Before there were wizards and schools of learning, before there were cities and the trappings of civilization, before the terms “Good” and “Evil” had meaning, there were those who knew the ways of spirits. Called witch-doctors, medicine men, witches, and, all too often, frauds, these early mages walked the fine line between darkness and light. Though they have been overshadowed by their more educated peers, they still exist in primitive tribes, backwoods huts, and dimly lit tents.
A Shaman’s primary job is to help the spirits of the dead to find their final peace. To this end, they have several spells that would be considered Necromancy. But their powers extend over the Living, as well as the Dead, and Shamans have many powers that match Clerical abilities. A good Shaman will strive to maintain balance in all things, representing the balance between the forces of Life and Death, which later became abstracted to Good and Evil. But even a Shaman must pay the price for trafficking in the affairs of spirits, and face many of the same risks as a Necromancer.
Requirement: Shaman Trait of d4 or better
Scry Spirit – As the Black/White Magic spell of the same name.
Speak with the Dead– As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Death’s Whisper – As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Healing I – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Life’s Whisper – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Wrack – As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Flesh Ward I – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Requirement: Adept at five Apprentice Shaman spells
Black Bargain – As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Cure II – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Lazarus Heart – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Life’s Breath – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Curse II – As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Control Undead – As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Requirement: Adept at four Apprentice Shaman spells
Life’s Touch – As the White Magic spell of the same name.
Reflect – As the Thaumaturge spell of the same name.
Vessel of Unlife – As the Black Magic spell of the same name.
Divine Intervention (10, 5d12, Regular, Ask for a Miracle)
The Master Shaman may petition the greatest of spirits for a miraculous event. This is never an option chosen lightly, for the risk of failure is high and even success is costly. As with Black Bargain, the Casting dice are used as the Effect roll. The difficulty is assigned by the Host depending on the desired effect, but should almost never be less than 3d10. After all, if it were easy to do, it wouldn’t be a miracle, would it?
A critical failure on the caster roll will cause the Shaman to suffer a 3d12 attack, as per a targeted Elementalist attack (e.g. a Lightning Bolt), as the spirits smite them for their temerity. The Host is encouraged to assign an appropriate special effect for the situation. On a success, the Shaman keeps their casting roll, which is then compared to the effect difficulty dice.
Critical Failure 3d12 of smite, plus some other disaster (Host’s choosing)
Failure 3d12 of Smite
Tie Miracle occurs, but see below.
Success Desired Effect
Critical Success Desired Effect, and then some.
On a Tie, the spirits answer the Shaman’s request, but add their own twist, perhaps taking some portion of the request out of context, or applying literal translation. Again, the Host is encouraged to be creative with this. The “flaw” in the miracle may be immediately apparent, or it may only be noticed later (if at all).
In any event, the use of this spell with have lasting repercussions for the Shaman, as the spirits will request some form of compensation. The payment required will vary depending on the Shaman’s general attitude, as well as the miracle invoked.
Notes: The Shaman faces the same risks for using Black Magic as any other character. This only applies to spells taken from the Black Magic lists, and the Host may choose to arbitrate it by applying a reverse rule when White Magic is used, or simply by mitigating the circumstances based on how well the player “walks the path” of balance.