Class: Shaman

The Shaman
		Bending
Level	Special	Flux Die	Stress Limit	Max Gift Grade	Suites	Gifts Known
1	Balance	d4	3	Small	1	4
2	Affinity	d4	4	Small	1	6
3		d4	5	Modest	2	7
4	Affinity	d6	6	Modest	2	8
5		d6	7	Modest	2	10
6	Affinity	d6	7	Modest	2	11
7		d8	8	Modest	3	12
8	Affinity	d8	9	Fair	3	14
9		d8	10	Fair	3	15
10	Shaman Talent	d10	11	Fair	3	16
11		d10	11	Fair	4	18
12	Shaman Talent	d10	12	Fair	4	19
13		d12	13	Generous	4	20
14	Shaman Talent	d12	14	Generous	4	22
15		d12	15	Generous	5	23
16	Shaman Talent	2d8	15	Generous	5	24
17		2d8	16	Generous	5	26
18	Shaman Talent	2d8	17	Grand	5	27
19		2d10	18	Grand	6	28
20	Shaman Talent	2d10	19	Grand	6	30

 

Shaman

Toph, iconic shaman

"In the storm that is the elements, I am the calm in the center."

Calling upon the elemental forces that run through the world, the shaman is the undisputed master of the elements. Her relationship with Nature - and by extension, Gaia - is not one of worship, but of acknowledgment, a symbiosis between the spirit of the universe and one of those she considers her children who dwells within that existence. While Gaia herself is a passive, reactive entity, she bestows her gifts upon those who meditate upon the nature of the world and who would seek to maintain the natural balance: shamans, then, are effectively her agents in the world.

Shamans - and other benders - do not call upon the stuff of which the world is made. Even those who manipulate elements found readily in nature - air, earth, water - are not using the physical manifestations of those elements, but are instead manipulating the thread of the elements that is interwoven into reality itself. An earth shaman, for instance, does not manipulate actual rock and stone, but instead the thread of energy woven into the world that represents earth - thus, the results of her bending are not permanent creations, but instead temporary modifications of energy flows.

For the shaman, balance is paramount. While she can freely choose to work with only one element, her ability to interact with the energy flows at the heart of existence are heightened if she chooses to work with an opposing pair of elements, naturally counterbalancing each other both in terms of the shaman's ability to manipulate the elemental energy as well as complementing gifts granted within those energies, making shamans often well-rounded. Shamans must take care in using their powers, for calling too much upon a given element will cause Gaia to seal it against her: while this may seem unfair, for Gaia, nothing is more important than maintaining balance - even her agents must abide by the truths of Nature, even if it means putting them in grave danger.

Game Rule Information

Shamans have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Nature.

Force Resistances: DI 5 + level, VI 5 + level.

Abilities: Wisdom is the shaman's most important ability, as it modifies and improves her ability to manipulate the elements.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 5 + Con score.

Hit Points at Each Additional Level: 5 + Con modifier.

Healing Surges: 6 + Con modifier.

Defenses: Fort +0; Ref +2; Will +4; Det +2.

Skills: Shamans are trained in Nature (Int), plus any four skills from the shaman class skill list, below.

• Diplomacy (Cha)
• Endurance (Con)
• Medicine (Wis)
• Navigation (Int)
• Nihilism (Int)
• Notice (Per)
• Religion (Int)

Starting Age: Simple.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the shaman.

Proficiencies

Weapons: Any three.

Armor: Cloth, leather.

Implements: Essences, totems.

Bending

Shamans are benders, which means that they make use of gifts, raw energy channeled from the elemental tapestry that binds all of existence together. As benders, shamans tap into this tapestry of elements to acquire flux, which they can turn into gifts. However, nature demands balance, and as shamans gather flux, they also accrue stress, inhibiting their ability to draw more flux over time.

 

The Elements
Element	Secondary Ability	Description	Terrains	Weather	Opposes...
Gravity	Con	attraction, unification, crushing pressure	Cities, Factories, Dungeons, Interiors	Calm, Normal Weather, Eerie Stillness	Cosmos
Shadow	Per	death, decay, entropy, dissolution	Swamps, Graveyards, Sewers	Nighttime, Heavy Clouds, New Moon	Holy
Earth	Str	stubbornness, defensiveness, overtness	Caves, Barrens, Mountains, Canyons	Dust storms, Earthquakes, Avalanches	Wind
Water	Brv	introspection, meditation, purification	Ship Decks, Rivers, Jungles, Coastlines	Rain, Fog, Mist	Fire
Ice	Con	logic, rigidness, perfection	Snowfields, Glaciers, Mountaintops, Winter	Cold, Snow, Frost	Lightning
Wind	Dex	evasive, freedom, unpredictability	Forests, Treetops, Rooftops, Airships	Windy, Tornadoes, No Clouds	Earth
Lightning	Per	change, speed, inventiveness	Plains, Power Plants, Open Oceans, Foothills	Thunderstorms, Static Electricity, Magnetic Disturbance	Ice
Fire	Str	destruction, revolution, rebirth	Dunes, Volcanoes, Savannahs, Geyser Fields	Hot Sun, Eruptions, Steam	Water
Holy	Brv	life, growth, health	Fields, Hills, Churches	Bright Sun, Daytime, Full Moon	Shadow
Cosmos	Dex	space, time, infinite expanse	Dimensional Rifts, Outer Space, Vacuums	Aurora, Haunting	Gravity

 

As a move action, the shaman can tap one of her elemental suites. When she does so, she rolls her flux die, and acquires that much flux, while also accruing the same amount of stress. If you have more stress than your stress limit against an element, you cannot tap it (but see below); likewise, you cannot have more flux for an element than your stress limit. Even if you have multiple actions, you can only tap a given element once on each of your turns.

When you tap an element, if the amount of stress you acquire would put you over your stress limit for that element, you instead only gain enough flux and stress to put you at your stress limit.

Gift Grades
Grade	Minimum Wisdom	Minimum Secondary Ability	Flux Cost
Small	11	9	1
Modest	13	10	2
Fair	15	11	4
Generous	17	12	8
Grand	19	14	16
Ancient	21	16	32

If you tap an element and have access to the suite of it's opposed element, you reduce your stress for the opposed element by the amount of flux you gain for the element you are tapping.

You can never have more flux than your current stress for a given element. If you do, your flux is immediately reduced to equal your stress.

If you are in an environment associated with an element you tap, you gain double the amount of flux. If you are in an environment associated with the element's opposed element, you instead halve the amount of flux you gain.

Flux is a powerful but relatively short-lived energy, and dissipates naturally over time. You lose all flux of an element after 5 minutes.

You can meditate to alleviate the stress you have accrued against the elements. Doing so requires 1 round of concentration, at the end of which you reduce your stress against all elements by half your level bonus, rounded down (min 1). You can automatically remove all accrued stress with a short rest.

To use a gift, called bending, you must spend an amount of flux - dependent upon the gift's grade - of the element associated with that gift. If you have access to a suite and are in a terrain associated with that element, you can use that suite's basic gift at will, which costs no flux.

The shaman begins with four known gifts. She gains knowledge of additional gifts each level, as per the class table, above. At fourth level and every four levels after, she can trade out up to two gifts for new gifts from any suite she can access, of any grade she can access.

If you would gain access to a suite, you can choose to instead gain a bonus feat, which must be a feat for which you qualify. If you would gain access to a suite and already have access to six suites, you gain a bonus feat instead.

The shaman gains a bonus to her stress limit for each of her suites equal to her Charisma modifier.

The shaman's key ability for her natural attacks is her Wisdom.

Balance

Above all else, shamans revere the balance inherent in Nature. Though she may only have knowledge of some elements, she gains an intuitive understanding of their opposites.

You are considered to have access to elements that are opposed to elements you have access to for purposes of flux.

You can tap elements opposed to elements you have access to.

Affinity

As the shaman grows in power, she becomes more strongly attuned to the flows of energy in the world, and they respond in kind, empowering the shaman continuously in various ways.

At 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th levels, choose one of the following abilities.

▶ Earth's Root

While in Earth terrain, when subject to forced movement, you can reduce the forced movement by a number of squares equal to your Strength modifier; this is treated as a feat bonus.

▶ Flame's Destruction

While in Fire terrain, you gain a +1 feat bonus to all damage potency, and you take damage 1 potency additional damage whenever you take damage.

▶ Gravity's Pull

While in Gravity terrain, all creatures within 20 feet of you lose and cannot gain float, and all squares within that area are treated as difficult terrain.

▶ Ice's Clarity

While in Ice terrain, you can take 10 on all d20 rolls.

▶ Life's Beauty

While in Holy terrain, at the start of each of your turns, if you are not dying, you can spend a healing surge as a non-action.

▶ Lightning's Flash

While in Lightning terrain, you can shift an additional time on your turn.

▶ Shadow's Decay

While in Shadow terrain, you gain a +2 feat bonus to all damage potency of ongoing damage effects you produce.

▶ Time's Course

While in Cosmic terrain, you gain innate compress equal to one-half your level bonus, rounded down.

▶ Water's Purity

While in Water terrain, you gain a feat bonus on saving throws equal to one-half your level bonus, rounded down.

▶ Wind's Freedom

While in Wind terrain, you ignore difficult terrain.

Gifts

The following are shaman gifts, ordered by suite, then by grade.

Earth Suite

Small Earth Gifts
Gift Name	Action	Effect
Dig	Standard	Create a pit.
Duststorm	Standard	Create a zone of concealment.
Earthbind	Standard	Immobilize a target.
Earthshift	Standard	Slide a target, and knock them prone.
Stone	Standard	Use stone as a projectile weapon to deal earth damage.
Stone Spikes	Standard	Create a zone of difficult terrain.
Stonefist	Standard	Encase your fist in stone, allowing you to hit harder.
Stonewall	Reaction	Erect a stone barrier in response to a physical attack.

 

Modest Earth Gifts
Gift Name	Action	Effect
Earthglide	Standard	Slide yourself, leaving difficult terrain in your wake.
Lift	Swift	Lift a small piece of ground 5 feet into the air.
Quake	Standard	Deal earth damage in an area.
Quicksand	Standard	Create a zone of difficult terrain that drags creatures towards its center.
Rock Piston	Standard	Use a pillar of earth to eject a creature into the air.
Soothe Earth	Standard	Remove difficult terrain.
Terra Plate	Standard	Cover yourself in stone plates, giving you protection from physical attacks.
To Ground	Reaction	Counter an earth or ground effect.
Wall of Stone	Standard	Raise a wall of stone.

 

Fair Earth Gifts
Gift Name	Action	Effect
Indomitable Stone	Standard	You become as a stone, gaining protect and immunity to forced movement, but are significantly slower.
Landslide	Standard	Deal earth damage in a line, push creatures.
Rock Gaol	Standard	Encase a creature in stone, preventing them from acting or moving and dealing ongoing earth damage.
Spire Burst	Standard	Create a wall that damages a creature and immobilizes.
Stone Tent	Standard	Encase yourself in a stone enclosure, giving you a shield until you leave the area.
Tremorsense	Swift	You gain tremorsense.
Upheaval	Standard	Deal earth damage in an area, leave a large zone of difficult terrain.

 

Feats

The following are a selection of feats that are relevant to shamans.

 

EVOKER [Job]
You know how to paint with some of the colors of the wind.
Prerequisites: No levels in a bender class.
Benefit: You gain access to a single natural suite, and learn two minor gifts of your choice from that suite. You have a stress limit of 2, plus an additional amount equal to one-half your Wisdom modifier, rounded down, and a flux die of d2.
Special: If you take a level in any bender class, you must immediately retrain this feat; the new feat cannot be a [Job] feat.

 

EXTRA FLUX [Nature]
Your ability to harness the elements is greater than it appears.
Prerequisites: Bender.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to your flux die; this bonus is applied before terrain modifiers. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

EXTRA STRESS [Nature]
You can push an element to its breaking point.
Prerequisites: Bender.
Benefit: Choose one suite you can access. You gain a +2 feat bonus to your stress limit for that suite. You can take this feat multiple times; each time you do, you can choose a suite you have already chosen (the bonus this feat grants stacks with itself), or a new suite.

 

EXTRA SUITE [Nature]
Your breadth of knowledge of nature is expansive.
Prerequisites: Bender, access to five or fewer suites.
Benefit: You gain access to another natural suite of your choice. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

EXTRAORDINARY TALENT [Epic]
You are more talented than your experience would otherwise suggest.
Prerequisites: Character level 21st+.
Benefit: You gain a talent from the talent list of one of your classes.

 

GIFT FOCUS [Nature]
Your ability to wield one element is greater.
Prerequisites: Bender.
Benefit: Choose one suite you can access. You gain a +2 feat bonus on natural attacks with gifts of that suite. You can take this feat multiple times; each time you do, select a suite you can access for which you have not taken this feat.

 

GIFT KNOWLEDGE [Nature]
You delve into studying the nature of the elements, gaining access to more elemental power.
Prerequisites: Bender.
Benefit: You gain knowledge of two additional gifts of any grade you can access, of any suite you can access. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

Design Notes

Full redesign, t20v4.

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