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I don't know if they will, but it seems like the Sorcerer offers an interesting design possibility, in that their spell list could be entirely tied to their bloodline. The main trait of a sorcerer (or, at least the way I think of a sorcerer) is that they are born with innate magic, and I see no reason why that inborn magic should be forced into only one of the four available types of magic

So, an Arcane bloodline would produce a "standard" PF1 sorcerer, a Divine bloodline gives us Favored Soul, the theoretical Occult bloodline produces something that lives in a similar space as the Shaman, and a Primal bloodline would create an elementalist or something similar. That way, they could have several options in the Core for players without having to create several more classes in future books. It seems like a lot of PF1 additional class design was to create something that was "sorcerer, only with a different type of magic", and that you could get around a lot of that by making the class itself more flexible from the beginning.

How, exactly, does the secondary class work in regards to class-specific feats? If I'm a ranger/ VMC fighter, can I take Weapon Specialization?

Did you ever swap out your wandering hex and wandering spirit?

Not yet. We started the adventure in a non-adventuring capacity (at a NPC wedding), so my spell selection was fairly basic. But now we're fighting spriggans and other assorted evil plants, so the druid spell list will come in handy. I plan on using either the Flame spirit or the Nature spirit next.

Hi.

I have an interesting situation, in that I've been playing an Occult-mystery Oracle named Blackthorn in my home game, but referring to him as a "Shaman" in game since long before I knew about this playtest. So, with my DM's permission, I've changed his class to Shaman, with the hopes of seeing how well the class stacks up. As an Oracle, Blackthorn had the primary job of healer for a group of 7 PCs, and I wanted to know of he could pull that same weight as a Shaman.

To that end, I picked Life as my primary spirit, but used the Lore wandering spirit to simulate a lot of the things I was able to do as an Occult Oracle.

I've played a couple sessions now, and wanted to give my first impressions:

1. The lack of spontaneous healing took a bit to get used to, but that might be because most of my experience in Pathfinder is playing Clerics or Oracles. I've never tried a druid as a primary healer. Channeling positive energy and the Life Link hex help out a lot.

2. The most interesting component of the Shaman class, thus far, is the ability to use my familiar to deliver healing to allies who get too far away. I'm using a raven familiar, and it works wonders. I imagine it will make Breath of Life even more useful, when I finally get access to that spell.

3. Obviously, the Druid spell list gives me a lot more offense, but I really appreciate the additions to that spell list

4. I've read a lot in the discussion board on how MAD the Lore spirit is, but I didn't feel that way in prep. Even with INT 11, I was still able to pick up Magic Missile and Vanish with Arcane Enlightenment, and that helped me out, especially with spell trigger items. I know it wasn't optimized, but I liked having a little edge.

Right now, the Shaman doesn't feel particularly special at any one thing. I love the concept of the Shaman, but I feel the game mechanics let it down. It's hard to say why-- the abilities just don't "pop" for me. I like the familiar, but I feel that I could do my job better as an Oracle, and the Shaman doesn't seem to give me much in return. I think their best trait, though, is flexibility, and I want to see how well he plays after he gets the chance to rest and change his Wandering Spirit. I've got one more game session before the playtest ends, and I'll post back here about that experience.

The Shaman now uses the druid list, according to the blog post.

I think this is a bad idea. I still maintain that Magic Cirle X and Speak With Dead are absolutely essential to the theme of the Shaman class.

I also think it's interesting that, according to that same blog post, the devs are thinking about giving Bloodrager their own spell list, when I was under the impression that there were going to be no new spell lists. If Bloodrager canget one, then Shaman should as well.

I have to disagree with the OP. Other than skipping over the fact that the cleric gets better saves, the main thing that the cleric has on the shaman is spontaneous casting.

Spontaneous healing allows the cleric to prep spells as she wants, without having to worry about being able to heal the party. The shaman, by contrast, must decide first thing in the day how much healing to allocate, and which other spells to sacrifice (lesser restoration, protection from evil, etc.)

Obviously this disparity lessens at higher levels when wands and such can be easily acquired, but there is a substantial drop-off between the two at 1st-4th level, at least where healing is concerned. The cleric has the versatility to be both healer and something else, while the shaman must choose when she prepares spells.

I still think shaman is a fantastic class, but it's a far stretch to say that cleric is obsolete.

I don't think either the druid or the witch spell list will fit for shaman, and for one simple reason: No Protection From Evil.

One of the defining features of the shaman is dealing with spirits, and I think that the ability to protect from spirits should be prominent in their spell list.

I know it's extra work, but I really feel that Shaman needs its own spell list. The class has its own feel, and I think deserves the extra effort. the Druid, Witch, and Cleric spell lists all miss the mark, even if it's by just a little.

Is it possible that the Battle Spirit ability Healing Spirit and the Life Greater Spirit ability Healer's Touch are supposed to be switched?