Shaman

As the primitive equivalent of priests in their primitive cultures, shamans are the mediators between the powers and spirits outside the tribe and the tribe members. They are not as formal or regimented as other priests, and have a far more practical, down-to-earth manner. While priests are most often identified by the god they follow, shamans are most often identified with their tribe.

Requirements: The shaman kit is only available to the following humanoid races:

• Aarakocra
• Alaghi
• Bugbears
• Bullywugs
• Centaurs
• Firbolgs
• Voadkyns
• Gnolls
• Flinds
• Goblins
• Hobgoblins
• Kobolds
• Lizard Man
• Mongrelmen
• Ogres and Half-Ogres
• Ogre Magi
• Orcs and Half-Orcs
• Wemics

Shaman gender is restricted only by tribal custom, and they can be of any alignment which matches their tribe or god.

Role: The well-being of the community is the most important thing to the shaman ,for they are the repository of the lore and wisdom of the tribe. No problem is too trivial for a shaman to care about. They provide divinations, though the form is often improvised and the source of information is usually dubious. They give sympathy and moral support, healing ills with skills and folk remedies more often than with spells, and teach the young what they will need to serve the community.

Shamans must undergo arduous rituals before taking their posts, as well as serving as an apprentice to the previous shaman. These include long periods of fasting, initiation ceremonies that require some amount of pain and suffering, and even trials of danger.

Most adventuring PC shamans have a greater purpose. Some adventure to aid their tribe. Others adventure as part of their initiation, and have a specific quest goal that must be met before they can return to their tribe. Still others are the last survivors of their tribes. Guilt-ridden because they failed to protect their tribes from whatever destroyed them, they now consider their adventuring party to be their new tribe. The rarest shaman PC is one who has rejected the ways of his race. These shamans seek to perform their duties, possibly to a new tribe. Until they can find a tribe that needs them and that has similar beliefs, these shamans will minister to an adventuring party.

Weapon Proficiencies: Shamans have access to the weapons available to standard priests, and they can also choose tribal weapons.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

• Bonus Proficiencies: Local History
• Recommended, General: Agriculture, Animal Training (tribal animal), Fire-Building, Fishing, Fortune Telling, Rope Use, Weather Sense, Weaving, winemaking
• Recommended, Warrior: Animal Lore, Mountaineering, Set Snares
• Recommended, Priest: Healing, Herbalism, Religion, Spellcraft
• Recommended, Wizard: None
• Recommended, Rogue: None
• Forbidden: Etiquette, Heraldry, Moment Reading
• Note: These proficiencies may be learned during the course of a campaign.

Equipment: Shamans use weapons and armor typical for their tribe and the powers served. They can use any clerical magical items, save scrolls.

Special Benefits: Shamans can learn the Healing and Herbalism proficiencies at the cost of one proficiency slot each.

At 9th level, shamans can cast the Reincarnation spell as a 5th level spell.

Magical Abilities: Shamans may only choose spells from up to three different spheres from the list given for specialty priests. These spheres will never change.

Special Hindrances: Shamans use six-sided dice (d6) when determining their hit points, not eight-sided dice as other clerics.

Shamans cannot turn or control undead.

Shamans never receive direct access to the Raise Dead or Resurrection spells.

Wealth Options: Shamans begin play with 3d6 x 5 gp.

[Complete Book of Humanoids]