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While nothing in the shaman/witch description actually states how or even if a shaman can displease their spirit or witches their patron, other sources make allusions to just that. For example, the Spirit Summoner says that some spirits and eidolons are incompatible up to GM discretion, but specifically calls out Heavens and Fiend-like (i.e. devil subtype etc.), implying a Heavens shaman can't be Evil.
Not at all. The restriction on the summoner only affects the eidolon - an evil summoner could therefore have the Heavens spirit as long as their eidolon was an elemental, inevitable, protean, or other suitable creature. There's no indication that the spirit can revoke power based on the summoner (or shaman)'s personal behavior.
Thematically, I would interpret this as indicating that bonding with an eidolon and spirit both involve mystical energy, and those bonds can interfere with each other if the energy is "incompatible".
Witches get spell knowledge from their patron, for one spell per level. Loss of a patron's goodwill does not affect a witch much, as they can gain spells via feeding their familiar.
RAI may be that the patron's assistance also plays a part in the spells learned during level-up, and even may be involved in how the familiar works. But I don't see any RAW saying that.
Since wizards have just as much power than a witch, with no patron, I see no need to require a patron's interaction just for day-to-day spell casting.
The big thing about divine magic is that the patron provides easy access to all spells. I don't know how shamans work, but I am sure they follow one of these plans.
/cevah
It's my understanding that a witch's Patron is only a teacher- it teaches a witch how to use power, but the power belongs to the Witch, it is not granted. So if you annoy your teacher, they may not teach you anything else, but they can't keep you from doing what you already know how to do.
As for "getting back on the good side of one's Patron", that's probably best handled as an RP situation- the witch has to realize why the Patron is mad and make amends somehow.
Dang. Missed the edit window.
Make that Witches get spell knowledge from their patron, for one spell per level.
/cevah
But the witch needs her familiar (who answers only to the patron) to prepare her spells, and Unique Patrons take them away. For example, if a witch with a Celestial Agenda patron ceases to be good, she looses her familiar and thus the ability to prepare witch spells. While it also says they loose hexes and spellcasting, I'd be inclined to say that hexes come from the witch's own power and that a mystic theurge could still prepare spells from her divine class in her witch slots.
Yes, a patron merely teaches a witch, but in such a way that she is dependent on the patron.
Unique Patrons is a specific choice a witch can make. If they don't choose to have such a specific patron, then they don't suffer spell loss, hex loss, and familiar loss when they loose the Unique Patron.
As to the familiar I saw:
SRD
Some gain power through study, some through devotion, others through blood, but the witch gains power from her communion with the unknown. Generally feared and misunderstood, the witch draws her magic from a pact made with an otherworldly power. Communing with that source, using her familiar as a conduit, the witch gains not only a host of spells, but a number of strange abilities known as hexes.
This text is in the fluff part of the class description, and not the rules section. While it implies the patron is involved with the familiar, it is contradicted by the following:
By forging strange bonds with unnameable beings, witches gain the service of a mystical adviser, a familiar to both serve her and reveal to her secrets unknown to most mortals. A familiar is an animal chosen by a witch to aid her in her spellcasting and grant her special powers. This uses the same rules as the wizard’s arcane bond class feature, except as noted below.
This states the familiar acts like the wizard's arcane bond with some changes. None of the changes mention or relate to patrons.
/cevah
This may be resurrecting and then beating on a very dead horse, but I fell in love with the Shaman and out of love with both the Oracle and the Witch. My question is: even with various sources out there, I haven't found a lot on more Shaman Spirits, so how could I convert Witch Patrons to Shaman Spirits? Are there helpful posts (or ideas) along those lines? :)
And of all the Shaman Spirits, I DETEST the idea of the "Dark Tapestry" one. It hearkens back to the Lovecraftian nonsense of "Oh, don't go out into space! It's too scary! Oh oh oh!" that I personally really hate, being both an Original Series/Next Gen Trekker and a Whovian. ;) I have seen folks come up with, iirc, a Time Patron, maybe even a Time Spirit -- I'd have to find it again, but I know I saw it somewhere...ah! It's from Ultimate Magic, which also has a Stars Patron; I'd also like to convert the Stars Patron to a better Space or Stars Spirit, rather than the Dark Tapestry -- (scrolling down a list of more polite terms) -- stuff (Stars = good; Dark Tapestry = evil).
(In the Whoniverse, apparently the Archons are the inspiration for the Great Old Ones myths, and the Doctor kicked the last of their butts back on one last planet of theirs in a short story involving the Second Doctor, his Companion Jamie, and a set of bagpipes. ;->)
Is there a specific patron you were wanting to translate? Sounds like Time interests you. We could collectively make something here, but you can never be sure that your GM will let you use something community built. Time is easier since it’s both a spirit and a mystery.
The bonus spells for both are kind of weird, but there aren’t a lot of good low level spells that are thematically time based, so you may want to get creative.
The revelations are pretty easily converted to hexes. Spirit ability and greater spirit ability are often adapted from the list of revelations. I’d pick Knowledge of the Ages for the spirit ability, since it has a limit per day based on charisma like a lot of spirit abilities have. Greater spirit ability kicks in at level 8, so a mystery that starts at a similar level would be appropriate. Time Hop or Temporal Celerity seem appropriate for the greater spirit ability.
Time (Ultimate Magic pg. 83): 2nd — ventriloquism, 4th — silence, 6th — haste, 8th — threefold aspect, 10th — teleport, 12th — disintegrate, 14th — expend, 16th — temporal stasis, 18th — time stop.
Class Skills: An oracle with the time mystery adds Fly, Knowledge (arcana), Perception, and Use Magic Device to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells: memory lapse (2nd), gentle repose (4th), sands of time (6th), threefold aspect (8th), permanency (10th), contingency (12th), disintegrate (14th), temporal stasis (16th), time stop (18th).
Revelations: An oracle with the Time mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
Aging Touch (Su): Your touch ages living creatures and objects. As a melee touch attack, you can deal 1 point of Strength damage for every two oracle levels you possess to living creatures. Against objects or constructs, you can deal 1d6 points of damage per oracle level. If used against an object in another creature's possession, treat this attack as a sunder combat maneuver. You can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day for every five oracle levels you possess.
Erase from Time (Su): As a melee touch attack, you can temporarily remove a creature from time altogether. The target creature must make a Fortitude save or vanish completely for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your oracle level (minimum 1 round). No magic or divinations can detect the creature during this time, as it exists outside of time and space—in effect, the creature ceases to exist for the duration of this ability. At the end of the duration, the creature reappears unharmed in the space it last occupied (or the nearest possible space, if the original space is now occupied). You can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day at 11th level.
Knowledge of the Ages (Su): You can search through time to recall some bit of forgotten lore or information. You can retry any Knowledge skill check you have made within the past minute, gaining an insight bonus on the check equal to your Charisma modifier. You can use this ability a number times per day equal to your Charisma modifier.
Momentary Glimpse (Su): Once per day, you can gain a glimpse into your immediate future. On the round after you use this ability, you gain a +2 insight bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check or to your Armor Class until the start of your next turn. At 5th level, and every four levels thereafter, you can use this ability one additional time per day.
Rewind Time (Su): Once per day as an immediate action, you can reroll any one d20 roll that you have just made before the results of the roll are revealed. You must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll. At 11th level, and every four levels thereafter, you can use this ability an additional time per day. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Speed or Slow Time (Sp): As a standard action, you can speed up or slow down time, as either the haste or slow spell. You can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day at 12th level and 17th level. You must be at least 7th level before selecting this revelation.
Temporal Celerity (Su): Whenever you roll for initiative, you can roll twice and take either result. At 7th level, you can always act in the surprise round, but if you fail to notice the ambush, you act last, regardless of your initiative result (you act in the normal order in following rounds). At 11th level, you can roll for initiative three times and take any one of the results.
Time Flicker (Su): As a standard action, you can flicker in and out of time, gaining concealment (as the blur spell). You can use this ability for 1 minute per oracle level that you possess per day. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments. At 7th level, each time you activate this ability, you can treat it as the blink spell, though each round spent this way counts as 1 minute of your normal time flicker duration. You must be at least 3rd level to select this revelation.
Time Hop (Su): As a move action, you can teleport up to 10 feet per oracle level that you possess per day. This teleportation must be used in 5-foot increments. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You must have line of sight to your destination to use this ability. You can bring other willing creatures with you, but you must expend an equal amount of distance for each creature brought. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Time Sight (Su): You can peer through the mists of time to see things as they truly are, as if using the true seeing spell. At 15th level, this functions like moment of prescience. At 18th level, this functions like foresight. You can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to your oracle level, but these minutes do not need to be consecutive. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation.
Final Revelation: Upon reaching 20th level, you become a true master of time and stop aging. You cannot be magically aged and no longer take penalties to your ability scores for aging. Age bonuses still accrue, and any aging penalties that you have already accrued remain in place. You cannot die of old age, but you can be killed or die through accident, disease, poison, or other external effects. In addition, you can cast time stop once per day as a spell-like ability.
Why is there a need to convert anything. Mysteries, Patrons, and Spirits are not the same thing and why would the sources of those powers grant powers of another sort? All this does is break down the differences between the classes. This is like wanting to play a druid of Abadar. Not all sources are appropriate for all classes.