The Shaman (5e Subclass)

The Shaman

Barbarian Path

The sun sets upon the small village as the fires of the forge die down and its masters move to the mess hall or their homes for an evening meal. From his seat at the head of the gathering, the chieftain of the orc tribe lets out a quite sigh as he reflects on things to come; fingers curling around the ornately carved staff in his hands. A barbarian is not always an instrument of pure destruction. Sometimes, you must also be the spiritual leader of your people. The Shaman is a path that connects the barbarian to the world around them, granting them a small number of magical abilities to augment their natural fighting prowess and channeled through their weapon of choice - a totemic staff. They are still warriors at heart, however, and the Shaman receives guidance from spiritual animals as he becomes more experienced. Although originating in many orc communities, the path of the Shaman is open to any who would listen to the world around them.

Path Features

Totemic Staff

As part of your acceptance of this path, you undergo a ritual that bound your spirit to an ornately carved quarterstaff. This quarterstaff serves not only as your weapon in combat, but as your focus to use your Totemic Blessings detailed below. It is enchanted to be unbreakable and as you gain features in this path, you magically carve totemic segments into the staff representing the spirit animals you choose for those features.

At 3rd-level, your totemic staff deals 1d8 damage when wielded in one-hand, instead of the usual 1d6; and 1d10 when wielded with two-hands, instead of the usual 1d8. Although it is magically enchanted, it is not considered magical for purposes of overcoming weapon immunity.

At 6th-level, your staff's magic strengthens - it becomes a magical weapon in terms of overcoming immunity and gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, increasing to +2 at 10th-level and +3 at 14th. The damage die used for attacks also increases to 1d10 and 1d12 respectively.

Additionally, you may choose a magical quarterstaff in your possession and undergo an 8 hour ritual to transform it into your totemic staff - granting you all the benefits of your totemic staff, and retaining any additional magical properties that weapon had (ie. charge abilities, extra damage die, etc.).

Totemic Blessing

Instead of traditional spellcasting, your training as a Shaman allows you to channel the spirits of powerful animals and empower them with magic from within your own. You know each of the blessings listed below starting from 3rd-level. While you are wielding your totemic staff, you may as a bonus action on your turn, invoke one of these blessings by striking your staff to the ground in some manner. Each blessing affects targets within a 15' radius centered on yourself and that radius expands to 30' starting at 6th-level.

You may use this feature twice at 3rd-level and you gain an additional use at 6th, 10th, and 14th level. You recover all uses after completing a long rest.

Totemic Blessings

Blessing	Effect
The Swan	Friendly targets and yourself regain 1d6 Hit Points. This increases to 1d8 when you reach 6th level, 1d10 at 10th, and 2d6 at 14th.
The Bull	Friendly targets and yourself gain 10 temporary Hit Points. These do not fade over time unless damage is taken.
The Turtle	Friendly targets and yourself gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class until the start of your next turn.
The Jaguar	Friendly targets and yourself can move an additional 10' each turn, until the start of your next turn.
The Falcon	Friendly targets and yourself gain a +2 bonus the attack roll of their next attack (weapon or otherwise).

The Spiritual Self

At 3rd-level, as part of your training you have become attuned to your spiritual self and the world around you.

You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

The First Carving

At 3rd-level, when you select this Path, you may choose the first spiritual animal to instill their knowledge upon you and carve an effigy of it into your totemic staff. Select one of the following options:

• Bear. The spirit of the bear lends it resilience to you. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC.
• Hawk. The spirit of the hawk lends it sharp senses to you. You gain proficiency in Wisdom (Perception) checks if you do not already have it, otherwise you may double your proficiency bonus to these skill checks.
• Tiger. The spirit of the lion lends its bravery to you. You have a +2 bonus to saving throws made against being charmed or frightened.
• Wolf. The spirit of the wolf lends its hunting instincts to you. You gain proficiency in Wisdom (Survival) checks if you do not already have it, otherwise you may double your proficiency bonus to these skill checks.

You must be wielding your totemic staff in one or both hands in order to benefit from the effects of this and subsequent carving options.

The Second Carving

At 6th-level, your experiences have earned you the right to select a second spiritual guide and the benefit of their wisdom, carving its effigy onto your staff. Select one of the previous carving options you did not choose for your First Carving, or you may choose one of the following options:

• Owl. The spirit of the owl lends it great knowledge to you. You may gain proficiency in one skill of your choice that uses Intelligence as its modifier (Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Religion).
• Panther. The spirit of the panther strengthens your reflexes and muscles. You gain proficiency in your choice of Strength(Athletics) or Dexterity(Acrobatics). If you already have proficiency in both of these skills, you may choose one to double your proficiency bonus.
• Snake. The spirit of the serpent instructs you how to be more cunning. You gain proficiency in Dexterity(Stealth) checks, otherwise you may double your proficiency bonus to these skill checks.
• Shark. The spirit of the shark grants you adaptability. You gain a swimming speed equal to your movement speed and can breathe underwater.

The Third Carving

At 10th-level, you have become even more attuned to the world around you and the spirit within you, allowing you to select your third spirit guide and carving. Select one of the previous options you did not choose for your First or Second Carvings, or you may choose one of the following options:

• Elk. The spirit of the elk teaches you to think quickly on your feet. Your walking speed increases by 10' and you may add your Intelligence modifier (minimum +1) to your Initiative rolls.
• Dire Bear. The spirit of the dire bear increases your ability to withstand hardship. Your maximum Hit Points increases by 1 per level, and increases by an additional 1 each time you gain a level in this class. You retain this ability even if you are not currently wielding your totemic staff.
• Dire Wolf. The spirit of the dire wolf further sharpens your swiftness in combat. You may now use a bonus action to take the Dash and Disengage actions during your turn.
• Lion. The spirit of the lion teaches you how to better command your pack. You may now use a bonus action to take the Help action on your turns. In addition, the target of this action may be up to 30' away from you instead of the normal 5'. Lastly, when you use Help, the ally you give advantage to gains a bonus to hit equal to your proficiency level on their next attack against your target.

The Final Carving

At 14th-level, you have all but mastered your Shamanistic practices, earning you the right to call upon the spirits of legendary creatures for guidance. Select one of the following creatures of legend for your final carving:

• Dragon. The spirit of the dragon instills you with its legendary power. When you finish a short or long rest, you may choose a damage type from among fire, cold, lightning, acid, or poison. Until the end of your next short or long rest, each successful weapon attack you make against a target deals an additional 1d10 damage of the chosen type and ignores resistance to that type.
• Phoenix. The spirit of the phoenix teaches you how to sustain your allies. You may, as an action, bathe the area around you in a 30' radius in restorative embers. Each friendly creature, including yourself, within the affected area regains 3d6 Hit Points. Once you have used this ability, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
• Basilisk. The spirit of the basilisk grants you the ability to disable your enemies. When you make a weapon attack against a target using your totemic staff, after rolling for damage you may use a bonus action to force that target to make a Constituion saving throw against a DC of (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). Upon a failure, that target is stunned until the end of their next turn.
• Unicorn. The spirit of the unicorn protects you from corruption. You gain immunity to poison and disease. Additionally, you and any allies within a 15' radius of you gain resistance to necrotic damage.

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