Post/Author/DateTime	Post
lastknightleft 02-13-07, 04:18 PM	I haven't taken a really good look at the spirit shaman but from what I gather about it, it looks fun and a lot more balanced than the druid at high level. The point of this is that I am trying to decide whether to switch druid with spirit shaman as a new core class for my campaign (I know I know its not, just for the sake of discussion bear with me) What I want is player opinion since I'm always a DM from people who have played it to higher level and also what peoples thoughts are as to its balance, please do not highjack this with gripes about druids or talks on how to balance it, just whether or not it could stand up to the druid when acting in a party without overshadowing like a druid can tend to do.
danielinthewolvesden 02-13-07, 05:48 PM	Spirit Shaman is far less powerful than druid, but still a lot of fun. BUT,you have to be in a campaign with a lot of either : bad guy fey or incorporal undead. I played one for a while. It was interesting. However, as long as the Druid is in the game- and as long as the druid can take the feat that allows him to cast while shapechanged (Natural Spell)- no one will play a Spirit Shaman. I suggest one tiny change. In PHII, there is a minor class feature that the druid can take in place of spontaneos summoning- it allows burning a spell slot to give his party some Fast healing. This should be a class feature for Spirit Shaman.
risner 02-13-07, 05:53 PM	Personally I think the SS has better spell casting than a Druid (as in much more powerful.) The SS abilities are "the suck" if you are in a non fey/spirit world or more powerful than sin if you are. One feat gives you all the glory of the Druid's spontaneous summoning. The big thing you are missing comparing Druid/SS at that point is AC and Wild Shape. There are builds (SS 5/Beastmaster 1/LoT 10/MoMF 2/Anything +caster 2) that give all but Elemental and Plant summoning (and there are items that can give Plant back.) Plus you can take feats to gain Aberrant Wild Shape and Frozen Wild Shape etc. With a build like that above you 9th level spells, better saves (+3 to +5 each), same hit points (0.33 less average), slightly less powerful AC (13th vs 20th) and a slight loss of +3 BAB (+12 vs +15.) I guess my question to you is: What about the Druid disturbs you? If you tell me that I can answer your question better (by showing a SS build that would do it or not)
lastknightleft 02-13-07, 09:43 PM	I know that with the right optimization that the ss can do all a druid can, I'm not worried about that because then your optimizimg to match what a druid can do and its not that the druid is overpowered but that it kinda overshadows everone towards the end. I think that the spirit shaman is ok in a non spirit world, and then if they play in one they are just as powerful as a druid