Shaman (character Class) - Dungeons & Dragons

In the various versions of the Dungeons & Dragons games, there have been several versions of Shaman character classes.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (or AD&D) introduced the "Shaman" supplement (TSR 9507) in 1995.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition (sometimes referred to as AD&D2 or 2nd Ed) rulebooks eventually included the Shaman class. Details are provided in the following sourcebooks: Faith and Avatars, Shaman, and The Complete Barbarian’s Handbook.

Dungeons & Dragons v.3 (also known as the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons) rulebooks included the following Shaman classes:

• Shaman - introduced in Gazetteer 12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar (TSR 9246) in 1989.
• Shaman - revised for Shadow Elves in Gazetteer 13 "The Shadow Elves" (TSR 9287) in 1990.
• Shamani - priests of the Atruaghin race, introduced in Gazetteer 14 "Atruaghin Clans (TSR 9306)

Green Ronin Publishing released a 3.0 Shaman in The Shaman Handbook as part of their Master Class series. They cast divine spells spontaneously, like a sorcerer. The book also contains a number of Prestige Classes.

Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 (also known as Revised 3rd Edition or D&D3.5) rulebooks included the following Shaman classes:

• Dragon Shaman - introduced in the Player's Handbook II. Open to all races, the Dragon Shaman is primarily a physical combatant who gains dragon-like powers from the particular type (color) of dragon he aligns with and develops an affinity for. This character may employ medium armor, and gains some spell-like abilities.
• Shaman - introduced in the Oriental Adventures sourcebook. Shamans are divine spellcasters who draw their spells from the spirit world.
• Spirit Shaman - introduced in the Complete Divine sourcebook. Spirit Shamans are similar to druids in that they use the druidic spell list, but they cast spells spontaneously like a Sorcerer. Spirit Shamans have their own spirit guide and possess special abilities that affect spirits (such as incorporeal undead, fey, and elementals). Unlike Sorcerers, Spirit Shamans may change their spell selection whenever they meditate to regain their daily allotment of spells.
• Totemist - introduced in the Magic of Incarnum sourcebook. Totemists revere magical beasts, such as worgs and unicorns, whom they see as the most powerful forces of nature. They shape incarnum, the material of souls, to make magical items based around magical beasts, such as Displacer Mantles. Totemist is the favored class of Dusklings.

UKG Publishing released a 3.5 Shaman in The Enduring: Witches & Shaman in June 2007. It uses the same advancement and spellcasting progression as a druid, but (instead of wildshape) gains lycanthropic abilities as it progresses, becoming a were-shaman (a natural lycanthrope) at upper levels.

The Shaman is among the classes included in the 4th edition Player's Handbook 2 (March 2009). The Shaman class has the Primal power source and the Leader role, and has a clear link with the primal spirits of the earth; most of her powers call upon or otherwise make use of spirits. Continuing with this spiritual link, all Shamans receive a Spirit Companion—the class is distinctive for being the only Fourth Edition class to have a companion as a standard feature. While it may have any appearance the player wishes, the flavor and artwork included in the book depict it as an animal spirit, and the provided Shaman builds are named after possible appearances (Panther and Bear). Many of the Shaman's powers use the Spirit keyword, meaning they use the spirit as their origin point and derive line of sight and effect from it; these are flavored as the Shaman commanding the spirit to attack her enemies. The Shaman can even use opportunity actions to attack enemies moving past the spirit, giving it the mechanical feeling of an ally actively engaged in combat. Along with damage, Shaman attacks carry some type of rider effect that either benefit allies or harm enemies next to the companion spirit, such as temporary hit points or a bonus to attack rolls. Additionally, allies next to the spirit can gain additional hit points when the Shaman uses her healing abilities. This allows the Shaman to use the spirit as a mobile source of aid, able to be moved to where it is most useful. Since she must consider the positioning of two entities rather than one, and is able to use both ranged and melee attacks from two sources, the Shaman is a complex Leader class to play.