Experience with the Conjurer

[Breashios]

My recent thread about concentration reminded me of the campaign where I played a Conjurer. I don't think they are broken or anything, but I often struggled to be as effective as I've seen the Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, Illusionist and Necromancer be in play or discussion.

What were your good experiences as a Conjurer or with a Conjurer in your party?

Specifically, what about the School of Conjuration arcane tradition was leveraged in those cases?

Or what caused the most frustration? For instance, Benign Transposition looked interesting, and I did use it a couple of times to get out of the front line when caught there, but compared to Misty Step it consumed my action. I couldn't even use an item after using it as it took up my action to teleport away.

[ImproperJustice]

We had a younger player who was running a Conjurer use Unseen Servant to quietly steal a distracted foe's weapon and later set off a an explosive trap they had lured another enemy into.

He used Unseen Servant for all possible tasks whenever possible, and he seemed tonhave a good time with it.

[Citan]

My recent thread about concentration reminded me of the campaign where I played a Conjurer. I don't think they are broken or anything, but I often struggled to be as effective as I've seen the Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, Illusionist and Necromancer be in play or discussion.

What were your good experiences as a Conjurer or with a Conjurer in your party?

Specifically, what about the School of Conjuration arcane tradition was leveraged in those cases?

Or what caused the most frustration? For instance, Benign Transposition looked interesting, and I did use it a couple of times to get out of the front line when caught there, but compared to Misty Step it consumed my action. I couldn't even use an item after using it as it took up my action to teleport away.

Hi!

Ok so, this is not actual experience feedback, but I see Benign Transposition being used as an emergency transport. Since it's not a spell, it can be used in conjonction with Misty Step.

So... you see an ally in heavy threat (like surrounded by enemies)?
Benign Transposition swap place with him, then Misty Step back.
Bonus point if you had an ally whose turn came soon after with an AOE at the ready. ;)

As for Minor Conjuration, since I never played a Conjurer I'm probably a bit dry in the creativity department, but I can at least see it easily as a "tool matrix" of some sort.
Classic example, you have been emprisoned? Conjure some needle to fiddle with the lock, or a hard but small tool like a pickaxe to break a wall (well, it WILL be noisy XD). You could even just conjure a candle to exchange some signals to your friends outside,

You could also fool someone in selling him a "magical weapon", provided you are comfortable with the long-term consequences...

Also I wonder if you could actually conjure some food like bread or fruits (it's "inanimate" per PHB consideration right?), and would a DM rule that whatever you had time to digest is good or even that actually disappears?
Ruling as last would broaden possibilities (take a poison that makes you appear dead, or that would kill but in a longer time, to bluff enemies).

For me though the true reason to play a Conjurer is for conjure spells, for which the true bright obviously comes from level 14 feature... But, it IS level 14... So close yet so far... :)

[Specter]

I'm interested to know what are people's experiences with Durable Summons. Seems to me the Wizard lacks good summoning spells to do it (barring maybe Conjure Minor Elementals).

[Citan]

I'm interested to know what are people's experiences with Durable Summons. Seems to me the Wizard lacks good summoning spells to do it (barring maybe Conjure Minor Elementals).

True that, but even on Conjure Elementals 30HP may be up to 1/3 of their total life.

I would see it well used on Conjure Minor Elementals though, to bring forth a small army of mephits that deal AOE damage on death: between that nice 30 THP cushion and the fact you can conjure them up to 30 feet, you have a much better chance to get them where you want them to be before they die. ;)

It also makes CR 2 creatures like Azer viable for at least several rounds by doubling effectively the amount of hurt they can take.

(Now imagining a duo of Sorcerer/Cleric and Sorcerer/Wizard, both with Twin and Extended. Wizard upcasts Extended Conjure two Azer, Sorcerer casts Twin Warding Bond or upcast Aid or Twin Haste or whatever else you like... Could be fun)

[rigolgm]

I would see it well used on Conjure Minor Elementals though, to bring forth a small army of mephits that deal AOE damage on death: between that nice 30 THP cushion and the fact you can conjure them up to 30 feet, you have a much better chance to get them where you want them to be before they die. ;)

Yeah, I really hate that. Each summoned creature having 30 free extra hit points really pushes the Conjuror towards summoning loads of high-HP low-attack mephits. Which could really make combat drag for other players.

[Citan]

Yeah, I really hate that. Each summoned creature having 30 free extra hit points really pushes the Conjuror towards summoning loads of high-HP low-attack mephits. Which could really make combat drag for other players.

I half-agree. This was just one example of use, but not necessarily the best: after all, it's still a gamble you make for this trick to be really efficient...
- You have to get a place where all mephits can spawn, far enough from your party, close enough to enemies.
- You have to be lucky on the initiative roll of the group: if they go last, enemies will have time to react, either scattering, or trying to make a chain killing at range, or blow two AOE...
- DC is fairly low and set in stone, compared to a proper Wizard's own DC of same level (Conjure Minor Elementals is level 4, so Wizard 7+. At level 8, Wizard can have DC=8+5+3=16, much better.
- Damage per mephit is pretty low too, 2d6 or 7 for those dealing damage on death.
Presumably with a basic CME to get 4 Magma mephits, if your main intent was to make a suicide squad, it's basically a waste of slot compared to a plain Fireball.

So, I'd rather say that one would use Mephits as a "normal" ally squad, that just happens to have an interesting feature on death and one interesting spellcasting (Magma Mephits against a squad of heavy armor Orcs: enjoy the mass Heat Metal ;). Group of archers or casters? Send a suicide Dust Mephits squad to ensure at least one or two rounds of Blindness tranquillity).

And in that regard, conjuring instead only one creature but of high CR seems potentially useful too. ;)

[Scathain]

I'm interested to know what are people's experiences with Durable Summons. Seems to me the Wizard lacks good summoning spells to do it (barring maybe Conjure Minor Elementals).

Well luckily that’s what UA is for! We all fell in love with the demon summoning spells from way back, and I made liberal use of Durable Summons when I played a yuan-ti (pre volo’s) conjurer.

Conjure Elemental is fun if you have a partner Mage to bind it.

[Foxhound438]

you could always wish for a conjure fey too, thought for a 9th level spell slot it's questionable what you can really do to make this worth.

Honestly though, I would forget the durable summons in favor of non-summon spells. Cloudkill/incendiary cloud that you can't lose concentration on might be cool. Not sure what else there would be off the top of my head though.

[Breashios]

Focused Conjuration seems like a very good Arcane Tradition feature as you greatly reduce the chance of summoned elementals turning against you.

I did get some use out of Minor Conjuration, but being unable to make a rope more than three feet long did limit some of its functionality. Now if it had only said "... an object that could fit in 3' cube."

From what I am sensing here, not many experienced players actually play conjurers.

My main at the moment challenge during the action was being unable to cast a second concentration spell. I could cast a wall, but not do anything more interesting with it though if I could cast a second concentration spell, all kinds of things would have been possible. Everyone else were thieves and fighters. A ranger supplied all our healing initially, an NPC bard after that player quit.

[xroads]

I've briefly played a 9th level conjurer and found that I didn't care for it. After my elementals attacked the party on two different occasions due to me blowing concentration checks, I decided to change to evoker.

[Citan]

I've briefly played a 9th level conjurer and found that I didn't care for it. After my elementals attacked the party on two different occasions due to me blowing concentration checks, I decided to change to evoker.

Out of curiosity, quick question: in your opinion, having gotten Constitution proficiency one way or another, would have it made any difference in those occasions? Or you just rolled so bad (or were hit so hard) that however high bonus would not have changed the outcome?

[xroads]

Out of curiosity, quick question: in your opinion, having gotten Constitution proficiency one way or another, would have it made any difference in those occasions? Or you just rolled so bad (or were hit so hard) that however high bonus would not have changed the outcome?

To be fair, if I had picked up either resilient constitution or warcaster, things might have gone differently.

Unfortunately, I had made a miscalculation while creating my character. For this particular game, we created our characters starting at level 9. I thought at this level, conjurers got that wonderful "Focused Conjuration" benefit, so didn't bother picking up those feats. I only found out during play that the conjurer gets that benefit at 10th level.

Regardless, still left a bad taste in my mouth for conjurers. So I decided to go with evoker and play with spell sculpting.

[Breashios]

To be fair, if I had picked up either resilient constitution or warcaster, things might have gone differently.

Unfortunately, I had made a miscalculation while creating my character. For this particular game, we created our characters starting at level 9. I thought at this level, conjurers got that wonderful "Focused Conjuration" benefit, so didn't bother picking up those feats. I only found out during play that the conjurer gets that benefit at 10th level.

Regardless, still left a bad taste in my mouth for conjurers. So I decided to go with evoker and play with spell sculpting.

Yeah, you were only off by 1 level. I wonder how you would have done if you'd have stuck it out.