Summoner

Version 0.26: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

The Summoner specialises in calling creatures from this and other worlds to give assistance. Although they can at first summon only very wimpy creatures, the more advanced summoning spells allow summoners to call on such powers as elementals and demons.

Summoner is a background which relies on summonings magic in the early game, starting with a book of Callings.

Preferred Races

Deep Elf, Hill Orc, Merfolk, Tengu, Vine Stalker and Vampire are the recommended races if you pick a Summoner Background.

Starting Equipment

Some species may receive different items based on their unique restrictions.

• +0 robe

Available Spells:

• Summon Small Mammal
• Call Imp
• Call Canine Familiar
• Summon Guardian Golem
• Summon Lightning Spire
• Summon Ice Beast

Summoners start with the Summon Small Mammal spell already memorised.

Starting Skills and Stats

These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.

• Dodging: 2
• Stealth: 2
• Spellcasting: 2
• Summonings: 4

Choosing Summoner adds 7 to your starting Intelligence and 5 to your starting Dexterity.

Strategy

• Relying on summoned creatures to kill opponents for you reduces the experience points you gain from the kill to 50% of what you would otherwise receive. Don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty when dealing with generally harmless foes - polearms are especially good for this, as they let you reach over your summons.
  • Conversely, don't be afraid of letting your summons handle the work! Thanks to the exponential nature of experience, your level won't be as low as you expect. If you get spells like Summon Mana Viper or Summon Horrible Things, they can handle their own even in the Realm of Zot!
• Remember that you can summon multiple times (barring Call Canine Familiar). This can be particularly useful when faced with monsters faster or much stronger than you, who can catch up if the first summoned monster dies.
• Don't forget that you can command your summoned monsters using t, compelling them to do useful things, such as proactively moving toward your foes, attacking a different enemy or retreating when they are hurt, rather than simply waiting for hostile monsters to approach.
• Summoners need to think carefully about the offensive spells they pick up if they intend to keep relying on their summons as well. Borgnjor's Vile Clutch and Ignition are examples of spells that offer area-of-effect damage without damaging your summons.

History

• In 0.27, Summoners are no longer tied to the Book of Summonings. They also lose Summon Ice Beast.
• Prior to 0.15, Summoners started with 20 gold.
• Prior to 0.14, Summoners started with only 1 level of Spellcasting.