, last position open to anyone (Gale/necro, Whyll tome/necro, Shadowheart/respec).
This is the party of villains in my dnd campaign where they try to summon vecna before my players can stop them. The final fight Vecna raises them as wights to rebuild a powerful undead army.
In 5e there’s a death themed subclass for nearly every class. This is the best I could do for bg3 but it’s totally fun.
I'm actually happy you included the Beast Master pets. I was thinking about playing one, and this just made me more excited to try it out. I look forward to playing with my bear! xD
Have fun!
Is that code for something?
@@darinsingleton3553 ...No? I'm legitimately wanting to try a Beast Master Ranger with a bear pet. xD
Ive never commented on a youtube vid in my life. But i felt obligated to say this video is fantastic. The formatting is nice and informative and you're orating skills are nice.
Thank you very much for the kind words!
Don't sleep on mage hand cantrip. It's actually a super useful summon can shove and even throw some enemies.
At only once per short rest, it's not as useful as the REAL cantrips in the game that can be cast infinitely. I refuse to even call it a cantrip given it's severe limitation on usage
Mage hand is actually more useful in combat than outside combat in this game
The way I see it, if a summon prevents more damage to my party (by being a dumb meat shield to take hits) than an equal-level spell slot could heal back after battle, the summon was worth it even if it did no damage.
Great way to look at it.
You forgot SCRATCH 😢
The best boi
Only 7 HP
and allmost no damage but just the bestes of bois
I feel Spore Druid is the best summoner. Im in Middle Act 3, my druid has: 3 skeletons, a familiar, 4 spore zombies, 4 ghouls, a dryad, an ent, 2 minor elementals, and a normal elemental, anytime the zombies get a kill i get a temporary zombie and my druid is near impossible to kill as they can gain 40+ temp health with one ability. By the way, everyone on my party of four is a druid. :)
Last line actually sent me. LOL!
its really cool how they gave the pets armor as they level up but wish they did the same for druid wildshapes
Aid gives an unlimited number of creatures, and it scales well! I'd recommend it if you are a summoner OR have an imp familiar.
Yup! 34:11
The Djini is basically throwing AOE thunderwave hand grenades every turn while also actually having as much HP as a barbarian I love that creature so much.
Summon Cheeky Quasit ❤️
You can put mage armor on summons, allowing them to survive so much longer
Im not sure what other spells you can put on them or how they may affect them (im still in act 1 ). Could make them worse or better, especially in the early game, as your summons will be weak, but it is worth testing out different spells and potions before combat that way you can get the most out of them with less down sides
That whole spell that puts a spectral sword in the wolf's mouth is 100% a Dark Souls reference to Sif.
I love summoning as a warlock. Use my spell slot for a summon and short rest. It returns and then I basically have a free meat shield
Does a Warlock have good summons?
@@JohnnyBlake-bu4hl yea. The imo is great early game. And the water elementals are solid later. Definitely not the strongest summons but they are great as an aid/bonus. Sort of a best of both worlds
after 800+ hours in POE mostly summoner builds, this makes me feel at home :)
Haha. What you playing in Trial of the Ancestors?
Ok, i didnt want to do a beast master run but seeing that the animals get armor as you level up has got me tempted
There are gauntlet that give an aoe effect boosting summons damages, but they have to succed a wisdom roll to not go insane, it's a very rare red item, i think it's sold by dark dwarf in the underdark, not sur but it's definitly in act 1.
Lucky me, my second playthrough is a spore druide.
The danse Macabre skill come from the Necromancy of Thay book, in Act 1. When you first get it you need to unlock it a first time, granting bonus on wisdom saving throw and talk with dead. Then in baldur gate act 3 you can unlock it a second time to get dance macabre.
It was that second bit that I didn't realize people had worked out. Thanks for sharing!
Bruh… spoiler warning?
A good spoiler tbh. I needed to know this and would've never found out if no one said anything.
@@gnorley If you're that sensative to spoilers then get off the vid.
I did a Spore Druid for my first run of the game and it was amazing. Basically I summoned a bunch of ghouls thanks to a certain book and then I just stayed back summoning lightning from afar!
I appreciate the spoiler-free comment. People have been coming in here posting that thing every third comment it feels like, haha. Glad you had a good go of it!
@@Ghostzapper No problem lol, it's a big game and I know most people don't have the time to play a lot of hours so many people haven't finished it yet, I wouldn't like people to spoil me the game so I try to do the same :)
But yeah, summoner builds are really fun and you video game me some ideas haha
I know that bards are just okay but I’m gonna make the bard from The Bards Tale and dip into wizard too lol
this was incredibly useful just an absolute textbook on everything I wanted to know all in one video and easy to find amazing!
Thanks for checking it out!
One early game nod in favor of the Imp and Quasit(or Shovel) is their at will Invisibility. This means they can often avoid being thrown into a fight with the rest of the party. Once you see a nice opening in enemy positioning you can guide them in for a sort of assassination strike; since they aren't considered to be in combat you can select and move them at any point where someone in your group has initiative.
they play real well with rouges too you can just reposition a invis imp for free advantage
I use the imp so much for that! Also an excellent invisible scout.
@@-Jesus-Kun-OMG!! I never thought of that!!
One thing you missed about the level 11 raven that's so cool: their flight now leaves a small cloud of darkness upon landing. Since they and their summons are immune to being blinded from darkness, you can do crazy shenanigans. With bonus action disengage, you can hop around, blidning enemies for free, and still get two attacks off (with advantage!). Add in a character with devil's sight and you can absolutely bully some fools, giving advantage to your attacks and disadvantage to enemies.
Unfortunately Devil's Sight doesn't really work with magical darkness. It might be a bug, but currently you still end up blinded
@derrekgillespie413 It worked for me last time I tried it, but it's possible Wyll had an item making him immune to being blinded at the time
@BFabi they're one of the beastmaster ranger companions
@@derrekgillespie413 there's items to overcome blindness as well.
thank you so much for this, been dying for summoners build! i love fighting with pets hehe
Too bad summons make npcs run around scared. Even elementals
That part is pretty frustrating, you are right.
High spell level summons have saved my ass a few times, especially some difficult act 3 encounters. Elementals specifically are great, most have at least 1 direct and aoe attack as well as good relocation abilities
0:36 Plot twist: i AM that person that takes 12 minute turns 😂😈
Hi there, so a previous comment (Fzoulcmbyl2134) said to do 11 levels of cleric and 1 of wizard. Does that mean the very last upgrade level should be lvl 1 wizard? Or, can you dip into that level one wizard at any point? Also it doesn't matter which type of cleric? I'm just trying to get as many summons as possible, like a pokemon master ha ha ha. Thanks for all the responses!
Thinking of starting as cleric, then tap into wizard. MAYBE another dip into ranger for beast companion. Is that ideal or am I unknowingly hindering myself.
1 Level of Wizard at any time is fine. That's just for learning spell scrolls. Doesn't matter which type of Cleric. And Ranger dip will make you unable to cast 6th level spells if you got deep enough to get the companion subclass. Companion will be extremely weak as that levels up with Ranger levels, too.
@@Ghostzapper Gotcha, you are awesome! Thanks for the help! I think I found my new next play through!
I been playing Beastmaster Ranger so this guide gonna help me. Thanks man
Danse Macabre has seemingly been nerfed in the latest patch. I was finishing Act 3 when the update went into effect and it changed the summon from 6 undead to 4 and you do not have control of the summons anymore.
It probably "needed" the nerf. Didn't realize it got double tapped. But not having to control them might mean slightly more people will want to use it. Still seems really good!
Thanks for the update!
What about conjuration? That's all about summoning. Don't they get summons?
Did you say you like Light cleric or Life cleric?
Light
Is there a way to summon just like 1 ghoul instead of 6? Either the walking or flying one.
Level 5 Upcast of Animate Dead!
@@Ghostzapper thank you so much i was looking online and couldn’t find any answer
I wish we can become dragon :( or summon him...
is it true that warlock can't summon elemental myrmidon because warlock can't upcast more than lv 5 spell?
You are correct.
@@Ghostzapper thats unfortunate. thanks!
@@madnight1553 I feel the same.. Good luck out there!
u have no idea what u have done, my storm sorc-ric now has storm summons HA THIS IS GONNA BE SO FUN THANK YOUUU
Oke but where do u frikin find them? 😅
All the ones I showcased are in the spells and abilities of spellcasters! Any specific ones you're looking for?
@@Ghostzapper well atleast i wont have to go looking for them xD thx, well im interested in all ^^'' kind of, would have been awsome to have the lvl's , class or subclass that gous with them, i know you give a lot of info but im not a D&D player and i only understand half of what you are saying =P any way thx i realy wanted to know everything you can summon or pet, just seem there is a lot for act 2 or later over lvl 6-7 i gues?
@@toonstyle1 Gotcha. I was saying the Level of Spell before the summon. Like Animate Dead is a 3rd Level spell, etc. If you're not familiar with D&D can be weird to learn that 3rd Levels spells aren't learned at 3rd Level, so I get you, lol!
If you're a full caster class (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock* is kinda special). 1st Level Spells are Learned at Level 1, 2nd Level Spells at 3, 3rd at 5, 4th at 7, 5th at 9, and 6th at 11.
So you're right, most good stuff won't start showing up til Level 7. Best stuff not til the endgame!
@@Ghostzapper thx for the info &time =P didnt expect it x)
i dont much play summoner but i do tend to do a lot of building (for me and friends so im the wiki slave)
but i was thinking some version of cleric + druid could be coolfor the same reason you like straight druid so you arent 100 percent a straight summoner and have some more utility on your bones , and i agree i think making wizard a straight blaster is normally the better way to go so instead of making a better class"worse" we make a "worse" class (worse meaning less damage focused in this context i suppose) better by giving a supporty member more units and ways to support
I'm disappointed that we don't get Circle of the Shepherd druids, hands down the best summoners in the table top.
Would have been awesome!
I want my pack of murder turkies.
Looks like they basically only took one subclass from Tasha's for any given class
Wall of information was helpful, and I've played through the entire game, and still learned some stuff.
Good timing, I'd been thinking about another playthrough with a summoner group. Fully agree that clerics are awesome, but so are druids - definitely my favourite classes!
Heck yeah. Have fun!
Great video thanks!
Whew! Thanks for putting in the work to make this video! Awesome stuff here.
Hate to call it work, but it did end up pretty tedious. Hope it's helpful!
dance macabre comes from finishing the necronomicon once you finish it in the city
Which multi class combo would allow for the most amount of active summons?
Don't have the answer, but my gut is leaning Spores Druid 11/Wizard 1.
Also, I think Pact of the Chain is bugged, because the level 5 feature that gives your familiar a second attack doesn't seem to work. Not that I'd consider that a true summon build, lol. The primary benefit of the Warlock familiars is that the Imp can fly, AND go invisible. So even if you aren't using it to fight, it's free sneak attacks for your party Rogue since you can always put it next to ideal targets and they'll never really do much about it aside from possibly waste their action looking for it, lol.
Btw If U do the ceremony wepon riddle before and gain the creet of lathander U dont have ti Combat to get the mace
Oh my gosh, there's a video for people like me. I just finished watching a class video and he did not mention a summon anywhere and I was like no you can't tell me there are no summons. Well, he did say rangers had familiaries but they didn't look like they were for combat and druids can well shaped but that's not summoning. But your video has me excited that there might be an option for me to be a summoner
Hope you find what you're looking for.
yes summons gotta waste your time cuz bg3 does not have a "fast round" system like WOTR.
You mentioned that Cleric is your favorite class-I’m curious to see what you would do with a Tempest domain cleric build! I hope you’re planning a build guide for it!
Wasn't planning on it, but never say never? I'd likely just do the Multiclass with Storm Sorcerer that should be really popular already.. or Cleric 11/Wizard 1 for all the Cleric goodness plus the high level Lightning/Thunder Damage spells. Maybe there's something really interesting with Spell Crit, I'd have to look into more. Couple sentences later and I'm more interested than when I started. Thanks for the topic!
@@Ghostzapper You’re welcome! Looking forward to your take on it!
@@JosieJOK I went with tempest cleric 10 paladin 2. it's super fun frontliner with aoe abilities. it's got insane oneshot ability with the smite.
@@juusovuolle8251using the channel divinity on the thundering smite isn't that great unless you are also crtting. With a 6th level slot the thunderous smite does at most 84 damage to a single creature. Meanwhile a wizard could use the same channel divinity and same level spell slot on Chain lightning and do 160 damage to 4 targets with create water or a water bottle
gah.. had to slow it down to catch the descriptions. Some people can talk so fast lol.
Small question, I been wondering if I could do a summoner build with a Ciricle of the Moon Druid at all? Might sound weird but curious and new.
It's a great way to play it. Most summons are up all day. So unless you care about terrorizing a town, can just summon everything at the start of the day and shift for the fights!
Awesome & thank you! I was wondering because I saw a few spells on the wiki and was confused how I would get them with a Circle of the Moon Druid. I bet they will come down the line though and I look forward to using them! @@Ghostzapper
It's not an item. It's a quest from the necromantic book of thay
I didn't know I wanted this
Thx
Minioooons
the lupine slash sounds liek something from Ginga Nagaberoshi Gin. The old anime with the wild dogs hunting wild bears.
One stop shopping right here folks, i love the details and your personal choices as well as your insights in comparison, keep these vids comin bud!
wait so this guide on summoning magic doesn't even say a single word about the summoner subclass of wizards?
Wizard Subclass is technically "School of Necromancy". So I just referred to it as Necromancer the whole last part of the Classes section.
So Spore Druids get woodland creature and the elementals on top of their other stuff?
Yes!
I guess the Djinn doesn't care what people wish
I really hope we get circle of shepherds at some point. My favorite summoner playstyle in 5e by far
Not gonna get my hopes up, but that would be awesome!
Gods bless you for putting this together. Super helpful and informative. THANK YOU!
If anyone gets bored of controlling each entity every turn or their main concern with playing a necromancer/summoner is the drawn out combat there are a few mods that have popped up on nexusmods that give you the option for summoned entities and sometimes even your entire party to be ai controlled if thats what you want.
Full AI controlled party sounds like an absolute headache on tactician difficulty😂
Given how the AI tends to freeze up very often, this sounds like a nightmare.
So wait I was curious what class gives the most summons? You said you run cleric does that give you a lot of summons?
The highest number of active summons should be a Circle of Spores Druid. Take a wizard level and can get any of the ones that are scrolls not naturally on their spell list, too!
How do I get the access to summon deva/djinni and Cambion? Iam seeking for hours and cant find anything about it.
Unless there is a scroll, and there probably is, it is only on the Cleric's spell list: 6th Level Spell, Planar Ally
@@Ghostzapper thank youuuu
You're looking for the Necromancy of Thay, and it's a tome that you can find in Act One in the Blighted Village area. There's a cellar door in the building closest to the Blighted Village fast travel point that leads to a hidden lever that reveals a small cave with several coffins. In one of these coffins is a scroll that lets you summon a unique summon; Shovel, the Quasit. He asks you if you're and I quote: "Horny for the book", and will direct you to a magic mirror. The mirror will ask you three questions. Answer them correctly and it will open, revealing a laboratory with some chests and a trapped cell door. In it is the Necromancy of Thay and here you have two choices. You can keep the book, and go into another underground area that is packed with Phase Spiders and other nasties, including a Phase Spider Matriarch. In this area, you can find something called a Dark Amethyst. This is used to open the Necromancy of Thay, but it will try to curse you. You will need to pass a couple of difficult skill checks, so save scum for your life, but if you pass all of them, you will be rewarded with the Speak with Dead spell. Make sure you hold onto the book until Act 3 where you'll find another book within Sorcerous Sundries, and when you combine them together(I think) you will be given Danse Macabre. Which will summon 6 ghouls that you control. This spell can be cast once per long rest.
What is that crazy big summon in the middle? The giant one with the giant sword?
At roughly what timestamp? Probably a Myrmidon!
I’m new to bg3 so I can basically use any magical class and summon anything?
Just about, yeah!
I have a feeling he forgot about Oathbreaker which is Animate dead class
The concept I was going with was a single class build. Oathbreaker is excellent at supporting minions, but aside from the Danse Macabre skill, they can only get multiple zombies, etc. Starting at class level 11.
@@Ghostzapperfair call :) i prefer my Warcleric1 x spore druid x anyway. May Leudegar guide his path
You mentioned the necromancy wizard but what about the conjuration wizard? How are they at summoning?
If their 14th level feature was in the game (30 Temp HP to summons), they would be incredible. Otherwise it's just a position swap and can't be damaged out of your concentration spells. Definitely not bad to have that second bit. But not some crazy advantage on anything else, unfortunately.
currently waiting for the ps5 release and im fighting to hard to not spoil me everything... still watched the video tho so i guess im fighting a lost battle
Your voice is scarily similar to ItalianSparticus 😳 either way, glad the algorithm showed me your channel!
Well have you ever seen us in the same place at the same time? O.o
(Thanks for checking me out!)
@Ghostzapper yousonofabitch you got me there. 😳 lol subbed whether your a doppelganger or not lol
Im kinda not new to dnd, but new to the game and i felt eveything just flew past me lol!
I must rewatch and find a combination i like i love summoners and wanted to make it work. 😀
Danse Macabre can be acquired by reading the book of Thay. There's a video tutorial that shows how to read the book.
Good looking out. Last I knew, people were still trying to figure the second part of that out!
I used ti summon a dragon in old baldurs gate, can u still do it?
Not too my knowledge, unfortunately.
Is there a way to turn off the noise the conjured imp makes? Specifically the wings flapping noise when we're just standing idle or venturing around.
Not to my knowledge, but that kinda got under my skin, too. I haven't looked super hard or anything, so I hope that someone can come along and just tell us "do this".
But as it stands, there are a few sounds in the game that I really wish.. weren't.
Does scroll of summon woodland being exist?
I haven't found one myself, but hoping someone can come along and tell us both. :X
Great vid! Nice job
tyty!
Much as I love this, I wish there was an owl or hawk for familiar or beast master companions. Owl could have flyby and dark vision and maybe the hawk could have some sort of increased damage when attacking from a higher place. I just wanted to be a falconer in this game, but this is the only gripe I have, the game is 10/10
At around the end of act 2 you can also get us as a summon. The little brain form the start. Hes free doesn't cost anything. Has around 60hp
Well, shoot. Thanks for letting me know!
@@Ghostzapper *SPOILERS *is in little cage in a room with a bugbear says chop chop chop. With other devours walking around. Under moonrise before the big boss fight.
I imagine you needed to free him in the beginning of the game? I think I just rolled a nat 1 on a check to free him and ended up crushing him haha