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Shamans are intermediaries between the mortal world and the realm of spirits.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shamans are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.

Spells: A shaman casts divine spells according to Table 2—3: The Shaman. A shaman may prepare and cast any spell on the shaman spell list (see Chapter 7: Magic and Spells), provided he can cast spells of that level. (Alignment restrictions mean that casting some spells may have unpleasant consequences.) The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a shaman's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the shaman's Wisdom modifier.

Shamans do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them as gifts from the many spirits (nature spirits, animal spirits, ancestor spirits, and others) with whom the shaman deals. Each shaman must choose a time at which he must spend an hour each day in quiet conversation with the spirits to regain his daily allotment of spells (typically, this hour is at dawn or noon for good shamans and at dusk or midnight for evil ones). Time spent resting has no effect on whether a shaman can prepare spells.

In addition to his standard spells, a shaman gets one domain spell of each spell level, starting at 1st. When a shaman prepares a domain spell, it must come from one of his two domains (see below for details).

Spirits, Domains, and Domain Spells: Choose two domains for your shaman. Each domain represents an individual spirit with which you have a special relationship—a spirit of the dead (usually one of your ancestors), an animal spirit, or a nature spirit. Each spirit gives you access to a domain spell at each spell level, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. Your shaman gets the granted powers of both domains you select. With access to two domain spells at a given spell level, a shaman prepares one or the other each day. If a domain spell is not on the Shaman Spells list, a shaman can only prepare it in his domain slot. Domain spells and granted powers are given in Shaman Domains (see Chapter 7).

When a shaman reaches 11th level, he can choose a third domain, and gains access to the spells and granted power of this domain. Each day, he can prepare two domain spells of certain spell levels, as shown on Table 2—3.

Spontaneous Casting: Good shamans can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that they haven't prepared ahead of time. The shaman can "lose" a prepared spell in order to cast any cure spell of the same level or lower (a cure spell is any spell with "cure" in its name). For example, a good shaman who has prepared bless (a 1st-level spell) may lose bless in order to cast cure light wounds (also a 1st-level spell). Good shamans can cast cure spells in this way because they are especially proficient at wielding positive energy.

An evil shaman, on the other hand, can't convert prepared spells to cure spells but can convert them to inflict spells (an inflict spell is one with "inflict" in the title). Such shamans are especially proficient at wielding negative energy.

A neutral shaman can convert spells either to cure spells or to inflict spells (player's choice), depending on whether the shaman is more proficient at wielding positive or negative energy. Once the player makes this choice, it cannot be reversed. This choice also determines whether the neutral shaman turns or rebukes undead (see below).

A shaman can't use spontaneous casting to convert domain spells into cure or inflict spells. These spells arise from the particular powers of the shaman's chosen spirits, not divine energy in general.

Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells: A shaman can't cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own. A good shaman cannot cast evil spells, and vice versa. Spells associated with the alignments of chaos, evil, good, and law are identified as such on the "School, Subschool and Descriptors" line of the spell description.

Unarmed Strike: Shamans gain Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat.

Animal Companion: A 1st-level shaman may begin play with an animal companion. This animal is one that the shaman has befriended with the spell animal friendship. It can have up to 2 Hit Dice. (While the shaman is 1st level, this particular animal is loyal enough to stay with him, even though an adventuring shaman usually can only maintain animal friends whose Hit Dice total up to his level.) Alternatively, the shaman may have more than one animal companion provided the animals' total Hit Dice don't exceed 2. The shaman can also cast animal friendship in play (see the spell description in the Player's Handbook).

Spirit Sight: A shaman of 2nd level and above can see ethereal creatures (including spirits) as easily as he sees material creatures and objects. The shaman can easily distinguish between ethereal creatures and material ones, because ethereal creatures appear translucent and indistinct.

Turn or Rebuke Undead: When a shaman reaches 3rd level, he gains the supernatural ability to turn or rebuke undead. He may use this ability a number of times per day equal to three plus his Charisma modifier. He turns undead as a cleric of two levels lower would. Neutral shamans must choose to either turn or rebuke undead (see Spontaneous Casting above).

Extra Turning: As a feat, a shaman may take Extra Turning. This feat allows the shaman to turn undead four more times per day than normal. A shaman can take this feat multiple times, gaining four extra daily turning attempts each time.

Bonus Feat: At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, a shaman gains a bonus martial arts feat. The shaman must choose these feats from the following list: Defensive Throw, Deflect Arrows (Grappling Block), Dodge, Expertise (Karmic Strike, Improved Trip, Defensive Strike, Superior Expertise), Great Throw, Improved Grapple (Choke Hold, Earth's Embrace), Stunning Fist (Falling Star Strike, Freezing the Lifeblood, Unbalancing Strike, Pain Touch).

Spirits' Favor: A shaman of 5th level or higher applies his Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws.

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