Ratling Shaman

Requirements

Skills: Concentration (10 ranks), and Knowledge (Arcana) (10 ranks)

Spells: Ability to spontaneously cast third level arcane spells.

Special: Must be visited in a dream by one of the Transcendent

Summary

Among the Nezumi race, none are so highly regarded as those with the power of magic. Nezumi shamans ("Kir") are invariably sorcerers. The lowest level Nezumi sorcerers (those who have not yet achieved this prestige class) are called "conjurers" or "Rep'chik" among their people.

A shaman's Name, or sense of identity, is so strong that he can alter his own perceptions of the world and expand those alterations outward, causing true changes in the world. Of course, with this sense of great Name comes a strong sense of responsibility towards the Nezumi race.

The shamans are the guardians of the Nezumi. They use their power to see the destiny of their kind, to see the dangers that tomorrow will bring, and to combat potential threats with their awesome magic. Occasionally however, ratling shamans fall into traps of self-deception ("n-kich"), twisting their magic to evil purpose. It then falls to their fellow shamans to return their lost brother to the true path or, failing that, to destroy him.

Only a shaman can pierce the veils of I'thich, the Nezumi World of Dreams, without losing himself to sleep. There the shaman can commune with the Transcendent, powerful Nezumi spirits composed of pure Name. If the shaman can truly master his magic, and survives long enough, he can even become one of them.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Spirit world traveling shamans with truename abilities

Source: Rokugan Campaign Setting

Game Rule Information

The Ratling Shaman has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma for all of your name ability DCs, if you have a different casting stat you want to maintain that, and Constitution for keeping you and your shaman lineage alive

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Ratling Shaman's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (All skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Ratling Shaman.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Ratling Shaman is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Nameseeker Su: At 1st level, the shaman is no longer a mere conjurer. He has gained the rank of Kan'chik or Nameseeker. Once per day he may look into the spirit world and learn the True Name of any target he can see. The target may make a Will save vs. DC 10 + the shaman's Charisma modifier + the shaman's level to resist the effect. A Ratling shaman can always recognize another Ratling shaman by making a Knowledge (Arcana) check vs. DC 10 + the other shaman's level. This is a supernatural ability.

Name Ability: At second, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth level the Ratling shaman may select one ability from the following list.

Bleeding - The shaman may enhance the results of his spells through ritual bleeding. If he has a sharp instrument in hand, the shaman may inflict one point of damage on himself per level of the spell he is casting to increase his effective caster level by one. The shaman does not need to make a Concentration check to avoid disrupting his own spell due to this damage. While the shamans make frequent use of this ability, it disturbs the sensibilities of many Rokugani shugenja. This ability may only be used only once per spell cast.

Conjure Trickster - The shaman gains a mujina servant. This mujina loses none of its cowardly tendencies (it is unwilling to fight in its master's defense) but it will obey other commands and attempt to help the shaman to the best of its ability. The shaman always knows his mujina's True Name.

Dance- The shaman may enhance his spells through ritual dance. He may add one hour to the casting time of any spell to enhance the spell with dance. The results of the spell are as if the shaman's caster level was increased by his Charisma modifier.

Importune Transcendent - The shaman gains a strong link to the Transcendent, gaining some inkling of the future through their eyes. He may learn and cast spells of the cleric's Knowledge domain as sorcerer spells of equivalent level.

Mend Name - The shaman learns how to restore broken names to their truest forms, He may learn and cast one cure spell from the cleric spell list as if it were a sorcerer spell of equal level. This counts against the shaman's normal limit to Spells Known. This ability may be chosen multiple times; each time the shaman gains a new spell.

Named Weapon - The shaman may extend some of his name into a weapon. This weapon gains an enchantment bonus equal to one half the shaman's level, but only when used by the shaman. If the weapon is destroyed, the shaman loses 200 experience points. The shaman may have only one Named Weapon at a time. The shaman always knows his weapon's True Name.

Share Name - The shaman may share spells that normally only affect himself with any creature whose True Name he knows. Such spells immediately fade if the target creature moves more than five feet from the shaman.

Spirit Sight - The shaman may automatically detect all creatures with the spirit or Shadowlands type modifier, even if they are invisible or in another form. The shaman sees their true form, superimposed over their current form.

Namefinder Su: At 3rd level, the shaman gains the rank of Per'ichik, or Namefinder. Once per hour, the shaman may attempt to locate any one object or creature whose True Name he knows. This is effectively a Locate Object (for objects) or a Locate Creature (for creatures) spell with unlimited range, cast at the shaman's caster level. This is a supernatural ability.

Namebinder Su: At 6th level, the shaman gains the rank of Jak'chik, or Namebinder. Once per day he may attempt to possess any creature whose True Name he knows. This effect is identical to the Magic Jar spell cast at the shaman's caster level, except the shaman needs no receptacle and the host's soul is suppressed while the shaman controls its body. The shaman may also change the True Name of any willing creature or unattended object with a touch, thus protecting the creature or object from hostile Name Magic. This is a supernatural ability.

Nametaker Su: At 9th level the shaman gains the rank of A'chik or Nametaker. Once per year he may take the name of any target whose True Name he knows. The target still exists but no one remembers him except the caster. His family is now someone else's family. The deeds he accomplished are remembered as if someone else had done them. Those who were particularly close to the target will notice discrepancies ("You say you saved my life at the Battle of Beiden Pass? No you didn't Matsu Gohei did...Wait a minute I didn't meet Matsu Gohei till three months after that battle. What is going on?). This magic may not be undone except by a Wish or Miracle spell. Use of this ability costs the shaman one level of experience, which may not be restored except through normal experience gain. The process of using this ability takes 24 hours. A Will save versus DC 10 + the shaman's caster level + the shaman's charisma modifier resists the effect and Spell Resistance applies normally. This is a supernatural ability.

Dream Forever: At tenth level the shaman becomes so intimately connected with the raw power of Name that he unlocks the mysteries of the Transcendent. His type changes to outsider. He is no longer affected by spells that specifically target humanoids. As he is still native creature, he may not be dismissed but he may be banished. (banished shamans always go to Yume-do, the Realm of Dreams). When the shaman dies, he will become one of the immortal guardian spirits of the Nezumi.

Table 1-1: Ratling Shaman Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Nameseeker	+1 level of existing class
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Name ability	+1 level of existing class
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Namefinder	+1 level of existing class
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Name ability	+1 level of existing class
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Name ability	+1 level of existing class
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Namebinder	+1 level of existing class
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Name ability	+1 level of existing class
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+6	Name ability	+1 level of existing class
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+6	Nametaker	+1 level of existing class
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+7	Transcendent	+1 level of existing class