Shaman
The shaman is not a loner; she serves a particular community and often in a leadership capacity. A shaman does not rely on spell books nor pray to distant deities; instead, the shaman considers the immediate needs of her community and asks the spirits that are currently listening for assistance. A shaman is a spiritual leader filled with the wisdom of her ancestors. She is at home in the outdoors, preferring to sleep under the stars than in a warm bed. She follows practical rules modeled on survival and finds most civilizations too artificially codified for her liking. Such societies rarely follow the will of the spirits; how can they when they live so packed together that it’s difficult to hear them?
Shamans tend to come from rural and primitive societies. Noble and urban characters tend to become priests or clerics, although there have been a few instances of an aristocrat or tradesperson eschewing the society she was raised in and becoming a shaman.
Shamans tend to reject artificial or impractical laws. This outlook keeps them away from lawful alignments. Neutral shamans see value in some laws, especially when the community needs them to survive. Chaotic shamans tend to teach their communities that self-help is the key to survival. On the other axis, shamans can be good or evil. Good shamans attempt to help those in need, while evil shamans use their contacts within the spirit world for their own benefit.
A shaman adventures for a variety of reasons. Most seek to protect their communities, whether confronting a spirit that plagues them or seeking out spirits that could become a threat later. In this latter case, shamans often go into ruins and dungeons expecting to find spirits that need to be dealt with.
- Alignment: Any non-lawful
- Hit Die: d8.
The shaman’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
- Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
| Level | Attack Bonus | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per day @ | |||||||||
| 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | ||||||
| 1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Domains, Orizons, Spirit, Spirit Animal, Spirit Energy 1d6, Spirit Magic, Totemic Magic | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Detect Spirits | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Spirit Energy 2d6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Spirit Energy 3d6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | +4 | +5 | +2 | +5 | See Invisibility | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Spirit Energy 4d6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | +6/+1 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Ghost Touch, Spirit (greater) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 9 | +6/+1 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Spirit Energy 5d6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | +7/+2 | +7 | +3 | +7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | |
| 11 | +8/+3 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Spirit Energy 6d6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - |
| 12 | +9/+4 | +8 | +4 | +8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | |
| 13 | +9/+4 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Spirit Energy 7d6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - |
| 14 | +10/+5 | +9 | +4 | +9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | |
| 15 | +11/+6/+1 | +9 | +5 | +9 | Spirit Energy 8d6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - |
| 16 | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Spirit (true) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - |
| 17 | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Spirit Energy 9d6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 18 | +13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| 19 | +14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Spirit Energy 10d6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 20 | +15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 | Manifestation | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| @ In addition to the stated number of spells per day for 1st- through 9th-level spells, a priest gets a domain spell for each spell level, starting at 1st. Domain spells are in addition to any bonus spells the priest may receive for having a high Wisdom score. | |||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the shaman.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A shaman is proficient with simple weapons. She is also proficient with light armor (except the chain shirt) and hide armor, as well as bucklers and light shields.
Spells: A shaman casts divine spells, which are drawn from the druid spell list. Her alignment may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful spells. To cast a spell, the shaman must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty class for a saving throw against a shaman’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier.
A shaman prepares her daily spells by communing with her spirit guide for an hour each day. The time of day is chosen at the start of the shaman’s career and remains the same throughout. The shaman may select a number of spells from the druid spell list as according to the Shaman Daily Spells Known table. Like a sorcerer, the shaman need not assign these spells to her daily slots. She may use any spell on her daily spells list provided that she has a spell slot available. The shaman may burn a higher level slot for a lower level spell.
Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells: A shaman can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own. Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.
Domains: A Shaman chooses one domains from among those belonging to her deity. A shaman can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if her alignment matches that domain. If a shaman is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects one domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.
Each domain grants a number of domain powers, dependent upon the level of the shaman, as well as a number of bonus spells. A shaman gains one domain spell slot for each level of shaman spell she can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a shaman can prepare one of the spells from her domain in that slot. If a domain spell is not on the shaman spell list, a shaman can prepare it only in her domain spell slot. Domain spells cannot be used to cast spells spontaneously.
Spirit Guides: Shamans often come from primitive cultures that don’t have distinct divisions within a particular pantheon; the shaman attempts to placate them all. Through his spirit guide, a shaman may ask for extra assistance from a particular domain each day. For that day, a shaman gains the domain’s granted powers accorded to a cleric of the shaman’s level as well as access to domain spells. Domain spells do not grant extra daily spells known, although the shaman may select them as part of his daily spell list. A shaman can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that domain.
A spirit guide can take any shape or form but exists only in the shaman’s head. It is a roleplaying tool; nothing more. The GM should feel free to use the spirit guide to communicate messages to the shaman while in communion with him (this is a great way to get a party back on track if they’ve lost focus).
Orisons: Shamans can learn a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. A Shaman has access to any of the orisons, every day.
Bonus Languages: A shaman’s bonus language options include Celestial, Abyssal, and Infernal (the languages of good, chaotic evil, and lawful evil outsiders, respectively). These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of his race.
Spirit (Su): A shaman forms a mystical bond with the spirits of the world. She forms a lasting bond with a single spirit, which grants a number of abilities and defines many of her other class features.
At 1st level, a shaman gains the spirit ability granted by her chosen spirit. She adds the spells granted by that spirit to the list of spells that she can cast using spirit magic.
At 8th level, the shaman gains the abilities listed in the greater version of her selected spirit. At 16th level, the shaman gains the abilities listed for the true version of her selected spirit.
If the shaman takes levels in another class that grants a mystery (such as the oracle), the spirit and mystery must match, even if that means one of them must change. Subject to GM discretion, the shaman can change her former mystery or spirit to make them conform.
Spirit Animal (Ex): At 1st level, a shaman forms a close bond with a spirit animal tied to her chosen spirit. This animal is her conduit to the spirit world, guiding her along the path to enlightenment. The animal also aids a shaman by granting her a special ability. A shaman must commune with her spirit animal each day to prepare her spells. While the spirit animal does not store the spells like a witch’s familiar does, the spirit animal serves as her conduit to divine power. If a shaman’s spirit animal is slain, she cannot prepare new spells or use her spirit magic class feature until the spirit animal is replaced.
By communing with the incredible powers of her spirit, the shaman forges a cherished bond with one specific servant of that spirit—known as a spirit animal. A spirit animal is a creature chosen by a shaman to serve as a conduit, allowing her to more fully access the magic of her spirit on a daily basis. The shaman’s spirit animal also grants her special powers. This ability uses the same rules as the wizard’s arcane bond class feature and is treated as a familiar, except as noted below.
A shaman uses her level as her effective wizard level when determining the abilities of her spirit animal. A shaman can select any familiar available to wizards to serve as her spirit animal, although her spirit animal is augmented by the power of her chosen spirit. Once selected, the spirit animal cannot be changed. Although a shaman’s spirit animal uses the statistics of a specific animal, it is treated as an outsider with the native subtype for the purposes of spells and abilities that affect it.
Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack with shaman levels for the purpose of determining any spirit animal abilities that depend on the shaman’s level. If a shaman possesses such levels in other classes, her spirit animal always uses the shaman rules for spirit animals, not those used by familiars of other classes (such as witches, wizards, or sorcerers with the arcane bloodline). If the shaman has witch levels, her spirit animal also serves as the conduit to her patron and stores her witch spells. The shaman’s spirit animal is treated as a familiar for the purposes of all spells, effects, and abilities that affect familiars.
If a spirit animal is lost or dies, it can be replaced after 24 hours through a special ritual that consumes material components worth 500 gp per shaman level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete. The new spirit animal must be of the same sort of creature as the previous one.
At 1st level, a shaman’s spirit animal gains specific abilities, depending upon the type of spirit selected by the shaman using her spirit class feature. These abilities affect the animal’s appearance and grant it special abilities that can aid it in serving the shaman and the spirit it represents and is connected to. These abilities are described in the spirit animal section of each individual spirit description.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If a shaman is 3rd level or higher, her spirit animal can deliver touch spells or hexes for her. If the shaman and the spirit animal are in contact at the time the shaman casts a touch spell, she can designate her animal as the “toucher.” The spirit animal can then deliver the touch spell just as the shaman would. If the shaman casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates. If the shaman activates a hex, her spirit animal can be used to make the touch; she doesn’t have to be in contact with the animal to use this ability with hexes.
Spirit Energy (Su): Through communion with the spirit world, the shaman can channel energy like a cleric, except that she only affects spirit creatures. This energy can be used to cause or heal spirits. Unlike a cleric, the shaman cannot heal or harm other types of creatures.
Shamans can choose to heal or deal damage to spirit creatures, the choice is often dependant on the alignments involved as well as the situation at hand. Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all spirit creatures within 30 feet of the shaman. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two shaman levels above 1st. Spirits that take damage from spirit energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + ½ the shaman’s level + the shaman’s Charisma modifier. Spirits healed by spirit energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total – all excess healing is lost. A shaman may channel spirit energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Spirit Magic: A shaman can spontaneously cast a limited number of spells per day beyond those she prepared ahead of time. She has one spell slot per day of each shaman spell level she can cast, not including orisons. She can choose these spells from the list of spells granted by her spirits (see the spirit class feature and the wandering spirit class feature) at the time she casts them. She can enhance these spells using any metamagic feata> that she knows, using up a higher-level spell slot as required by the feat and increasing the time to cast the spell (see Spontaneous Casting and Metamagic Feats).
Totemic Magic: A special form of divine magic that calls upon the power of nature. Unlike normal spells, totemic magic does not require "casting." Similar to "runeweaving," totemic magic requires the practitioner to paint or inscribe an image that conveys special, often "spell-like," abilities upon the recipient. Where possible, a Shaman's first Totem is the same as his Spirit Animal.
Detect Spirits (Sp): At 2nd level, the shaman can detect spirits at will. This functions as detect undead but covers spirits instead.
See Invisibility (Sp): At 6th level the shaman can see invisibility at will.
Ghost Touch (Sp): At 8th level any weapon or armor that the shaman is holding or wearing is treated as having the ghost touch ability. The shaman must be in physical contact with the item and proficient in its use. Missile weapons can be ghost touched, but they lose this ability after the shaman hits or misses his target (she may, of course, re-ghost touch the missile by picking it back up).
Manifestation (Su): Upon reaching 20th level, a shaman undergoes a transformation as she manifests as a pinnacle of her main spirit. The nature of this manifestation depends on the shaman’s spirit, and is described in its entry.
Ex-Shaman
A shaman that embraces law or otherwise offends the spirits loses all spells and shaman abilities (except for weapon and armor proficiencies). She cannot thereafter gain levels as a shaman until she atones (see atonement spell description).