As many readers would know, the one game that I play in currently is the anniversary edition of Rise of the Runelords for Pathfinder. And those that know that are going to know I play a devious halfling summoner known as Coltyn (who is now level 6). Coltyn of course has his main weapon, or Eidolon, called Grellyk who he spends a lot of time reprimanding and bullying. I thought that for todays blog I might put some aspects to him (if you look at my previous post I did this for Coltyn) and also talk a little about the configurations I have used for Grell, what has worked and what has not.
Let us start with the aspects as Grell is a completely different character to young Coltyn. It is not fair to say that they are polar opposites as Grell also loves a balance in life but he is far more social than Coltyn is ever likely to be. Looking at his core aspect there is one thing that is wholly true and that is Grell is completely dedicated to Coltyn. To Coltyn Grell was once nothing but a figment of his imagination but to Grell, Coltyn is the one that he has been waiting an aeon for to appear. He is a spirit from the other plane that has been seeking a like soul to serve in any way possible and he found that in the soul of a young lonely halfling child. Grell was many of Coltyn’s original imaginary friends, slowly leading him to the point where he could bring Grell into reality and they could form their bond. Coltyn does not know this and that is a secret that Grell will take with him forever (hence the significance of the glowing rune that bonds them). So for the core aspect perhaps…
Core: Coltyn is my guiding light
After all, if your Eidolon is not (at its core) totally subservient to your Summoner, why bother! So the next aspect in my control is the trouble aspect. What is it about Grell that will often get him in trouble? Grell is very simple minded and a hulking brute but he is always configured of beautiful colours (almost childlike colouring) and is never rushed into anything foolish. The one shortcoming that he probably has is that he can be awfully vicious at times and sees nothing wrong with quickly dispatching a wounded or diseased creature as a kindness rather than perhaps seeing the opportunity for healing that may be possible for them. In fact, so far in game he has several times killed those that perhaps could be tended for and healed and so far it has been overlooked but it could very well get him (and our party) in deep trouble at some stage. So, looking at his trouble aspect…
Trouble: Cute and cuddly unnaturally born killer
Seems appropriate! The final aspect will be GM chosen and whilst I have messaged my GM for one I will give him some time to come up with something for me.
Grell has gone through a great deal of changes as an Eidolon and whilst I could list his every configuration, points and all I think I will talk about (in more general terms) what policies have seemed to work with him. i do not want to cloud your judgement if you are playing with a Summoner to say that my build is the best as it quite likely isn’t. I do not build Grell to a munchkin standard (i.e. inspect every element down to the nth degree) but I do build him to be fun to play. I am making this discussion also from the point of view that Grell is a bipedal Eidolon meaning that as a basis he stands on two legs, has two arms and has a set of claws. The rest of the build comes down to evolution points.
With the Eidolon you are wholly restricted by the statistic block per level. There is no way to increase any of the bonuses or points you get in this block. you cannot, for example, take a feat that increases the number of Evolution points that you have to spend on the base creature. Sure there are some spells like Evolution Surge the summoner can take but they are temporary additions. Coltyn started at 1st level with a bite attack, some extra armour and a skill focus on Intimidation which worked well as he had 3 natural attacks according to the table. In my estimation it is always important to make sure you pay attention to the maximum number of attacks you can have and build your eidolon to take advantage of that.
At third level I gave Coltyn an extra head because it was cool, but really it was a complete waste of points. He had not progressed to the point where he could make use of the extra head for an attack (though it was fun talking to himself) so it disappeared in the next level. Fourth level gave me the extra attack (4 attacks a round 🙂 but no extra hit points. With his second head gone I lost the skill focus in Intimidate (because it was rarely used) and gave him a skill focus in perception (because Coltyn has no decent skill points there). His bite attack became ranged (I gave him a second set of jaws like the Alien movies) and also a set of horns for a gore attack. The secret here is that all of Grell’s attacks are primary natural attacks so they make use of his great strength and decent damage dice.
Fifth level saw him grow wings (which I thought was sooooo cool but was severely under-utilised in game) and I ummed and ahhhed about what sort of flight to give him, wings for two points or magical for 4. If I took the four point evolution he would be back to three attacks but could fly anywhere. With the two point winged evolution he needed wings but could have four attacks. I took wings and was really annoyed later on as I could not fly down a well due to his wingspan.
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| Not quite but close… |
Grell is currently at 6th level and he has the following evolutions from his 9 point evolution pool. Bite, Flight (with wings still, the extra two evolution points are just too handy at this level), Improved Natural Armour, Extra Limbs(Arms) so he is now a four armed two legged winged beast, Magic Attacks, Skilled in Perception with a slam attack. In short, he is an incredibly nasty opponent and I am glad he is on my side because I would not like to face him down. To illustrate this I will put his stat block at the bottom of this post for you to peruse.
The favoured tactic for Coltyn is to cast two spells in preparation for combat. The first is unfetter which allows Grell to move independently without having to worry about being a certain distance from Coltyn for hit point reduction. Finally he likes to cast Lesser Evolution Surge and give Grell energy based attacks. That means his attacks do an extra 1d6 damage of an energy type of my choosing, generally electricity but it will change over time based on the opponents he faces.
So, that is how I approach my Eidolon. He is a great creature to play and I enjoy him thoroughly. I do wish that I was a good enough artist to actually draw him at each stage but alas, stick figures laugh at the efforts I generally make so his visage will forever remain in my mind. Have a look at his stats and if you play a summoner share your experiences with me.
Grellyk
Male Biped (Claws)
N Medium Outsider
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16
Defense
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +8 natural, +1 dodge)
hp 49 (+15)
Fort +6 (+4 vs. hot or cold environments and to resist damage from suffocation), Ref +3, Will +4 (+4 morale bonus vs. Enchantment spells and effects)
Defensive Abilities evasion
Offense
Speed 30 ft., flight (30 feet, good)
Melee Bite (Bite) +9 (1d6+4/x2) and
Claw x2 (Claws) +9 x2 (1d4+4/x2) and
Slam (Slam) +9 (1d8+4/x2)
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Dodge, Endurance, Toughness +5
Skills Fly +6, Heal +2, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (planes) +6, Perception +16, Stealth +7, Swim +5 (+9 to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion)
Languages Common
SQ devotion +4, hero points, magic attacks
Other Gear You have no money!
Special Abilities
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Devotion +4 (Ex) +4 Morale bonus on Will Saves vs. Enchantments.
Endurance +4 to a variety of skill checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save.
Flight (30 feet, Good) You can fly!
Magic Attacks (Ex) Your natural attacks are magic.
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