 Shaman
Source Advanced Class Guide pg. 35
While some heroes speak to gods or consort with otherworldly muses, shamans commune with the spirits of the world and the energies that exist in every living thing. These divine adventurers draw upon their power to shape the world and expand the influence of their spiritual patrons. Shamans have strong ties to natural spirits. They form powerful bonds with particular spirits, and as their power grows they learn to call upon other spirits in times of need.
Role: Shamans make for potent divine spellcasters, capable of using divine spells and the power of their spirits to aid their allies and destroy their foes. While they aren’t the healers that clerics are, they can still fill that role when needed.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Parent Class(es): Oracle and witch.
Starting Wealth: 3d6 x 10 gp (average 105 gp).Class SkillsThe Shaman's class skills are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Fly (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.Class Features| | Spells Per Day | | Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | | 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Orisons, spirit, spirit animal, spirit magic | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Hex | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Hex, wandering spirit | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 6th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Wandering hex | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 7th | +5 | +2 | +2 | +5 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | | 8th | +6/+1 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Hex, spirit (greater) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | | 9th | +6/+1 | +3 | +3 | +6 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | | 10th | +7/+2 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Hex | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | | 11th | +8/+3 | +3 | +3 | +7 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | | 12th | +9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Hex, wandering spirit (greater) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | | 13th | +9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +8 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | | 14th | +10/+5 | +4 | +4 | +9 | Wandering hex (2 hexes) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | | 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +9 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | | 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Hex, spirit (true) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | | 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +10 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | | 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Hex | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | | 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Hex, manifestation, wandering spirit (true) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A shaman is proficient with all simple weapons, and with light and medium armor.
Spells: A shaman casts divine spells drawn from the shaman spell list. A shaman must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a shaman must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell’s level. The saving throw DC against a shaman’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a shaman can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table 1–9. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table 1–3 in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook).
Shamans commune with their spirit animals to prepare their spells. Each shaman must choose a time when she must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation with her spirit animal to regain her daily allotment of spells. A shaman can prepare and cast any spell on the shaman spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily communion.
Orisons: Shamans can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day as noted on Table 1–9. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Spirit (Su): A shaman forms a mystical bond with the spirits of the world. She forms a lasting bond with a single spirit (see Spirits on page 37), which grants a number of abilities and defines many of her other class features.
At 1st level, a shaman gains the spirit ability granted by her chosen spirit. She adds the spells granted by that spirit to the list of spells that she can cast using spirit magic. She also adds the hexes possessed by that spirit to the list of hexes that she can use with the hex and wandering hex class features.
At 8th level, the shaman gains the abilities listed in the greater version of her selected spirit. At 16th level, the shaman gains the abilities listed for the true version of her selected spirit.
If the shaman takes levels in another class that grants a mystery (such as the oracle), the spirit and mystery must match, even if that means one of them must change. Subject to GM discretion, the shaman can change her former mystery or spirit to make them conform.
Spirit Animal (Ex): At 1st level, a shaman forms a close bond with a spirit animal tied to her chosen spirit. This animal is her conduit to the spirit world, guiding her along the path to enlightenment. The animal also aids a shaman by granting her a special ability. See the Spirit Animal section on page 47.
A shaman must commune with her spirit animal each day to prepare her spells. While the spirit animal does not store the spells like a witch’s familiar does, the spirit animal serves as her conduit to divine power. If a shaman’s spirit animal is slain, she cannot prepare new spells or use her spirit magic class feature until the spirit animal is replaced.
Spirit Magic: A shaman can spontaneously cast a limited number of spells per day beyond those she prepared ahead of time. She has one spell slot per day of each shaman spell level she can cast, not including orisons. She can choose these spells from the list of spells granted by her spirits (see the spirit class feature and the wandering spirit class feature) at the time she casts them. She can enhance these spells using any metamagic feat that she knows, using up a higher-level spell slot as required by the feat and increasing the time to cast the spell (see Spontaneous Casting and Metamagic Feats on page 113 of the Core Rulebook).
Hex: A shaman learns a number of magical tricks, called hexes, which grant her powers or weaken foes. At 2nd level, a shaman learns one hex. At 4th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, 18th, and 20th level, the shaman learns new hexes. A shaman can select from any of the following hexes or from any of the hexes listed in the description of her chosen spirit. A shaman cannot select a hex more than once unless noted otherwise.
Using a hex is a standard action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity unless otherwise noted. The saving throw DC to resist a hex is equal to 10 + 1/2 the shaman’s level + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier.
See the Shaman Hexes section for a full list of Hexes from all sources.
Wandering Spirit (Su): At 4th level, a shaman can form a temporary bond with a spirit other than the one selected using her spirit class feature. She must make this selection each day when preparing her spells. While this feature is active, she gains the spirit ability granted by the spirit. She also adds the spells granted by that spirit to her list of spells that she can cast using spirit magic. She does not add the hexes from her wandering spirit to her list of hexes that she can choose from with the hex class feature. At 12th level, she gains the abilities listed in the greater version of her wandering spirit. At 20th level, she gains the ability listed in the true version of her wandering spirit.
Wandering Hex: At 6th level, a shaman can temporarily gain the use of one of the hexes possessed by either one of her spirits. She must make this selection each day when she prepares her spells. For the purposes of this ability, she can select any hex possessed by her spirit or wandering spirit. If she selects it from her wandering spirit, she loses the hex immediately if she bonds with another spirit, although she can then select a different hex to gain using this ability, from either her spirit or her new wandering spirit. At 14th level, a shaman can select two wandering hexes each day instead of one. This ability otherwise functions as the hex class feature.
Manifestation (Su): Upon reaching 20th level, a shaman undergoes a transformation as she manifests as a pinnacle of her main spirit. The nature of this manifestation depends on the shaman’s spirit, and is described in its entry.Spirit AnimalBy communing with the incredible powers of her spirit, the shaman forges a cherished bond with one specif ic servant of that spirit—known as a spirit animal. A spirit animal is a creature chosen by a shaman to serve as a conduit, allowing her to more fully access the magic of her spirit on a daily basis. The shaman’s spirit animal also grants her special powers. This ability uses the same rules as the wizard’s arcane bond class feature and is treated as a familiar (see pages 78 and 82 of the Core Rulebook), except as noted below.
A shaman uses her level as her effective wizard level when determining the abilities of her spirit animal. A shaman can select any familiar available to wizards to serve as her spirit animal, although her spirit animal is augmented by the power of her chosen spirit. Once selected, the spirit animal cannot be changed. Although a shaman’s spirit animal uses the statistics of a specific animal, it is treated as an outsider with the native subtype for the purposes of spells and abilities that affect it.
Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack with shaman levels for the purpose of determining any spirit animal abilities that depend on the shaman’s level. If a shaman possesses such levels in other classes, her spirit animal always uses the shaman rules for spirit animals, not those used by familiars of other classes (such as witches, wizards, or sorcerers with the arcane bloodline). If the shaman has witch levels, her spirit animal also serves as the conduit to her patron and stores her witch spells. The shaman’s spirit animal is treated as a familiar for the purposes of all spells, effects, and abilities that affect familiars.
If a spirit animal is lost or dies, it can be replaced after 24 hours through a special ritual that consumes material components worth 500 gp per shaman level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete. The new spirit animal must be of the same sort of creature as the previous one.
Spirit Animal (Ex): At 1st level, a shaman’s spirit animal gains specific abilities, depending upon the type of spirit selected by the shaman using her spirit class feature. These abilities affect the animal’s appearance and grant it special abilities that can aid it in serving the shaman and the spirit it represents and is connected to. These abilities are described in the spirit animal section of each individual spirit description.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If a shaman is 3rd level or higher, her spirit animal can deliver touch spells or hexes for her. If the shaman and the spirit animal are in contact at the time the shaman casts a touch spell, she can designate her animal as the “toucher.” The spirit animal can then deliver the touch spell just as the shaman would. If the shaman casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates. If the shaman activates a hex, her spirit animal can be used to make the touch; she doesn’t have to be in contact with the animal to use this ability with hexes.Alternate CapstonesSource Chronicle of Legends pg. 28
When a character reaches the 20th level of a class, she gains a powerful class feature or ability, sometimes referred to as a capstone. The following section provides new capstones for characters to select at 20th level. A character can select one of the following capstones in place of the capstone provided by her class. Some capstones are for specific classes, while others are for a range of classes that qualify for them. In some cases, a capstone specifies what ability it replaces. A character can’t select a new capstone if she has previously traded away her class capstone via an archetype. Clerics and wizards can receive a capstone at 20th level, despite not having one to begin with.
Arch-Familiar (Su)Source Chronicle of Legends pg. 30
At 20th level, the character’s familiar is smarter and savvier than plenty of adventurers—and also more dangerous! The familiar’s Intelligence increases by 5, and it gains 12 spells levels’ worth of spell-like abilities (for example, three daily castings of greater invisibility), drawn from spells its master can cast and using its master’s caster levels, DCs, and so forth. This capstone is available to any class with a familiar.
Hex Mastery (Su)Source Chronicle of Legends pg. 30
At 20th level, the shaman has learned ever more terrible hexes. She can select one grand hex from the list available to witches.
Perfect Body, Flawless Mind (Ex)Source Chronicle of Legends pg. 31
At 20th level, the character’s endless training and study has resulted in an unmatched mastery of the self. The character increases her ability scores by a collective total of 8. For example, she can increase one score by 8, or one score by 5 and another by 3, or four scores by 2, and so on. Characters of any class can select this ability.
The Boss (Ex)Source Chronicle of Legends pg. 30
At 20th level, the character has become more than just a lone hero—she has become one of the senior figures of her field, with powers and responsibilities to match. The character becomes one of the leading figures in some manner of group or organization, as appropriate to the campaign and the setting. A wizard might become the dean of an arcane university or mages’ guild, a fighter could command a mercenary army or a city guard, a cleric might lead a major temple or her own sect, and so forth. The player and the GM should work together to determine the specifics. The character gains the Leadership feat if she does not already have it, and the number of followers that the feat grants is multiplied by 10 (although depending on the campaign and setting, the position may grant other powers as well). If multiple characters in a party select this capstone, the GM may consider pooling them to grant the players a particularly large and powerful organization, such as a small kingdom. Characters of any class can select this ability.
With This Sword (Ex)Source Chronicle of Legends pg. 31
At 20th level, the character’s blade has become as well-known as the character herself. The character selects one item she has—preferably something iconic and significant, such as a weapon or arcane bond. The item becomes a minor artifact and gains 100,000 gp worth of new powers. The player and the GM should work together to select the new powers, with an eye towards making something memorable yet campaign-appropriate. Characters of any class can select this ability.
Won’t Stay Dead (Ex)Source Chronicle of Legends pg. 31
At 20th level, the character becomes a paragon of resilience. Once per week, if the character is killed, petrified, or otherwise removed from play, the character manages to survive by some dint of skill or luck and returns at the end of the combat or the scene (GM’s discretion). The player and the GM should work together to ensure that the method of the character’s survival is at least vaguely plausible, if unlikely. Characters of any class can select this ability.
Favored Class Options Catfolk (Blood of the Beast pg. 4): Add 1/6 to the shaman’s class level for the purpose of determining the effects of one hex.
Dwarf (Advanced Class Guide pg. 69): Add 1/4 to the natural armor bonus of the shaman’s spirit animal.
Elf (Advanced Class Guide pg. 69): Add 5 feet to the range of a chosen shaman hex. Multiple bonuses from this ability can apply to the same hex, to a maximum of an additional 30 feet for any single hex.
Gathlain (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 10): Add one spell from the druid spell list to the shaman’s spell list. This spell must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell the shaman can cast.
Ghoran (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 17): Add one spell from the druid spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells she knows. This spell must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell the shaman can cast.
Gnome (Advanced Class Guide pg. 70): The shaman gains 1/6 of a new shaman hex.
Grippli (Blood of the Beast pg. 8): Add one spell from the druid spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Half-Elf (Advanced Class Guide pg. 70): Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Halfling (Advanced Class Guide pg. 70): Add 1/2 to the shaman’s effective class level for the purpose of determining her spirit animal’s natural armor adjustment, Intelligence, and special abilities.
Half-Orc (Advanced Class Guide pg. 71): Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Human (Advanced Class Guide pg. 71): Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Kitsune (Blood of the Beast pg. 12): Gain 1/6 of a new Magical TailARG feat. Any kitsune character can choose this bonus upon gaining a level in her favored class.
Kitsune (Blood of the Beast pg. 12): Add one enchantment spell from the sorcerer/ wizard spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Shabti (Plane-Hopper's Handbook pg. 23): Add one spell from the psychic spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Strix (Pathfinder #101: The Kintargo Contract pg. 73): Add 1/2 to the shaman’s effective class level for the purpose of determining her spirit animal’s natural armor adjustment, Intelligence, and special abilities.
Vanara (Blood of the Beast pg. 28): Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest level the shaman can cast.
Vine Leshy (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 22): Shamans with the nature or wood spirit add one spell from the druid’s spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the shaman’s spell list; she still must select this spell as one of her spells known in order to cast it. This spell must be at least 1 level lower than the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Wayang (Blood of Shadows pg. 11): Add one spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast and be of the illusion (shadow) subschool or have the darkness descriptor.
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