Summoners nerfed hard?

[AzuredreamsXT]

I was looking to play a summoning chanter, but reading through recent changes seems to indicate summons now last 20 seconds or less? Will high intelligence prolong this to make them last throughout a fight?

 

Why play a summoning class whose summons dissapear within seconds?

[Wolken3156]

3rd-level invocation summons lasts for half a minute, while the 2nd-level invocation summons last for 25 secs, which is plenty of time for them to do their business. Reny Daret's Ghost lasting only 12 seconds does make its use questionable though since its barely enough time to position it for Sneak Attacks and throw off a few attacks.

[AzuredreamsXT]

Aren't your precious invocations much better spent on other things if summoned allies just poof on you before long anyways?

 

Does intelligence prolong their duration?

Edited February 2, 2016 by AzuredreamsXT

[Lord_Mord]

I wanted them to be nerfed, but not their duration. The pace of the fights is already pretty fast.

[Ineth]

Aren't your precious invocations much better spent on other things if summoned allies just poof on you before long anyways?

 

Everything poofs before long.

 

This is not the kind of game where you start by summoning a Fire Elemental and casting Stoneskin and Protection from Evil 10' Radius and whatnot, and then explore the whole dungeon like that.

 

Instead, summons/buffs/debuffs are all short-lived things within an encounter, and combat is also more fast-paced.

 

So you don't really need summons to live for more than 20 seconds - most encounters wont even take that long, and in the ones that do you're better off actually sending your summons into battle to deal and soak up damage and die, rather than keeping them alive.

 

And in the rare encounters that are actually long enough for the chanter to use multiple invocations, you can simply summon things multiple times.

 

I.e. don't think of summons in this games as companions that will follow you around; think of them as just another form of short-term protection (as "meat shields") or damage dealing spells during a battle.

[DreamWayfarer]

Reny Daret's Ghost lasting only 12 seconds does make its use questionable though since its barely enough time to position it for Sneak Attacks and throw off a few attacks.

While it is a heavy nerf, Reny still proved useful for act 2 on PoTD with his stuns. But then, I've never been a chanter specialist, and I don't know if any of the level 2 summons is worth it.

[scottii]

while, chanting can respawn summons pretty quickly, it's pretty reasonable to have the low life times.

[Lord_Mord]

 

This is not the kind of game where you start by summoning a Fire Elemental and casting Stoneskin and Protection from Evil 10' Radius and whatnot, and then explore the whole dungeon like that.

 

I already knew that, but reading it made me sad anyway.

[AzuredreamsXT]

No talent to increase summon duration? Intelligence does not prolong duration either?

 

It's a shame the game has no actual summoner class, but a "summoner" class like the Final Fantasy games where summons essentially just show up, do something flashy like any other spell would and are gone soon after. But if that is Obsidian's vision, that is their vision. I'll try and find a new class that looks fun outside of my norm.

[MunoValente]

Having the summons be shorter seems like a good way to balance them relative to the other invocations, which were for the most part not as useful as the summons.  Also because the invocations come faster now, you can re-summon more often to help make up for it.

[Wolken3156]

 

Reny Daret's Ghost lasting only 12 seconds does make its use questionable though since its barely enough time to position it for Sneak Attacks and throw off a few attacks.

While it is a heavy nerf, Reny still proved useful for act 2 on PoTD with his stuns. But then, I've never been a chanter specialist, and I don't know if any of the level 2 summons is worth it.

The Spectre is much more powerful than both level 2 summons. The level 2 summons are alright but I usually prefer the AoE Terrify, Charm and Paralyze invocations instead. The Wurms are alright ranged attackers, while the Will O Wisps can confuse enemies with each attack they do.

 

The level 3 summons though are quite formidable and well worth it. The two Ogres are quite beastly, dealing solid damage and having good overall bulk. The Drake isn't as powerful as the ogres but it does have a fear aura which can help out with landing Will-based abilities.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Wolken3156

[Ineth]

Intelligence does not prolong duration either?

 

I suspect it does, but can't check right now.

[Wolken3156]

 

Intelligence does not prolong duration either?

 

I suspect it does, but can't check right now.

 

The duration for summons is fixed.