Shaman
A shaman, sometimes called a spirit shaman, is a powerful primal leader who calls upon nature spirits for aid or guidance. Shamans are often leaders or healers, though they lead most often through wisdom and experience.
Culture
As they are constantly aware of spirits that others cannot see, shamans fit unevenly into society, even compared with others like druids or wardens who draw from the same power. Within their native cultures, shamans are highly valued as healers, storytellers, and spiritual advisors. Shamans are still valued to outsiders, if only for their powers to empower and heal allies while striking down the enemies of nature. Shamans gain their abilities through alliances made with the powers of the Spirit World- or the Ethereal Plane. Similarly, they act as intermediaries between them and the corporeal inhabitants of the Prime Material Plane. While these relationships are somewhat similar to those between clerics and deities, they are formed for mutual benefit rather than devoted service. They are not dissimilar to the connections formed between warlocks and their patrons, though there are often fewer moral complications. Shamans feel indebted to the spirits with whom they work. As such, they generally associate themselves with spirits that share similar goals and methods, whether they are malevolent or benign in nature. Most shamans feel no particular pull to the forces of good, evil, law, or chaos, however they are not beholden to neutrality or emotional detachment as is the case with some druids. Shamans most commonly arise in rural cultures with tribal affectations. They can be found among more civilised communities of humans, half-orcs, giants, exiled wood elves or the nomadic halflings that practice these traditions. They are far more rare amongst races such as the elves, or dwarves who rarely practice shamanism or formed the tribal communities.Training
In order to form their alliances with the spirit world, shamans go through a series of initiation ceremonies passed on by older, more experienced shamans. Afterwards, they are sometimes sent on a journey to obtain the experience and wisdom required of shamans. Regardless of the exact background of which they hail, each shaman gains a lesser nature spirit as an ally and companion at the end of their training. At this point, they are also empowered with the ability to channel their primal patron's power through a totem.Possessions
Shamans do not typically wear hide armour or any armour that is heavier, though some of them make exceptions to train themselves in the use of shields. Shamans are trained in the use of simple weapons as well as the more advanced longspear, but little else in the way of weaponry.Abilities
Generally speaking, shamans rely more upon their judgement, willpower, and awareness than they do upon the force of personality or charm. They are often highly intelligent and capable of great feats of endurance. All shamans draw upon the primal power of the Prime itself, using powers known as "evocations". These evocations allow shamans to strike with deadly power, call upon spirit companions, or heal and empower their corporeal allies. Many shamans use powerful totems as implements to increase their power while channelling this energy. To aid their efforts, shamans open their minds and directly communicated with the nature spirits of which so few were actually aware. A shaman's abilities greatly depend upon what kind of spirit companion is gifted to them by their primal patron. Some shamans take on a spirit companion in the form of a bear or similarly durable beast, which grants a boon to a shaman's healing power. Other shamans choose instead a panther or beast of similar cunning and stealth, increasing the deadliness of both their attacks, as well as those of their allies. Shamans often rely on their spirit companions when using their most powerful attacks. Because of their constant contact with spirits, many shamans learn to both shield themselves against spirits as well as understand their weaknesses. Shamans are constantly aware of the spirits around them and can direct their own primal power into a force that pushes back and chastises malign spirits. More experienced shamans extend this protection to their allies, using their own spirit allies as wards against malevolent ones. The more powerful shamans are capable of physically evicting fey, elemental, and even undead spirits from any bodies they possess. Many shamans also learn to acquire spirit-like abilities for themselves. Some master the ability to actually transform themselves into nature spirits. Other shamans acquire the power to "walk" through the spirit world, transplanting their body and soul from the corporeal, physical world to that of the spirits. Some shamans even learn to cheat death, bargaining with nature spirits for some small bit of immortality. Some truly powerful spirit shamans permanently become nature spirits themselves, forsaking their corporeal body for one in harmony with the rhythms of the natural world.
Type
Religious
Related Locations
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