1) how exactly dose this class work? With the spirit animal?
2) is it a familiar or and animal companion?
3) melee build viable? Maybe a mounted combat build?
4) what are some of the strong points and weaknesses of the class, spell, feat starved, ect...
I initially thought it would be weaker than a Witch or an Oracle and many people here disagreed, so I made one.
I haven't got to fully experience it yet, but it looks promising. Having a decent spell list for offense while being able to wear armor makes it feel more like a caster Druid than anything.
I took an archetype that gets rid of the spirit animal but it acts as a familiar, not an animal companion.
My build is a touch attack/high AC build though it is far from the strongest it does alright. Building for melee should be viable, mounted combat is probably going to need to pick up leadership...
The shaman, as a divine 3/4 bab class that can wear armor has a lot of ways it can go. Basically most of the cleric or oracle options are available to it, along with going as a tankier witch. Also with a high enough INT you can also be a divine arcane caster.
So out of those see which is your favorite style and go with it.
Why is it so many divine casters get access to arcane spells but not the other way around?
It looks like Paizo are following WotC's approach to making divine casters more appealing to play than arcane casters.
Yes there are corner cases where an arcane caster can get access to divine but there are nowhere near as many or as flexible as the former over the latter.
Divine have limited selection of arcane casting, and you usually have to sacrifice something to get it. For the Shaman you'll need a high int, wis, and cha to pull it off, so basically you'll have nothing left for physical stats.
Why is it so many divine casters get access to arcane spells but not the other way around?
It looks like Paizo are following WotC's approach to making divine casters more appealing to play than arcane casters.
Yes there are corner cases where an arcane caster can get access to divine but there are nowhere near as many or as flexible as the former over the latter.
*Cough Spell Sage Wizard & Razmiran Priest (one of the strongest archetypes) cough*
Really the Shaman is the only class that is good at looting the Arcane Spell list anymore. With Paragon Surge -> Improved Eldritch Heritage taken out by the Spells Known FAQ, you are stuck with really just Ancient Lorekeeper Oracles, which only learn a handful and can't change them day to day.
Divine have limited selection of arcane casting, and you usually have to sacrifice something to get it. For the Shaman you'll need a high int, wis, and cha to pull it off, so basically you'll have nothing left for physical stats.
It's really more that you can't dump them. So long as you have at least a 13 INT and a 10 CHA, you can easily mug the spells you need from day to day just by making (You did take Fetish right?) a Headband of Mental Superiority +2 and upgrading it through your career. Once you get the +6 version, that's 3 Sorcerer/Wizard spells each day of your choice. More if you use other tricks.
I'll just leave this here:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?296803-Pathfinder-mini-guide- Casting-spells-from-other-lists
Seriously, the "trade off" you mention is virtually laughable. If by trade of you mean, "must spend feats" or "cannot tank stats into negatives" then sure. If you mean, must make serious compromises in build or trade core class abilities then the answer is no.
Shamans can still wear armor, cast level 9 divine and arcane spells and throw around hexes and get a decent selection of melee weapons. Arcane Enlightment has no level restrictions whatsoever. So yeah, they now get access to Miracle, True Resurrection as well as Wish, Meteor Swarm and Time Stop. Infact, Mystic Theurge just became redundant now there is a level 20 class which offers up the primary incentive to take it up.
Dreamed Secrets is another wtf that allows just about any divine caster (Oracle or Cleric) with the right persuasion to get up to level 8 spells with minimal trade-off (Wisdom damage means little to a Dark Tapestry Oracle). Yes it is a bit more thematic and harder to justify but seriously, it's another feat that should be restricted by some GMs. Seriously, read the above link. The list goes on.
Witches get a reduced spell list. Some Sorceror blood lines and prestige classes (such as Razmirian priests) get *limited* access to other lists. Magaambyan Arcanist is one of the few exceptions to the above rule (which is a puzzlingly, head scratching wtf and very OP prestige class IMHO). And I prefer to not use the exception to judge a rule.
At the end of the day, it's up to each GM to make his own call. I know how I deal with this in my games. But I do find it annoying that after Paizo worked so hard to stamp out this undesirable practice into Pathfinder that I see it creeping it's way back in again with each new subsequent class and sourcebook. Just disappointing really.
