Revision as of 04:45, 19 January 2010

Shaman

A shaman

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

The druid's province is the environment; he concerns himself with each part of the world in turn, attuning himself to the various natural places of the planet. The shaman takes a much different approach to Nature, however: rather than attune herself to a specific land, she attunes herself to the cycle of elements. This universal approach allows her to access the power of Nature wherever she may go, but she requires her chosen elements to work with.

For the shaman, the concept of balance is pantamount. Whereas other Natural classes tend towards variety and versatility, the shaman's abilities are incredibly focused; while a creative shaman can attain versatility, she will always be restricted to her chosen elements. A shaman's choice of elemental speaks a good deal about her personality, as well as the method in which she uses them; oftentimes younger shamans will favor one element over others, while older shamans often seek to combine their chosen elements in achieving their aims.

Adventures: Shamans seek challenges that require them to use the elements in different ways, allowing them to experiment with new combinations, as well as challenging them to gain a more thorough understanding of the elements. Some shamans seek to share their beliefs about balance with others, and one of the best ways to show the strength of elemental balance is via adventuring.

Characteristics: The shaman is a powerful Force-user, if her chosen elements are available; while other Force-users are limited in some fashion, a shaman can continue to use her abilities again and again. However, this power comes at a price: a shaman without access to her elements is next to useless. Shamans have a keen understanding of the elements and how they interact, and are often knowledgeable of the other Forces in their Trinity (Divine and Void).

Religion: As part of the Trinity of Philosophy (in which resides Divine), shamans often actively refuse to worship a deity. They acknowledge Nature as the more powerful force in the world, an impartial creator that demands nothing and gives nothing in return. She acknowledges the cycle of elements as a reflection of the circle of life, and believes in that order above all else.

Background: Shamans often come from more primal backgrounds, as cultures that have developed complex social or technological advances often lose touch with the natural world. Shamans may come from such complicated lands, though these shaman are often distraught and feel a need to return to a simpler time and world. Shamans may be attracted to more civilized lands by the lure of possibly teaching new people about the elements, or simply to reach an understanding with such people.

Races: Any race with a natural connection to Nature is an excellent fit for the shaman, and races that tend towards tribal or loose groupings (such as halflings or orcs), as well as those that dwell in wilderness rather than in cities, may produce shamans. Races and nations that have well-developed or complicated social settings or technological advances may lack the primal understanding necessary to produce shamans.

Other Forces: Shamans get along well with any Natural class, and they tend to detest any Divine or Void class. Shamans also tend towards a dislike of Technology, though there certainly are shamans keenly interested in such gadgets; those who show an interest in Technology often espouse the philosophy that both Nature and Technology seek to reinforce the natural laws of the world. Magic and Psionics, however, are often seen as "cheating" the world. Time, Blue, and Chaos are often left unconsidered by most shaman; some are intrigued by Time's abilities, while others despise it as the worst sort of manipulation of the natural world. Blue is often seen as a useful tool to show that a primal understanding of the elements was once common to most people, while Chaos is often simply ignored due to its nature.

Role: The shaman is a Force-user, and that usually means that she will be in the back of an adventuring party, using her Force abilities. Her ability to use geomancy at will, with no limits, can be incredibly useful, but the requirement that her elements be present may make her unreliable. A shaman's abilities are also greatly influenced by which elements she chooses: more than almost any other Force-user, the shaman has the capacity for wielding a wide array of energy types.

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 Die: d6.

Class Skills: The Shaman’s class skills are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Naturecraft (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int.

Alignment: Any neutral.

Ethos: Green @ d10, and at least three ranks higher than either Black or Blue.

Starting Age: Simple.

Starting Gold: 3d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: None.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the shaman.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shamans are proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, but not shields.

Elements: The shaman has access to a number of elements, which improves as she gains levels. At each level indicated on the table above, select one of the following elements.

• Gravity. The Gravity element is the force of attraction, unification, and crushing pressure. Its associated energy type is gravity. It is opposed by Cosmos.
• Shadow. The Shadow element is the force of entropy — death, decay, rotting, and dissolution. Its associated energy type is shadow. It is opposed by Holy.
• Earth. The Earth element is the force of stubbornness, defensiveness, and overtness. Its associated energy type is earth. It is opposed by Wind.
• Water. The Water element is the force of introspection, meditation, and purification. Its associated energy type is water. It is opposed by Fire.
• Ice. The Ice element is the force of logic, rigidness, and perfection. Its associated energy type is cold. It is opposed by Lightning.
• Wind. The Wind element is the force of freedom, unpredictability, and flightiness. Its associated energy type is wind. It is opposed by Earth.
• Lightning. The Lightning element is the force of change, speed, and inventiveness. Its associated energy type is electricity. It is opposed by Ice.
• Fire. The Fire element is the force of destruction, revolution, and rebirth. Its associated energy type is fire. It is opposed by Water.
• Holy. The Holy element is the force of life, growth, and health. Its associated energy type is holy. It is opposed by Shadow.
• Cosmos. The Cosmos element is the force of space, time, and infinite expanse. Its associated energy type is cosmic. It is opposed by Gravity.

Each time a shaman selects a given element, her Mastery in that element increases by 1. Mastery of an element improves her ability to use that element (see below).

Shaman Talent: At 10th level and every two levels thereafter, the shaman's understanding of the elements of the natural world improves. Choose one of the following abilities.

• Ancestral Spirit (Gi): Your understanding of the circular nature of the elements allows you to return creatures to the circle of life that it embodies. You must utilize a Gift of each element in order (starting with any element, going in either direction), targeting the body of the creature to be revived. If the creature has been dead for less than 10 minutes, you revive them, bringing them to 1d6 hit points. A creature revived in this manner must rest for 24 hours, and is incapable of any strenuous activity until such time has passed. (Prerequisites: Mastery 1 in eight elements)
• Lightning Overload (Na): Whenever you use a Lightning gift, also roll a d%. If the result of the d% is less than your Wisdom score, you produce the effect again, but at half-strength. If the effect deals damage, the duplicate effect deals half damage; otherwise, the saving throw DC is halved. If neither of these effects apply, then this ability has no effect. (Prerequisites: Lightning Mastery 8)

Development Notes

You might be asking, "Why the hell are holy and shadow considered elements?" The answer for that is kind of complex, but I'll give it a shot. Let me know if you think this explanation is lame, mkay?

In the beginning - in the very beginning - there was nothing. Then, bam, something. This includes the coming-about of the Void (which, prior to existence, hadn't really been a thing in and of itself), as well as the Divine. These two Forces, both opposed to Nature, are part of existence; though they continually seek to screw around with the universe, they are still part of it, in a sense.

The concept of "holy" and "shadow" (ie, unholy) are thus natural concepts, if very esoteric ones.