Suggestion: Change to the Animist Chassis to Open Concept Flexibility

[Blake's Tiger]

I could not find a thread with this topic, so I apologize if I'm repeating someone else's idea(s).

War of the Immortals Playtest Document wrote:

You are the interlocutor between the seen and unseen, the voice that connects the mortal and the spiritual. You may hold your powers as a sacred trust to be kept free of ego and personal desire, or you may see your unique abilities as a sign that you’ve been chosen as a champion of two worlds. Whether you advocate for mortals before the planes beyond or whether you represent the spirits’ interests, one thing remains certain: you provide the bridge between realms.

I don't feel like the Animist meets the class summary's potential. I feel like the Animist has been pigeon-holed into the naturalist animist role, and this is done largely by the class basics (key stat and class skills) and to a lesser extent by the apparition themes. My gut suggests this is a side effect of trying too hard to "make a new class" rather than calling it a 2e version of Medium or/and Shaman.

Currently, the Animist's Key Statistic is Wisdom and starts with Nature and Religion plus 0+INT in additional skills.

The Custodian of Groves and Gardens, Stalker in Darkened Boughs, Steward of Stone and Fire, and Vanguard of Roaring Waters are all very nature themed. Four out of the six presented apparitions.

However, there are far more ways to design a spirit-channeling character fantasy than just a naturalist animist. Even if you reskin your mechanics to be a refined, city dwelling Taldan speaker-for-the-dead medium from Oparra, you're still stuck with Nature as one of your very few class skills and most of the apparitions giving you nature-related Lores.

Suggestion, which has precedent in Fighter and Monk and Psychic:

Choice of Key Stat: Intelligence or Wisdom

Starting Skills: Nature or Occultism plus <either (1+INT, preferred) or (Religion + 0+INT)> EDIT (for clarity): the 1+INT or Religion+0+INT isn't a player choice, those were two suggestions to the design team.

Assuming significantly more non-nature themed apparitions are released with the book, you can then mix and match your key stat and starting skill to better fit different character fantasies.

For example, you can be a learned scholar of the spirit world with Intelligence as a key stat and take occultism and society plus diplomacy and deception with your extra skills, a reclusive naturalist who speaks to the spirits of the wild with Wisdom as the key stat and take nature and survival or medicine with your skills, or a reverent adherent of the empyreal realm with Wisdom as the key stat and take occultism and religion with your starting skills.

You could also be slightly less explicit in the description of what the spirits represent. The Steward of Stone and Fire could "spirits tied to stone, fire, or the souls who worked with them in life" rather than "near volcanoes and the
deep places near the heart of the earth, though particularly old rock formations, canyons, and other natural features of earth may also spawn or attract them."

[Michael Sayre]

Blake's Tiger wrote:

Currently, the Animist's Key Statistic is Wisdom and starts with Nature and Religion plus 0+INT in additional skills.

Just to prevent the propogation of misinformation, the animist has Nature, Religion, and 2+Int additional skills (as well as apparition lore skills).

[RaptorBonz]

I like the idea of a nature/Occultism split probably based on class path? I think it should keep the religion skill since that's the primary casting source.

I dislike splitting between Wis/Int. I think it is good as just a Wis caster. It's already sufficiently complex and with the availability of Ability bonuses I don't think it's necessary to choose Int to cast with. I would like to see some exploration of a more researcher-style animist, that's super cool.