Summoner

Summary:

Battlefield controllers who overwhelm encounters by commanding squads of summoned minions. They trade personal action economy for spatial control, attrition, and denial, shaping the map through bodies, formations, and forced responses. Power comes from positioning minions well, accepting losses, and converting them into momentum. You rarely deal damage directly — your army does.

Heroic Resource: Essence

Gain Essence equal to Victories at start of combat

Gain 2 Essence at start of each turn

Gain 1 Essence first time each round a minion dies in Summoner’s Range (any side)

Can sacrifice your own minions to reduce Essence costs

Essence resets at end of encounter

Core Mechanics:

Control up to 8 minions, organised into two squads

Summon and command within Summoner’s Range (5 + Reason)

Issue orders per squad, not per minion

Minions block space, absorb hits, redirect damage, and set up allies

Expected to lose minions — deaths fuel your engine

Summoner Strike and Strike for Me let minions act in your place

Formations and quick commands reshape damage flow and enemy options

Subclasses (Circles):

Demon – aggressive pressure, self-destruction, corruption, punishment for proximity

Undead – attrition, durability, zone denial, death triggers

Fey – mobility, forced movement, swarms, positional control

Elemental – terrain effects, area control, elemental punishment