NATURAL CRIT MARKDOWN SCRIPT # Shaman
Brandishing his spiritual weapon and enchanting it with the power of the elements, a young dwarf engages battle against his ancestral foes. With a quick gesture, the old elf in tribal garb summons a totem, and uses it to protect her allies against the attacking hobgoblin hordes. After their leader was slain in battle, an old orc communes with the spirits of his ancestors to learn the fate of his tribe, and who is to be their new chief. Shamans are oracles and warriors, in contact with the spirits of the world around them. It is through these spirits that shamans gain access to magical effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of their forebears, they guide their people into the unknowns of tomorrow. ### Speaker for the Spirits Shamans are speakers for the spirits, oracles, and the connection between the departed and the living. They are called by spirits of different aspects of the world around. This calling is something each shaman must feel and can not be forced. Usually, the spirits have a purpose in mind, that the shaman must fulfill. Other times, they just want to guide their former community and see their heritage protected. ### Heeding the Call Once a person has felt a calling of a particular spirit, she must answer them and take up her place as shaman for that spiritual aspect. Answering the call is usually done through rituals and meditation, and the shaman will know when the spirit has heard the answer. Most often, the spirits grant the shaman magical powers to fulfill their purpose, though the shaman has some choice in the kind of powers they want to wield. Be it brutal strength, elemental magic or the power to receive a glimpse of things yet to come. ### Creating a Shaman Think about the spirits that called you, and your spirit guide. Who were they, why did they have need of a shaman, and why did they choose you? Did a long dead ancestor reach through the veil to contact you, or was it the lingering spirit of someone recently deceased, that could not find peace? Or even an elemental spirit, embodying one of the fundamentals of natural order. Did you already have a connection to the spiritual, or were you surprised, and maybe even hesitant when you felt the calling? Work with your DM to determine how big a part your spirit guide will play in your character's adventuring career. Your spirit guide might have a task or quest for you to fulfill, or they might not. They might contact you frequently or leave it to you to commune with them. ``` ``` #### Quick Build You can make a shaman quickly by following these suggestions. First. Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the outlander background. Third. Choose the *guidance* and *shocking grasp* cantrips, along with the 1st-level spells *cure wounds* and *thunderwave*. \page**Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
**Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
#### Ritual Casting You can cast any shaman spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag. #### Spellcasting Focus You can use a ritual totem as a spellcasting focus for your shaman spells. ### Shamanistic Invocations In your dealings with spirits, you have been granted shamanistic invocations, fragments of ancient knowledge that imbue you with abiding magical ability. At 2nd level, you gain two shamanistic invocations of your choice. Your invocation options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain shaman levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice, as shown in the Invocations Known column of the Shaman table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level. ### Gift from the Spirits At 3rd level, your spirit guide bestows a gift upon you, to mark your calling. You gain one of the following features of your choice. #### Gift of Savagery You can use your action to create a spirit weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it, from a wooden club to a ghostly claw. It deals 1d8 damage and your choice of shape determines whether it is bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Your spirit weapon has the light property, you are proficient with it while you wield it and you can use it as your spellcasting focus. It counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Your spirit weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or you die. #### Gift of Soothsaying When you finish a long rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a long rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls. Additionally, you learn the *find familiar* spell, which doesn't count against your number of spells known. #### Gift of Storms You learn the *acid splash*, *fire bolt*, *frostbite*, and *thunderclap* cantrips and can cast them at will. They count as shaman cantrips for you and they don't count against your number of cantrips known. \page ### Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase any score above 20 with this feature. ### Ancestral Knowledge At 11th level, your spirit guide bestows upon you a piece of forgotten knowledge. Choose one 6th-level spell from the shaman spell list as this ancestral knowledge. You can cast your ancestral knowledge spell once without expending a spell slot. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again. At higher levels, you gain more shaman spells of your choice that can be cast in this way: one 7th-level spell at 13th level, one 8th-level spell at 15th level, and one 9th level spell at 17th level. You regain all uses of your Ancestral Knowledge when you finish a long rest. ### Spiritual Master At 20th level, you can draw on your inner reserve of spiritual power while beseeching your spirit guide to regain expended spell slots. You can spend 1 minute beseeching your spirit guide for aid to regain all your expended spell slots from your Spirit Magic feature. Once you regain spell slots with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again. ## Spirit Guides The beings that call shamans and serve as their spirit guides can be local, wild spirits, lingering ancestors, or inhabitants of other planes of existence. Various callings give shamans access to different powers and invocations, and the spirits don't always expect something in return. Some spirits might need a specific task completed, perhaps something they did not finish before departing. Others might simply want to protect their descendants or successors, and guide them on their way. ### The Ancestors Your spirit guide is the lingering spirit of one of your forebears. Whether long dead or recently departed, they must have a reason for calling you. Your spirit guide grants you the following features. ``` ``` #### Expanded Spell List The Ancestors let you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a shaman spell. The following spells are added to the shaman spell list for you. | Spell Level | Spells | |:----:|:-------------| | 1st | *inflict wounds*, *unseen servant* | | 2rd | *blindness/deafness*, *gentle repose* | | 3th | *feign death*, *Life Transferance* | | 4th | *banishment*, *blight* | | 5th | *antilife shell*, *legend lore* | #### Call of the Ancestors Starting at 1st level, you walk among your ancestors as equal. You learn the *spare the dying* cantrip, which counts as a shaman cantrip for you, but doesn't count against your number of cantrips known. You also have advantage on saving throws against any disease. Additionally, undead have difficulty harming you. If an undead targets you directly with an attack or a harmful spell, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC (an undead needn't make the save when it includes you in an area effect, such as the explosion of *fireball*). On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or forfeit targeting someone instead of you, potentially wasting the attack or spell. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. An undead is also immune to this effect for 24 hours if you target it with an attack or a harmful spell. #### Ancestral Guidance Starting at 6th level, you can call on your forebears to guide you in your endeavours. When you make an ability check or a saving throw, you can use this feature to add a d10 to your roll. You can do so after seeing the initial roll but before any of the roll's effects occur. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. #### Spiritwalker's Fortitude At 10th level, your spirit guide grants you a protective blessing. You gain advantage on death saving throws, immunity to the frightened condition, and resistance to necrotic damage. #### Reincarnation Starting at 14th level, your ancestors allow you to resurrect yourself if you correctly foretell your own death. When you finish a long rest, you may state a specific creature or set of circumstances that you expect will be responsible for, or involved in your death within the next 24 hours. If you die within 24 hours of your statement and the circumstances of your death are similar enough to your foretelling (DM's discretion), then you are resurrected, as per the *resurrection* spell, one minute after your death. You can't benefit from this feature again until you finish a long rest, at which point you must foretell your death again. \page ### The Spirits of Nature Your spirit guide is a protective spirit of nature. They might have called you to protect a sacred site, an aspect of nature or to cure someone of importance to the natural order of things. Your spirit guide grants you the following features. #### Expanded Spell List The Spirits of Nature let you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a shaman spell. The following spells are added to the shaman spell list for you. | Spell Level | Spells | |:----:|:-------------| | 1st | *goodberry*, *healing word* | | 2rd | *barkskin*, *spike growth* | | 3th | *plant growth*, *protection from energy* | | 4th | *dominate beast*, *grasping vine* | | 5th | *insect plague*, *tree stride* | #### Totemic Protection Starting at 1st level, your spirit guide has gifted you magical totems, enchanted with protective magic. You have one totem at 1st level. You gain an additional totem at 9th and another at 18th level. You regain expended totems when you finish a short or long rest. As an action, you can place a totem in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. The totem lasts for 1 minute, until you place another totem, or until it reaches 0 hit points. Its AC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier and it has hit points equal to your shaman level. Additionally, it is immune to psychic and poison damage and damage from attacks that do not specifically target it. On each of your turns while the totem is alive, you can use your bonus action to cause it to give one creature within 30 feet of it temporary hit point equal to 1d4 + half your shaman level (rounded up). #### Astral Shift Starting at 6th level, you can briefly shift into the Astral Plane to protect yourself against harm. When you would take damage, you can use your reaction to gain resistance to all types of damage until the start of your next turn. At the start of your next 3 turns, you recover hit points equal to half your shaman level (rounded down). Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. ``` ``` #### To Walk the Ashes Starting at 10th level, the natural spirits sustain you. You don't require food or water, and you are immune to disease and poison. In addition, you age at a slower rate. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged. #### Natural Rejuvenation Starting at 14th level, your spirit guide grants you the ability to hasten nature's renewal. As a bonus action, you can touch a creature and heal it. With each touch, the creature regains from 1d6 to 5d6 hit points (your choice). You have a total pool of 15d6 you can expend. Subtract the dice you use with each touch from that total. You regain all expended dice from your pool when you finish a long rest. ### The Elements Your spirit guide is a primordial spirit of the elemental forces itself. Whether a local spirit or an aspect from one of the elemental planes, they need you to enact their will, by force if necessary. Your spirit guide grants you the following features. #### Expanded Spell List The Elements let you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a shaman spell. The following spells are added to the shaman spell list for you. | Spell Level | Spells | |:----:|:-------------| | 1st | *absorb elements*, *earth tremor* | | 2rd | *gust of wind*, *scorching ray* | | 3th | *erupting earth*, *lightning bolt* | | 4th | *elemental bane*, *ice storm* | | 5th | *immolation*, *maelstrom* | #### Call of the Elements Starting at 1st level, once on each of your turns when you deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) until the start of your next turn. \page In addition, you can use your action to briefly control elemental forces nearby, causing one of the following effects of your choice: - Create a harmless, instantaneous sensory effect related to air, earth, fire, or water, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, a spray of light mist, or a gentle rumbling of stone. - Instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. - Chill or warm up to 1 pound of nonliving material for up to 1 hour. - Cause earth, fire, water, or mist that can fit within a 1-foot cube to shape itself into a crude form you designate for 1 minute. #### Primordial Resistance Starting at 6th level, when you finish a short or long rest, you can choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. You gain resistance to that damage type until you choose a different one with this feature. Damage from magical weapons or silver weapons ignores this resistance. #### Elemental Affinity Starting at 10th level, when you deal damage of the same type as your current Primordial Resistance, you may add your Charisma modifier to the damage. #### Elements Unleashed Starting at 14th level, you can unleash the fury of the elements. Choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. As a bonus action, you can unleash a blast of that damage type. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on you must make a Dexterity saving throw against your shaman spell save DC. A creature takes damage of the chosen type equal to 1d12 + your shaman level on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. You can use this feature three times. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. \page ## Shamanistic Invocations If a shamanistic invocation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the invocation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite in an invocation refers to shaman level, not character level. #### Black Feathers and Sage *Prerequisite: 15th level*