Shaman

Original Tabletop source: Oriental Adventures

Note: This page represents a class abstract which needs rewritten for the setting's specifics.

Please note: The following class write-up is for a class that is in a beta-testing state and is incomplete on Time of Unparalleled Darkness; expect that it will be changed before it is finalized.

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If a cleric's basic creed is that the handiwork of the deities is everywhere, a shaman's simple assertion is that the deities themselves are everywhere. Shamans are intermediaries between the mortal world and the realm of spirits - the vast multitude of living beings that infuse the entire world with divine essence. Shamans play a vital role in the world of Oriental Adventures - communicating with ancestor spirits, demons, nature spirits, and the most powerful of spirits, who might be considered deities. The shaman offers sacrifices, prayers, and services to the spirits, and in return gains the favor of patron spirits who bestow spells and other magical abilities upon him. With the exception of certain Lion clan "spirit talkers" of the Kitsu family, shamans are not found in Rokugan; shugenjas fill this role instead.

Shamans often go on adventures not because of any desire of their own, but as a direct result of their unique relationship with the spirit world. Ancestor spirits often have their own agendas - deeds left undone or wrongs unavenged - and call on their shaman descendants to carry them out. Peasants and nobles alike often summon shamans if evil spirits or undead monsters cause trouble. Even nature spirits, normally unconcerned with the affairs of humanity, might request assistance from a shaman if an evil influence (such as a bajang or buso) troubles the natural world. Shamans who traffic with evil spirits are often driven to commit heinous deeds. Shamans are both blessed and burdened by their gifts, and may sometimes feel like pawns in the games and machinations of the spirit world.

Shamans use divine magic, much like the clerics of the Player's Handbook. In addition to healing, shaman spells naturally include means of contacting and communicating with spirits, winning favors from them, or warding against their influence. Shaman spells are also more strongly oriented toward nature than cleric spells. A shaman's spells are granted by spirits rather than deities.

Shamans have some power over undead, but not as great as clerics have. Nor are they as fearsome in combat as clerics, although they learn unarmed combat techniques as they advance in level.

Most shamans are of good alignment, cooperating with kindly ancestor spirits and opposing evil spirits and undead. A few shamans, however, side with the evil spirits, using the power the spirits bestow to increase their own power in the world.

Individuals are often drawn to the shaman class because they possess a natural gift for dealing with spirits, rather than the other way around. As with sorcerers, this gift typically manifests at puberty, though sometimes even young children display an unusual ability to see and communicate with spirits. The transition from a gifted child or young adult to a powerful shaman, however, is not easy. Typically, a shaman-to-be spends months in the wilderness, fasting and communing with the spirits, until finding two spirits to serve as patrons in a formal and ritualized relationship. These two spirits grant the character his first spells, at which point he truly becomes a shaman.

Shamans are typically found among all the races, although their approach to the spirits may vary. Most shamans are human, because the human race is less in tune with the spirit world and therefore most in need of intermediaries who can communicate with spirits. Hengeyokai and spirit folk consider themselves spirits, and sometimes see little need to venerate the spirits. Hengeyokai shamans, who are quite rare, form partnerships with spirits based more on equal respect than on service and veneration. Spirit folk shamans are somewhat more common, and revere both human ancestors and nature spirits. Vanaras are quite commonly shamans, because they hold the spirit world in great respect. Nezumi and korobokuru shamans are rare, but quite similar to human shamans in their practices.

While no adventurer will begrudge a shaman's power to heal and otherwise help an adventuring party, most adventurers view shamans with at least a hint of fear, awe, or wonder. A shaman's powers are otherworldly, and the spirits that grant those powers often manifest in ways that make mundane-minded fighters and rogues more than a little uncomfortable. The shaman occupies a unique and sometimes dangerous position on the border between the spirit world and the mortal world, and many characters find that position unnerving. For their part, shamans tend to look kindly on members of most other classes, humbly offering their powers for the good of the party as a whole.