Introduction
The PF2e Summoner is a spontaneous Charisma caster whose eidolon is not a pet, an animal companion, or a second character with a separate turn. The two bodies share actions, Hit Points, reactions, and multiple attack penalty. That makes Summoner play a position puzzle: put the eidolon where the physical problem is, put the Summoner where the spell or skill problem is, then spend the same three actions on the pair's best combined turn.
Choose Summoner if you enjoy a partner on the battle map, a smaller spell repertoire with high-stakes choices, and turns that reward planning two positions at once. Avoid it if you want an independent minion, a low-risk back-line caster, or a class that can ignore positioning after initiative. The eidolon gives the class presence, but its damage and danger are still yours.
Disclaimer
This guide summarizes and evaluates the Summoner material in Impossible Magic. It does not reproduce class tables, eidolon entries, spell lists, feat text, activities, or statistics. Use the book and current official errata for exact requirements, traits, ranges, targets, and numbers. The Summoner feat guide is the live home for feat-planning discussion, and the Summoner spell guide covers repertoire, link-spell, and Focus Point choices.
Class Snapshot
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Key attribute | Charisma |
| Hit Points | 10 plus Constitution modifier per level |
| Casting | Limited spontaneous casting from the tradition set by the eidolon |
| Core engine | Two bodies sharing actions, Hit Points, reactions, and multiple attack penalty |
| Tactical tool | Act Together, once per round |
| Main choice | Eidolon tradition, body plan, initial ability, and later growth |
| Complexity | High |
| Best party jobs | Flexible front line, flanking, control, scouting, support casting, and rescue positioning |
Hot Take: The strongest Summoner is rarely the one with the most dramatic eidolon. It is the one whose player knows which body should take the dangerous square and which body must still have an action afterward.
The Shared Character
Your eidolon is a powerful entity anchored to the world through your connection. It determines your tradition and spell list, but it also changes what "safe" means. You and the eidolon share a single pool of Hit Points and temporary Hit Points. Healing either one heals the same character. Damage to either one damages the same character. If both bodies are caught in one area effect, apply the greater result only once, but that is not a reason to stand both of them in every blast.
You also share actions, reactions, free actions, and multiple attack penalty. The eidolon is not a minion and does not receive an extra three actions. A Strike by one body affects the pair's attack sequence. A reaction spent by one body is unavailable to the other. That is the heart of the class: you are one character making choices from two locations.
The eidolon normally manifests adjacent to you and must remain within its tether. If it is forced too far away, if you fall to 0 Hit Points, or if the eidolon dies, it unmanifests. An unmanifested eidolon generally cannot act or be targeted. Treat its placement as a resource. Sending it far down a hallway can win a moment, but it can also make the next rescue, retreat, or spell delivery much harder.
Act Together and Turn Planning
Act Together is the Summoner's most important action-compression tool. Once per round, one partner takes an activity while the other takes one action. It does not create a free extra turn. It lets the pair combine a two- or three-action commitment with one useful action from the other body.
| Situation | Strong use of the shared turn | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The eidolon is already in melee | Summoner casts a two-action spell while the eidolon takes one physical action | The caster stays productive without abandoning the front line. |
| The Summoner needs safety | Eidolon uses a larger action while the Summoner Strides or takes cover | The body under greatest danger changes position without losing the entire turn. |
| A foe is one square from a flank | One body moves while the other makes the key action | The pair creates a party benefit instead of each taking a disconnected action. |
| The board is stable | Summoner uses a spell or skill action and eidolon makes one reliable contribution | Do not force a complex tandem line when a simple good turn is available. |
Before acting, ask four questions.
- Which body is closest to the danger that matters this round?
- Which body needs to move before its best action is legal?
- Does the eidolon's action need to happen before the Summoner casts, or after?
- If one body is slowed, stunned, grabbed, or knocked down, can the other body still use the remaining shared actions well?
The last question matters more than it appears. A restriction on one body does not automatically immobilize the other, but slowed and stunned reduce the shared action pool. Keep a backup turn: an eidolon can hold a foe while the Summoner gets to cover, or the Summoner can cast while the eidolon cannot move. The three-action economy guide and reactions guide explain the broader rules that make these choices valuable.
Choose an Eidolon by Job
The eidolon's tradition is a spellcasting decision, its initial ability is an early-turn decision, and its 7th- and 17th-level abilities are future build promises. Choose all three together. Do not select an eidolon only because its appearance is appealing, then discover that its tradition or high-level ability wants a different party role.
Eidolon Comparison
| Eidolon | Tradition | Broad job | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberrant | Occult | Disruption and unnerving defense | Players who want strange control and mental pressure | Its identity is more tactical than a simple damage package. |
| Angel | Divine | Protection, travel, and support | A party that values resilience and restorative magic | Choose it for support priorities, not a generic winged bruiser. |
| Anger Phantom | Occult | Aggressive melee pressure | A player comfortable with risk and a forward eidolon | Its fury asks the table to manage a more exposed position. |
| Beast | Primal | Direct physical presence | A flexible natural front-line partner | It is an eidolon, not an animal companion. |
| Construct | Arcane | Durable or adaptable magical body | A player who wants an engineered identity and flexible evolution angle | Read the specific construct form rather than assuming one construct build. |
| Demon | Divine | Hostile pressure and disruptive threat | A party with a clear offensive target plan | Theme, party tone, and campaign boundaries matter. |
| Devotion Phantom | Occult | Defense, loyalty, and retaliation | Protecting a vulnerable Summoner or ally | It rewards close positioning and reaction awareness. |
| Dragon | Choose a tradition | Breath and broad magical identity | A player who wants tradition choice plus an active area option | Pick the tradition for the spell list first, then the dragon fantasy. |
| Fey | Primal | Trickery and unusual spell access | A player who wants primal play with illusion or mental angles | Its extra access is a repertoire decision, not permission to take every spell. |
| Ooze | Arcane | Resistance and unusual senses | A player who wants a strange durable shape and map tools | Special senses change scouting decisions, not every encounter. |
| Plant | Primal | Reach, terrain, and physical control | A party that can exploit space around the eidolon | Roots and reach need map awareness. |
| Psychopomp | Divine | Undead and incorporeal answers | A campaign where spiritual threats matter | It is excellent for its target profile, less universal elsewhere. |
| Undead | Divine | Death-adjacent pressure and unusual durability | A campaign that accepts the theme and gives it relevant scenes | Confirm table tone and access before making it the character premise. |
The initial ability tells you what the eidolon wants to do early. Symbiosis at 7th level tells you whether that identity becomes mobility, defense, pressure, utility, or an expanded magical trick. Transcendence at 17th level is a capstone-scale feature, not a reason to endure nineteen levels of a poor fit. Pick the 1st- and 7th-level experience first.
Tradition Is a Repertoire Decision
The eidolon does not merely change visual flavor. It chooses your spell tradition. Arcane generally supports broad magical answers; divine supports protection, recovery, and spiritual themes; occult favors mental and unusual control; primal favors nature, terrain, and elemental or life-facing tools. These are guideposts, not substitute spell lists. Use the live arcane, divine, occult, and primal guides when you have chosen the tradition.
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Spellcasting and Link Spells
The Summoner has a limited spontaneous spell-slot progression and a repertoire. At 1st level, the class begins with five cantrips and one 1st-rank spell. It gains more spells as slots arrive, but does not have the volume of a full spontaneous caster. Each selection must solve a problem your eidolon cannot solve with an ordinary action.
Good Summoner repertoire planning uses three lanes:
- A cantrip or low-rank spell that remains useful when the eidolon is already in a good position.
- A spell that changes a problem the eidolon cannot reach, such as a distant target, a defense, a battlefield barrier, or an ally in trouble.
- A signature spell whose heightened versions remain worth the limited repertoire space.
Link spells are focus spells born from the connection with the eidolon. They spend Focus Points rather than slots, use the same focus pool, and refocus through time deliberately reconnecting with the eidolon. That makes a link spell the repeatable part of the magical plan, while slot spells are the limited answers. Do not fill a repertoire with effects that duplicate the eidolon's best physical turn; choose spells that widen the pair's available solutions.
This guide does not rank every spell. Use the cantrip guide, combat spell guide, utility spell guide, and focus spell guide after choosing the eidolon tradition.
For the Summoner-specific layer, use the Summoner spell guide. It separates repertoire choices from link spells, Focus Point pacing, and feat-granted eidolon magic.
Ability Scores, Skills, and Defenses
Charisma powers your spell attack and spell DC, so it is the class's first score. Constitution matters twice: it protects a 10 HP class and the one pool shared by two exposed bodies. Dexterity supports the Summoner's own unarmored defense and Reflex save. Wisdom improves perception and Will-related table comfort. Strength is usually optional for a caster-focused Summoner, while Intelligence buys more trained skills if the concept needs them.
The eidolon separately chooses Strength or Dexterity as its key attribute. A Strength key favors a stronger physical attack emphasis and a different defensive profile; Dexterity favors an alternative balance of accuracy, AC, and movement-minded play. This is not a cosmetic choice. Select it according to the eidolon's action plan and the maps your party normally uses.
You and the eidolon share skill proficiencies, which makes a broad skill plan useful. Let the eidolon identity inform your trained skills, then add party needs: Diplomacy for a Charisma lead, Medicine if the group lacks it, a tradition skill for recall knowledge, or Athletics when the eidolon will use physical map control. The PF2e skills guide helps decide which investment stays relevant.
Equipment and Eidolon Gear
The Summoner is not an item-light caster just because the eidolon has its own body. Your worn defenses, invested items, and magical weapon or handwrap choices can matter to both halves of the character. The eidolon cannot generally wear ordinary magic items, but it can use eidolon-trait items and benefits from several relevant item bonuses and fundamental or property rune arrangements that your equipment supplies.
| Equipment decision | Why it matters to a Summoner | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Armor and personal defenses | The Summoner remains a target and shares the cost of damage | Armor guide |
| Fundamental and property runes | The eidolon's physical attacks can benefit through the class equipment rules | Rune guide |
| Worn and invested items | Some bonuses affect the pair through the bond | Worn items guide |
| Staves and wands | Spell support must fit a restricted repertoire and action budget | Staves and wands guide |
Do not treat the eidolon as a familiar, animal companion, or mount. It has a distinct rule structure and shares your core resources. Some Summoner feats later engage familiars, steed forms, riding, and other creature-adjacent concepts; evaluate those in the Summoner feat guide alongside the companions and familiars guide. The guide can explain the distinction, but it cannot make an eidolon eligible for rules written for a different kind of creature.
Build Paths
The Primal Map Controller
Choose a Plant, Beast, or Fey direction when the party benefits from movement pressure, natural-theme magic, and a body that makes squares awkward for enemies. A Plant eidolon is especially attractive for a group that recognizes reach and terrain as party resources. Keep the Summoner outside the first danger zone, make the eidolon's position matter, and select spells that create problems in a different part of the map.
The mistake here is spending every action on personal casting while the eidolon stands in a generic melee square. Use Act Together to move or threaten with the eidolon while the Summoner casts a spell or takes the skill action the party needs.
The Divine Guardian Pair
Angel, Psychopomp, or a carefully chosen Dragon tradition can support a divine-facing build. This is the lane for players who want the eidolon to provide a credible physical presence while the Summoner holds recovery, protection, and spiritual answers. The eidolon should guard a route, an ally, or the Summoner's casting position instead of chasing every enemy.
This build needs a strong answer to one question: who is allowed to take damage first? Shared Hit Points mean the eidolon can intercept danger, but it cannot erase the cost. Use its position to reduce enemy choices, then use the Summoner's actions for the party result the eidolon cannot produce.
The Occult Disruptor
Aberrant, Anger Phantom, and Devotion Phantom offer different occult identities. Aberrant leans toward strange disruption, Anger Phantom toward riskier melee pressure, and Devotion Phantom toward protecting the bond. The best occult build does not try to be both a stationary full controller and a reckless melee attacker on the same turn. Decide whether the eidolon is a threat the enemy must answer or a guard that makes your control spells safer.
The Arcane Specialist
Construct and Ooze give an arcane direction with different physical identities. Construct rewards a player willing to read its specific form and evolution choices; Ooze is for a player whose table can make use of its unusual durability and sensing profile. Arcane repertoire choices should cover problems the eidolon cannot physically solve: distant enemies, movement barriers, information, and magical counterplay.
The Dragon Generalist
Dragon is the most visibly flexible decision because it can choose a tradition. That flexibility is a trap if you decide from the breath first. Start with the party's missing spell tradition and the campaign's likely threats, then determine whether a dragon's active area pressure fits the pair's expected positioning. A dragon eidolon can be memorable without turning every fight into a demand that allies clear a cone around it.
Level Milestones
| Level band | What changes | Practical priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Eidolon, tradition, first repertoire, link spell, first class feat | Establish one repeatable tandem turn and one safe fallback turn. |
| 3-6 | Higher-rank spells, signature spells, better skills, eidolon attack growth | Choose signature spells that remain useful when the map is hostile. |
| 7-10 | Eidolon symbiosis, stronger attacks, expert spellcasting, shared Reflex improvement | Revisit the eidolon's role now that its identity feature expands. |
| 11-14 | Better defenses, shared Fortitude improvement, eidolon attack mastery | Improve survivability and item support before adding a fragile trick. |
| 15-18 | Shared Will improvement, eidolon transcendence, master spellcasting | Make high-level spells and eidolon abilities reinforce one party job. |
| 19-20 | One-action manifestation and final feat choices | Use the faster recovery from disruption to support an already-proven plan. |
Common Summoner Mistakes
Counting the Eidolon as Extra Actions
You have one shared action pool. If you mentally give the eidolon a separate full turn, you will build illegal or disappointing routines. Start every turn by spending three actions total, then use Act Together to make one of those actions carry both bodies' work.
Parking Both Bodies in the Blast Zone
The shared-pool rule prevents double damage from the same area, but it does not make area damage harmless. It also leaves two bodies exposed to follow-up attacks, conditions, and blocked movement. Give the eidolon the dangerous square only when it creates a real advantage.
Choosing an Eidolon Only for Its First Ability
The initial action matters, but so do tradition, skills, body plan, 7th-level symbiosis, and 17th-level transcendence. Read the whole entry before committing. A choice that looks excellent at level 1 can become awkward if the later identity conflicts with the party role you actually want.
Building the Eidolon Like a Familiar
An eidolon is not a familiar, animal companion, or ordinary mount. It is a full part of your shared action and Hit Point engine. Use familiar and mount options only when a feat expressly gives access, and do not borrow creature rules by analogy.
Giving the Repertoire Only Damage
The eidolon already supplies physical pressure. A limited repertoire filled with damage spells can leave the character unable to solve distance, defense, terrain, information, or ally problems. Keep at least one spell choice for the situations where the eidolon cannot simply walk over and Strike.
Final Verdict
Summoner is one of PF2e's most rewarding tactical classes for a player who likes moving two pieces with one plan. It offers physical presence without giving up casting, but it charges for that flexibility with shared risk and demanding action decisions. Pick an eidolon whose tradition and role suit your party, protect the shared pool, and make Act Together serve a clear map objective.
Next, use the Summoner feat guide for feat planning, the Summoner spell guide for the shared spell plan, and the live tradition guides for individual spell research.
