Spirit Shaman

[clean_slate]

How would one go about in making a decent Spirit Shaman? As I understand, there are options to go with Charisma (with 16 Wisdom + 3 item) or Wisdom. It seems to me that Aasimar is by far the best race for the class, so lets go with that since the class is weak as it is already.

Any suggestions?

[Storm Munin]

Barbarian Spirit Shaman was fun to play.


Really depends on your concept mate, classes come second to support the concept.
IE What is the toon all about? what does it do? Why does it do that?

[LISA100595]

It depends on what you're looking to do with the class really as well as the RP. For instance my main is a Spirit Shaman, mechanically a DC caster with plenty of spells to buff an entire party. RPly I insist on no less than 26-27 levels in Spirit Shaman. I know there are better builds or just different builds but I try my best to keep a nice balance of mechanics and RP for my characters.

[Rhifox]

The class isn't weak. It can get near druid level melee with slightly less dispel-resistance and inability to cast spells in the form (shapechange plus wands of IMA and Shield). It can get very high DCs via blood magic. And it has tons and tons of spell slots. It also gets an animal companion, which is a feat hog but for a pure 30 shaman is as good as a druid's (or will be when/if they ever fix Natures Avatar so it works on it).

In my experience, the best options are either sticking with shaman fully, or multiclassing shaman/monk, the latter giving you some disgusting levels of AC. Full shaman on the other hand allows you to pick up the full animal companion plus dozens of epic feats.

Trick is to decide what you want to do with it. Be a DC caster with hard-to-resist damage spells? Then 16+3 Wis and rest into Cha and some Con (blood magic eats HP). Buffer and melee combatant? Buff Wisdom for more spell slots, and take some monk levels so you can push your considerable Wisdom score onto your AC. And get shapechange. It's no wildshape, but fully buffed, including IMA and Shield wands can get near 60 AC in Nightwalker form (with undead immunities). More than 60 if you are a monk/shaman multiclass. With high 30's AB and 2-20+16+1d8 damage per hit, you almost outdamage a dragon druid too (can't do Storm Avatar due to no Natural Spell).

Oh, and get spell resistance. Spell resistance plus blood magic gives you some of the biggest spell resistance possible: 46.

[mrm3ntalist]

The best AC SS is a monk/SS/Hieorphant/SF. It can reach close to 80AC (30CL) with shapechange

[clean_slate]

I thought it over and I would like a caster, not a Monk, Shifter or anything like that.

[Boddynock]

The best AC SS is a monk/SS/Hieorphant/SF. It can reach close to 80AC (30CL) with shapechange

It gets higher. 92 AC, to be exact, but not with that specific build.

[mrm3ntalist]

It gets higher. 92 AC, to be exact, but not with that specific build.

Let us know!

[Rhifox]

I thought it over and I would like a caster, not a Monk, Shifter or anything like that.

Then I'd suggest straight 30 shaman. Wis 16+3 item and pump Cha. Spellcasting Prodigy, spell focuses, blood magic, empower/maximize, epic spells, etc. You should probably still take telthor, as it's still rather useful for tanking and some damage in solo play.

There aren't really any caster PRCs that benefit shaman. Hierophant increases your caster level but your highest clevel spell only reaches 27 anyway so the clevel boost only affects your buff durations (and spell resistance). The amount of epic feats you have to lose to take it means that you actually lose DC, especially since you have to take 3 levels of a completely unrelated class just to get the 15 ranks of Religion needed to qualify.

[clean_slate]

Hierophant increases your caster level but your highest clevel spell only reaches 27 anyway so the clevel boost only affects your buff durations (and spell resistance).

Thanks for the advice. However, I don't get this part. How do you mean? I thought 32 CL would give me extra DC to spells (Epic CL bonus on levels 23, 26, 29, 32, 35 and so on).

[Rhifox]

Correct. 1 extra DC. That you have to spend 7 non-shaman levels to get (because shaman doesn't have Religion as a class skill and must take 3 levels of something that does and then 4 levels of hierophat).

You get that extra DC, and more, by just going straight shaman and spending the extra epic feats on Great Charismas.

[chad878262]

There aren't really any caster PRCs that benefit shaman. Hierophant increases your caster level but your highest clevel spell only reaches 27 anyway so the clevel boost only affects your buff durations (and spell resistance). The amount of epic feats you have to lose to take it means that you actually lose DC, especially since you have to take 3 levels of a completely unrelated class just to get the 15 ranks of Religion needed to qualify.

True to a point. Two spellpowers make CL32 (+1 to all DC's) at the cost of 3 levels of Cleric (or something with Religion) and 4 of Hierophant. You still hit 23 Spirit Shaman so you lose two epic feats... two Greater Charisma's = 1 DC is it is actually a Wash in regards to DC. You do have to consider that you must take a metamagic feat (i'd assume you'd at least want one such as empower to increase spell level by 2, thus increasing DC) as well as Practiced Spell Caster (due to taking a class that allows religion as a skill) and Able Learner (in order to increase up to 15 without killing your skill points cross classing). So I am not advocating this path, just saying the DC's specifically are not any worse, YMMV.

[Rhifox]

True, I was wrong when saying you lose DC. The DC does end up even, but you do lose a ton of other stuff as mentioned. Animal companion progression as well, if taking telthor.

[Heimdallr]

Hello,

Would like to refresh as I got some questions:

What is actually more valid, go for 3 blackguard to get Divine Shield for AC, or ignore that kind of thing?

Second would be - Do I require to have Hierophant to get as high DC as I can? If yes, what would be the most efficient way to obtain the lore religion 15? it is pretty high.

[kkrazlite]

The best AC SS is a monk/SS/Hieorphant/SF. It can reach close to 80AC (30CL) with shapechange

Your AC will take a huge toll though with the SF in there due to your shape-changed natural weapon counting as a "Weapon" for monks. Which cuts your AB in half almost. . . i believe its -9 ab or something.