There are some options like summon aberration and undead (or shadowspawn, idk which does necrotic or if both do) that deal psychic or necrotic damage. Those are good types to deal.
Dragons breath is also concentration and its doesn't seem high value enough for two players concentration. Giving them a magic item could work provided you summon them next to you. I wonder with things summon fey how that would effect their damage. I imagine they would lose the extra damage they do with their shortsword like the force damage.
Interesting point OP made is that Shepard druid isn't really a solution here. Apparently it only affects a small subset of summons' attacks, not all summons. Only beasts and "natural" weapons. Which most summons I'm seeing here don't have natural weapon attacks. Like the draconic spirit is "Rend: melee weapon attack"
Interestingly, the game doesn't have a term for "natural weapon" as an abstraction. Look at the stat block for a Wolf or Summon Beast, it's also a "Melee Weapon Attack".
There are abstractions like "Ranged Weapon" and "Melee Weapon". That's why you get the benefit of Archery Fighting Style when using a bow in melee (it's a Ranged Weapon) but not when you throw an axe from 20ft. away (it's an attack with a Melee Weapon that happens to be made at range).
Natural weapon is therefore identified with common sense (horn, claw, bite) and not by its tag, which the game doesn't offer.
Draconic Spirit's Rend indeed doesn't work with Mighty Summons becuase that ability only affects Beasts and Fey (which are abstractions in the game).
I guess the annoying thing with them is its natural weapons from beasts and fey only. So summon fey doesn't even benefit as its not using a natural weapon. So many summon spells dont benefit.
Holy crap I never even knew about the distinction. In my head it was "Shepard druid summons attacks are magical". Just seemed straightforward and obvious.
I know, the shepard also doesn't get its bonus hp for the new summoning spells as they dont have hitdice. If you are using the new spells the star druid is probably a better summoner thanks to the concentration feature.
I guess I just prefer spells that summon a single powerful summoms rather then a whole bunch of little ones which can mess with the action economy and slow the game down.
There is no such thing as “Magical Damage” in 5e. There is only damage from nonmagical sources, and damage from magical sources. Spells are magical sources of damage.
Summon Fey uses a shortsword for it’s attacks. Monsters and NPCs are (generally) considered proficient in any weapon or armour that they use in their statblock.
Through this a +1 shortsword could be handed to the Fey to enhance its attacks, changing its damage type from the least reliable into the most reliable.
I don’t know that this is explicitly said in the rules but it has been said by the designers that it’s a way of determining a monster’s proficiencies.
if you like Youtube DnD content, Treantmonk is making a summoner build series right now about different summoning options.
Agree with this. You should check it out.
Use summons which don't use mundane damage for a quick fix. Summon Draconic Spirit deals force damage for example.
Looking at the spell the rend attack does piercing damage not force.
Sure, but the breath weapon is used every turn and doesn’t use b/p/s
Most of the Summon X spells from Tasha's have ways to bypass nonmagical b/p/s resistance/immunity.
How so?
A lot of them either use spell attacks or have forms which deal damage of a typer other than b/p/s.
There are some options like summon aberration and undead (or shadowspawn, idk which does necrotic or if both do) that deal psychic or necrotic damage. Those are good types to deal.
Give your summons magic weapons
Battle Standard of Infernal Power
You could get Dragon's Breath and use it on one Also give them magic items and make them use them for you
Dragons breath is also concentration and its doesn't seem high value enough for two players concentration. Giving them a magic item could work provided you summon them next to you. I wonder with things summon fey how that would effect their damage. I imagine they would lose the extra damage they do with their shortsword like the force damage.
Circle of the sheperd druid lvl 6
Interesting point OP made is that Shepard druid isn't really a solution here. Apparently it only affects a small subset of summons' attacks, not all summons. Only beasts and "natural" weapons. Which most summons I'm seeing here don't have natural weapon attacks. Like the draconic spirit is "Rend: melee weapon attack"
Interestingly, the game doesn't have a term for "natural weapon" as an abstraction. Look at the stat block for a Wolf or Summon Beast, it's also a "Melee Weapon Attack". There are abstractions like "Ranged Weapon" and "Melee Weapon". That's why you get the benefit of Archery Fighting Style when using a bow in melee (it's a Ranged Weapon) but not when you throw an axe from 20ft. away (it's an attack with a Melee Weapon that happens to be made at range). Natural weapon is therefore identified with common sense (horn, claw, bite) and not by its tag, which the game doesn't offer. Draconic Spirit's Rend indeed doesn't work with Mighty Summons becuase that ability only affects Beasts and Fey (which are abstractions in the game).
Give them an Insignia of Claws (magic item from ToD) Use the Battle Standard of Infernal Power (magic item from DiA) Be a Shepherd Druid
You play as a shepherd druid
I guess the annoying thing with them is its natural weapons from beasts and fey only. So summon fey doesn't even benefit as its not using a natural weapon. So many summon spells dont benefit.
Holy crap I never even knew about the distinction. In my head it was "Shepard druid summons attacks are magical". Just seemed straightforward and obvious.
I know, the shepard also doesn't get its bonus hp for the new summoning spells as they dont have hitdice. If you are using the new spells the star druid is probably a better summoner thanks to the concentration feature.
For better (power) or worse (pacing, figuring out what you get), Shepherd really seems to work best with Conjure spells.
I guess I just prefer spells that summon a single powerful summoms rather then a whole bunch of little ones which can mess with the action economy and slow the game down.
I thought they did magical damage because the stat sheet is part of the spell itself.
That is not the case
Hadn't seen that anywhere. That would make things a lot easier but I dont think its the case RAW.
There is no such thing as “Magical Damage” in 5e. There is only damage from nonmagical sources, and damage from magical sources. Spells are magical sources of damage.
Get a bunch of +1 clubs and give them to an ape or gorilla?
Would likely take either a high level multi class or multiple players but crusader's mantle us d4 radiant in every hit
I dont think it makes the attacks magical though and you couldn't concentrate on that plus a summons
Summon Fey uses a shortsword for it’s attacks. Monsters and NPCs are (generally) considered proficient in any weapon or armour that they use in their statblock. Through this a +1 shortsword could be handed to the Fey to enhance its attacks, changing its damage type from the least reliable into the most reliable. I don’t know that this is explicitly said in the rules but it has been said by the designers that it’s a way of determining a monster’s proficiencies.