Need help on a Spirit Shaman build

[RigaMortus]

This is what I have so far:

Race: Half-Elf
Class: Spirit Shaman
Alignment: Neutral Good

Point-Buy: 36 (we use a house rule method of 33 +1d6 point buy, obviously I rolled a 3). I applied my stats as such:

Str 12 +1 (4)
Dex 14 +2 (6)
Con 12 +1 (4)
Int 12 +1 (4)
Wis 15 +2 (8)
Cha 16 +3 (10)

Wis will help me get more bonus spells and controls what level spell I can cast up to. Charisma helps with setting the save DC for my spells, helps with Chastise Spirits ability, and Wild Empathy ability.

I want to go full Spirit Shaman (no multiclassing or Prestige Classes)

Spirit Shaman Level 1
BAB: +0
Feat: Spontaneous Healer (Character Level 1 feat)
Skills (20 points):
Concentration +5 (4R, +1 Con)
Diplomacy +9 (4R, +3 Cha, +2 racial)
Gather Information +5 (+3 Cha, +2 racial)
Heal +7 (4R, +3 Wis)
Listen +8 (2R, +3 Wis, +2 Spirit Guide, +1 racial)
Search +2 (+1 Int, +1 racial)
Spot +8 (2R, +3 Wis, +2 Spirit Guide, +1 racial)
Spellcraft +5 (4R, +1 Int)

I'm just not sure what direction I want to go in with him at this point. Should I gear him towards a melee or ranged fighter with respects to my feat choices? Should I base him more around spell casting? A healer? A summoner? Need a good character concept. I think I'd like to use a Shield with him for some extra AC.

As of right now, I may take Skill Focus: Diplomacy to take advantage of my Wild Empathy ability. Maybe someone could come up with another idea for a feat?

 

[cdsaint]

Spirit Shaman is a really cool class. No need to multi-class, you'll lose more than you'll gain with a Prestige Class. Spontaneous healer is a good goal for a SS, but it requires 4 ranks of knowledge (religion), which isn't a class skill, so might need to wait to 6th level.

What you can take in the meantime though is spontaneous summoner. Since summon natures ally is the far better than summon monster, I think it's a good choice. Augment summoning is a great feat too, and worth it even if you do have to take spell focus (conjuration).

After you take those feats though, I don't really have any ideas. Just haven't thought that far ahead.

Chris

 

[Scharlata]

[...] Spontaneous healer is good [...] in the meantime [...] spontaneous summoner. [...]

I second that.

What do you select as your most "commonly retrieved spells"?

Kind regards

 

[Kabol]

For me - i would prob never take the spont healer feat on a SS. Id rather just choose a healing spell for each level as my selection eachday - Since you choose a list of spells each day that you can spontaniouly cast. Expecialy since you can only really use the spont heal feat so many times per day - if you get in trouble and use all those up and people still in a bind your toast ( but then im always cautious with makeing sure i have enough heals when i play a priest ). Spot summoning is good one casue then you dont have to set to mind summon spells - and theres very few Live of Death need to summon times in a persons career.

As for possable directions, Me im like the weapon/board style with my priests - talk to your DM, see if he will let you take the rach spear feat from Unaproachable East ( think is UE ) It lets you treat a short spear as is it had 5 more feet of reach. That lets you stay back from combat a little so you can cast spells with out provoking AoO while till helping out < plus the spear is the coolest weapon >. Druids also are great for utility - dont box yourself into one mode of play at sacrifice to others - try to take feats that augment every aspect of character( metamagic feats are great for druids )

Just make sure you Max out consentration every level, You will need it alot.

 

[jbaugnet]

Spirit Shaman

I'm up to a 6th level Spirit Shaman. The best feats I chose was the Augment Summoning feat - adding bonuses to allys summoned. I also chose Augment Healing for my 6th level feat. We don't have anyone else in our campaign that can heal. I've found that summoning the Dire Badger or the Wolverine are the best for the Summon Ally II and III spells. These crazy creatures are able to have 3 attacks. Watch out for the DM, sometimes get upset when your creatures kill their creations!

 

[Evilhalfling]

The spirit shaman in my group is a barb1/ranger1/ss5
I dont really know why. The 1 level of ranger has always puzzled me.

He used to charge into meele with a shilligah - but has lately (since getting 3rd lvl spells)
done a lot more battlefield control - Plant growth, stone shape, fog cloud, spike growth.
Then charge in an beat things.

hmm lesser Vigor is another good daily spell, lots of hp per use.

 

[Felon]

Don't hear much about the spirit shaman class. Would love to hear what mult-classing options work best with it.

 

[Shallown]

I was running one with wizard levels looking to go mystic theurge. I think it would have worked out well.

I did change outthe Animal empathy for spirit empathy which let me talk to spirits of things which was a fun role playing power as well as on occasion useful.

I did the spontaneous healer/summoner route.

You might not think Spontaneous healer helps much but since you only get like 3 spells to choose from up through 9th level spells having these two adds basically 2 spells per level to your choices.

This is a class that works best with intell on future encounters which having the levels in wizard helped me some. I know splitting spellcasting classes is rough but It worked fairly well and I didn't skip the tough levels I played him from 1st to 5th level not quite living to mystic thuerge do to a sacrifice to save other characters.

later