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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 her level + her Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). 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.
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.
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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.
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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 commanded 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.
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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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