If we're to have multiple minions (With the exception of totems) They'd have to be so extremely weak that enemies only have to look at them for them to fall over, and having AoE skills oneshot them aswell. Or, they'd be able to tank somewhere along 2 hits and deal near to no damage with how NPC's will interact with them, "wasting" their limited AP pools on several targets.
A summon bloat would mean they would have to be weak, or they would trivialize the game.
Many summons would make playing with a summoner feel really boring the same way playing with a poly rogue would, their turns would take years.
I'm fine with how it works currently, 1 main summon and skills that enhance it, as well as totems that are actually very effective but very squishy.
There is no totem cap. Cooldown is the only limit to multiple totems, this can be seen in certain areas in the game where you can be out of range from a fight and put out totems that immediately enter combat, while you would not. This however, Isn't intentional. You could use the Aero skill that gives you an additional turn and/or skin graft to get more totems, though that wouldn't be ideal.
The weakness in summoners right now is mostly by tuning.
Scrap most of what I said in my initial post because I thought out alot more about what I want out of the Skill Tree. Keep the parts about dispel summon type skills.
I don't mind having multiple weak summons actually. I think that would be fun! My vision is that you would have 1 main summon (the incarnate), the totems for artillery, and multiple weaker summons that don't override the incarnate.
For example summon fire elementals would allow you to summon 3 weaker fire elementals, and you get to place the 3 individually. Then you would have a summon skeleton warriors, which allows you to place 3 skeleton melee fighters individually. These two skills would not override the incarnate, but would override each other, so you can't have both at the same time. There would be 1 triple summon type of each magic school.
I'd also like to see totems or some other type of summon that buffs in an area around it self. Like a healing totem that heals all allied characters near it, or a totem that gives small stat buffs, and totems that gives debuffs like everyone near this totem gets enraged, or everyone near this totem is slowed until its destroyed.
Incarante: soaks 3-4 hits without buffs (5-8 with buffs), can be controlled, meh damage without buffs, ok damage with buffs, scary damage when super charged, has attack of opportunity lasts 10 turns, 5 turn cooldown, 2ap.
Weak Triple Summons: can only eat about 1-2 hits, very low damage, meh damage when super charged can be controlled, only the first placed of the 3 has attack of opportunity, lasts 3 turns, 6 turn cooldown, 2 ap cost.
Artillery Totems: ok damage, targets random enemies, dies in a single hit, lasts 4 turns (instead of the current 3), 2ap no cool down.
Buff/Debuff Totems: buffs allied targets within a 7m radios of itself, debuffs enemies (and depending on the type debuffs allies too) in a 7m radius. Dies in 2 hits 2ap to cast, 3 turn duration, 4 turn cooldown.
The chanter class in pillars of eternity quickly became my favorite class because it allowed you to shoot off really weak summons really quickly to annoy enemies, but you could also send in the big guns with say 2 drakes, or a single giant troll.
I don't believe this revamp will be too strong because A. if the summoner is killed all summons die, so the A.i will tend to focus down the summoner if it thinks attacking the summons just inst worth it (which is what the A.I currently does alot of the time), and B. the A.I will have access to the same skills at the player so it can summon these creatures too on top of also having these dispel skills, so there are multiple ways to get rid of summons.
Right now I feel summoning is kinda dull, but I see alot of potential in what it could be.
