Druid vs. Spirit Shaman

[Mercule]

Man, I love both of these classes, but they just seem too similar to need both. So, I'm making a poll hoping somebody makes a case for one or the other (or why they should both be kept).

Special circumstances: I'd already pegged Druids as animists, which is what Spirit Shamans are. I use UA spell points and spontaneous divine casters, so the Druid and Shaman have identical spell-casting abilities. I really dig both the wild-shape ability of the Druid and the spirit-centric powers of the Shaman and don't want to ditch either from my game.

Anyway, vote and give a reason. Either for the classes in the RAW or based on my house rules. I'm just interested to hear what people have to say about them.

 

[Khayman]

I prefer the fluff associated with the Spirit Shaman, though I suspect that the Druid is a better combat choice (particularly at higher levels, what with all this wildshaping business). I also like the breadth of the critters identified as 'spirits' --- it unifies the ecology somewhat and adds utility to the Spirit Shaman.

Alas, this is without having fully played a Spirit Shaman. My group will be playtesting a whackload of the new classes in the coming month(s) so I hope to have a better idea in short order.

 

[Thanee]

They are definitely unique and different enough. There are classes in the PHB only, which are more similar.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Laman Stahros]

By the RAW, they are different and I am using them both in my next campaign. The spirit shaman works great for the uncivilized tribes (along with the barbarian), while druid for a more civilized nature oriented society (along with the ranger), and the cleric works for the highly civilized urban society (along with the paladin).

Based on the house rules your using, I can see how they could seem very similar. I don't know what to say about how to resolve that. Good Luck!

 

[Psion]

I'd say they are pretty similar. But part of that has to do with the fact that they use the same spell list.

I think that if you use the shamans by Green Ronin or Mongoose, you will have something more distinct from the druid and better defined to boot. The spirit shaman is more a convenient excuse to re-use the AU magic mechanic in a normal game. Which is cool, but still.

I like Shamans better than Druids, but know that players like and identify with druids, so I assume that (taking a note from Book of the Righteous druids draw their power from the great tree, a spirit that would be significant to animists as well, but they don't form personal relationships with minor spirits the way Shamans do.

 

[Particle_Man]

I like Spirit Shaman because it doesn't have that "Shapechange + self-buff = broken death-dealer" aspect that the druid has. Plus I think their spell system is cool. It does require a bit of work on "what is a spirit" if you don't do the oriental adventures stuff.