Shamanism Domain for 5E Cleric: Critique Requested

[CM]

<snip>
Updated downthread, in post #5. here

 

[Piratecat]

As I screw around with adapting the shaman, I wanted to thank you for this. Have you updated the design at all?

 

[CM]

As I screw around with adapting the shaman, I wanted to thank you for this. Have you updated the design at all?

Actually I hope to be taking a look at it this weekend. I know some things need updating for the final version of the rules, and I think I have an idea for the capstone ability.

 

[Piratecat]

Please keep me posted, and I'll let you know what I come up with. I may riff on your work. I really like the idea.

 

[CM]

Ok, here's what I've come up with for an update.

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Shamanism Domain
Rather than worship a specific god, you revere the spirits of your ancestors or the spiritual energy of the world itself. The spirits are your close, trusted friends and you can see them wherever you go, even if others cannot. Shaman are usually prominent members of a tribe, but sometimes they take to the road and become loaners, or are adopted into another group.

SHAMANISM DOMAIN SPELLS

Cleric Level / Domain Spells
1st Cure Wounds, Speak With Animals
3rd Animal Messenger (takes the form of an animal spirit), Locate Animals or Plants, See Invisibility
5th Revivify, Speak With Plants (speak with spirits which inhabit the plants), Spirit Guardians
7th Death Ward, Locate Creature
9th Commune With Nature, Mass Cure Wounds

BONUS SPELLS
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the druidcraft cantrip if you don’t already know it. In addition, you receive a bonus spell at level 3 and 5 as noted on the domain spells table.

SPIRIT COMPANION
You have an animal spirit companion chosen from this list: Bear, Boar, Cougar, Coyote, Eagle, Lion, Monkey, Owl, Panther, Snake, Tiger, Vulture, Wolf, or Wolverine. It has the following statistics:

Spirit Companion
Small or medium fey, neutral
Armor class: 13
Hit Points: 12 + 3 hp for each of your levels beyond 3rd
Speed: 30 ft.
Str 12 (+1), Dex 12 (+1), Con 12 (+1), Int 3 (-4), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 10 (+0)

Traits (General):

• Incorporeal: The spirit resists nonmagical damage. It can move through creatures and objects, but cannot stop there.
• Saves: The spirit companion adds your proficiency bonus to its Dexterity and Wisdom saves.
• Immunities: Poison, Poisoned Condition
• Senses: Passive Perception 12

Traits (Specific):

• Bear: +1 AC, +1 HP per level, proficient in Athletics
• Boar/Wolverine: Resists all damage, proficient in Constitution saves
• Cougar/Lion/Panther/Tiger: Speed 40 ft., darkvision 30 ft., proficient in Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth, reduce falling distance by 20 ft.
• Coyote/Wolf: +2 AC, proficient in Perception, Survival, can track by scent as a 1st-level ranger.
• Eagle/Hawk: +2 AC, Speed 5 ft., fly speed 60 ft., proficient in Perception.
• Monkey: +2 AC, climb speed 30 ft., proficient in Sleight of Hand.
• Owl: Speed of 5 ft., fly speed 50 ft., darkvision 120 ft., proficient in Perception.
• Snake: +5 initiative, darkvision 30 ft., proficient in Perception.
• Vulture: Speed 5 ft., fly speed 40 ft., proficient in Perception, Survival, can track by scent like a 1st-level ranger.

Your spirit companion cannot be healed. When it drops to 0 hit points it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. During a short rest you can perform a brief ritual that restores all the spirit’s hit points or causes it to manifest again at full hit points. During a long rest, you can dismiss your current companion and choose a different one.

Your companion acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands.In combat, it rolls its own initiative and takes its own actions on its own turn. It can use the following actions: Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Hide, and Search. While you are within 100 feet of your companion, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your companion’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses it has. During this time you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your companion can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your companion must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

SPIRIT BOON
Choose one of the following spirit boons. You can select a different spirit boon any time you are allowed to choose a different spirit companion. If your companion takes the dodge action, you lose access to the spirit boon until it is no longer dodging.

• Guardian Spirit: Your spirit companion can use its reaction to take half the damage of an attack or spell that damages a creature adjacent to it.
• Harrier Spirit: Your spirit companion can use its reaction to cause an adjacent opponent to have disadvantage on an attack roll.
• Protecting Spirit: When you damage a creature with an attack or spell, your spirit companion can use its reaction to grant temporary hit points equal to your Constitution bonus to a creature adjacent to it.
• Stalker Spirit: Your spirit companion can use the Help action.
• Watcher Spirit: Your spirit companion functions as if it had the see invisibility spell active at all times.

CHANNEL DIVINITY: CALM UNDEAD
You lose the Turn Undead ability and gain Calm Undead. As an action, you present your symbol and invite the undead spirits to return to the spirit world where their ancestors await them. It is identical to Turn Undead except that undead creatures that fail the saving throw are stunned for 1 minute or until they take damage. While stunned, the creature ponders its past life and its current actions. Shaman of 5th level or higher gain the Destroy Undead feature as normal (however the spirits of undead destroyed by a Shaman depart peacefully for the afterlife).

CHANNEL DIVINITY: CALL SPIRIT COMPANION
As your action, you dismiss your current spirit companion (if present) and summon a different spirit companion anywhere within 30 feet. It can be the same type and grant the same boon, or you can change one or both.

HEALING SPIRIT
Beginning at 6th level, your healing spells are echoed by your spirit companion. Whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points, your spirit companion or another creature of your choice adjacent to it regains hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.

VICIOUS SPIRIT
Beginning at 8th level, your spirit companion can use its action to make a melee attack. Its attack bonus is equal to your Wisdom bonus plus your proficiency bonus. On a hit, it deals damage equal to your Wisdom bonus. If you are good or neutral, the damage is radiant. If you are evil, the damage is necrotic.

SPIRIT REALM AMBASSADOR
Starting at 17th level, you resist necrotic damage. You always function as if you had the sanctuary spell active, however it only affects undead. If your actions end the sanctuary effect, it is reinstated at the end of a short rest. Finally, once per day you can use the etherealness spell as a ritual, affecting only yourself and your spirit companion.


Updates made 9/22/14:

• Clarified which actions the default spirit can take.
• Changed damage of Vicious Spirit to radiant or necrotic.
• Added Spirit Guardians as a bonus spell.
• Clarified language of Guardian Spirit boon so that the companion can absorb any attack or spell damage, not just from "hits."
• Increased owl darkvision range.

Concerns/Comments:

• Durability of the spirit companion will be hard to nail down, especially due to the controversial nature of the beast master ranger's companion (some think it's fine, some think it's underpowered).
• Watcher Spirit boon doesn't match the 4e version, but I think it makes sense as an ability. Too powerful though? Maybe watcher spirit should be restricted to level 6+ or something?
• Considered making Vicious Spirit auto-damage to keep it simple, but I figured that wouldn't go over too well in some circles.
• Tracking is still nebulous, with full rules supposed to be coming in the DMG. Will need to update those spirits with scent tracking, or adapt something from the monster manual.

Let me know what you think!

 

[Piratecat]

Well, this is sure as heck more elegant than anything I've come up with. I really like it. I'll need to do some adaptation -- the shaman in our party is a wilden, a tree creature, so her spirit companion is an animated hedge. That said, the easiest solution is to let the player choose one of the other options and just skin it as a plant.

Here's two quick questions for you:

- Healing spirit lets your companion echo your spells. If you're casting that healing spell through the companion, in your opinion is there any reason why the spell's recipient can't also gain the extra healing?

- In 4e, spirit companions can be summoned as a free action anywhere (including mid-air). Your version are summoned during a rest with a brief ritual (or mid-combat with channel divinity) and then schlep around by themselves, yes?

 

[CM]

Well, this is sure as heck more elegant than anything I've come up with. I really like it. I'll need to do some adaptation -- the shaman in our party is a wilden, a tree creature, so her spirit companion is an animated hedge. That said, the easiest solution is to let the player choose one of the other options and just skin it as a plant.

Here's two quick questions for you:

- Healing spirit lets your companion echo your spells. If you're casting that healing spell through the companion, in your opinion is there any reason why the spell's recipient can't also gain the extra healing?

- In 4e, spirit companions can be summoned as a free action anywhere (including mid-air). Your version are summoned during a rest with a brief ritual (or mid-combat with channel divinity) and then schlep around by themselves, yes?

Thanks PC. If you do use it, let me know how it goes. I haven't had an opportunity to do any playtesting with it. To address your questions:

• The 4e version of that ability specified a creature other than the original heal spell's target, but I don't think a few extra points of healing to the same target would be overpowered.
• Yes. The 4e version of the spirit companion is fairly disposable. It can be one-shot by equal-level enemies. Many of your powers dismiss it, and you are constantly re-summoning it. I didn't really like the feel of that (constantly sacrificing your friend and companion?). I felt that being able to summon it repeatedly would let it become too much of a HP sink in 5e for enemies to waste attacks on, so I wanted to make it a little more precious. That said, I think I'll update the text of Healing Spirit to allow the spirit itself to receive the free extra healing.

Off the top of my head, with little thought put into it (balancing companion creatures is hard):

New Feat

ELDER SPIRIT
Requires cleric, shamanism domain
Your spirit companion gains the following benefits:

• +2 HP per level
• +1 bonus to AC
• It can be healed by spells and other magical effects.
• When you summon a spirit companion, you choose two spirit boons to benefit from simultaneously. Your companion is still limited to one reaction per round of combat.
• When your spirit companion attacks using Vicious Spirit, the damage done is equal to 1d6 + your Wisdom bonus.

 

[Piratecat]

That feat seems nice and solid to me. It makes getting the feat a bit of a no-brainer for a shaman, however, which may mean it's over-powered. If so, I'd probably reduce the hit point bonus from the feat to 1 hp/lvl.

 

[CM]

That feat seems nice and solid to me. It makes getting the feat a bit of a no-brainer for a shaman, however, which may mean it's over-powered. If so, I'd probably reduce the hit point bonus from the feat to 1 hp/lvl.

That's completely fair. I think it's a toss-up that really can only be determined with extensive playtesting. Playing it conservative for now is probably the better plan.

 

[Morrus]

This is really good. I'm totally going to grab it for my game. Hey, @CM, could you pop it (and the feat) into the database when you're reasonably happy with it? That'll make it really easy for other folk to find!