Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Build Discussion Summoning team project

Hey everyone !

I'm planning my next playthrough and I have a particular project. As the title implies, I'm thinking of building a team around the idea of having an army of summons.

The general idea is to have at least two characters specialised in summoning critters and one or two guys tu buff this army. I'd like to stay away from the classics (namely GWM and Sharpshooters).

So, my starting idea (nothing set to stone) :

- one necromancer wizard
- one spore druid
- one cleric to buff and heal the army ?
- one beastmaster ranger to get one then two bears ?

The thing I fear though is that I have to find corpses for the necromancer and the spore druid. I have a feeling it may quickly turn into a chore. What do you think about that ?

The second point is the gearing. I wonder if the two main summoners may be too in competition for the same pieces of equipment.

For the cleric spot, I'm not really sold on the cleric... Is there any class who can offer large area buffs ?

Lastly, I'd see the potential beastmaster as a guy who would dual wielding some swords or something, is it viable ? I mean, would it be at the very least hit somewhat decently ?

I'm taking any pointers on this idea, I think you'll easily see my goal here.

Thanks !

[EDIT] BTW, does a beastmaster can fill the role of a rogue with locks and traps ? My first playthrough, I had a bard for that and my second an actual rogue (well a multiclassed one but anyway...) so I haven't tried with a beastmaster.

I can't say that I have theorycrafted a summoning build but I feel like the Paladin may be better than the Cleric.

As far as I know you can't exactly heal minions. For party healing you have access to Warden of Vitality (at level 9) which lets you use your bonus action (for 10 turns) to heal a target for 2-12. You also have access to Lay on Hands.

The Paladin offers 2 auras - Protection (CHA to saves) and Courage (allies can't be Frightened) and the Oathbreaker also offers Aura of Hate (CHA to damage) and has access to Animate Dead.

I am not sure if the Undead attacks count as "weapon attacks" but you also have Crusader's Mantle - concentrate, 10 turns duration, offers 1d4 radiant damage to allies.

TL;DR you have some healing options, you give CHA to saving throws and CHA to damage (and if it works) and 1d4 brilliant damage to allies.

Agreed with Paladin instead of Cleric. You also get control undead as early as 3, allowing you to turn enemy undead into additional allies.

Rangers can certainly fill the scout role, sleight of hand and perception are the important skills (and survival and investigate to lesser degrees) and they have access to them as well as incentives to have a good Dex and Wis.

As far as healing the army, though I think oathbreaker Paladin is the better choice for several reasons, I do recommend everyone spend a day as a Cleric at 10 to ask their diety for a mace which does an AOE heal once per long rest. Until that point Druid may not be anywhere close to life Cleric but they can probably handle the healing. That and putting potions of healing on the ground, getting the wounded to surround them and blowing them up.

To add to the above. (Can be done during combat)
1. Drop a Alchemist Fire on the ground.
2. "Attack" it with your offhand.
3. Now since there is a fire on the ground any potion that you drop will also break. Dropping a healing potion, as it turns out, is a free action...

I ruled out paladins originally because I'm playing one right now and found the aura covers a really small area so I thought that will be too hard to really profit from it. Maybe I'm wrong.

This playthrough, I'd like to avoid playing GWM and sharpshooter, I need to think of a way to build a paladin differently. Maybe with a shield ?

How would you build a dual wielding beastmaster ? Or maybe another way ?

More importantly, do anybody knows if playing a necromancer and a spore druid at the same time is to much of a chore to find corpses ?

This playthrough I am the Raven Queen. My main is a fey warlock Pact of the chain (but uses a raven as the familiar not the special ones). She can also now cast conjure elemental so I get an air elemental for the day from the first short rest.

The rest of my party are beast master ranger/circle of the moon druids, so they each get a raven familiar, a dire raven beast companion, and dire raven wildshapes.

It allows my drow warlock to wander with a flock of 10 ravens and an air elemental at her back. The ravens' special move is to blind the enemy, which swings adv/disadv well in my favor and allows subsequent birds to swoop in, peck, then fly out to relative safety, its a thing of beauty to watch them flying all over the place.