Medicine Man[wip, Vespuccia, PF]

[zabbarot]

Ethos
I really wanted to create something that felt authentic with this class. The main challenge was altering the magic system to better fit what I could find in legends. Native American magic was about understanding the spirit world. Healing was usually more about finding the societal cause for a sickness than the anatomic one. Magic took time and devotion. So I really wanted to avoid instant effect. On the other hand they need something in combat. It's kinda tough to balance : /
Names
The names of the dances and the dream cults are pulled from different stories i could find. The dream cults are almost all from Lakota rituals since they're the best documented.


Medicine Man

A medicine man is much more than a healer. They are a conduit to the spirit world. They are a trusted adviser, and a keeper of legends. Becoming a medicine man means accepting responsibility for your tribe, and in some cases for humanity. This is not something to be taken lightly. Some medicine men are seduced by the power their position gives them. Not just the mystical power, but the political sway they can gain.

Medicine men adventure to gain experience about the wider world. After all Wisdom doesn't just fall into your lap.

Role: The medicine man's role in a part is primarily to support with buffs and healing. However they can also make a decent party face and are a good source of knowledge.

Alignment: A medicine man must be neutral on at least one axis of the alignment grid. Many tend towards lawful neutral as an effect of their responsibility to their tribe.

Hit Die: d6

Starting Gold: As Cleric

Class Skills
The medicine man's class skills are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge(all)(Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform(Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier)


CLASS NAME
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Rituals Known

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Dreamer, Legend Keeper, Ritual Magic, Sacred Dance|
2

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Unclouded Vision, Sacred Dance|
3

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Words of the Wise|
3

4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Sacred Dance|
4

5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Rank 2 Rituals|
5

6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+5|Sacred Dance|
6

7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+5|Spirit Talker|
6

8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+6|Sacred Dance|
7

9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+6|-|
7

10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+7|Vision Quest, Rank 3 Rituals, Sacred Dance|
9

11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+3|
+7|-|
9

12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8|Spirit Talker|
10

13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8|-|
10

14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+4|
+9|-|
11

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5|
+9|Rank 4 Rituals, Timeless Body|
12

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|-|
13

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Spirit Talker|
13

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|-|
14

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11|-|
14

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|Spirit Walker|
16[/table]

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the medicine man.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Medicine men are proficient with the club, dagger, quarter staff, sling, javelin, all spears, all bows, and with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Dreamer:
The way of the medicine man is not a profession, it is a calling. Each medicine man has been on a vision quest and the spirits gave him their blessing. The spirit grants a +2 bonus to one designated ability score, additional abilities, and imparts knowledge of one Sacred Dance.

Select one:

Wolf Dreamer
You have seen the wolf and been granted a small part of his strength. He urges you into combat. This is an omen of victory and conquest.
Enhance Ability Score:
Strength
Granted Ability:
Gain the Weapon Focus feat with one weapon you are proficient with.
Smite (Su): You gain the supernatural ability to make a single melee attack with a morale bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your medicine man level (minimum 1). You must declare the destructive smite before making the attack. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Starting Dance:
War Dance

Elk Dreamer
You have seen the elk and been granted a small part of his agility. He brings the bountiful hunt. This is an omen of prosperity.
Enhance Ability Score:
Dexterity
Granted Ability:
Gain a +2 sacred bonus to the Survival Skill.
Call Game (Su): Once per week the elk dreamer may ask the spirits for sustenance. A game animal will appear and be drawn to the medicine man. If killed and cooked, it will feed up to 8 people. This ability behaves in all other ways like the spell Heroes' Feast cast by a cleric will CL equal to the medicine man's class level.
Starting Dance:
Grass Dance

Bear Dreamer
Enhance Ability Score:
Constitution
Granted Ability:
Gain a +2 sacred bonus to the Heal skill.
Bear's Protection (Su): The first time the Buffalo Dance is used in an encounter each character effected gains temporary hit points equal to the medicine man's level. These hp are lost first, and otherwise last for 3 + Wisdom modifier turns.
Starting Dance:
Buffalo Dance

Thunder Dreamer
Enhance Ability Score:
Intelligence
Granted Ability:
Gains +2 to any skill check to interact with spirits.
Best Medicine(Su): With a laugh you instill courage in all allies within 30ft, granting them a +4 morale bonus against fear effects for 5 minutes. Any of them who are already under the influence of a fear effect has that effect suppressed for the duration instead. Allies must be able to hear the medicine man to be affected. He may use this ability a number of times equal to 1 + Wisdom Modifier per day.
Starting Dance:
Rain Dance

Eagle Dreamer
Enhance Ability Score:
Wisdom
Granted Ability:
Friends on High (Sp):A number of times per day equal to 3 + Wisdom modifier an eagle dreamer may use Speak with Animals as the spell except this ability is limited to birds.
Respected (Ex): As an eagle dreamer you are held in high esteem by both men and spirits. Any time a failed diplomacy check would cause someone's attitude towards you to lower there is a 50% chance the slight will be forgiven with no negative consequence. This includes uses of diplomacy to deal with spirits.
Starting Dance:
Sun Dance

Spider Dreamer
Enhance Ability Score:
Charisma
Granted Ability:
Add Bluff to your list of class skills.
Gilded Tongue (Ex):Spider Dreamers are quick to stretch the truth when needed. Once per day you are able to use the bluff skill to change the attitude of a non-player character to Helpful for 1d4+1/2 your medicine man level hours. This is a contested Bluff vs Sense Motive check. At the end of the duration the NPC's attitude drops to Unfriendly, if it was not initially lower. They can not be affected by this ability again for a month or until sufficient apologies have been made, most likely in the form of a favor. This ability can be used anytime Diplomacy could be used.
Starting Dance:
Ghost Dance


Legend Keeper (Ex):
The medicine man is the keeper of his peoples history. It is his duty to pass on the tales of their ancestors and to keep tradition alive. He gain a bonus equal to 1/2 his level on Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Religion), and Knowledge (Spirit World) checks. As a special use of the Perform skill a medicine man can tell a cautionary tale that gives all who hear it a +2 bonus to these skill for 1 day. Telling this tale takes 1 hour and no one can benefit from it more than once a week.

Sacred Dances (Su):
As a medicine man gains experience he masters the sacred dances. Though the dances are traditionally for ceremonies the medicine man can use them to channel divine energy to those around him. His Dreamer selection determines the first dance he knows but at second level and every other level after that he may choose any dance he doesn't know to add to his repertoire until he has learned all six. The positive effects of each dance can affect 1 + the character's Wisdom modifier creatures(minimum 1). A Medicine Man may dance for 3 + Wisdom modifier turns per day. This number increases by 2 every level. These turns do not need to be consecutive.


Buffalo Dance (Su):
Grants fast healing equal to one half the medicine man's level (minimum 1), damage resist 1/-, and a +1 moral bonus to saves. The damage resist and bonus to saves increase to 2/- and +2 respectively at level 5 and increase by one every 5 levels there after.
Grass Dance (Su):
Grants +10 sacred bonus to movement speed, a 10% miss chance. These bonuses increase to +20 and 20% at level 5 and increase by 10 every five levels there after. Additionally a number of enemies equal to 1 + Wisdom modifier are marked. This functions as the faerie fire spell.
War Dance (Su):
Grants frightful presence(DC = 10 + 1/2 ally's HD + medicine man's Wisdom modifier), a +1 sacred bonus to hit, and a +1 sacred bonus damage. Attack and damage bonus increase by 1 at level 5 and every 5 levels there after. Frightful presence has a range of 30ft and may be activated on an attack or charge.
Rain Dance (Su):
Allows Medicine Man to call lightning as a primary attack. This does damage based on the medicine man's level and may be used as an attack action(ie. On a full attack he may use it as many times as his BAB allows). These attacks are resolved as ranged touch attacks. Allies affected by the dance are immune to the effects to of high wind and rain. They will stay dry in a downpour and are unmoved by even the strongest winds.
{table=head]Character Level|Damage

1-4|
d8+wis

5-8|
2d8+wis

9-12|
3d8+wis

13-16|
4d8+wis

17+|
5d8+wis[/table]
Sundance (Su):
The medicine man is surrounded by an intense halo of light. At night this creates an area of illumination with a radius of 100ft centered on the medicine man. Affected allies gain a +2 sacred bonus to saving throws. In addition the medicine man may take a point of temporary constitution damage to reduce the DC of a combat Ritual by 10.
Ghost Dance (Su):
An unearthly silence surrounds the medicine man. This functions as the Silence spell with a radius of 40ft(+10/level) centered on the medicine man. Within this radius the spirit world is drawn closer. Rituals, spells, or spell like abilities that invoke spirits or are used by spirits are unaffected by the silence and gain +2 to the DC of their saving throws. Additionally, up to 1+ the medicine man's constitution modifier enemies takes damage each round equal to 1/2 the medicine man's level. This damage can be negated by a will save (DC 10+1/2 the medicine man's level + Wis Mod) and any creature that makes this save cannot be affected again for 24 hours.



Rituals:
Medicine men master rituals as they gain experience and master their craft. These rituals vary wildly but all rely on the medicine man's knowledge of the spirit world. In the casting of a ritual the medicine man uses his knowledge of the spirit world to petition spirits for aid. As the medicine man grows in experience he learns more powerful rituals. A medicine man's Caster Level for any ritual effect is his class level unless otherwise stated.

Unclouded Vision (Su):
Through training the mind is set free and the eyes are unshackled from expectation. A medicine man can see the world for what it truly is. A medicine man will always recognize a spirit regardless of any magical or mundane disguise. He effectively has blindsense with a range of 60ft that only works on Outsiders (Native). In addition he gains a +2 sacred bonus to Sense Motive. At level 12 this blindsense expands to a range of 120ft and into the Spirit world. At level 16 he gains the effects of the True Seeing (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/trueSeeing.html#_true-seeing) spell.

Words of the Wise (Ex):
A medicine man may add his Wisdom modifier to any Diplomacy check. Spider Dreamers may also do this with Bluff checks.

Spirit Talker (Su):
At level 7 a medicine man is able to call spirits to himself in order to ask favors. This allows the medicine man to cast Lesser Planar Ally (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/planarAlly.html#_planar-ally-lesser) once per week as a spell-like ability without having to pay the material component cost or the servant (for reasonable tasks). At 12th level, this improves to planar ally and at 16th level, this improves to greater planar ally. The medicine man's caster level for this effect is equal to his class level.

In addition the medicine man is always able to understand and be understood by spirits regardless of language.

Vision Quest (Su):
Knowledge of the Vision Quest ritual is a vital part of a medicine man's duty. It is how he helps each member of his tribe find their destiny. One tribe member who has proven theirself (reached level 3) approaches the medicine man and requests to take the Vision Quest. The medicine man may reject those that he does not feel are worthy. This ritual takes 3 days to perform and during this time the medicine man can do nothing more than mundane tasks (eat, sleep, pray). It starts with a ritual cleansing of the applicant, who then must go to an area specifically prepared by the medicine man. There he will fast and pray until he receives a vision. During this time the medicine man can only pray for his success. Each day the applicant makes a fortitude save with a bonus equal to the medicine man's wisdom modifier against DC 15. If they fail anyone of these saves they pass out and the ritual is over. Should they succeed they are contacted by a spirit and receive a vision.
They immediately gain 1000 exp, +2 to a single stat, and may change their Favored Class. In addition if they had a burning question and meditated on it during the vision quest they receive an answer as if by a successful use of the Divination spell.
Medicine men may not benefit from a Vision Quest as the dream that called them to be a medicine man was one effectively.

Timeless Body (Ex):
After attaining 15th level, a medicine man no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties he may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the medicine man still dies of old age when his time is up.

Spirit Walker (Su):
At 20th level, a medicine man becomes a magical creature. They are forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the medicine man’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects, and may take 10 on Diplomacy checks to improve the mood or make requests of spirits. Unlike other outsiders, the medicine man can still be brought back from the dead as if they were a member of their previous creature type.

Additionally the medicine man gains the ability to enter the spirit world. This functions like the spell Ethereal Jaunt (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/etherealJaunt.html#_ethereal-jaunt) cast with a CL equal to the medicine man's class level, except the medicine man enters the spirit world instead of the Ethereal plane, and his base move speed is 60ft while on this plane. This ability may be used a number of times per day equal to the medicine man's Wisdom modifier.

[zabbarot]

Rituals and You
Reading Rituals
Name: what it's called
Type: what kind of ritual it is
Rank: when you can learn it
Casting Time: how long it takes
Duration: how long it lasts
Targets: single or multiple
Saving Throw:
Effect: what it does

Types of Rituals
Blessing: buffs allies or items
Combat: can be used in combat
Curse: affects enemies or items
Creation: creates an item
Healing: heal allies
Non-Combat: can't be used in combat
Summoning: Summons a spirit
Ceremony: Ceremonies are much larger affairs, usually involving the entire tribe. Any medicine man who meets the prerequisites may use the Aid Other action to help the primary ritualist meet the casting DC.

Casting Rituals
Mechanically casting a ritual requires a skill check with it's required skill. The DC is based on the rank of the ritual. It is modified by the number of attempted targets. How much it's increased is based on whether the ritual is combat or non-combat. Any ritual that has multiple targets can have it's number of targets increased by raising the DC to cast it. The number of targets must be declared before casting and if the check is failed the entire ritual fails and the time has been wasted.

Rituals that allow for a saving throw have a DC equal to 1/2 the medicine man's level + his wisdom modifier.

DICCULTY CLASS FOR RITUALS
{table=head]Rank|DC|Non-Combat|Combat

1|
12|
+2|
+4

2|
16|
+2|
+4

3|
20|
+4|
+6

4|
24|
+4|
+8[/table]

Rank 1 Rituals
Name: Bone Knitting
Type: Healing, Non-Combat
Rank: 1
Skill: Heal
Casting Time: 20 minutes
Duration: 8 hours or until the target wakes up.
Targets: Multiple
Saving Throw: Yes (harmless)
Effect: Targets gain fast healing equal to your CL for the duration. In addition they heal ability score damage at a rate of 1 point per hour. When this ritual is used by a medicine man of level 15 or higher the target will also completely regenerate any lost limbs during the first hour of rest. You may target an additional ally for each target DC increase.

Name: Soul Binding
Type: Healing, Non-Combat
Rank: 1
Skill: Heal
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: 1 week per CL
Targets: Single
Saving Throw: Yes (harmless)
Effect: Binds the soul of one creature that has recently died to it's body. This keeps the soul anchored, lengthening the window available for resurrection. The main purpose for this is to help the soul survive long enough to make it to a more powerful healer.

Name: Medicine Berry
Type: Creation, Non-Combat
Rank: 1
Skill: Heal
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: 1 day
Targets: Multiple
Saving Throw: None
Effect: This ritual infuses a berry to heal 1d6+1/2CL(max +10) hp when consumed. Consuming the berry is a standard action and functions as drinking a potion. An additional berry is enchanted for each target DC increase.

Name: Seeking Stone
Type: Summoning, Combat
Rank: 1
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: Full Round Action
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Multiple
Saving Throw: None
Effect: A spirit comes to the medicine man's aid, hurling a stone at one target and dealing 1d4+Wis damage. This is resolved as a ranged attack using the medicine man's wisdom in place of his dexterity. An additional enemy is attacked for each DC increase. At level 5 and every 5 levels there after the damage increases by 1d4. (2d4, 3d4, 4d4)

Name: Corpse Poison
Type: Curse, Creation, Non-Combat
Rank: 1
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Multiple
Saving Throw: None
Effect: This ritual converts a pound of human flesh into 1d4 doses of corpse poison. Creating corpse poison is an evil act and as such may not be performed by a Good-aligned medicine man. Corpse poison is an inhaled poison it's effects vary with the power of the creator.
CORPSE POISON EFFECTS
{table=head]Level|Type|Initial Damage|Secondary Damage

1-4|Inhaled DC 10|Blindness|1d4 Con

5-8|Inhaled DC 13|Blindness|1d6 Con

9-12|Inhaled DC 16|Unconsciousness|1d8 Con

13-16|Inhaled DC 19|Unconsciousness|2d6 Con

17-20|Inhaled DC 22|3d6 Con|Death[/table]

Name: Purify Body
Type: Healing, Non-Combat
Rank: 1
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Multiple
Saving Throw: Yes (harmless)
Effect: Removes poison/disease.

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:


Rank 2 Rituals
Name: Create Wondrous Item
Type: Creation, Non-Combat
Rank: 2
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: varies
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Single
Saving Throw: None
Effect: A medicine man may create a wondrous item using this ritual. This functions as per the regular rules of item creation except he uses his Diplomacy skill to petition spirits for the spells he doesn't know.

Name: Create Magical Tattoo
Type: Creation, Non-Combat
Rank: 2
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: varies
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Single
Saving Throw: None
Effect: A medicine man may create a magical tattoo using this ritual. This functions as per the regular rules of item creation except he uses his Diplomacy skill to petition spirits for the spells he doesn't know.

Name: Call Spirit of the Wild
Type: Non-Combat
Rank: 2
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 30 minutes
Duration: 24 hours
Targets: Single
Saving Throw: None
Effect:

Name: Wolf's Blessing
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name: Elk's Blessing
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name: Bear's Blessing
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name: Eagle's Blessing
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name: Spider's Blessing
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name: Ancestor's Blessing
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:


Rank 3 Rituals
Name: Create Magic Arms and Armor
Type: Creation, Non-Combat
Rank: 2
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: varies
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Single
Saving Throw: None
Effect: A medicine man may create magic arms and armor using this ritual. This functions as per the regular rules of item creation except he uses his Diplomacy skill to petition spirits for the spells he doesn't know. Armor created by this is limited to light and medium.

Name: Channel Ancestral Spirit
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:



Rank 4 Rituals
Name: War Dance Ritual
Type: Buff, Ceremony, Non-Combat
Rank: 4
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: Special
Targets: Special
Saving Throw: Yes(harmless)
Effect: The War Dance is a lively ceremony of mock combat and praise. It is meant to build excitement and mentally prepare warriors for a coming battle. This blesses a group of warriors for the duration of the battle it is done for. This is very specific. For example if the chief plans a raid on a neighboring tribe and orders a War Dance, the warriors would gain it's effects for that raid. If they were ambushed on the way there they would not gain it's benefits. From the time of the ritual the war party has 1 month to go to the designated combat. If they should start the combat after that time they will gain no benefit.
Upon initiating the battle the war party gains the following benefits. Each blessed member is immune to fear effects. They gain frightful presence. If they are affected by the War Dance of a medicine man during that combat, frightful presence works as though they had 5 additional hit die. They also gain a +4 deflection bonus to AC against ranged weapons and all gain the benefits of the Diehard feat.
This ritual affects 10 creatures plus an additional 10 for every +4 increase to the DC.
Prerequisite: War Dance


Name: Grass Dance Ritual
Type: Buff, Ceremony, Non-Combat
Rank: 4
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: 1 month
Targets: Special
Saving Throw: Yes(harmless)
Effect:
Prerequisite: Grass Dance

Name: Buffalo Dance Ritual
Type: Buff, Ceremony, Healing, Non-Combat
Rank: 4
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 1 day
Duration:
Targets: Special
Saving Throw: Yes(harmless)
Effect: The Buffalo Dance celebrates the returning of the buffalo each year. It includes a feast and is a celebration of abundance.
Prerequisite:Buffalo Dance

Name: Rain Dance Ritual
Type: Ceremony, Non-Combat
Rank: 4
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration:
Targets: Special
Saving Throw: None
Effect:
Prerequisite: Rain Dance

Name: Sun Dance Ritual
Type: Buff, Ceremony, Non-Combat
Rank: 4
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 3 days
Duration: 1 month
Targets: Special
Saving Throw: Yes(harmless)
Effect:
Prerequisite: Sun Dance

Name: Ghost Dance Ritual
Type: Ceremony, Healing, Non-Combat
Rank: 4
Skill: Diplomacy
Casting Time: 3 days
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Special
Saving Throw: Yes(harmless)
Effect:
Prerequisite: Ghost Dance

Name: Greater Soul Binding
Type: Combat, Healing
Rank: 4
Skill: Healing
Casting Time: 1 round
Duration: Instantaneous
Targets: Single
Saving Throw: Yes(harmless)
Effect: This ritual can only be used on a target who has died in the last 5 rounds. The medicine man physically grapples their soul back into their body and stabilizes them at 0 hp. They are unconscious and unable to act without additional healing, but alive.

Name:
Type:
Rank:
Skill:
Casting Time:
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:
Effect:

[Admiral Squish]

Just chiming in to say I definitely like where this is going. I want to see it a bit more complete before I get into it, though.

[zabbarot]

Still a work in progress but if anybody is willing to look over the numbers I've thrown out so far I would appreciate it. I'm not incredibly familiar with Pathfinder so I'm not sure how balanced it is.

Also any suggestions for rituals would be appreciated. I want at least 10 for each rank. They're somewhere between spell like abilities and feats in power. I've started thinking of it as skill-based magic. I'm trying to keep it less flashy than the usual wizards. More like mythological magic, where everything is incredible but still mostly subtle.

[SuperDave]

I meant to look over this when you first posted it, but I got busy and life intervened.

Looking over what you've got so far, I'd like to say that I'm very impressed with what you've come up with so far. This is a very complete class, and it will make an excellent addition to the Vespuccia setting. I feel that you've really created a class that feels and plays very differently from the standard shaman or witch-doctor. You've clearly done a lot of research as the basis for this, and it really shows in the quality and variety of the rituals and fluff that you've put forth.

You asked whether "anybody is willing to look over the numbers" you've given out so far. I'm afraid I'm not much help at making sure whether a class is balanced or not, but I can say that I'd be very eager to play a Medicine Man, even without a completed list of rituals. Though at higher levels, I'd definitely want more freedom of choice to match my increased power and experience. (I'm not able to think of anything off the top of my head, but when I do, I'll let you know.)

As far, as a capstone, I'd say that becoming a native Outsider would be perfectly sufficient. If it's good enough for Monks (who are only just a little spiritual), then I say it's good enough for Medicine Men.

Really, the only nit I'd like to pick is whether Climb and Ride should be counted as class-skills for Medicine Men. I imagine that most of them will come from the Great Plains, where climbing is pretty much a non-factor. Ride would be very useful to a Great Plainsman, but that's more something he'd learn as part of normal manhood training, not a skill at which he's better than others just by virtue of being a Medicine Man.

[SuperDave]

Public speaking was a large part of life in Native cultures, so how about rituals to increase one's Charisma temporarily, a la Eagle's Splendor (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/eaglesSplendor.htm)?, or something to buff one's Diplomacy and/or Bluff skills?

What about some more evil rituals, designed to stir up bad spirits and spread sickness? Rituals to make it impossible for the subject to rest, or gain nourishment from food? Rituals to kill at a distance, or inflict terrifying madness upon an unsuspecting subject?

[zabbarot]

Sorry, I've been distracted for a bit and hadn't come back to work on this : / I just got around to digging it up and realized you had commented.


Really, the only nit I'd like to pick is whether Climb and Ride should be counted as class-skills for Medicine Men. I imagine that most of them will come from the Great Plains, where climbing is pretty much a non-factor. Ride would be very useful to a Great Plainsman, but that's more something he'd learn as part of normal manhood training, not a skill at which he's better than others just by virtue of being a Medicine Man.

I'm not gonna lie, I pasted the druid skill list and started modifying it. I actually completely forgot Climb was even on it. I remember kind of justifying ride because everyone rode, but I really should take it out.

Also over the last few weeks I've started to think that I could easily broaden this to work for African 'medicine men' as well, since they have a surprising amount in common.


Public speaking was a large part of life in Native cultures, so how about rituals to increase one's Charisma temporarily, a la Eagle's Splendor (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/eaglesSplendor.htm)?, or something to buff one's Diplomacy and/or Bluff skills?

What about some more evil rituals, designed to stir up bad spirits and spread sickness? Rituals to make it impossible for the subject to rest, or gain nourishment from food? Rituals to kill at a distance, or inflict terrifying madness upon an unsuspecting subject?

Evil rituals are really hard to source. Most of what I found was from the Siouan witchery way. I was really on the fence about evil rituals, just because so much of it suggests that at that point you are no longer a medicine man, but I think we can fudge it a little bit. And they really need more offense rituals.

The hardest part is figuring out what the power level of them should be. Should they mostly be non-combat curses? ie they basically function like diseases. Or should there be more real combat abilities closer to standard spells?

If I did broaden it to encompass African rituals as well I would like to add some of the Voodoo mind control and zombies shtick.

[SuperDave]

I think that Medicine Men should have rituals to help find herds of buffalo or other game animals, or to ensure that those animals pass nearby the village. Sort of like that other ritual you’ve already got, but on a much larger scale.
Such a ritual could be used offensively, too: Even if they don’t knock down anyone’s house or trample a single person to death, a herd of buffalo could easily obliterate an entire year’s harvest in a few minutes, ensuring a slow death for the farmers and their families come winter.

Here's a list of powers and abilities I've found, which are associated with shamans in general, and (for the most part) medicine-men in particular:

inflict pain
promote fertility (in plants, animals, and humans)
secure good hunting and fishing
find game animals
summon game animals
scrying/divination
commune with spirits/gods
astral projection
exorcise ghosts/spirits
control weather
channeling ghosts/gods/ancestors
finding water and food
purify food and water
bond with familiar
speak with animals
diagnose disease
find corruption/curse/magic
remove corruption/curse/magic
give rest to the restless dead
cause sleep
cause death
bond with familiar
bond with spirit-animal (a non-physical familiar, so to speak)
summon spirit-animal (Expecto patronum!:smallbiggrin:)
endure elements
sway crowds (a la mass charm)


A lot of these are already covered as spells, but we could probably modify the effects, make 'em take a little longer to cast, and call 'em "rituals" instead. (Or is that not how building rituals works? I'm new to this whole homebrewing thing, so don't really know.)

-------------------

Also, I'm not sure if this is strictly related to Medicine Men per se, but we should probably figure out how one would do things like crafting Kachina dolls, carving masks, dedicating fetishes, and carving totem poles. Just a thought.

[Hanuman]

Well, shaman is a class from 3.0, and Wu Jen is similar to a native american shaman.

Honestly the thing most people forget about shamen and "medicine men" are that they in reality indirectly repair systematic problems (physiological problems) as well as fixing cultural problems, which is the purpose of using hard drugs, sleep deprivation, fatigue, smoke and heat exposure, ect.

Psilocybin, DMT and Ayahuasca are prime examples of this, as they fix things you can't get over in yourself and change your perspective. Honestly shamans should have the ability to change a person's alignment as radical as that sounds, or at least erode lawfulness as lawfulness really just implies how honorable you are, and honor is based on the concept of a fixed moral system or a system that ends never justify means that clash with said system, and by creating a malleable perspective you then throw reassessment at situations as they arise.

This should also fix SAN damage caused problems.

[SuperDave]

Well, shaman is a class from 3.0, and Wu Jen is similar to a native american shaman.

Honestly the thing most people forget about shamen and "medicine men" are that they in reality indirectly repair systematic problems (physiological problems) as well as fixing cultural problems, which is the purpose of using hard drugs, sleep deprivation, fatigue, smoke and heat exposure, ect.

Hmm. I feel that you're right, Hanuman: we haven't been giving much consideration to the medicine-man's role as a psychologist. But I'm not sure if players will really want to spend their sessions helping Runs-Through-The-Field work through his feelings of inadequacy for always catching less game than his older brother. The medicine-man can do a lot of stuff already, and I wonder if adding "psychotherapist" to the list might just mean that the class lacks focus.

But I certainly think that adding elements of holistic healing and problem-solving could help to set medicine men apart from other classes. And, to be fair, real-life medicine-men really did do a little bit of just about everything.


Psilocybin, DMT and Ayahuasca are prime examples of this, as they fix things you can't get over in yourself and change your perspective. Honestly shamans should have the ability to change a person's alignment as radical as that sounds, or at least erode lawfulness as lawfulness really just implies how honorable you are, and honor is based on the concept of a fixed moral system or a system that ends never justify means that clash with said system, and by creating a malleable perspective you then throw reassessment at situations as they arise.

I feel like rather than changing someone's alignment, it should simply make the subject more open to interpreting their place in the world in a different light. Outright changing someone's moral compass is probably not a Good (or ethically responsible) act.


This should also fix SAN damage caused problems.

I like the idea of fixing SAN damage, but I'm not sure if Sanity is going to be used very often in the Vespuccia setting. But of course, it can always come in handy.

[zabbarot]

Also, I'm not sure if this is strictly related to Medicine Men per se, but we should probably figure out how one would do things like crafting Kachina dolls, carving masks, dedicating fetishes, and carving totem poles. Just a thought.

I think most of these could be covered with uses of the Craft skill. Kachinas were basically teaching aids and totem poles are similar to heraldry. A mask could be covered with Create Wondrous Item if we stat some up. As could any magic version of those items.

[Hanuman]

I wouldn't call him a physiologist, he doesn't have heal, profession or Knowledge (Anatomy) ((which is commonly lamemans for BIOLOGY STUFF in dnd regardless of it's actual terminology)).

[zabbarot]

@Hanuman: I think you misread something. He said psychologist not physiologist. I'm not sure any DnD class could count as a physiologist, with the possible exception of the Fleshwarper from Lords of Madness.

Alignment change is simple enough. I can take a cue from the Atonement spell. Forcible alignment change would be a different thing. There is a level 4 spell in BoVD that changes the targets alignment to evil for a short duration. Forced alignment change in general seems like a morally grey area. An atonement like ritual is definitely going in though.

Also is 'lamemans' a pun or a typo? o-O

[Hanuman]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13732940&postcount=13
The Grautsman could be considered a follower of anatomy/physiology, and to a lesser extent anyone trained in Biollurgy in general.