Shaman
(shaman archetype variant)
by Wm Jay Carter III, inspired by the Soul Weaver class from Spheres of Power
Sometimes
known as a spirit guide or medicine woman (and erroneously labeled "witch
doctor" by the ignorant), the shaman not only remembers the dead, she
walks with them, communes with them, and draws her power from theirs.
She honors the spirits, whether those of her ancestors, the animals, or the Great Spirit which lives in all things. She believes that to dishonor those who came before is to weaken oneself.
She honors the spirits, whether those of her ancestors, the animals, or the Great Spirit which lives in all things. She believes that to dishonor those who came before is to weaken oneself.
To the
shaman, the departed still live, separated only by the mist of mortality called
the Æther (Ethereal Plane). One need only learn to part these mists if one
wishes to see where the dead continue their journey, and walk beside them.
A
shaman's connection to the Æther comes from ancestral influence. Somewhere
along the way—intentionally or otherwise—she made contact with the world of
spirits. This experience marked her as a liaison between the world of the
living and the dead: a medium.
Mediums
are revered and given a place of honor in tribal communities outside Euzoria.
If they wish to advance their gift, they are given to the tribe shaman as an
adopted child, and eventually become shamans themselves. Within Euzoria,
however, a medium’s gift is often seen as a haunting—or worse, a possession—and
dealt with accordingly. For this reason, very few mediums find the support
necessary to become shamans within towns and cities.
Eventually,
the more a shaman exposes herself to the spirit world, the more she becomes a
part of it. The most advanced shamans—known as mystics—sacrifice their mortal
senses to gain yet greater clarity on the other side of the Æther. Mystics walk
the boundary between life and death with every step, and some do not even
realize when they have died and become ghosts themselves.
Spheres
Her
connection to the Æther makes a shaman likely to use the Death and Life
spheres. Her access to the knowledge of the spirit world makes the Divination
and Mind spheres likely as well. Those shamans who commune with animal spirits
might also take animal-themed talents such as Animal Friend and Speak
with Animals (Nature).
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Starting Wealth: 3d6 x 10 gp (Average 105 gp) In addition, each character
begins with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.
Class Skills
The shaman's class skills are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha),
Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana; Int), Knowledge
(History; Int), Knowledge (Planes; Int), Knowledge (Religion; Int), Linguistics
(Int), Profession (Wis), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft
(Int).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Simple Weapons
Casting (Su)
A shaman may combine spheres and talents to create magical
effects. A shaman is considered a High-Caster, and uses Wisdom as her casting
ability modifier. (Note: all casters gain 2 bonus talents and may select drawbacks
the first time they gain the casting class feature. shamans may not select the
Skilled Casting or Painful Magic drawbacks. She also may not select the
Deathful Magic boon.)
Spell Pool
A shaman gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to
create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number
of spell points equal to 1 + her level + her Wisdom modifier (minimum: 2). This
pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.
Magic Talents: A shaman gains a magic talent every level, according to
Table: The Shaman.
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| Table: The Shaman |
Spiritual Magic
A shaman's connection to the Æther (Ethereal Plane) comes
from ancestral influence. Perhaps the shaman's first exposure to the world of
spirits was when she inherited a family heirloom and was visited by the
deceased relative to whom it belonged. Or perhaps she attempted to call the
spirit of a loved one back from the grave and was met by something else
entirely. This experience marked her as a liaison between the world of the
living and the world of spirits.
The shaman channels the power of spirits through routines and
rituals as a paranormal practitioner. At character creation, the shaman must
choose Profession: Medicine, or a Craft or Perform skill of her choice through
which to call the spirits into action. This decision cannot be changed.
In order to use any sphere ability, the shaman must first
succeed on a check of the chosen skill. When making a skill check to perform
magic, craft checks produce nothing of value, and perform and profession checks
earn the shaman no money. The check simply represents a brief demonstration of
proficiency, such as mimicking the movements of a healer, tracing the pattern
of a beaded bracelet with one finger, or reciting an ancient tribal chant. In all
other ways, this class feature functions as the Skilled Casting drawback.
The Æther consumes the shaman the more she uses it to perform
magic. Whenever you use a talent or sphere ability you must pass a Fortitude
save (DC 10 + 1/2 the ability’s Caster Level) or be sickened for 1 round. If
you use magic while sickened, you must pass a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the
ability’s Caster Level) or be nauseated for 1 round.
The closer the shaman is to death, the more powerful her
magic. When you are at half hit points or less, you gain a +1 temporary bonus
to your caster level. When you are at 1/4th your total hit points or less, this
temporary bonus increases to +2.
Channel Energy
A shaman may summon waves of Æthereal energy that affect
nearby creatures. This is identical to the cleric class feature, and allows the
shaman to qualify for all channeling feats. She may use this ability a number
of times per day equal to 1 + her Wisdom modifier. She must choose at 1st level
whether to channel positive or negative energy, after which this decision may
not be changed. A shaman’s choice to channel positive or negative energy is not
connected to her alignment, and any shaman may channel either energy.
Soul Net
A shaman’s greatest strength are the souls she gathers to
herself, whether of departed ancestors or sworn servants. Benevolent shamans
think of this gathering as a flock of sheep or school of fish, while the
ill-meaning consider their attendant souls as little more than prisoners or
slaves. In either case, this metaphysical gathering is referred to as a
"soul net." A shaman may have a maximum number of souls in her soul
net equal to 1 + her Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). These souls may be visible or
invisible, changed as a free action (if visible, they appear as wisps of energy
that glow dimly).
Summoning souls takes 1 minute, and a shaman cannot summon
more souls in a day than 1 + her Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). Once summoned,
these spirits remain until used, and either orbit the shaman (in which case
they move as she does), or may be directed to move independently as a move
action. A shaman may move as many souls as she wishes with each move action,
and souls have a fly speed of 40 feet and always succeed at fly checks. These
souls are only projected into the Material Plane and as such are immune to
damage of any kind. A soul must remain within medium range of the shaman, or
disappear back into the Æther.
A shaman gains a number of powers, each of which uses up a
soul’s energy. When using a soul power, the expended soul returns to the Æther
until it is resummoned at a future time. Soul powers require a standard action,
and if a saving throw is required the DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 shaman level +
Wisdom modifier. To use an ability, the target must be adjacent to the shaman
(if the spirit is orbiting her), or else the shaman must first direct the soul
to move into the target’s square.
Sympathetic Soul
The shaman may expend a soul to bolster an undead or
reanimated creature, granting it a +1 sacred bonus (if the shaman chose to
channel positive energy) or a +1 profane bonus (if the shaman chose to channel
negative energy) to attack rolls, saving throws, and turn resistance, which
increases by 1 for every 5 levels the shaman possesses. The creature also gains
1 temporary hit point per level. These bonuses last 1 hour.
Sacrificial Soul
The shaman may expend a soul to aid an ally who is at
negative hit points, but not dead. The ally becomes stable and gains temporary
hit points equal to twice the shaman’s class level for 1 minute.
Vampiric Soul
The shaman may expend a soul to siphon health from a living
creature. The target suffers 1d6 damage per 2 levels (minimum: 1, Fortitude
save for half), and the shaman gains temporary hit points equal to the damage
dealt that last one hour. This ability cannot damage a creature beyond what
would kill it.
Ancestral Knowledge
At 4th level, the shaman may expend one soul to commune with
the spirit world, allowing her to speak with and question the ancestral dead.
This allows her to make a single Knowledge check with an insight bonus equal to
her shaman level + her Wisdom modifier. This may be used to reroll a Knowledge
check the shaman had previously failed, but no more than once per question. If
the shaman is touching a body that has been dead for no longer than 1 day per
level, they may summon and speak with that body’s spirit, which retains all
knowledge it had in life but is no more friendly than in life—indeed, if it was
killed by the shaman, it might start the interaction with an attitude of hostile.
 |
| Table: Summon Spirit |
At 4th level, the shaman may expend a soul's power to pull it
more fully into the Material Plane. The soul manifests as a poltergeist, or as
a weak ghost. (A weak ghost is a deceased person with 1 level in a random NPC
class and the Ghost template, see Table:
Summon Spirit and Bestiary entry Ghost.)
A shaman can never summon the ghost of a specific person using summon spirit, except as detailed below
(see trap soul). This creature counts
as a summoned creature and remains for a number of rounds equal to the shaman’s
Wisdom modifier.
Reverent Soul
At 8th level, a shaman may spend a soul in conjunction with
channeling energy to add the benefits of any one feat which has channel energy
as a prerequisite to that channeling. The shaman must meet all other
prerequisites of that feat to gains its benefits in this manner.
Summon Spirit II
At 8th level, the shaman may expend a soul to summon either 1
shadow, 2 poltergeists, 1 lesser ghost, or 2 weak ghosts. (A lesser ghost is a
deceased person with 2 or fewer levels in a random PC class and the Ghost
template.) Multiple creatures must be of the same type and class and appear in
adjacent squares to each other. A summoned creature cannot create spawn. These
creatures last for a number of rounds equal to the shaman’s Wisdom modifier.
Potent Soul
At 8th level, the shaman may expend a soul in conjunction
with channeling energy to increase the die size to d8s instead of d6s.
Lucky Soul
At 8th level, the shaman may expend a soul as an immediate
action to allow herself or an ally within close range to reroll a failed saving
throw.
Summon Spirit III
At 12th level, you may expend a soul to summon either 1
wraith, 2 shadows, 4 poltergeists, 1 common ghost, 2 lesser ghosts, or 4 weak
ghosts. (A common ghost is a deceased person with 4 or fewer levels in a random
PC class and the Ghost template.) This is similar in all other ways to Summon
Spirit II.
Spirit Presence
At 12th level, the shaman may, when using a spell, spell-like
ability, sphere ability, or shaman ability, target the effect as if she were
standing in the same square as one of her souls. If the magic effect requires a
touch attack, the soul may make the touch attack for the shaman, using her
bonuses. This expends the soul.
Summon Spirit IV
At 16th level, you may expend a soul to summon either 1
greater shadow, 2 wraiths, 4 shadows, 4 poltergeists, 1 greater ghost, 2 common
ghosts, 4 lesser ghosts, or 4 weak ghosts. (A greater ghost is a deceased
person with 7 or fewer levels in a random PC class and the Ghost template.)
This is similar in all other ways to Summon Spirit II.
Temporary Resurrection
At 16th level, the shaman may expend a soul to bring a
creature who has died within 48 hours back to life. This lasts for 24 hours,
and the target is returned to full health (although they do not recover other
things, such as spells or spell points already used), and the target gains 1
permanent negative level while under the effect of this ability. This negative
level goes away when the target dies or is permanently raised from the dead.
The target still counts as a dead corpse (but not undead) for the purpose of
effects that revive dead creatures. Once a creature has been revived with
temporary resurrection, this ability cannot be used on it again until it is
permanently raised from the dead.
Trap Soul
At 16th level, if a target within close range is at negative
hit points or has died within 1 round, the shaman may expend a soul to trap the
target’s soul. The target must succeed at a Will save or their soul is taken
and added to the shaman’s soul net as a new soul, which she may expend as
normal for soul powers. If the shaman expends this soul to summon a single
ghost using summon spirit, it
manifests as the target appeared in life, including race, class, and items.
This ghost has as many character levels as the target had in life, or as many
as summon spirit permits, whichever
is fewer.
Using trap soul
cannot increase the shaman’s maximum number of souls. While the soul is in the
shaman’s soul net, it cannot be resurrected unless the shaman is killed or
voluntarily chooses to release the soul from service. Further, the shaman may
speak with and question the soul, which retains the knowledge it had in life,
but is under no obligation to answer questions (although bargaining for
peaceful release into the afterlife is usually enough to get a spirit to talk).
Summon Spirit V
At 20th level, you may expend a soul to summon either 1
banshee, 1 dread wraith, 2 greater shadows, 4 wraiths, 4 shadows, 4
poltergeists, 1 grand ghost, 2 greater ghosts, 4 common ghosts, 4 lesser
ghosts, or 4 weak ghosts. (A grand ghost is a deceased person with 12 or fewer
levels in a random PC class and the Ghost template.) This is similar in all
other ways to Summon Spirit II.
Blessing/Blight
All living creatures are under a shaman’s power, and a shaman
can cause incredible effects to befall either allies or enemies. At 2nd level,
a shaman who chose to channel positive energy may grant blessings to targets,
while a shaman who chose to channel negative energy may inflict blights. All
blessings and blights may only be granted to living targets with souls. A
target may only be affected by one blessing or blight at a time.
Applying a blessing to a target with blight or vice-versa
dispels both effects, leaving neither. It is this ability—to cure blights with
blessings—that earns a shaman the erroneous title “witch doctor,” as those who
inflict blights are mistakenly thought to be witches by the ignorant,
especially within Euzoria.
Blessing
Blessing: At 2nd level, the shaman may
touch a target and expend a use of Channel Energy to place a blessing on them
(unwilling targets may make a Will save to resist.) A blessing lasts for 24
hours and grants a +1 luck bonus to all saving throws. A shaman may concentrate
at any time to discover what creatures within close range possess a blessing.
Heal: At 6th level, a shaman may target
a creature within close range already under the effects of a blessing and
expend a use of Channel Energy to heal that target for 10 hit points per shaman
level. Healing a target in this way consumes and removes their blessing.
Restore: At 10th level, when you use
your heal ability, the target is also
cured of ability damage, blinded, confused, dazed, dazzled, deafened, diseased,
exhausted, fatigued, feebleminded, insanity, nauseated, poisoned, sickened, and
stunned.
Revive: At 14th level, you may use your
heal ability to bring targets back to
life if they died while under the effects of a blessing, so long as the
blessing has not yet expired. The target is restored with one permanent
negative level.
Renew: At 18th level, when you use your
heal ability, the target is also
cured of all temporary and permanent negative levels (including the one gained
if revived), as well as all ability drain.
Blight
Blight: At 2nd level, the shaman may
touch a target and expend a use of Channel Energy to place a blight on them.
The target is allowed a Fortitude save, and on a failure, grows a patch of
festering undead flesh where he was touched (this patch may be hidden under the
skin if the shaman chooses, so a target might not even know he’s been
infected). Blight is considered a magical disease and is permanent until
removed by magic or with the Heal skill.
A creature with blight suffers a -2 penalty to all saves
against necromancy spells, Death sphere abilities, soul net powers, or blight
abilities. A shaman may concentrate at any time to discover what creatures
within close range possess blight.
Lesion: At 6th level, a shaman may
target a creature within close range already suffering from blight and expend a
use of Channel Energy to cause that blight to rupture. This deals 1d6 damage
per shaman level to the target (Fortitude half). Using lesion consumes and
removes their blight.
Brain Blight: At 10th level, the shaman
may use lesion to take control of a
target instead of damage it. The blight spreads to their brain (Fortitude
negates), inflicting 4 points of ability drain to all mental ability scores and
giving the shaman control over the target for 1 hour per level or until the
blight is cured. For the duration of this effect, the target can make only a
standard action or move action on their turn, but not both.
The target obeys all verbal commands (without a shared
language, only basic commands such as come, fight, or stand still may be
communicated) and does anything asked to the best of its ability, including
self-destructive commands (a target command to hurt or kill itself deals its
weapon damage + its Strength damage to itself per round until dead.) Effects
such as protection from evil or the hallow word from the Fate sphere do not end
this effect, since it is the result of a physical malady rather than a
mind-altering or possession effect.
Unlike the standard lesion
ability, brain blight does not
consume the target’s blight when used, and the target may be subject to another
lesion or brain blight, even while already under the effects of a brain blight. If another shaman attempts
to use brain blight on a target
already under the effects of brain blight,
the two shamans make opposed checks (d20 + shaman level + their Wisdom
modifier) to determine who wins control of the target. Ability drain from
multiple brain blights are
cumulative.
Consume: At 14th level, the shaman may
use lesion to kill a target rather
than damage it or take control of it. The target dies instantly (Fortitude
negates) and is raised the next round as a zombie under the shaman’s control
for 1 hour per level. After the time is up, the body collapses and becomes an
ordinary dead body. On a successful save, the target still suffers 1d6 damage
per shaman level.
Detonate: At 18th level, when using
your lesion ability to kill a target,
you may also cause their blight to burst on a failed save, dealing 1d6 damage
per shaman level to all adjacent targets (Reflex half).
Gravewalker
At 20th level, a shaman has become so adept at walking the
paths of life and death, that both become evident in her body and soul. The
shaman gains immunity to nonlethal damage, ability drain, and energy drain.
Unintelligent undead ignore the shaman, treating her as another undead creature
unless provoked. If the shaman should die, she may choose to rise 2d4 days
later as a ghost.
ARCHETYPE: TOTEM SHAMAN
Instead of channeling the spirits of dead ancestors, some
shamans call on the primal spirits of animals. Totem shamans have the following
class features:
Skilled Trainer: The totem shaman gains Handle Animal and loses Profession
from her list of class skills.
Animal Shaman: The totem shaman gains the Animal Shaman drawback at
character creation.
Totem Magic
A totem shaman's connection to the Æther comes from the
influence of primal animal spirits. Perhaps the shaman eased the passing of a
mortally-wounded eagle, or perhaps she liberated a wolf's spirit from corporeal
undeath. Whatever the case, this experience gained her respect (or fear) from
the spirits of animal-kind.
The totem shaman channels the power of totem animals through
routines and rituals as a paranormal practitioner. At character creation, the
totem shaman must choose Handle Animal, or a Craft or Perform skill of her
choice through which to call upon her totem. This decision must be made when
the character becomes a shaman and cannot be changed.
In order to use any sphere ability, the totem shaman must
first succeed on a check of the chosen skill. When making a skill check to
perform magic, craft checks produce nothing of value, and perform and
profession checks earn the totem shaman no money. The check simply represents a
brief demonstration of proficiency, such as pantomiming the training of an
animal, displaying a totem carving, or howling like a wolf. In all other ways,
this feature functions as the Skilled Casting drawback. This replaces Spiritual
Magic.
Totem Animals
At 4th level, the shaman chooses one weak animal from each category of Table: Summon Totem Animals (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, and Aquatic). These become the shaman's totem animals. At 8th level, choose one lesser animal from each category and add them to the shaman's list of totem animals. Do the same for common animals at 12th level, greater animals at 16th level, and grand animals at 20th level. Once these choices are made, they cannot be changed.
At 4th level, the shaman chooses one weak animal from each category of Table: Summon Totem Animals (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, and Aquatic). These become the shaman's totem animals. At 8th level, choose one lesser animal from each category and add them to the shaman's list of totem animals. Do the same for common animals at 12th level, greater animals at 16th level, and grand animals at 20th level. Once these choices are made, they cannot be changed.
 |
| Table: Summon Totem Animal |
This ability functions as the druid Wild Empathy ability,
except that it may only be used on specimens of the shaman's totem animals. For
the purposes of this ability, all animals that share at least one animal name
with the totem animal count as a specimen (e.g. dire tigers count as tigers,
but dire wolves do not).
Alternate Soul Powers
Alternate Soul Powers
Primal Nature
At 4th level, the shaman may expend one soul to commune with
the spirit of one of her totem animals, lending her a measure of that animal's
primal nature. This grants her an insight bonus equal to her shaman level + her
Wisdom modifier on the next Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check she makes
within 1 hour. In addition, if the shaman is touching the body of an animal
that has been dead for no longer than 1 day per level, she may summon and speak
with that body’s spirit, asking questions of and receiving answers from the
animal. The animal retains all knowledge it had in life but is no friendlier than
in life—indeed, if it was killed by the shaman, it might start the interaction
with an attitude of hostile. This replaces the Ancestral Knowledge soul power.
Summon Totem Animal I thru V replace Summon Spirit I thru V:
Summon Totem Animal I
At 4th level, the shaman may expend a soul's power to pull it
more fully into the Material Plane. The soul manifests as a weak ghost chosen
from the shaman's list of totem animals. (Add the Ghost template to the
animal—see Bestiary entry Ghost.) A shaman can never summon the ghost of a
specific animal using summon totem animal,
except as detailed below (see trap primal
spirit). These creatures count as summoned creatures and remain for a
number of rounds equal to the shaman’s Wisdom modifier.
Summon Totem Animal II
At 8th level, the shaman may expend a soul to summon 1 lesser
ghost, or 2 weak ghosts chosen from the shaman's list of totem animals.
Multiple ghosts must be of the same type and appear in adjacent squares to each
other. This is similar in all other ways to Summon Totem Animal I.
Summon Totem Animal III
At 12th level, you may expend a soul to summon 1 common
ghost, 2 lesser ghosts, or 4 weak ghosts chosen from the shaman's list of totem
animals. This is similar in all other ways to Summon Totem Animal II.
Summon Totem Animal IV
At 16th level, you may expend a soul to summon 1 greater
ghost, 2 common ghosts, or 4 lesser or weak ghosts chosen from the shaman's
list of totem animals. This is similar in all other ways to Summon Totem Animal
II.
Summon Totem Animal V
At 20th level, you may expend a soul to summon 1 grand ghost,
2 greater ghosts, or 4 common, lesser, or weak ghosts chosen from the shaman's
list of totem animals. This is similar in all other ways to Summon Totem Animal
II.
Trap Primal Spirit
This ability functions as trap soul, except that it only works on non-magical animals. A
totem shaman may expend the trapped animal's soul to summon its ghost using summon totem animal, but she must have a
caster level equal to twice the animal's CR or the animal's soul returns to the
Æther with no effect. Trap primal spirit
may not be used on animal companions or familiars.
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