Please critique: Altering the Spirit Shaman for my campaign.

[IndyPendant]

I am taking over a PC for a player that can no longer play in my campaign, since I like the flavour she created for her character, and also since the character is the party's healer. However, while keeping the flavour, I have decided to change the mechanics of the character a bit. Since this will be 'my' PC, I'm concerned that I may be biased towards it, and make it overly strong. Thus, I am showing you what I have created and asking for feedback. Do you think it's okay? Over the top? Underpowered? If you have an opinion, do please explain *why* you think so, and if possible offer suggestions as to what you would do to fix it, to help me decide if I need to make further changes.

This is not a theoretical exercise of a character someone might play someday; this is an NPC party member that I will play in the form I finally decide on. By the same token, this character does not need to be balanced against whatever PrCs, feats, etc etc the class *might* be able to take to break it. Please keep in mind when reviewing this, that I don't intend to offer this class as a general option available to my players; I only intend to play it for this character, as written, all the way to 20th if need be, and that's it.

In broad strokes, the character is intended to have flavour based on the spirit world (almost like ye olde stereotypical ancient Indian shaman) very similar to the Spirit Shaman flavour text. Her primary abilities will revolve around casting druidic spells, summoning spirits to help her, and healing in combat.

Here she is. And thanks.

Spirit Shaman (Heavily Adapted from Complete Divine)

Hit Dice: d6
Saves: Good Will, Poor Fort and Reflex
BAB: Medium (as cleric)

Skills: (4 + Int) (No changes from the Spirit Shaman here.)
Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (Geography, History, Local, Nature), Listen, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim.

Weapons/Armour: (No changes from the Spirit Shaman here, either.)
Light armour, shields, club, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, longspear, quarterstaff, shortspear, spear, sling, shortbow, throwing axe.

Spells per Day and Spells Retrieved Per Day:
She casts druid spells as per the Spirit Shaman in Complete Divine, with the following exceptions. (If necessary, I can type up the entire table here, but I would rather not. : ) 1) She uses her Wisdom modifier for spell DCs instead of her Charisma (split stats for casters are a HORRIBLE idea!) 2) The Summon Nature's Ally 1-9 spells are bonus spells that don't count against the number she retrieves each day.

Summon Nature's Ally: (This is a slightly modified version of the UA Conjurer Variants, Rapid Summoning and Enhanced Summoning, found here.)
Casting Summon Nature's Ally spells is a standard action for her, and the summoned creature only gets a standard action in the first round. That first round is included when determining the spell's duration. She summons the 'spirits' of animals and elementals, instead of the creatures themselves (this is entirely a flavour change; the creatures' stats remain unchanged). At 3rd level, she gains Augmented Summoning. At 5th level, she adds 2 to the DC of any attempts to dispel her summoned creatures. At 10th level her summons gain an additional +2 bonus to Str and Con. At 15th her summons gain an additional +2 bonus vs dispels, and at 20th they gain an additional +2 Str and Con.

Infuse With Life (Sp): (This is identical to the Greenbond's ability from Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved.)
She can call upon the positive energy of the spirits of life itself, and bestow that energy upon herself or another creature. With a touch, she can heal 1d8 hit points + her Spirit Shaman level, a number of times per day equal to her Wisdom bonus. Every three class levels thereafter, the amount of healing increases by 1d8; 2d8 + level at 4th class level, 3d8 + Level at 7th, and so on.

Special Abilities:
She gains the Spirit Guide (Alertness at 1st level) and Guide Magic (her Spirit Guide can concentrate on one spell for her at 10th level) class abilities, exactly as listed in Complete Divine. She gains *no other* listed Spirit Shaman abilities.

 

[IndyPendant]

Hrm. 17 people even bothered to look at this. No responses. I'm hoping that if the class were "omgwtfbbq borken!!!one" people would post saying so. And that the lack of response means the class is fine as-is.

*shrug*

 

[starwed]

Glancing at it, I don't see anything to worry about, so sure. The split casting stats thing was a weird Complete Divine quirk, and seems totally unnecessary.


Flavorwise, I'm not quite sure what the "spirit" of an elemental is, though; elementals are spirits, or at least that's how I think of them. ^_^

 

[erf_beto]

Flavorwise, I'm not quite sure what the "spirit" of an elemental is, though; elementals are spirits, or at least that's how I think of them. ^_^

I think IndyPendant was talking about the animals and non-spirit summons - elementals should stay the same. It appears to be a purely cosmetical change (looks like summoning magic in Final Fantasy games. Nice )

I think there´s no real problem with your shaman, though I'd remove 'Infuse with Life'. Not sure why, though - maybe i'm just being mean -, but that's cleric' stuff. On the other hand, you did say this is an NPC that is suppose to heal, so don't mind me.

 

[insanogeddon]

Just an opinion mind you but

as an outsider it seems:

You had no issues with her character, did not house rule.
Yet you play it and you want to:

Add the MASSIVE boost of one stat casting.. making it wisdom no less that adds to most useful shaman skills, will saves, the infuse life ability (surely bargaining with spirits should be a CHR caster)

Add some healing ability to mean the spell limits are less relevant

Add 9 bonus spells that skip round the shamans spirit guide retrieval mechanic entirely (undermining the feel seriously)

Adding the equivalent of 4 feats and some powerful summoner super specialist bonuses: Standard action Summoning !!! Augment Summoning, net +4 to DCs, EXTRA +4 to str and con

Never mind its summoning spirits and elementals the exact same entities the original class has all sorts of powers to blow up... again removing the feel.


Removing av. 1hp a level (as DM thats likely not to matter)
Removing raise from dead at no cost.. hurts the rest of the party as thats a boon they miss out on.


It really hurts the 'feel' of a sprit guide getting magic, directing spells, escorting the dead back, protecting you from mind effects/possesion/being touched by other spirits and summoned creatures, blasting many summoned creatures etc


I as a player would consider that a jibbing, as a power gamer a rort, as a DM unfair/biased.


Shamans are the adjunct to the druid.. if you want to play a druid summoner take the feats legitamately and play one maybe replace animal companion with 'animal totem' and get alertness and spirit concentration on spells and lay on hands in trade (without the stacking of super specialised wizard summoning rorts). Its better then gutting and warping the shaman into an anti-shaman.

 

[starwed]

Here's a thought: maybe the OP didn't bother writing up the new flavor because it had absolutely no relevance to their post?

They wanted a critique on whether the class was balanced. I think it was, since split-stat casting severely nerfs you at high levels. (I'm playing a 19th level favored soul right now, so I speak from personal experience... )

I'm curious now, two years on, whether IndyPendant ever played this character, and how it worked out.

 

[Nedz]

Just taking the Spontaneous Summoner feat from CDiv will give you Summon Nature's Ally 1/day per Wis bonus (IIRC Cha bonus possibly)