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Thanks Walter.Nope; it's not a typed bonus. It stacks with all other modifiers, but can't stack with itself.Was there ever an official ruling on how double ability score stacking works when one ability score is replacing another in a specific calculation? I know there was hot debate about Agile Maneuvers/Weapon Finesse + Fury's Fall.
If this was not clarified to not working, dipping a level of monk on a nature shaman with Nature's Whispers could be some crazy healer AC.
No problem -- I am an attribute stacking aficionado. I love using one ability for multiple things, so I try to stay up to speed on the legalities.
I'm loving the shaman so far... I can use Wisdom for will saves, perception/sense motive, spells, AC, and knowledge checks. That's pretty silly.
That is the way to go when you can make it work for your build. The less MAD the better. I'm glad they clarified that attributes are considered an unnamed bonus. Keeps the insanity down a notch.
I am also liking the shaman on paper, they look slick with the high Wis synergy as you expressed. You can also use Wis for your to hit as well if you select Life as your wandering spirit and grab the guided hand feat.
I kind of like the idea of using arcanist-style casting. The spirits fetch your spells each day from the main casting list.
I know Shaman != Witch Doctor, but given the oracle-witch meld I was expecting a bit more flavor in that regards. Given the seemingly more oracular-focus in regards to flavor, the lack of a curse struck me as being particularly pernicious, until something occurred to me that might be more archetype-worthy.
Couldn't the spirits in turn be associated with specific oracle curses?
The reason I ask this is because I don't see the Shaman having those negatives at all times, but a specific tweak on the witch's waxen image hex that projects the negative of the curse onto a foe, while in turn giving the level-appropriate advantages - possibly with the caveat that inappropriate use of the ability in turn invites the effects onto the shaman themselves?
Perhaps it could similarly be used as a form of healing for injured allies, drawing those injuries and mishaps out of friends into said waxen images, in order to turn them on their foes?
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It is an Oracle. Modified as follows.
Wis instead of Cha.
Renamed mysteries Spirits. Freshly re-organized into nonsensical levels of power.
Renamed revelations Hexes. Ignoring the definition of 'hexes' in the process.
Use Cleric spell progression.
Make it as clunky as possible, and give it two kinds of spells, prepared, and spontaneous.
Give it a Second flexibly changeable Spirit (mystery)
Make it clunkier, turn the term 'spontaneous casting' into a joke. Because it isn't actual spontaneous casting, not really.
Add familiar that is simply a glaring vulnerability that shuts them down completely if taken out.
How about making the Class a 6-level Full-Spellcaster Class with a unique spell list.
Make him a spontaneous caster with some fix spells dedicated by his first spirit (his totem).
Then each day he can contact one (or later more) additional totems to get other "spells known" from them.
Based on his totem and the "spirit of the day" he could get some non limited powers (hex).
Also he could be able to call onto one of the "spirits of the day" to get a major boost for a limited time, but in exchange he will loose the benefits (spells & powers) from this spirit.
To differ him from the Oracle don't base the Spirits on the oracles revelations, but on animals.
This would give him a unique way of casting/determing the daily spells, give him some unlimited powers and some "last chance" abilities.
I think this could be a very versatile class, even if it's more Oracle/Druid then Oracle/Cleric :)
(This ideas is totally not inspired by the good old Marshal Bravestar^^)
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While at a first glance the easiest solution to me would make a new spell list for this class I am copying and pasting here what Sean said in the Hunter's discussion. Its the reason Paizo is trying to avoid this path and its actually a pretty good argument, it got me convinced.
We would really like to avoid creating a new spell list for any of these classes, which is why none of them have unique spell lists (they all use the spell list of another class). Every time we create a new class spell list, we have to (1) spend a lot of lines in the book re-listing all of the existing spells that should be on that list, and (2) add to the amount of text in a spell stat block to call out which classes the spell belongs to.As an example of #1, the list of alchemist extracts, inqusitor spells, and summoner spells in the APG each take up an entire column of space (or close to it), and ditto for the magus spell list in UM. Likewise, the spell lists in Ultimate Magic take up 9 pages, 3 of which are spell lists for classes that aren't in the Core Rulebook. If those classes didn't have unique spell lists, that's 3 additional pages of spells we could have had in Ultimate Magic. Now, I'm not saying that ALL new classes shouldn't have unique spell lists, but as all of the classes in the ACG are hybrids of existing classes, it's reasonable to try giving them access to existing spell lists.
As an example of #2, a spell stat block already has to call out alchemist, antipaladin, bard, cleric, druid, inquisitor, magus, paladin, ranger, sorcerer/wizard, summoner, and witch.
ACG classes could potentially add arcanist, bloodrager, hunter, investigator, shaman, skald, and warpriest listings.Do not all of the spells on the druid spell list seem to be a perfect fit for the hunter? Sure.
But not all of the spells on the cleric spell list fit for fire clerics, death clerics, or healing clerics... but there are many, many types of cleric characters you can build, and there will be many, many types of hunter characters you'll be...
Have to say from my point of view this is an weak argument, especially in times of all-out-internet access.
Complete character spell lists could be easily updated as a .pdf if you add new spells.
For new spell lists, yes they need some space in a book, like class abilities and level-tables. But thats what this book is about.
Otherwise you can simply say "Level 1 Nature Bond: check the Druid entry in CRB" instead of rewriting the description again.
Spells are a class ability for caster and as the other abilities got their small tweaks and changes, spell lists also need the same care.
Sure sometimes spell lists match, but if you want a class with a special flair (like the shamanes spirit/nature theme) you have to tailor the spell lists because some spells simply doesn't fit and/or spells from other lists fit better.
So I hope Paizo will not become a company where "page-cost-reduction" is more important then good artwork, fleshed out descriptions and well thought game mechanics.
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First off, thanks to all the developers for putting in the work on these new class hybrids. I like the concept of this class very much and am currently creating one to use in a PFS game with a few other playtesters.
In scanning through this thread I have the following comments:
Spellcasting Statistic: I feel like Wisdom doesn't represent a Shaman as well as Charisma would, though perhaps a Charisma-based Archtype (or vice-versa) would be a better solution those with this issue further down the road.
Spell List: Restricting to Cleric only fills the Oracle side of the hybrid, but leaves a huge gap in the Witch side. I am in favor of a Shaman having either it's own Spell List, or perhaps a choice from Druid, Cleric, or Witch made at 1st level.
Spirits: I like this a lot, and don't mind the similar feel to revelations.
Hexes: It seems like there is a little confusion about these, specifically what stat they utilize and if a Shaman gets access to the Witch's list of hexes to choose from as well. Personally I'm not enthusiastic about the Wandering Hex ability, which I think just adds to the confusion. I think it might be better to split these into two different abilities - A Shaman's "Hexes" currently listed under a chosen Shaman's Spirit could be called Spirit Powers, while "Wandering Hex" might be drawn from the existing Witch list of Hexes.
So I hope Paizo will not become a company where "page-cost-reduction" is more important then good artwork, fleshed out descriptions and well thought game mechanics.
I think the point of avoiding new spell lists is so they have more room for all of those things.
After reading through this class, I am quite surprised. I liked it more than I thought I would. I don't normally play spellcasters, but this class certainly makes me want to. My only problem is using Charisma for hexes. That seems to make the class unnecessarily MAD. I feel like they should either use Wisdom for hexes, or Charisma for spellcasting. This is made even worse by the Lore Spirit Shaman, which effectively requires all 3 mental attributes, although mental acuity helps. Other than that though, I'm a big fan of this class. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to find a full caster I like more.
With the wandering spirit ability, it says "Until she changes the wandering spirit, she gains both of the listed abilities granted by the spirit". What two abilities does this mean? I know ones the spirit ability, i.e. the Battle spirits "healing spirit" ability, but whats the other? Is it the familiar ability?
So I hope Paizo will not become a company where "page-cost-reduction" is more important then good artwork, fleshed out descriptions and well thought game mechanics.I think the point of avoiding new spell lists is so they have more room for all of those things.
Increase page count instead of cutting content?
So I hope Paizo will not become a company where "page-cost-reduction" is more important then good artwork, fleshed out descriptions and well thought game mechanics.I think the point of avoiding new spell lists is so they have more room for all of those things.Increase page count instead of cutting content?
While I do believe that the shaman should have it's own list, not adding something that they never intended to add would not be "cutting content".
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Hi, Caleb Green here. I playtested the Shaman earlier this week at two different stores and here are my findings thus far,
1: need more offensive capabilites. If it weren't for the fact that I went flame spirit I would have had no chance of being useful. I think that the class would benefit more from some more damaging spells.
2: increase the times per day on the life spirits channel. I understand that you don't want the shaman to detract from the cleric but only haveing maybe three channels at first lvl makes it really hard to make this a viable choice. As is, life will probably never be a first level pick for anyone. If it were 3+Cha like all the others it would be more worth it to make a 1st level life shaman.
3: although I'm not 2nd level yet I did notice that the hexes are sort of "blah". My vote to fix this would be to keep the hexes that you have but also add in some hexes with a universal ability. Like the one that grants the fire burst to a person hit in melee, make one that maybe does it to the whole party but can only be used twice a day or once a day if you allow the damage to scale up as the shaman levels.
Hopefully I didn't bore you guys too much but these are my thoughts so far on the Shaman. In two weeks when I get to play him again I'll report more as I will then be second level when I play the second game for that week. Thank you for your time.
I like the Shaman, pretty much as is. I don't find it too "clunky" or problematic at all. Its like getting a Mystery, but casting the Mystery spells through spontaneous "domain spell slots."
I do see merit in having them cast from the Druid spell list rather than the cleric list. Witch is already a kinda druid/wizard hybrid, and the nature-feel of the Shaman contributes to that.
I also think Hex should be renamed, as they aren't the same as Witch Hexes. "Boons" might be a good replacement.
Design Manager
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Just noticed:
The Shaman's Battle Ward ability from the Battle Spirit states
"Battle Ward (Su): The shaman can touch a willing
creature (including herself ) to grant a battle ward. The
next time the attacker makes an attack roll against the
target, the ward activates, granting a +3 deflection bonus..."
Should that be "The next time an attacker makes..." or is that Hex only useful against a single opponent?
I'm fairly certain the reason they are Hexes is to allow Shaman access to Extra Hex and any other Hex improving feats. Isn't that the entire point of making Hybrid Classes? So that the new classes have automatic retroactive access to the accumulated material for both of their component classes, and access to everything that comes later?
I'm also pretty certain that the part where it says Shaman are limited to choosing from the Hexes of their Spirits, it just means that they are limited to choosing from the Spirit list for the feats that they get as part of their Shaman progression, in the same way that a Fighter is limited to picking Combat Feats as part of his Fighter progression. Just as a Fighter can pick from the larger list of all feats as part of his basic character progression, so could a Shaman choose from the larger pool of all available Hexs with the Extra Hex feat.
I could easily be wrong, but everyone crying out that they shouldn't be calling them Hexes seems to me to be mising the point.
Also, the Battle Spirit Shaman seems very, very strange not getting a Martial Weapon Proficiency. So it gets Weapon Specializaion and Greater Focus, but not basic Proficiency? Does then the bonus from Greater Specialization just go to cancel out the penalties from not being proficient, or are Battle Shaman expected to spend an entire feat to become proficient in one weapon just so they can get the full benefits of their chosen Spirit? That seems really harsh to me. But hey, it may have just been a typo or oversight.
(Gah, my keyboard is sticking something fierce, so if I have missng letters or other egregious typos or anything please bear that in mind.)
I've given it a thorough read and due consideration, but I won't be able to playtest it in the nearest future. So here's my initial thoughts.
I see what Paizo's trying to do here and I like the basic premise of the Shaman. That being said, it still has some severely rough corners to it that needs to be polished with heavy machinery before it works.
I has a lot of good stuff. The spirits is an interesting and flavorful take, the wandering spirit and wandering hex abilities make for a good opportunity to mix it up and gives the class great versatility.
I does seem a bit half-baked overall though.
The spirits are vildly varied in power and utility, so it has to pick it's main spirit with great caution to make sure that it will not suffer on the earlier levels.
The familier should have been a companion familier in the style of the level 15 nature shaman hex - possibly with a delayed companion progression.
The spontaneous casting - while a great idea in theory - risks becomming a bookkeeping speedbump when the character gains the wandering spirit feature and has to look his bonus spell up every time he has changed his spirit, which is probably quite often.
The spell list itself seems quite inappropriate, I would go for the Druid list instead if I had to choose a current list, but a customised list would suit the class far better.
All in all a solid concept with good options, but it seems a bit lazy in it's execution.
Edit: It should have a good fortitude save as well.
Arcane Enlightenment is much more powerful for a wandering hex than a regular one. For a wandering hex, you could change it out every day (depending on interpretation some might say every two days because you should need to leave it and come back to it) but as your main hex you can only change your spells every level. Why not just let it change out every day? Compared to Paragon surge, is it really that bad? And to be able to use it, a player has already accepted that they are making a MAD character much more MAD. Something feels odd about a spirit being more powerful as a wanderer than as a primary.
Let me also give my vote for choosing at 1st level cleric druid or witch spell list. On another note, the shaman can be a good choice to represent a pantheist who primary worships one god but calls upon others. I am hoping there is a little sidebar in the ACG saying that
"spirits" can be various things depending on the player and GM.
Any thoughts on tying the spell list to which Spirit you choose?
Bones and Life would use the cleric list, Nature the Druid list, etc.
I was wondering about the Heaven's Oracle Starburn power.
It is a supernatural power that generates bright light in an unnamed radius for 1 round.
How does this interact with magical darkness and how big should the light radius be?
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Just did a solo playtest with the Shaman on the module Master of the Fallen Fortress. I went with a level 1 Human Shaman with Tribal Scars and Toughness for feats, familiar was a Goat, Spirit was Stone, 20 CON as the highest stat for the Shaman with the remainder making 13 WIS.
I sent the goat ahead of me to take out the mobs. After each fight was over I would heal Billy if he took too much damage. For the most part most of the mobs could either deal no damage or 1-3 at most, even the trap I rolled max damage on and it only did 3 points of damage. When it came to the boss, Billy took out the *omitted* of the boss and the boss took out Billy.
Its funny really. The goat only does 1d4+1, but with the sheer amount of health stacking to boost Billy's HP and the DR really made him hard to take down even in the end fight.
All in all my conclusion is that DR is fine as it is only worthwhile in the first two levels as the stats of the familiar won't really improve that significantly at all to make it overshadow an animal companion or Eidolon for that matter. At best its a great joke at first level when the Dwarf Caiman or Goat is better at taking hits than some of the more martial oriented classes when the Shaman takes the Stone Spirit.
Though I think it would be worthwhile to see an archetype similar to Beast-Bonded for the Witch.
Somewhat Unrelated to this post: I would defiantly like to see a more witch doctor oriented archetype for the Shaman.
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Played tonight. Level 1 shaman with the wind spirit named Vent.
Vent was the DMNPC to round out a 4 player party for half of Bloodcove Disguise, a low level scenario with a lot of skill checks. (the other half of the night was spent making the things) and was made rather quickly without much thought.
I might be missing something, but at level 1 it didn't seem like I had much to do. On my cleric I not only had my pick of domain spells, but two domain abilities (copycat and touch of madness) to have fun with. It seemed like on this class Ok, i cast my two spells, better hope someone needs winds altered or I'm done.
Shaman is weird. It requires prepared spells but it has the luxury of having limited spontaneous casting. Part of it wants to focus on the familiar gained but then drops the idea after the first level aside from it being basically a spellbook. It wants to have unique theme involving spirits that grant "hexes" but the hex pool is basically very shallow and is evident by the slow progression of hexes gained without Extra Hex.
I do get that its meant to be a fusion of Witch and Oracle but its mostly just Oracle aside from the Familiar Spellbook for preparing spells and the naming of revelations as hexes instead. Curses which were as they state, negative benefits for positive benefits the longer you stuck with the plan, are nowhere and I suppose that is fair as it would be crushing the toes of Oracle. I get why the Spirit part has different ways of giving familiars a bonus, its basically fortifications to protect the familiar.
Shaman's Guide: At 1st level, a shaman forms a close bond with a low ranking spirit. This spirit is her conduit to the spirit world, guiding her along the path of enlightenment. As the shaman grows in power so does her guide as it ascends the spirit ranks. This functions just like the wizard's arcane bond class feature except as noted in the Shaman's Guide section.
A shaman must commune with her guide each day to prepare her spells. While the guide does not store spells like the witch's familiar does, the guide does serve as her conduit to divine power. If a shaman's guide is slain, she cannot prepare new spells or use her spirit class feature until the guide is replaced.
I am not thinking quite like Eidolon for how a "guide" would "ascend in ranks", more like as the shaman reaches certain levels that act as milestones they will make the familiar grow into a more powerful spirit.
Why call the familiar a Guide? Because that is what they are actually called when the Shaman needs something to help him on his path to enlightenment is a spirit guide. In some myths their is a whole hierarchy of spirts which could be an interesting mechanic to incorporate into the Shaman class feature in the form of a familiar that supposedly ascends in the hierarchy of its kind.
1) cast a spell on; bewitch.
2) a magic spell; a curse.
By definition alone this really does crush the toes of the Witch class by a hybrid class also using it. Plus it sounds down right weird on a shaman, shamans were not that much into bewitching and cursing their targets. Rather they were more concerned with healing the sick, telling stories, acting as a psychopomp (Literally meaning guide of souls).
Shamans gained their knowledge and power from the dreams, visions, and signs from the spirit world.
Another word for Shaman is often Medicine Man.
Honestly a better hybrid to make Shaman could easily have been Oracle + Bard as Shamans are known for incorporating the usage of instruments, dances, and songs.
TLDR: The class seems interesting for the basework but it still needs more work and refinement. Currently it feels stuck between trying to be its own thing and trying to maintain the roots of being a hybrid of Oracle and Witch.
I agree that revelations, spirit gifts, or spirit boons would be better terms than hexes, which refer quite literally to witchcraft.
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They were primarily healers who entered the spirit world via dreams and trances and brought back knowledge from the spirit world and cured illnesses and injuries by bringing back lost parts of a person's spirit.
In other words, if you had some kind of a fever, it was because a piece of your soul had escaped and the Shaman has to come and enter a crazy trance to bring it back with the help of his spirit guide. And they would do crazy stuff to enter trances, too, from simple stuff like meditation and drugs to insane things like hacking at their own legs with axes.
They also healed psychological issues in the same way, as well as talking to the dead to soothe the community.
No other culture has Shaman, and applying that word to others is lazy anthropology/sociology/folklorism/whatever you want to call it.
So, the point of the rant is: we're not dealing with a "real Shaman" here, we're dealing with a modern fantasy shaman, which is just a spellcaster from a primitive culture that somehow involves spirits and so they can do whatever they feel like, including using Hexes.
Although I agree completely that the Shaman abilities as presented are much closer to Revelations than Hexes.
** spoiler omitted **
The same can be said of Druid, Bard, Warlock, and Witch ;)
** spoiler omitted **
Asia
Mongolia
Hmong
Korea
Japan
Siberia
North Asia
Central Asia
Hungarian
Sami
Even in the coldest of places with Eskimos their is Shamanism from the Inuit and Yupik cultures.
In Africa it existed, however it received the derogatory term Witch Doctor by early European settlers because the natives practiced Juju. Speaking of Juju, in the recent Faiths and Philosophies book they brought Juju.
Maya
Aztec
South America
Mapuche
Aymara
Papa New Guinea (Oceania)
Also the Native Amercian Culture right here in the Americas.
So its not a small isolated place in Siberia, its practically all over the world. Despite how some were so far across from each other, they all honestly did believe that malicious spirits cause misfortune and sickness. That dreams/signs/visions could reveal to them knowledge and power. That dances, instruments, songs, rituals, paraphernalia that could help in their cause.
Various Paraphernalia includes but is not limited to:
Drum (The drum is used by shamans of several peoples in Siberia, the Inuit, and many other cultures all over the world although its usage for shamanistic seances may be lacking among the Inuit of Canada.[66] The beating of the drum allows the shaman to achieve an altered state of consciousness or to travel on a journey between the physical and spiritual worlds. Much fascination surrounds the role that the acoustics of the drum play to the shaman. Shaman drums are generally constructed of an animal-skin stretched over a bent wooden hoop, with a handle across the hoop.)
Feathers (In numerous North and South American cultures, as well as in Europe and Asia, birds are seen as messengers of the spirits. Feathers are often used in ceremonies and in individual healing rituals.)
Gong (Often found through South East Asia, Far Eastern peoples.)
Long Table (A flexible wooden table, approximately nine by two feet, is used in Hmong Shamanism; the table transforms into a "flying horse" in the spirit world.)
Pipe (Used for smoking various tobaccos and psychoactive herbs: e.g. tobacco in North and South America, cannabis in India)
Rooster (A rooster is often used in Hmong Shamanism. A shaman uses a rooster when he journeys to the unknown. It is said that the rooster shields the shaman from wandering "evil" spirits by making him invisible; thus, the evil spirits only see the rooster's useless spirit.)
Shake (Found mostly in Hmong Shamanism, the shaman begins his practice by rattling, which turns into a shake. It is the process of communicating with his shamanistic spirits to guide him to the spirit world.)
Sword (In Hmong Shamanism, a holy sword will always be used in the practice to protect the shaman from wandering "evil" spirits as he travels to the spirit world.)
Talisman (Shamanic healing is found among the indigenous Kuna people of Panama, who rely on sacred talismans.)
** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **...
I think we use a more colloquial definition vs. the exact definition in fantasy and gaming. The nice thing about the wider definition is that we have a lot of ideas about what shaman can be, which is a lot of inspiration and fodder to feed into the class. The guy wearing animal pelts who turns into a beast, the person who's all about animism, and the wise elder instilled with mana are all viable ideas... maybe.
So like a Druid?I think we use a more colloquial definition vs. the exact definition in fantasy and gaming. The nice thing about the wider definition is that we have a lot of ideas about what shaman can be, which is a lot of inspiration and fodder to feed into the class. The guy wearing animal pelts who turns into a beast, the person who's all about animism, and the wise elder instilled with mana are all viable ideas... maybe.** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **...
Well, druids commune with nature, but aren't very spiritual I don't think. Their magic is also very much about nature's wrath rather than blessing and healing I thought. Someone who communes with spirits and doesn't require the neutral alignment/attachment to nature might be nice, and druids are held by legacy to be a certain sort of thing in DnD.
I have yet to see a druid mechanic about being instilled with mana or focused on spiritual aspects, and they don't scream spiritual leader as much as isolationist I've always thought.
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** spoiler omitted **The same can be said of Druid, Bard, Warlock, and Witch ;)
Well, yes, exactly. You can't try to argue about these classes from a real world perspective because then you'd end up with a scholar, a warrior who bragged about himself, an oath-breaker, etc.
** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **...
None of those other cultures have Shaman in them. They have their own unique priesthood/magic culture/etc. that lazy scholars apply "Shamanism" to as a blanket term. It'd be roughly akin to saying, "Chemists deal with science. Biologists and Physicists also deal with science, so we'll also call them Chemists for ease of terminology."
For example, none of the East African religions that form the basis of Voodoo, Candomble, Santeria, etc., have Shamans, and claiming they do just because they also deal with spiritual entities is intellectually lazy.
Amerindians do not have Shamans either. I can't even tell you what they have in a post on a forum because there are so many unique tribal cultures among the Amerindians that it would take pages and pages. Medicine Man, for example, is not even a really helpful term, because "medicine" is a really bad translation for a concept of magical power.
Again, the point is that, unless you're talking about a very specific culture, all of these terms like Shaman, Druid, Bard, Skald, etc., lose real meaning and become just a fantasy construct that harkens back to the flavor of those cultures.
Everyone has a sense that Skalds are related to Vikings, but how many people really know what they were like? In the end, it doesn't really matter, because they are something entirely different within the context of the game.
So, any complaints about the Shaman being unrealistic or whatever are going to be inherently silly for these purposes, as the term is really just there to create instant flavor in the minds of gamers and nothing more.
I mean, even the premise of your complaint, that Shamans were all healers, is goofy given your statement that tons of different cultures had Shamans--the vast majority of the cultures you mentioned, for example, had strong beliefs that evil people could interact with spirits in such a way as to cause the spiritual separation and loss that accompanied disease. From Navajo skinwalkers giving people corpse sickness to the variety of curses Vodun Bokor can infict, there is definitely a place for a fantasy Shaman to do more than heal.
That said, once again, I will agree that the current Shaman powers do not feel like Hexes whatsoever, and most have far more in common with Revelations--other than the familiar and the extremely disappointing prepared casting, there is basically no witch in the Shaman.
I have yet to see a druid mechanic about being instilled with mana
Just to be nitpicky, "mana" is actually a South Pacific concept of power, so a "realistic" Druid associated with mana would be silly.
But I think I may have typed too much and confused you into thinking we somehow disagree. The fantasy roleplaying term "Shaman" can be anything the creators want it to be, as long as it is vaguely tied to spirits in some way. A real Shaman is something very specific and so "reality" should not enter the equation here.
Well, druids commune with nature, but aren't very spiritual I don't think. Their magic is also very much about nature's wrath rather than blessing and healing I thought. Someone who communes with spirits and doesn't require the neutral alignment/attachment to nature might be nice, and druids are held by legacy to be a certain sort of thing in DnD.
I have yet to see a druid mechanic about being instilled with mana or focused on spiritual aspects, and they don't scream spiritual leader as much as isolationist I've always thought.
LOL...actually Druid are the intellectual cast of Celtic culture.
Bards where members of the Drui cast with a specific focus on spreading history and news through the use of praise poems and song.Just as an FYI :)
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So I got a question, does Wandering Spirit count for a Shaman's familiar? Like if your Spirit is Stone and your Wandering Spirit is Life, would the familiar get DR 5/Adamantine and Fast Healing 1?
I also just noticed the true spirit ability from Nature.
"Companion Familiar: The shaman's familiar takes the form of an animal companion (Core Rulebook 51) of her choice, using her shaman level as her effective druid level. It retains all special abilities and Intelligence score of a familiar, but also has the statistics and abilities of an animal companion. If the companion familiar is dismissed, lost, or dies, it can be replaced in the same way as a normal familiar."
So what about an Improved Familiar? Like if I had a Nosoi psychopomp. They have spell-like abilities, special qualities, DR, immunities, resistances, a special attack. Would any of that get carried on from the original familiar to their new companion form? Like if my little Psychopomp became a big T-Rex, could it still turn itself invisible at will and be immune to stuff like death/disease/poison?