Realizing Shaman Concept

[Hurlbut]

Using core classes, what class(es) should I consider for a shaman concept? My initial thought is barbarain/cleric multiclass. I can consider Spirit Shaman, but my feeling is that it focus too much on spirits which wouldn't be good for an Asgardian follower.

His religion is the Asgardian Pantheon from Deities and Demigods, basically Northern Europe shamanism. So I should give thoughts to taking divination spells in addition to other spells.

I can consider Spirit Shaman, but my feeling is that it focus too much on spirits which wouldn't be best for an Asgardian follower.

[Tempest Fennac]

Why would you say a Cleric/Barbarian multiclass would work best? I can understand the Cleric part but not the Barbarian part. I'd say the Druid would be perfect for this due to how they are straignt nature priests. I know there's some Sect feats which grant extra spells (pages 153 and 154 of http://crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Feats.pdf ), but none of them focus on Divinations. You could ask your DM to let you homebrew a Sect feat which would suit what you want to do.

[JellyPooga]

Using Core I'd go either Barbarian/Druid or just plain ol' Druid myself. Spirit Shaman, whilst spirit-focused, is still a Full-Caster class at the end of the day, so don't be too worried about being ineffective when the ghosts and shadows aren't around if you do go for it! Don't forget that all Elementals and Fey count as spirits as well as incorporeal undead.

[Hurlbut]

but none of them focus on Divinations. You could ask your DM to let you homebrew a Sect feat which would suit what you want to do.

Ha ha...I'm the DM. About divination spells, what I mean is that they would be considered in spell selection and not trying to get them as extra spells. It's so the shaman could "read the signs from the Gods". I don't mean a nature priest. It's just that a nordic culture is less civilized, a bit more wild, but it doesn't mean that they're nature lovers.

[mikej]

Druid strikes me more as the Shaman, rather than the Cleric to which is more like the priest.

Northern Europe shamanism

wasn't the celtic druids considered shamans?

[Bluebeard]

wasn't the celtic druids considered shamans?

When I think celtic druid, I think Bard.

Maybe Savage Bard (SRD/UA). Call it Divine magic instead of Arcane and yer done.

[Hurlbut]

wasn't the celtic druids considered shamans?

The celtic druid filled more function than just mysticism, spirit-mediation, or other types of interactions with the Otherworld, they functioned as teachers, lawyers, historians and political advisors. Only some were spiritual officials or ritual leaders.

When I think celtic druid, I think Bard.

Maybe Savage Bard (SRD/UA). Call it Divine magic instead of Arcane and yer done.

Uh, we're talking about the nordic shaman

[mikej]

The cletic druid filled more function than just mysticism, spirit-mediation, or other types of interactions with the Otherworld, they functioned as teachers, lawyers, historians and political advisors. Only some were spiritual officials or ritual leaders.

Thought soo, thanks for clarification. Had to open my book of mythology, since I recalled reading about it recently.

If that's the case, maybe a second look into the Spirit Shaman?

[Thurbane]

I can consider Spirit Shaman, but my feeling is that it focus too much on spirits which wouldn't be best for an Asgardian follower.

Favored Soul of Odin/Thor etc?

IME, several classes can do a decent job of simulating the classic shaman archetype:

- Adept
- Binder
- Druid
- Favored Soul
- Shugenja
- Sorcerer
- Spirit Shaman
- Witch (DMG Sorc variant)

...also, some Psionic and Incarnum classes, although I'm not terribly familiar with these. I think there's also (at least one) very good Shaman base class over in the Homebrew forums.

[edit]Most of these are non-core, but well worth considering[/edit]

[Epinephrine]

Honestly, I was thinking Bard as well - a divine bard. It has healing, buffing and so on. The kind of shaman that supports raiding parties, chanting praise to Odin in battle, striking fear in the hearts of the enemy with the sound of Heimdall's horn, and using Loki's trickery to overcome the foes that he can't face in combat.

[Hurlbut]

Honestly, I was thinking Bard as well - a divine bard. It has healing, buffing and so on. The kind of shaman that supports raiding parties, chanting praise to Odin in battle, striking fear in the hearts of the enemy with the sound of Heimdall's horn, and using Loki's trickery to overcome the foes that he can't face in combat.

The only issue I have with that is where does it leave the skald? heh.

About the druid, the biggest problem is that it is all about nature. It wouldn't work well for a concept that's a follower of an Asgardian God as opposite to the Nature.

[Tempest Fennac]

Just thinking about the Adept: I actually converted it so that it's (in theory) in line with PC spellcasters if you thought that would be a good option: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...12#post5284212 .

[Tsotha-lanti]

What the heck is a "nordic shaman" ? Old Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian priests aren't really reckoned shamans; the only "nordic" shamanism you're likely to find is among the Sami (weirdly, there seems to have been a "belt of animism" from Lapland, through northern Russia and Siberia, over the Bering Strait and into Northern America) and the pre-Christian Finns - at least unless you go way back past the early Dark Ages. Deistic religions, like the worship of the Norse deities - Odin, Thor, Freya, etc. - are usually considered separate from animism/shamanism, where the object of worship is often less clearly deified or personified.

Similarly, Celtic druids were not shamans, by almost any definition. (Although shamans are hardly defined by psychedelia, chanting, dancing, drumming, and trancing. I think that's more the definition of ravers.)

If you want a priest of the Asgardian gods, go with cleric, maybe multiclassed with barbarian or fighter. Seems obvious.

[sleepy]

All forms of shamanism are heavily involved with the spirit world. In fact, the ability to journey to the spirit world is the defining element of the shaman. This includes Norse shamanism.

The deities and demigods portrayal of the Norse pantheon is not historically accurate. Moreso than any other religeon, the gods of the Norse pantheon are metaphorical. They are sort of avatars of certain truths, and the embodiment of qualities found in men and nature. As an example, Thor is god of strength, but it would be less accurate to say he is an entity that represents strength than it would be to say that your strength is Thor.

There are also many forms of "spirits", including the souls of the dead, the valkyries, and to an extent entities such as yggdrasil (the world tree) or sleipnir (odin's eight legged steed).

[Mystral]

I think the spirit shaman is a very good representation of shamanistic traditions. If you don't like his spirit focus, switch some of those abilities out for stuff you find more apropriate. I can't see how barbarian is usefull for shamans though.

[Hurlbut]

I can't see how barbarian is usefull for shamans though.

Because when the 3.0 first came out, the Dragon Magazine ran a couple of articles listing what multiclasses could realize certain concepts, their recommendation for Shaman concept? Barbarian/cleric. Barbarian is used to give the cleric a more savage feeling, extra skill points, and such.

What the heck is a "nordic shaman" ? Old Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian priests aren't really reckoned shamans; the only "nordic" shamanism you're likely to find is among the Sami (weirdly, there seems to have been a "belt of animism" from Lapland, through northern Russia and Siberia, over the Bering Strait and into Northern America) and the pre-Christian Finns - at least unless you go way back past the early Dark Ages. Deistic religions, like the worship of the Norse deities - Odin, Thor, Freya, etc. - are usually considered separate from animism/shamanism, where the object of worship is often less clearly deified or personified.

Similarly, Celtic druids were not shamans, by almost any definition. (Although shamans are hardly defined by psychedelia, chanting, dancing, drumming, and trancing. I think that's more the definition of ravers.)

If you want a priest of the Asgardian gods, go with cleric, maybe multiclassed with barbarian or fighter. Seems obvious.

Except norse shamanism in fact did existed. Odin and Freya/Frigga practiced it along with mortal followers. It had a name "Siedr" or "Siethr"

[LibraryOgre]

There's a thread of shamanism/spirit veneration which runs through most Indo-European religions; Roman Lares and Pentates, Nordic Nisi, Alfar, Wightsand Landvettir... even Slavic domovoi and leshy.

If I were going to go with a shaman character, without going whole-hog with the shaman class, I'd go with a druid, perhaps a variant that added some more divination spells.

[Tempest Fennac]

Those class combinations can be found on page 12 of http://crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3Index-Basics.pdf for anyone who wants to see the others. To be honesty, I see the savagry as solely being an RPing thing which doesn't require any other levels. I homebrewed a feat called Improved Open-Minded which grants 1 extra skill point/level if that would help with your concept.