Spirit Summoner¶

The Spirit Summoner is a unique mage build that combines Magery with Spirit Speak to create powerful necromantic summons unavailable to traditional mages. This build offers a completely different summoning experience with enhanced creatures, unique abilities, and tactical options.

Overview¶

While standard mages summon creatures through pure magical force, Spirit Summoners tap into necromantic arts to call forth spirits from beyond. By developing Spirit Speak alongside Magery, you gain access to special summons, enhanced traditional summons, and the ability to command Blade Spirits and Energy Vortexes.

This is one of New Dawn's most significant custom systems, fundamentally changing how summoning works for dedicated practitioners.

What is a Spirit Summoner?¶

A Spirit Summoner is defined as:

A character with 50+ Spirit Speak
Spirit Speak skill higher than Magery
Access to unique summoning benefits

Once you meet these requirements, you're considered a Spirit Summoner and gain access to all the system's benefits.

Spirit Speak Benefits¶

5^th Circle Summons (Custom Creatures)¶

When a Spirit Summoner casts 5^th circle summoning spells, they summon entirely different creatures:

Standard Mage: Summons regular creatures (Earth Elemental, Water Elemental, etc.)

Spirit Summoner: Summons special spirit creatures with unique appearances and abilities

These spirit creatures are:

Visually distinct from normal summons
More powerful than standard 5^th circle summons
Have unique abilities appropriate to their spirit nature
Scale with your Spirit Speak skill

8^th Circle Summons (Enhanced)¶

Spirit Summoners' 8^th circle summons (Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Water Elemental, Daemon) are significantly enhanced:

Base Stats Increased:

All 8^th circle summons have greatly increased base stats and skills
This boost applies before Spirit Speak scaling
Makes them much stronger than standard mage summons

Spirit Speak Scaling:

Stats and skills further boosted by your Spirit Speak level
The higher your Spirit Speak, the stronger the summon
Caps at GM (100) Spirit Speak

Enhanced Follow Speed:

Spirit summons follow significantly faster
Increased distance before they stop following
More responsive in combat situations

Appearance:

Spirit summons have a distinct "spirit" hue
Easily identifiable as spirit-enhanced creatures
Shows your dedication to the necromantic arts

Blade Spirits and Energy Vortex¶

Spirit Speak dramatically changes how BS and EV work:

Without Spirit Speak (Standard Mage)¶

BS and EV will attack you
Cannot be controlled
No special abilities
Standard summoning time
Normal stats

With Spirit Speak (Spirit Summoner)¶

Spirit Speak provides escalating benefits:

At 50+ Spirit Speak:

BS and EV ignore you (won't attack their summoner)
Slight stat increase

At GM (100) Spirit Speak:

Full command control: Use "all follow me", "all attack", "all guard me"
Poison attacks: 40% chance to poison targets on hit
Significantly increased stats and hit points
Visual distinction (spirit hue)
Don't attack the summoner

Note on Duration:

BS and EV summon duration is NOT affected by Spirit Speak
They have a set duration regardless of skill level
Spirit Speak affects their power, not their time

Spirit Speak and Animal Lore Synergy (Patch 1.0)¶

Recent updates have made Animal Lore a crucial part of the Spirit Summoner build:

Animal Lore Benefits:

Directly affects the base strength of your summons - This is a major boost!
Works in conjunction with Spirit Speak for multiplicative benefits
Creates significantly more powerful summons at high levels
Essential for maximizing your Spirit Summoner's potential

Spirit Speak Focus:

Affects summon healing
Affects dispel resistance
Affects summon duration (except BS/EV)

Don't Skip Animal Lore

While you can technically be a Spirit Summoner without Animal Lore, you'll be operating at significantly reduced effectiveness. The base strength bonus from Animal Lore is substantial and should be considered a core skill for any serious Spirit Summoner build.

This creates powerful synergy - Spirit Speak affects how your summons perform in combat (healing, dispel resistance, duration), while Animal Lore makes them fundamentally stronger from the moment they're summoned.

Summon Healing¶

Spirit Summoners' pets and summons receive healing bonuses:

Summoned creatures heal faster
Controlled pets benefit as well
Scales with Spirit Speak skill
Does NOT allow summons/pets to self-heal

Dispel Resistance¶

Your summons are harder to dispel:

Player Dispel:

50% base chance to resist at GM Spirit Speak
Applies to both Dispel and Mass Dispel spells
When cast by players

Monster Auto-Dispel:

Some monsters (like Dragons) have auto-dispel on melee
Spirit Speak reduces this chance
Previously 100% chance, now reduced based on SS skill
Protection against instant-dispel mechanics

GM Spirit Speak vs NPC Dispel:

80% chance to resist NPC-cast Dispel/Mass Dispel
Makes your summons much more durable in PvM

Building a Spirit Summoner¶

Core Skills¶

Magery: 100 - Essential for casting summon spells
Spirit Speak: 100 - Maximum summoning benefits
Evaluating Intelligence: 100 - Spell damage
Meditation: 100 - Mana regeneration
Animal Lore: 100 - Highly Recommended - Significantly boosts summon base strength

Animal Lore is Critical

While not technically required, Animal Lore is extremely important for Spirit Summoners. It directly affects the base strength of all your summons, making them substantially more powerful. Without it, you're missing a major component of the build's potential.

Additional Recommended Skills¶

Resisting Spells: PvP survival and spell defense
Wrestling: Defensive capability and avoiding disruption
Inscription: Spell damage boost

Stat Distribution¶

Intelligence: 100+ (primary)
Dexterity: 25-50 (casting speed)
Strength: 25-75 (as needed for equipment/reagents)

Combat Strategy¶

PvM (Player vs Monster)¶

Summon Rotation:

Cast 8^th circle summon (Daemon preferred)
Cast Blade Spirits in front line
Cast Energy Vortex for additional DPS
Support with direct damage spells
Heal summons as needed

Advantages:

Multiple creatures tanking damage
High total DPS output
BS/EV poison chance wears down tough enemies
Dispel resistance keeps summons alive

PvP (Player vs Player)¶

Tactics:

EV and BS apply pressure while you cast
Poison chance disrupts enemy healing
Command control allows tactical positioning
Summons can body block escape routes

Weaknesses:

Vulnerable while casting summons
Can be interrupted during long cast times
Summons can be avoided by skilled players
Energy Vortex and Blade Spirits target priority not always ideal

Comparison: Spirit Summoner vs Standard Mage¶

Aspect	Standard Mage	Spirit Summoner
5^th Circle Summons	Regular creatures	Unique spirit creatures
8^th Circle Summons	Standard stats	Greatly enhanced stats
BS/EV Control	None (they attack you)	Full command control at GM
BS/EV Poison	No	10-40% chance based on SS
Dispel Resistance	Standard	50-80% vs player/NPC dispel
Follow Speed	Standard	Significantly enhanced
Summon Healing	Standard	Enhanced with SS
Build Requirement	Magery only	Magery + Spirit Speak

Advanced Tips¶

Maximizing Damage¶

Keep all summons active (1x 8^th, 2x BS, 2x EV if possible)
Position BS/EV between you and enemy
Use direct damage spells while summons engage
Let poison chance stack on tough targets

Summon Management¶

Use "all follow" to regroup summons
Use "all guard me" for defense
Use "all attack" to focus fire
Monitor summon timers (single-click to see remaining time on 8^th circle)

Resource Management¶

Spirit Speak doesn't extend BS/EV duration - manage timing
8^th circle summons last longer - prioritize these
Carry plenty of reagents for sustained summoning
Consider Inscription for additional spell power

PvP Considerations¶

Pre-summon before engagement if possible
BS/EV cast times are shorter - use for quick pressure
Be ready to recast if dispelled
Your dispel resistance helps but isn't guaranteed

Common Mistakes¶

Not taking Animal Lore (biggest mistake!) - Missing substantial base summon strength
Not keeping Spirit Speak higher than Magery (loses Spirit Summoner status)
Forgetting to command BS/EV (they're controllable!)
Oversummoning without managing reagent costs
Standing still while casting (easy PvP target)

Patch History¶

Spirit Summoner mechanics have evolved significantly:

0.15: Initial Spirit Speak summon enhancements
0.16: Custom 5^th circle spirit creatures added
0.18: BS/EV enhancements, dispel resistance added
0.18: Casting delay adjustments for summon spells
0.29: BS/EV control and poison mechanics refined
0.29: Spirit summoners (SS > 50, SS > Magery) defined
0.48: Spirit summon follow speed and distance increased
0.48: Additional stat boosts to 8^th circle summons
1.0: Animal Lore synergy added, Spirit Speak affects healing/dispel/duration

For complete history, see the patch notes.

Magic System - Core magic mechanics
Skills - Spirit Speak and Magery details
Combat System - Combat mechanics with summons

Conclusion¶

The Spirit Summoner build offers a unique playstyle unavailable in classic UO or most other servers. It rewards investment in Spirit Speak with powerful, versatile summons that can tackle both PvM and PvP content. Whether you want to command an undead army or have truly powerful demonic allies, the Spirit Summoner build delivers a fresh take on the classic UO mage.