Complete Divine info?

[~Johnny~]

So any hints in the cards about the Spirit Shaman's abilities or spell list?

Hmmm.... sounds to me like a Favored Soul for druids.

I like the idea of a "favored soul," but the lack of domains is rough. I'd only play one for flavor reasons, but then the wings go and ruin that.

 

[Speaks]

From what is given on the RPGA player card no abilities or spells list are given for the spirit shaman .. was hoping one of you folks might know the source

At least the book is to be released next month. Is there a date for distribution for the Complete Divine?

 

[Felon]

Huh? You don't have access to the whole spell list, you have to choose what spells you know how to cast. That is the very essence of customizability.

Of course, having access to the cleric's spell list means that the customizability you're referring is more potential than actual (and I'm a bottom-line sorta guy). Realistically, there are divine spells that are made more obvious choices due to their widespread applicability. They'll usually be picked in favor of an outre spell that a cleric would prepare for specific situations.

Two Favoured Souls can be very different, based on the spells they know, in the same manner that two Sorcerers can be very different.

My point exactly. Sorcerers have great potential to be different from one another. In actuality, they're often homogeneous.

Please, nobody give the obligatory "that's the player's fault/blame the DM" response. Fault/blame does not affect the bottom line. The end result of the design is what matters. Domains offer some diversity because no god offers all the optimal domains. I pick Fharlanghn to get the groovy Travel and Luck domains, while the guy who picks Pelor gets Healing and Strength.

After that, you can choose the Feats you get as well.

And don't forget skill points! Heck, one FS might max out Concentration while another might decide to put those same skill points into Craft (macrame) hehe.

 

[Felon]

With the MinisHB and UA (spontaneous divine caster) out, doesn't the favored soul strike anyone else as redundant?

Well, that's kind of what I was talking about. Either they're reprinting the FS straight-up, or they're revising it in some way. If we're lucky, they'll be re-written to use the UA spontaneous divine-casting rules. Those domains make a huge difference then.

 

[Felon]

A bit...but I'd like it if they toned down the Favoured Soul some. It just gets far too much compared with a Sorcerer.

But not compared to a cleric, and that's the class the FS is an alternative to. If it got really toned-down, it would become irrelevant.

Love it or hate it, there is a big discrepency between divine casters and arcane casters in terms of HD, skill points, saves, BAB, and class features, and for new divine casters to be viable, they have to maintain that discrepency.

 

[Cam Banks]

One of the players in my Dragonlance campaign is playing a favored soul of Habbakuk, the good deity of rangers and the wilds. I decided to give him Survival as a class skill, and access to the druid spell list instead of the cleric spell list for purposes of spells known. The result has been surprisingly balanced against the other characters, as he realizes that the druid spell list has some excellent choices, but is missing many of the better support spells of the cleric. He's more or less concentrating on summon nature's ally and cure spells. He's just reached 6th level, however, so now the bad guys are going to have to deal with his call lightning...

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Felon]

One of the players in my Dragonlance campaign is playing a favored soul of Habbakuk, the good deity of rangers and the wilds. I decided to give him Survival as a class skill, and access to the druid spell list instead of the cleric spell list for purposes of spells known.

Out of curiosity, were you using the 3.5e Dragonlance sourcebook? I ask because if so, that begs the question of why a favored soul was chosen over the Dragonlance's bulit-in spontaneous divine caster, the mystic. It almost sounds it would've been a somewhat better fit, as it would have given access to a domain like Travel, which would have resulted in gaining Survival as a class skill.

He's just reached 6th level, however, so now the bad guys are going to have to deal with his call lightning...

Heh. Forget call lightning and start worrying about plant growth.

 

[Cam Banks]

Out of curiosity, were you using the 3.5e Dragonlance sourcebook? I ask because if so, that begs the question of why a favored soul was chosen over the Dragonlance's bulit-in spontaneous divine caster, the mystic. It almost sounds it would've been a somewhat better fit, as it would have given access to a domain like Travel, which would have resulted in gaining Survival as a class skill.

Yes, this is using the 3.5e Dragonlance material. I'm one of the freelancers who contributed to the Dragonlance Campaign Setting, the Age of Mortals sourcebook, and other Sovereign Press products. This particular character began as a mystic with the Sun domain, but the player wanted to take it in a different direction. Mystics aren't the beneficiaries of divine power from a deity, whereas a favored soul is - that was one of the factors in this decision. I also happen to like the favored soul class a lot.

Heh. Forget call lightning and start worrying about plant growth.

I'll cross my fingers and hope he doesn't notice that one...

Cheers,
Cam

 

[qstor]

I wonder if Complete Divine will have any ranger stuff in it. A lot of folks on the Living Greyhawk yahoo lists are bummed cause Deepwood sniper wasn't in the CW. Now there thinking that DWS won't be in any of the books. A couple of feats from Masters of the Wild geared towards rangers were dropped too.

Mike

 

[Green Knight]

Maybe the Deepwood Sniper will be in the Roguish book? Complete Warrior, Complete Divine, Complete Arcane, and Complete ?. Seems to me that the fourth and last book will be for classes which're similar to the Rogue. So while we may get Feats and Spells for the Ranger related to its more Divine aspects, we may get Prestige Classes for the Ranger like the Deepwood Sniper which're based on its stealthy aspects. Just a thought. But if it's not in Complete Divine, then I wouldn't count the Deepwood Sniper out just yet. If it's not in there then it seems like it'd be a great fit for any Rogue book they may make.