How powerful and effective is this class? [3.5]

[UmpteenthDoctor]

Ok so I just found this class
Spirit Shaman (http://dndtools.eu/classes/spirit-shaman/)
now I do know the level 8 is changed and I have the link to that here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20070227x).


How powerful overall is this class? How good is it? I mean the ability to literally change its entire spell known layout each day is rather good isn't it?

[Silva Stormrage]

Yes the Spirit Shaman is a pretty good class, it has dual ability score dependancies but that can be changed. Its main weakness is a lack of versatility in the spells in can change each day (By which I mean often times he can only chose one spell of his highest level) but its still quiet powerful and is probably still tier 1 IMO. Still on the low end of it but still its tier 1.

[Kioras]

I would rate it as tier 2, it has the full druid spell list, casts spontanously, but only gets a few spells known each day but can change them out.

Due to the lack of spells known each day has a bit less versatility, no wildshape and no animal companion make them weaker then a druid. A little MAD with a wisdom based spells and charisma based resists.

The spells can still break the game however.

[UmpteenthDoctor]

I do like the class, but I favor the cleric spell list better.

Of course if you changed the favored soul to have the spell swap ability each day fluff it as something to do with their god granting them those powers for that day then it might work.

[Silva Stormrage]

I would rate it as tier 2, it has the full druid spell list, casts spontanously, but only gets a few spells known each day but can change them out.

Due to the lack of spells known each day has a bit less versatility, no wildshape and no animal companion make them weaker then a druid. A little MAD with a wisdom based spells and charisma based resists.

The spells can still break the game however.

Its certainly weaker than the druid but power isn't what defines the tier list. Pretty much anything a druid can do a spirit shaman can do (Shapechange replaces wildshape, yes high levels but still). Tier 1 is that they can handle any situation essentially, a spirit shaman can handle the same situations at a druid for the most part. It may be worse at it but the switching out of spells every day makes it tier 1.

[Pluto!]

Its spells retrieved are extremely limited. Despite the spontaneous casting thing, you'll often have less on-the fly versatility than that Druid, who'd usually have more than one effect prepared in its highest levels of slots (plus SNA).

It's still way stronger and more flexible than 70% of classes, but it's hard not compare to the Druid, and that comparison isn't favorable.

[nedz]

I quite like it.

The playground is generally split 50/50 on whether this is a T1 or T2 class, either way it is fairly powerful. The best description I think is that it's a T1 which plays like a T2: you can change your spells on a daily basis, but at any given time a Sorcerer will have ~50% more spells known available.

The class features are neat, but often situational.

[Chronos]

Personally, I think that the Favored Soul's casting mechanic is roughly as good as a prepared spellcaster's (it can have disadvantages, but it can also have advantages). But the druid's casting isn't quite enough, by itself, to justify calling it Tier 1. Druids themselves hit 1 by virtue of having that casting and the wildshape and the animal companion, which the spirit shaman lacks. Plus, spontaneous Summon Nature's Ally gives the druid many of the advantages of fully-spontaneous casting, since there's always some summon or another that will be useful.

[nedz]

Nope, Druids are Tier 1 by virtue of having Vancian Casting. The rest is Gravy.

[erikun]

The class is very nice, but Druid spells really aren't all that amazing for downtime-utility. Wizards get nice spells like Planar Binding, Fabricate, Scrying, Permanency, and so on for when they aren't out adventuring. Clerics get a slightly lesser list, but still have Planar Ally, Concecrate, and the every popular Animate Dead. (Not to mention all those tasty domain spells.)

Druids, to my knowledge, don't really get anything along those lines. As such, swapping out spells for when you're not adventuring isn't as handy for the Spirit Shaman; they won't likely use the feature for much beyond item creation. Getting, at most, 3 different spells each level is quite limiting as well, especially if you wanted to play similar to a Druid and have Summon Monster available at each level.

Still, it's arguably better than the Sorcerer and Favored Soul. Not as good as the Druid, but the Druid has a lot of good abilities. I'd still consider it low T1, although high T2 might also fit.

[Chronos]

Quoth nedz:

Nope, Druids are Tier 1 by virtue of having Vancian Casting. The rest is Gravy.
Vancian casting certainly isn't always enough to make Tier 1: The Healer uses it, too, and I think we can all agree that they're pretty poor. You need Vancian casting from a broad, versatile list. And while the druid list is decent, and has some real gems, it still falls well short of the wizard and cleric lists.

[nedz]

Vancian casting certainly isn't always enough to make Tier 1: The Healer uses it, too, and I think we can all agree that they're pretty poor. You need Vancian casting from a broad, versatile list. And while the druid list is decent, and has some real gems, it still falls well short of the wizard and cleric lists.

But if you were to remove the spell casting, and just leave the other class features, then you would have a Tier 3 class.

[eggynack]

The class is very nice, but Druid spells really aren't all that amazing for downtime-utility. Wizards get nice spells like Planar Binding, Fabricate, Scrying, Permanency, and so on for when they aren't out adventuring. Clerics get a slightly lesser list, but still have Planar Ally, Concecrate, and the every popular Animate Dead. (Not to mention all those tasty domain spells.)
Druids actually do have scrying, and do it the best out of the three classes. They also get all the super natural disaster spells to bring about the end of days, which is neat. You don't get blizzard, or control winds on the wizard and cleric lists. Not without domains, anyway. In any case, druids aren't tier one because they have vancian casting. They are tier one because they have vancian casting, off of the druid list. The list isn't quite as good as what wizards get, especially at high levels, but it's enough. Without wild shape and the animal companion, the druid is still tier one, because that's what casting off of a broad list will get you.