I realize the Shaman has been implemented probably more than any other class, but nothing seems to quite suit what I need.
My gaming group is converting from 4e to Pathfinder. We ran a couple of sessions with 4e and decided against it. Everyone's still 1st-level but I'd really like to let them take characters similar to what they've been playing.
The big issue is the Shaman. He's the group's healer, and the player is fond of his spirit companion. There's the rub: neither Adamant nor Super Genius' shaman really does both (Spirit Heal is 8th level on SG's -- way too late to be useful for us).
So, I got to thinking about the issue, and I remembered the idea of the "wounded healer" (actually that may be the wrong term): a shaman who takes the injuries and afflictions of others onto himself.
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So far, here's what I've got:
Hit Die: d8
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: As Super Genius's
Skills: As SG's (Not sure about Craft (Focus); but I use Perform(Ritual) as part of Healing Trance)
Bonus Feats: More-or-less as SG's
BAB Progression: As Wizard (1/2 level)
Good Saves: Fort and Will
Level: Special Features
1: Healing Trance, Spirit Blast 1d4, Wounded Healder
2: Spirit Companion
3: Bonus Feat
4: Blood Bond
Beyond that as yet undetermined; just getting this class off the ground is good for now.
Healing Trance: once per day, the shaman can meditate or perform a ritual such as shamanic drumming to achieve a trance in which he draws upon spiritual essence to mend his body. It takes 30 - (Perform(Ritual) or concentration check) minutes to achieve a deep enough trance to start the healing process. Once achieved, the shaman heals at a rate of 1 hp per shaman level every five minutes.
The trance lasts until interrupted or canceled. If the trance is interrupted, the shaman is surprised.
Maybe have a feat that increases the rate or gives a bonus to the check to achieve trance?
Spirit Blast: As a standard action the shaman can call on the power of the spirits to deliver a shock of force to one enemy. The attack deals 1d4+Cha mod damage to one target unless the target makes a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 shaman level + Cha mod).
Wounded Healer: In combat, the shaman has the ability to heal any living, non-construct creature for a number of hit points up to twice his shaman level as a standard action. The shaman takes 1 damage for every 2 hit points of damage thus healed (round up); this damage cannot be reduced in any way. The shaman must touch the creature to confer this healing.
This power may be used freely outside of combat, and the shaman can heal another living, non-construct creature for any number of hit points (up to three times the shaman's remaining hit points). The shaman must touch the creature to confer this healing, and the action takes one minute no matter how many hit points are conferred. For every 3 hit points thus healed, the shaman takes 1 damage (round up); this damage cannot be reduced in any way.
I thought about higher ratios to match the massive amount of healing a cleric can pull off, but then I realized that if you paired my shaman with a cleric (or any other source of healing) you'd get a multiplier effect as the shaman heals the party, then the cleric heals the shaman, then the shaman heals some more. I don't know that that effect's a *bad* idea, but to reign it in I've chosen smaller numbers.
Spirit Companion: As SG's
Blood Bond: Starting at 4th level, the shaman can perform a ritual binding his spirit to another living, non-construct humanoid. Both members of the bond must consent to the bond and cannot be bonded with any other creature.
In effect, the two characters become “blood brothers” and can sense each others' distress even over great distances (though not across planes). No information about the nature of the distress or the whereabouts of the bonded character is gathered.
In addition, when the bonded characters are within visual or auditory range of each other, both receive a +1 bonus to all attack rolls against any enemy the other has attacked since the attacker's last turn.
Finally, while in visual or auditory range of each other, either partner can opt to take half of the damage from any attack that damages his bonded partner onto himself. The partner can choose to either round down or up.
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Final notes:
One of the things I'm thinking of for 5th level is the ability to cure diseases. I like the idea of the shaman pulling a disease out of the afflicted person and then getting a chance to fight it off in themselves, maybe as if they were afflicted but with a bonus to saves equal to their ranks in Perform (Ritual) + Cha mod. The ritual itself would be fairly lengthy, I think.
Eventually, the shaman should be able to bring back a recently-deceased character at the risk of his own life. ("He took your death," as they said on that one X-Files episode.)
I'm also considering a Spirit Armor ability, maybe letting the Shaman add his Charisma modifier to his AC instead of his Dex modifier.
I'll be taking a look at the more advanced features of Super Genius' Shaman class over the next week. Right now I'm mainly concerned about the first few levels. I'm also not sure if I'll want to use spirits in the way that SG's does.
I'd really love some feedback on this. I'm trying to keep things interesting for my players without throwing balance out the window. It's been years since I played 3.5 and this will be my first Pathfinder game.
Why not run a witch or an oracle and modify them instead of a whole new class? Redoing the fluff to the class is usually much more effective, you keep the overall balance of the class in question and are much less likely to run into issues versus a whole new "class" with no playtesting. Both classes can serve as healers and both have either a familiar or companion available which can just be "re-fluffed" as needed.
Kobold Quarterly # 21 has a spirit shaman class. It is a spontaneous divine caster analog to the druid (much like the oracle is a spontaneous analog to the cleric, and the sorcerer is the spontaneous analog to a wizard), using the druid's spell list even. At 1st level they bond with an animal spirit (like a druid's nature bond, but a spirit in the form of an animal). Overall, it looks like a well balanced class and might fit well with your player, especially the spirit bond.
Why not run a witch or an oracle and modify them instead of a whole new class? Redoing the fluff to the class is usually much more effective, you keep the overall balance of the class in question and are much less likely to run into issues versus a whole new "class" with no playtesting. Both classes can serve as healers and both have either a familiar or companion available which can just be "re-fluffed" as needed.
The oracle has a companion? Which archetype?
The witch is definitely an option I'll present to him.
That said, I'm kind of on a roll now and would like to see this class through since I'd actually like to play it myself at some point. (I will probably switch out with one of the players as GM eventually.)
Kobold Quarterly # 21 has a spirit shaman class. It is a spontaneous divine caster analog to the druid (much like the oracle is a spontaneous analog to the cleric, and the sorcerer is the spontaneous analog to a wizard), using the druid's spell list even. At 1st level they bond with an animal spirit (like a druid's nature bond, but a spirit in the form of an animal). Overall, it looks like a well balanced class and might fit well with your player, especially the spirit bond.
Ah, thanks. I'll take a look-see at that one.
Why not run a witch or an oracle and modify them instead of a whole new class? Redoing the fluff to the class is usually much more effective, you keep the overall balance of the class in question and are much less likely to run into issues versus a whole new "class" with no playtesting. Both classes can serve as healers and both have either a familiar or companion available which can just be "re-fluffed" as needed.The oracle has a companion? Which archetype?
The witch is definitely an option I'll present to him.
That said, I'm kind of on a roll now and would like to see this class through since I'd actually like to play it myself at some point. (I will probably switch out with one of the players as GM eventually.)
Not archetype, Nature mystery I believe. Fluff it an all white/semi translucent animal and call it a day. Technically it is supposed to be a mount but if they want to have something smaller and less combat oriented (owl, raven, eagle, etc) I doubt it would be game breaking.
Also Green Ronin had a Shamans Handbook for 3.5 (master class series) that we bought for the gaming group awhile back. It was ALL about the spirit aspect of the shaman with decent spell progression (6th level maybe, like a bard, I don't think full). The nice thing about that series is it expanded on the class and how to use it in the game world with various options. Might want to look into that as well, at worst you could get a few ideas from a read through.