Is the Shaman a Playable Class?

[mmadsen]

In discussing ways to acheive a "low magic" feel (not really low, but that's another topic) on another thread, I recommended shifting around some of the spells to different levels, emphasizing subtle spells (e.g. Bestow Curse) by lowering their level and de-emphasizing flashy spells by bumping up their level. In addition to the expected cries of "Game balance! You'll destroy the game balance!", this also brough cries of "Why play a wizard who can't blow stuff up?" This was also phrased as, "Why don't you just use a Shaman then, if that's what you want?"

I'm certainly not suggesting everyone change their D&D campaigns to match my taste, but is a spellcaster without Magic Missile and Fireball but with the Shaman's "subtle" spell list unplayable? Or is it simply a change of pace (that might not be to everyone's taste)?

 

[PenguinKing]

Depends on your definition of "subtle" - a spell that causes a creature to be struck by lightning during a storm or brings a landslide down the side of a rocky mountain could be written off as coinicidence, after all.

Hey, there's an idea... come up with a "Minor Mishap"/"Major Mishap"/etc. set of spells that inflict 1d6/level damage to a creature/area, just like a Fireball or whatnot, but instead of producing a flashy effect, they twist probability to create whatever sort of "accident" is appropriate to the setting (landslides, cave-ins, falling trees, lightning strikes during a thunderstorm, etc). Stick in a clause that "you must describe the sort of mishap the target(s) suffers, and the DM will determine whether it is appropriate" to take the pressure of coming up with an appropriate accident off the DM, and you're ready to rock.

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[trancejeremy]

Which Shaman?


Deadlands d20 has a Shaman, but it's more or less like a Druid...

Green Ronin is coming out with a book with their take on the Shaman.

And there's one more from something I can't remember...but probably will about 5 minutes after I hit 'post'


In any event, yes.

 

[coyote6]

Oriental Adventures also has a shaman class.

(I think it's spell list could be beefed up some -- I'm not sure why they don't have water breathing, for example. It seems like it's up their alley -- low-key but useful.)

 

[I'm A Banana]

Shamans aren't unplayable. They're cheap, they can be effective (they do have damaging spells), and they're no slouches in regular combat (Unarmed attacks! Yay!). They're just like slightly-more-arcane clerics, or cleric-like druids, etc.

 

[mmadsen]

The Shaman I was referring to was the Oriental Adventures Shaman. Sorry for the ambiguity.

Would you accept a campaign world where "wizards" were in fact Shamans (minus the Improved Unarmed Combat, but with, say, Craft Talisman or a familiar)?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'd accept nearly any kind of world.

I could buy a world that was still primitive, or that used spirits to access magic alone.

I'd buy it. Even with a different feat for Unarmed Strike. I don't have OA here, but, since Shamans cast divine magic, they can still wear armor, and I don't think they're too shabby with weapons, either. They get some turning powers, too.

...I'd say, sure. Shamans work OK for the less flash-bang kind of magic user, since they're still pretty effective without the magic. They're not Wizard-Wussy.

 

[mmadsen]

I could buy a world that was still primitive, or that used spirits to access magic alone.

The idea was simply of a world where wizards cast subtle spells, not where they're necessarily tribal witchdoctors. That is, they'd probably remain Wizards in every way except their spell list. They wouldn't fight well, they wouldn't turn undead, they wouldn't be divine (the divine/arcane distinction would probably go away for such a game), they wouldn't cast spontaneous healing spells (although they might cast all spells spontaneously).

Given that, could you accept such a wizard without classic D&D-style flash-bang magic? Or would it bore you to tears?

 

[Drakmar]

low magic feel

I personally believe that you would be better off using the magic system from Soverign Stone.. that can give a more low magic feel. There are a few reviews on it. Some people like it...others don't think it is flashy..um..sorry fast enough. I like it.. and I am changing to the magic system in my world (can everybody say cataclysm?)

 

[I'm A Banana]

It wouldn't bore me to tears, but I'd be affraid to play it. The survivability of such a character is dramatically tiny. 4 hp AND no Mage Armor to protect yourself...eeeek!

Main thing about Shamans is that they've got fairly OK non-magical combat powers. If you think about it, that's the main thing about any divine spellcaster -- even Druids can dish it out in combat, and they've probably got the most flash-bang spells of Divine magic.

So is the wizard gets a bit of a beef in HP, maybe BAB, I could see it. But if they stay as weak as they are, AND get no magic compensation for that, I'd say "sorry, I'm gonna go over here and play the Rogue, or maybe the Fighter. Hooray for not dying!"