Name-Keeper Shaman: How does it work?

[Framane]

I'm currently playing a Name-Keeper Shaman from Adventurer's Guide with my Shattered Star group and there are a few things I find odd/not detailed enough.

Firstly, you lose the spirit animal to gain a bonded object like a wizard. Problem is bonded object allows you to cast any spell from your spellbook, which as a Shaman I am lacking. My DM told me to simply swap "spellbook" for "spells-known", but shaman also doesn't have spells-known. Like a cleric, you pick from all Shaman spells when preparing your spells. Does that mean I effectively can cast any Shaman spell (of an appropriate level) once per day? That is quite powerful, even if Shamans don't have the most impressive spell list.

Secondly, that is probably simply an oversight, but without a spirit animal, I shouldn't even be able to prepare spell at all. I guess I simply commune with my bonded object instead, but that was omitted from the archetype description.

Thanks to any and all who can point me in the right direction for this :-)

Name-Keeper Shaman:

Class Skills

A name-keeper gains Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (history), and Linguistics as class skills, instead of Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (planes), and Survival.

This alters the shaman’s class skills.

Inherited Wayfinder (Su)

A name-keeper forms a powerful bond with a damaged wayfinder inherited from another. It functions for her alone. This functions as a wizard’s bonded object except it can be used to cast shaman spells (instead of wizard spells).

This ability replaces spirit animal.

Keeper Spirit Magic: The name-keeper adds the following spells to the list of spells she can cast using spirit magic: stone shield (1st), object reading (2nd), speak with dead (3rd), wall of stone (4th), breath of life (5th), stone tell (6th), vision (7th), word of recall (8th), and true resurrection (9th).

This ability replaces the spirit magic spells gained from the shaman’s spirit.

Pathfinders Past (Su)

At 4th level, a name-keeper can form a temporary bond with a deceased person. The name-keeper must make this selection each day when preparing her spells. While this feature is active, she gains one or more benefits. Each allows her to select one or more options (such as a weapon or shaman spirit), and she can choose different options each time she forms this bond.

Scrolls: The name-keeper selects an oracle mystery. She can use any of the mystery’s associated skills untrained, and she treats them as class skills. For any of those skills that were already class skills, she instead gains a +2 sacred bonus on those checks. At 12th level, she gains Skill Focus for one of the associated skills as a bonus feat. At 20th level, she gains Skill Focus a second time as a bonus feat, and she always counts as having at least 10 ranks in those skills for calculating these temporary feats’ benefits.

Spells: The name-keeper selects a second shaman spirit and adds the spells granted by that spirit to her list of spells that she can cast using spirit magic. She gains one additional spirit magic spell slot of her highest spell level. At 12th level, she selects two shaman spirits and adds both their granted spells to the list of spells she can cast using spirit magic. At 20th level, her number of spirit magic spell slots at each spell level increases to two.

Swords: The name-keeper gains proficiency in all martial weapons and one exotic weapon of her choice. At 12th level, whenever she makes a full attack, she gains one additional attack at her highest base attack bonus; this ability stacks with the extra attack from haste, but it doesn’t stack with other abilities that grant extra attacks. At 20th level, she gains two combat feats for which she qualifies.

This ability replaces wandering spirit.

Versatile Hex (Su)

At 6th level, a name-keeper can temporarily gain a shaman hex or one of the hexes that her spirit has when she prepares her spells, lasting until the next time she prepares spells. At 14th level, she can select two such hexes each day.

This ability replaces wandering hex.

Wizard Bonded Object:

A bonded object can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the wizard has in his spellbook and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the wizard, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the wizard’s level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. The bonded object cannot be used to cast spells from the wizard’s opposition schools (see arcane school below).

[John Compton]

As the author, I see how those omissions could cause some confusion. After double-checking my thoughts with a colleague, I recommend the following: The name-keeper shaman prepares shaman spells using her inherited wayfinder in place of a spirit animal. She can use the wayfinder to cast any one shaman spell to which she has access (not just prepared).

We've made a note to include the spell preparation line to the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild's Campaign Clarifications document.

[Framane]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply John ^_^