The Conjurer’s Handbook
Index:
Introduction What is Conjuration? Specializing in Conjuration Feats Spells Prestige Classes and Builds e!erences
Introduction What is this Handbook?
This is the Conjurer’s Handbook" a guide to the care and !eeding o! #our specialist Wizard$ This Handbook %ill discuss the di!!erent aspects o! building and pla#ing a Conjurer" including attributes" alternate class !eatures" !eats" &agic ite&s" and prestige classes$ We’ll also di'e into the spell list" highlighting i&portant or interesting Conjuration spells$
What is this Handbook Not?
This is not a Wizard Handbook$ I assu&e that #ou are alread# !a&iliar %ith ho% a Wizard is pla#ed$ I in'ite #ou to read Dictum Mortuum’s Wizard Handbook and and The Logic Ninja’s Guide to Being Batman i! #ou ha'en’t alread#$ Pla#ing a Wizard" e'en a Focused Conjurer" is about &ore than si&pl# casting Conjuration spells$ Spells like contingency, greater invisibility, polymorph, shapechange, shapechange, dominate dominate person, person, and and e'en fireball fireball and and magic missile ha'e missile ha'e their place in a Wizard’s repertoire$ It’s up to #ou to !igure out ho% to co&bine the in!or&ation !ound in this guide %ith the use!ul spells and strategies inherent in the other schools o! &agic$ That’s %hat being a Wizard is all about( This Handbook is also not a guide to di'ine &agic$ For the sake o! o%n sanit#" I’'e li&ited the crunch# bits in this Handbook to those a'ailable to Wizards and specialist Wizards$ Sorcerers %ill !ind lots o! use!ul in!or&ation here" and Clerics and )ruids &a# !ind use!ul tidbits %here their o%n spell lists con'erge %ith the Wizard’s$ I %ill ad&it up !ront" kno%ledge o! the en'iron&ent books *Frostburn" Ship%rack" )ungeonscape" etc$+ is so&e%hat lacking$ I ha'e ne'er been in a pla# group that used these books$ I’ll include %hat I kno%" and I’ll do best to &aintain the guide %ith in!or&ation pro'ided b# other posters$
What is Conjuration? Conjuration is a diverse school of magic that summons or conjures eects into existence or moves them from one place to another. You can conjure up walls, creatures, toxic fog, grand banquets, mundane items, even extra-dimensional mansions. Conjuration also deals with the elemental planes, conjuring pockets pockets of elemental energ which can be used for various oensive eects. You can even use Conjuration to move ourself, our allies, or our enemies from one place to another through teleportation magic. The Subschools
Conjuration spells come in !ve basic "avors. #he are$ Calling: Calling spells transport a creature to our side from another plane of existence, usuall to perform some service for ou. Calling spells summon real, discrete creatures who do not return to their
This is not a Wizard Handbook$ I assu&e that #ou are alread# !a&iliar %ith ho% a Wizard is pla#ed$ I in'ite #ou to read Dictum Mortuum’s Wizard Handbook and and The Logic Ninja’s Guide to Being Batman i! #ou ha'en’t alread#$ Pla#ing a Wizard" e'en a Focused Conjurer" is about &ore than si&pl# casting Conjuration spells$ Spells like contingency, greater invisibility, polymorph, shapechange, shapechange, dominate dominate person, person, and and e'en fireball fireball and and magic missile ha'e missile ha'e their place in a Wizard’s repertoire$ It’s up to #ou to !igure out ho% to co&bine the in!or&ation !ound in this guide %ith the use!ul spells and strategies inherent in the other schools o! &agic$ That’s %hat being a Wizard is all about( This Handbook is also not a guide to di'ine &agic$ For the sake o! o%n sanit#" I’'e li&ited the crunch# bits in this Handbook to those a'ailable to Wizards and specialist Wizards$ Sorcerers %ill !ind lots o! use!ul in!or&ation here" and Clerics and )ruids &a# !ind use!ul tidbits %here their o%n spell lists con'erge %ith the Wizard’s$ I %ill ad&it up !ront" kno%ledge o! the en'iron&ent books *Frostburn" Ship%rack" )ungeonscape" etc$+ is so&e%hat lacking$ I ha'e ne'er been in a pla# group that used these books$ I’ll include %hat I kno%" and I’ll do best to &aintain the guide %ith in!or&ation pro'ided b# other posters$
What is Conjuration? Conjuration is a diverse school of magic that summons or conjures eects into existence or moves them from one place to another. You can conjure up walls, creatures, toxic fog, grand banquets, mundane items, even extra-dimensional mansions. Conjuration also deals with the elemental planes, conjuring pockets pockets of elemental energ which can be used for various oensive eects. You can even use Conjuration to move ourself, our allies, or our enemies from one place to another through teleportation magic. The Subschools
Conjuration spells come in !ve basic "avors. #he are$ Calling: Calling spells transport a creature to our side from another plane of existence, usuall to perform some service for ou. Calling spells summon real, discrete creatures who do not return to their
native plane if the die while in our service %if ou die in Canada, ou die for real&. Gateand Planar binding are calling spells. Creation: Creation spells create objects or creatures from nothingness. 'ome creation spells, such as grease, have a duration, which means the item disappears when the spell ends. (ther creation spells, like wall of stone, are instantaneous. #hese spells conjure real items which last inde!nitel. Healing: )ealing spells restore life and cure ailments. *an of the iconic Cleric healing spells fall into the healing subschool, such as remove disease, restoration, and all of the cure spells. + default, iards iards do not get access to Conjuration %)ealing& spells, though there are several was to add them to our spell list. Summoning: ike calling spells, summoning spells will bring a creature or object to the place ou desire. /nlike calling spells, all summoning spells have a duration, and the creature creature or object summoned will return to its place of origin when the spell ends. 0f the creature dies or the object is destroed during the course of the spell, it will reform 12 hours later at the location it was summoned from. Summon monster I-IX and and summon swarm are summoning spells. Teleportation: #eleportation spells instantl transport creatures or objects from one place to another. *an teleportation spells, such as dimension door , simpl move ou around on the same plane. 'ome of the more powerful spells, like plane shift , can move ou across planar boundaries. #eleportation eects are both instantaneous and permanent, meaning that ou are not held in our new location b magic, and the eect cannot be reversed or dispelled.
Conjuration Spell Types
hat can ou do as a Conjurer3 #he trite, clich4 answer is 5anthing ou want,6 but that is also the most complete and most truthful answer. Conjuration is a ver broad and versatile school of magic, and it enables a wide variet of combat strategies and tactics. 7ote also
that this is b no means an exhaustive list of our combat options, this list simpl enumerates the strengths of the Conjuration school. 8epending on our chosen prohibited schools %if ou choose to specialie&, there are man other roles ou could ful!ll in addition to the ones listed here. 9 Conjurer who retains use of his :vocation school can 'hotgun *age with the best of them; 0 do want to be clear about the purpose of this section. #his section of the )andbook is not a list of character archetpes. 0
+attle!eld controls require ver little optimiation in order to function well. =or example, wall of iron creates a permanent wall which can separate a tough enem from his allies. Wall of iron just works> there is no save against it, it doesn
spells. 'ee the section on @restige Classes for more information. !isables: 8isabling spells %also known as 5debus6& hamper our enem
#o disable eAcientl, ou want to push our spell save 8C as high as possible. #hat means absolutel cranking our 0ntelligence through stat boosts, items, and racial bonuses, and ou
them, so 0 humbl oer ou the 'ummoning )andbook, which expertl details this area of Conjuration better than 0 could possibl hope to. #here are a number of feats, alternate class features, and prestige classes dedicated to summoning. 'o man, in fact, that it
return to town. Conjuration oers unparalleled mobilit, allowing ou to move freel through the dungeon, the world, and the multiverse. + and large, teleportation spells are usuall bene!cial spells ou
0f ou plan to capitalie on our damage spells, caster level is important. Your blasts will tpicall do FdJKlevel %up to FDdJ or FIdJ, depending on the spell&, which means that a high caster level equals more damage. Your damage spells, particuarl the orbs, also metamagic well. #his can keep them somewhat useful after ou
Specializing in Conjuration Specialization: Shooting &eter to pay &aul
7ow, before we start talking about specialiation, it should be said that ou can pla a perfectl respectable Conjurer as a generalist iard. You can take 'pell =ocus$ Conjuration and pla ControllerK8isabler with walls and clouds, or ou can take 9ugment 'ummoning and command a legion of =iendish 8ire +adgers. )owever, specialiing opens up a lot of doors. You get access to *aster 'pecialist for one, which is an excellent prestige class with lots of useful, unique bene!ts. You also gain access to the /nearthed 9rcana Conjurer variants, all of which are extremel useful. =or the sake of this handbook, let
'orbidden Schools
hat two schools should ou give up in return for our Conjurer specialiation3 ell, let
metagaming for ou$ there are fewer :nchantment spells in the 'pell Compendium than an other school %and there are no Ith or Jth level spells&. ith that in mind, :nchantment seems like an excellent candidate to forbid. )$ocation: :vocation has long been the favorite !rst choice of schools to dump b iards everwhere. :vocation is our blast school, full of spells that let ou roll lots of dJs. 8on but seriousl, ou
* choices are :nchantment and :vocation. 7either school is critical,
and both schools are easil replaced b spells from other schools. 7ever forbid #ransmutation.
(lternate Class 'eatures !ude, Where-s .y 'amiliar?
9s a level F Conjurer, ou have some choices. #here are lots of fantastic options available to ou as alternate class features. )nhanced Summoning%(: :nhanced 'ummoning gives ou variant abilities at level F, I, and FD. 0f ou opt to accept this variant, ou must accept all three abilities, ou can
9t level F, ou gain 9ugment 'ummoning and give up 'cribe 'croll. 0f ou plan to act as a 'ummoner, this is as eas as falling out of bed. 9ugment 'ummoning is a kestone feat for 'ummoners, as it bus our summoned monsters at no additional cost to ou. 0f ou don
spell. 9 level F =ocused Conjurer would have F spell per da of his choice, plus G bonus Conjuration spells. #his gives ou more total spells per da, but makes ou hper-focused on the Conjuration spell school. uck for us, Conjuration is an excellent all-around school, and is one of the best %if not #): best& school for =ocused 'pecialiing. =ocused 'pecialist will give ou a simpl ridiculous number of spells per da. 0f ou choose to become a =ocused Conjurer, ou
'impl put, 9brupt Naunt saves our ass. =or example, if ou !nd ourself on the edge of a$reball, ou can simpl step out of it. 8uring our turn, ou can move, cast a spell, and then Naunt FD< in an direction. #eleport through a door without using a spell, and if ou get attacked on the other side, Naunt again as an immediate action to get back to safet. +ecause 9brupt Naunt has no somatic component, ou can even use it to escape a grapple. ots of neat little tricks. You can also use 9brupt Naunt to avoid getting pasted with melee attacks. =irst of all, if a creature starts its turn threatening ou, ou
can avoid suering a full attack if ou can escape its threat range with 9brupt Naunt. #hat
Conjurer 'eats #hroughout the splatbooks, there are a number of feats which appl speci!call to Conjurers or Conjuration spells. #his is not an exhaustive list of feats that are good for iards, these are just the feats that showcase Conjuration spells or abilities. General 'eats Core 'eats (ugment Summoning: 9 no-brainer feat for 'ummoners, 9ugment 'ummoning bus all of our summoned creatures at no cost. You can get 9ugment 'ummoning for free with the :nhanced 'ummoning alternate class feature, and it comes free with #haumaturgist 1. *mpro$ed *nitiati$e: )onestl, not terrible. 9s 0
+on4Core 'eats
(rcane !iscipleC!: Choose the 'ummoning domain, and this feat adds lesser planar all# to our spell list and allows ou to qualif for #haumaturgist. Choosing the )ealing domain will open up #ouch of )ealing. 7ote that ou need is FDOspell level to memorie or cast these domain spells, which ma be prohibitive. (rcane Thesis&HB/: 0 love me some 9rcane #hesis, but it
=or cloudkill and other clouds that move, ou
3eser$e 'eats (cidic SplatterC.: (ne of the two good damaging reserve feats for Conjurers, because ou get lots of useful acid spells. Bood for a little extra damage at low levels, especiall if ou forbade :vocation. (utshadowed later on when ou have enough spells per da to cast something useful ever round. 'kippable feat. !imensional 1auntC.: ets ou teleport a short distance, and gives ou OF C on teleportation spells. 0t
'iery BurstC.: #he other good damage reserve feat. =ier +urst is nice because it aects a FDxFDE area, although it allows a ?e"ex save. %rb of $re is the best fourth level (rb spell for ou to memorie, which sncs up nicel with this feat during the mid levels. Summon )lementalC.: 'ummons a small elemental for a couple rounds and gives ou OF C on summoning spells. #he short duration and small sie limit the elemental
.etamagic 'eats
*etamagic works a little dierent for Conjurers than it does for man other spellcasters. *an of the classic metamagics are simpl worthless for us... ou wonEt get much mileage out of :mpower, *aximie, Chain, or #win 'pell ikewise, ouEve got almost nothing to @ersist. +ut donEt get all glum, there are lots of useful metamagic feats for Conjurers, ou just have to !nd them. :xtend 'pell is a good start, and iden 'pell is great for making big clouds bigger. 9nd then thereEs 'culpt 'pell, which gives ou unparalleled control over how ou place our burst, spread, and cloud spells. 9nd :nlarge 'pell... 0 know; :nlarge; 0tEs actuall not bad. ?emember though, there are so man battle!eld control, disabling, and summoning spells available that itEs often better to just cast a higher level spell than to use a low level spell with metamagic. You also never want to use metamagic on a summon monster spell if it means increasing the spell level, because ou want the bee!est monsters ou can get.
Core 'eats )nlarge Spell: hat3 ho takes :nlarge3 ell, ou
+on4Core 'eats *mbued Summoning&HB/: #he OF level adjustment kills it. 'ummoning a big creature is better than summoning a little creature with a bu. 'kip this. &ersistent SpellC(rc: @ersistent 'pell has no special uses for Conjurers, since ver few Conjuration spells qualif for it. :ven so, @ersistent 'pell is absolutel broken if ou can appl it to #ransmutation bus for free. 3apid SpellC!: 9llows ou to cast our one-round spells as a standard action, at a cost of OF spell level. =or summon spells especiall, this isn
Sculpt SpellC(rc: @robabl the +:'# metamagic feat for Conjurers, because of the control it aords ou over our area spells. You can sculpt our incendiar# cloud into FD< cubes to avoid our allies, or ou can !ll a long, narrow hallwa with F1D< worth of acid fog. #here are lots of amaing things ou can do with 'culpt 'pell, because so man of our spells are bursts and spreads. Sudden 7C(rc: (nceKda is kind of lame, but here
Spells =ollowing is a list of Conjuration spells that 0 think are particuarl neat, interesting, andKor useful. *an of these spells are combat-based, though there are some campaign spells included in the list as well %campaign spells are spells which help ou progress through the campaign> overland transportation, item creation, interaction, and the like&. 0 have pulled spells from the '?8, the 'pell Compendium, and Complete *age. 'pells from other sources are not included %but 0
0n cases where the @)+ and '?8 dier in regards to a spell
'irst 8e$el Spells
=irst level has a number of utilit spells that will sta with ou through our Conjuring career.Grease is alwas a fan favorite, and it
8esser 9rb o5 Whate$erSC: 0t does damage, it doesn
Second 8e$el Spells
'econd level is where our !rst area disable spells come into pla. (loud of bewilderment nauseates, glitterdust blinds, and web entangles. Nust be aware that these spells all aect our part as well as our enemies, so place them carefull. You have two nauseate eects now, in wall of smoke and cloud of bewilderment . 7auseate is an excellent status eect, as it keeps aected foes from taking an actions except movement. Nust be aware that nauseate doesn
+on4Core Bale5ul TranspositionSC: 9s benign transposition! but the targets need not be willing. 'wap our big dumb =ighter with the other team
Third 8e$el Spells
#hird level gets a little thin, but icelance is a fantastic spell that can help carr ou through the earl levels. )ass mage armor is also useful at these levels, before our ?anger and ?ogue friends can aord their mithril armor. #hird level has a lot of ver good spells in other schools, which help balance the somewhat slim pickings in Conjuration. Core &hantom Steed: 0nsanel fast mount, moves 1D< per round per
caster level. #he steed can get ou places in a hurr, long before ou can teleport . 9t C F2, the steed can ", which is essentiall the same as overland *ight . Sepia Snake Sigil: @rovides a permanent-duration trap for would-be spellbook thieves. Stinking Cloud: =unctionall identical to cloud of bewilderment , except a larger radius and a longer range. #ake it in core, use the lower level spell in non-core.
+on4Core (cid BreathSC: =ireball, kinda. 0 mention it because sometimes ou just need to spit acid. Corpse CandleSC: ?eveals invisible and hidden creatures and objects. @resumabl, that means the candle !nds valuables hidden in a room, reveals treasure on or inside creatures, and reveals secret doors. 0t moves ID< a round, which is a lot of territor to cover. =inall, revealed creatures don
level spell. 9nother O1 9C isn
'ourth 8e$el Spells
=ourth level adds two spells that can keep our opponents immobile for several rounds without oering a saving throw. ,lack tentacles is a ver strong area-grapple eect, and solid fog simpl reduces their movement to I< a round. :ither wa, once ou have our enemies locked down, ou can put the screws on them with ranged attacks or area damage spells Core Black Tentacles: ?idiculousl good. 0
fog blocks line of sight, provides concealment, and slows all movement to I< a turn. 7o '?, no save. #his spell lets ou put a group of monsters completel out of our mind for several rounds, as the struggle to penetrate the perimeter of the fog. You can
'i5th 8e$el Spells
=ifth level has an abundance of excellent spells. You get long-range transport, cloud-area Con damage, a permanent wall, a fantastic called construct, a ?e"ex-or-lose spell, and a high-damage single target nuke, among other things. =ifth level is a Conjurer
direct ou to the @lanar 9llK+inding thread started b tiluviasRR. #he normal and greater versions of this spell are much more useful. Secret Chest: 0f ou need to hide something but good, this is our spell. #hrow some horribl important plot item ou were tasked to protect into the chest, and if unless our enemies mount a full-scale :thereal investigation, it 5there
!imension Shu=e&HB/: #he crown of the 5rearrange the battle!eld6 line of spells, this lets ou move friends and foes alike. 7o two targets can be more than GD< apart, but ou can completel reorganie a tight battle however ou see !t. 7o somatic. !ragon (lly, 8esserSC: Bet a Velekhut instead, he
Si#th 8e$el Spells
'ixth level grants ou the best cloud spell in our arsenal with freezing fog. You also get two ver useful walls and an emergenc in!nite-range teleportation spell. =inall, planar binding breaks 8Q8 b allowing ou to call creatures with fantasticall powerful abilities and bind them to our will. Core (cid 'og: 0t but eah, 8C 2D 'trength
check. +on4Core 'reezing 'ogSC: 0t the took dimension shu&e from the @)+1 and made it worse. actical teleportation aects fewer targets, aects willing targets onl, includes a somatic component, and is a spell level higher. (n the plus side, the targets don
Se$enth 8e$el Spells
'eventh level is a little thin, but there are still some powerful abilities. #he olarut is a terri!c creature to call, and his presence can turn diAcult battles into free loot. You also get several important travel options, and stun ra# is as an excellent save-or-lose that isn
more of these.
)ighth 8e$el Spells )aze is our ultimate isolation spell. Greater planar binding is an excellent spell at the ver least, and it has the potential to wreck entire campaigns without too much trouble. Core *ncendiary Cloud: Your most damaging cloud, but lacks the movement-stopping properties of solid fog and similar spells. Bood spell to use if ou
mediocre. 'ierce &ride o5 the BeastlandsSC: #he good news is, ou get a pack of celestial lions and dire lions. :ven better, the sta with ou a good long time. #he bad news is, prett much nobod ou !ght at level FI is going to care much about our pack of I )8 kittens. 'till, 0
+inth 8e$el Spells
0
(byssal (rmySC: 'ee $erce pride of the beastlands. You get a bunch of cuddl little critters for FD minutesKlevel. #he neat part about ab#ssal arm# is that ou can command our demon buddies to summon more demon buddies. 0t
take half damage and get bull rushed. You can use the bull rush eect to push creatures back into one of our existing cloud spells, or ou can simpl bur them in snow and blast them when the emerge. Breat for hugging a room full of goblins. 9nd when 0 sa hugging, 0 mean killing. 9nd when 0 sa goblins, 0 mean giants. Sphere o5 %ltimate !estruction SC: 0t
&restige Classes and Builds Conjurer &restige Classes (lienistC(rc: 8on
templates ou alread have access to. #he class features are mediocre, ou get two bonus feats %which base iards would get anwa& in exchange for permanentl crippling our abilit to interact with people and nonpseudonatural creatures. You can do better than this. (rchmage: 7ot all of the 9rchmage abilities are useful to ou, but some are. 9rcane ?each is tpicall considered the best abilit, but Conjuration doesn
monster spells, which reall narrows our focus as an arcane caster. You get a couple minor bonuses that appl to planar binding spells as well, but planar binding is plent broken without prestiging into *alconvokerX these abilities aren
Check out #reantmonklvl1DEs *astering the *alconvoker guide for more information on this prestige class, including advice on creatures to summon and bind. e disagree on a number of points, but his guide is ver solid for anone who wants to pla a summon-focused Conjurer. .aster SpecialistC.: :xcellent choice. 0t
monster spells&, and ou get 9ugment 'ummoning for free. #he abilit to cast contingent summon spells is not all that useful, as the spell level of the contingent spell is ver low %FKG our caster level&. )owever, the planar cohort is absolutel fantastic> at level FS, ou can hire a @lanetar who casts spells as a FHth level Cleric. 0f our 8* disallows cohorts, then #haumaturgist is a ver bland prestige class. %ltimate .agusC.: 7ot an eective choice for a Conjurer. You lose caster levels %1 if ou use the @racticed 'pellcaster trick, 2 if not&, which precludes ou from being an eective 'ummoner. #he /ltimate *agus
Conjurer Builds Changeling Basic =ocused Conjurer G *aster 'pecialist 2 ?ecaster I #haumaturgist I 9rchmage G =orbidden 'chools$ :nchantment, :vocation, 7ecromanc 9lternate Class =eature$ 0mmediate *agic %9brupt Naunt&
#his is probabl m favorite long-term Conjurer build, as it provides a diverse blend of class abilities which enhance all aspects of Conjuration. Your summons bene!t from the *inor 'pell :soterica abilit at *aster 'pecialist 2, and the get the #haumaturgist bonuses. You get free metamagics through ?ecaster, a planar cohort, and three useful 9rchmage abilities. #his is a FRK1D progression build, with the missing level coming at ?ecaster F %character level S&.
+on4Changeling Basic =ocused Conjurer G *aster 'pecialist H #haumaturgist I *aster 'pecialist %S-FD& 9rchmage 1 =orbidden 'chools$ :nchantment, :vocation, 7ecromanc 9lternate Class =eature$ 0mmediate *agic %9brupt Naunt&
#he build above, but for non-Changelings. You lose the metamagics in