I wanted to share thoughts of mine and invite to brainstorm.
First, I want to clarify something OOC. I'm speaking here for the technical discussion about this topic, and I'd like everyone to please consider the big difference between a shaman and a spirit shaman, both lorewise (description) and mechanically (talents, feats, spells, etc.).
In-game, I am well aware and prefer that characters don’t know everything up front. It’s a “get to know” communication as you play. For this topic, you’ll soon see where my thoughts are pointed to.
How so?
It really depends on ethnicity, background, faith, and tribal social system... how a shaman or spirit shaman is portrayed. Traditions can be passed on orally, or, when circumstances allow, with written runes and more.
Next, there’s the edition we play (server-wise, it’s 3.5, definitely using material from earlier editions as well as homebrew and even some influences from future editions… yes, we don’t like the spellplague…). The spirit shaman class was never really present before. Yet it was somehow not fully existing in this present form. There’s always been something like a shaman-esque druid (for example, BG2’s totem druid, complete handbook of druids) or a priest, an Uthgardian cleric of Uthgar, or a totem (maybe even an elemental) User. A Hathran* of Rashemen of course. Before the Spirit Shaman class was implemented, a hag shaman or goblin shaman would likely have _sorcerer and/or cleric_* levels too. Or maybe druid, with or without a circle. That means shamans are, in some cases, able to cast arcane magic -> sorcerer / bard.
But a spirit shaman truly calls out into the primal, has a direct link, since the class is avaiable. Like a Favourite Soul to their Deity or a Sorcerer to the Weave. (Yes, I make that threefold distinction -> divine (deities are key), primal (nature is key), arcane (the weave is key). And even if someone doesn’t like splitting them that way, because primal could be divine, there’s one thing that’s challenged in all editions: does a druid/ranger/spirit shaman need a nature deity to cast spells, or do they just call upon nature or the spirits themselves, without needing a deity? As displayed in the sign of Angharradh, these spheres overlap. I don’t want to open up that debate here. For now, let’s say divine, primal, and arcane could be one and the same, and all we seek are the keys to get in there, a shapeshifter that likes a lot of keys.)
Alas...
Whatever the build, they all have one thing in common:
The disconnection from the spirit world, like a “spirit shaman” experiences.
In previous terms, all of them would knock on the tree and hope the dryad would answer. The spirit shaman, as it is now, is able to call them out at will. How this is done depends on his alignment.
Take my thoughts and ideas as inspiration. I can’t say what’s possible or not! Praise to our technical team members at this point; I could map NWN1 forest maps easily, but scripting a chair to sit on was my greatest achievement ever.
I’ve played Spirit Shamans for several years now, and it isn’t a secret that it’s a very specialized and, again, pretty badly implemented class by the game itself.
A clever fox might say: “You just want benefits!”
Well… yes, of course, but it’s for the same reason any other spirit shaman player would. And I can tell you: most of the feats a spirit shaman gains might seem amazing and almost overpowered in pen & paper. But on a PW — without a DM — not even close.
Classes my Character is orientated at / inspired by:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Totem_sister
https://www.realmshelps.net/charbuild/c ... /hth.shtml
https://www.realmshelps.net/charbuild/c ... ucan.shtml
https://www.realmshelps.net/charbuild/c ... eiro.shtml
https://www.realmshelps.net/charbuild/c ... /rnc.shtml
Yes, they have certain requirements. Eventually beeing Female or need track / evasion abilitys.
But they do have many connections as the way to use elements - plants and animals - songs and oral tradition - totems and runes - spirits.
Speaking about spirits.....
There are problems: enemies (spirits) that, by lore, are considered spirits, but aren’t targeted by the engine.
Example: Shadows of various kinds. Some elementals too. That’s part of the late implementation of the class, and probably the result of few requests to change it… because the class isn’t all that “effective” or “balanced,” so it rarely gets played. See the feedback loop?
Quote from the Complete Divine sourcebook:
WHAT IS A SPIRIT?
Several of the spirit shaman’s abilities affect spirits. For purposes of the spirit shaman’s abilities, a “spirit” includes any of the following creatures:
All incorporeal undead
All fey
All elementals
Creatures in astral form or with astral bodies (but not a creature physically present on the Astral Plane)
All creatures of the spirit subtype (see Oriental Adventures)
Spirit folk and telthors (see Unapproachable East)
Spirit creatures created by spells such as dream sight or wood wose (see Chapter 7)
In the spirit shaman’s worldview, elementals and fey are simply spirits of nature, and incorporeal undead are spirits of the dead.
Another example: The feats given by the game (by origin or by BGTSCC) -> some are transferred exactly as described in the lore book Complete Divine. And that’s exactly where the difficulty starts in using/displaying the feats.
Spirit Form and Spirit Journey are kind of treated the same in-game. On a busy PW, because people are writing and the engine only counts the duration, it’s over before you can act ... useless in many moments.
Inspiration: That duration could be extended.
Next is the difference between them. Spirit Form is basically the ability to walk through solid objects for the time it lasts. But again, that’s not possible without a DM (and without knowing that spirit shamans should be able to pass through anything that isn’t protected against spirits or similar -> depends on situation and plot!).
Quote:
Spirit Form (Su):
At 9th level and higher, a spirit shaman learns how to temporarily transform herself into a spirit. Once per day, as a standard action, she can make herself incorporeal for up to 1 minute.
While incorporeal, a spirit shaman gains all the advantages of the incorporeal subtype (see the Monster Manual): immunity to all nonmagical attack forms, a 50% chance to ignore damage from any corporeal source, and the ability to enter or pass through solid objects. The spirit shaman loses any armor or natural armor bonus to AC, but gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum +1).
She has no Strength score against corporeal creatures or objects and cannot make physical attacks against them, but she gains the ability to make a melee touch attack (add the spirit shaman’s Dexterity modifier to her attack roll) that deals 1d6 points of damage to a corporeal target. This effect is treated as a magic weapon for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
At 15th level and higher, a spirit shaman can use her spirit form twice per day. At 20th level, she can use this ability three times per day.
Vs.
Spirit Journey (Sp):
A spirit shaman knows how to vanish bodily into the spirit world beginning at 17th level. This ability functions like the spell shadow walk, except that a spirit shaman can only transport herself. She need not use the ability in a shadowy area, and she travels through the Plane of Spirits, not the Plane of Shadows. A spirit shaman can use this ability once per day.
At the moment in-game, these feats operate very much alike. But as you can see, Spirit Journey is actually more like Dimension Door, Shadow Walk (as mentioned above), Fey Step, Witch Step -> you name it.
With Tramahstas, I cover this using bard levels (for Dimension Door), but it could actually be made different. The warlock class or the feyseeker PRC prove that it’s possible.
At the moment nature-spell-list users have three ways of "porting".
Treestride - port one person via marked plant.
Travel by plant - port some people via marked plant.
Master earth - port one person via marked rune.
I’m not about 100% perfection with sourcebooks ... cooking is best with personalization. Yet, without a recipe, it surely can get mushy. You get my point!
General ideas for improving the class:
There are already really nice additions with feats, making the character stand out, like the telthor companion or bloodmagic (not the bloodmage PRC straight away).
Do they need anything more? Not actually. But looking at shapeshifting possibilities, druid and animal domain companion diversity, and epic spells for arcane characters… I think there’s untapped potential.
Inspiration:
Telthor companions are currently a choice between the spiritwolf and an orglash (wind elemental). While Tramahstas has his wolf spirit Fang rooted in his history, I could imagine more ghosts to choose from.
Maybe a bear (if animal-oriented), or all available spirit animal forms, like with druid companions or the animal domain.
For orglash: why not include all four elements, or make it material-oriented (like a woodwarden or similar).
With the elemental aspect complete, all fey could also be possible as companions.
Telthor companion is just the name of the feat—this is all brainstorming. Feydragons, pixies, elementals, and more are already implemented engine-wise, so why not use that? I'll stay with my character as it stands, but imagining a true elementalist spirit shaman is, I think, not a bad idea.
Still, the person playing a spirit shaman should want that companion.
Next: Bloodmagic.
I'll be brief here. I’m still experimenting with the feat, but for now, I’m happy as it is. Thumbs up!
Some further inspiration:
Looking back on how a shaman could be constructed, there’s one possible addition that comes to mind.
Why? As I said, for balance or to amplify ... the game gives tons of fighting feats, many magical moments with choiceable feats… you know what I mean.
Shamans “built” with arcane or divine classes are able to break curses, if constructed that way.
Again, I cover this with my bard levels and the spell/song of freedom.
My thought was: what if a spirit shaman got a feat at some level to cast remove curse once per day?
It is kind of funny that “typical” shamans could break curses because they can choose those spells (and potentially break several a day). A spirit shaman couldn’t break a curse if not multiclassed, because remove curse is not on the druidic spell list.
Again, it’s just an idea of what could be. I point to the arcane spell list or feat list already existing. There are tons of homebrew spells on BGTSCC—Sending, for example, or whispering.
As far as I know, there’s no “communication spell” natural to choose in the primal/nature (druid spell) list on BGTSCC. There is certainly animal messenger as a possible spell.
Well… I think that’s my starter buffet offered to you. What improvements would you add? Has anyone tried scripting new spirit interactions?
I am curious about your input. Stay nice and respectful
Cheers,
Labradorit
