Medicine Man (Apath)

	Unofficial rules compendium
	Contents 1 Class Abilities 1.1 Spellcasting 1.1.1 Metamagic; ; 1.2 Spirit Channel; 1.3 Mercenary Spirits; ; 2 Summary of Changed Class Abilities;
	Contents 1 Class Abilities 1.1 Spellcasting 1.1.1 Metamagic; ; 1.2 Spirit Channel; 1.3 Mercenary Spirits; ; 2 Summary of Changed Class Abilities;

Medicine men (and women) are similar to shamans, but more focused on dealing with spirits, negotiating for "spirit medicine", the power to work specific miracles on demand. This makes them more flexible spellcasters than normal shamans, but less able to provide spiritual defense for their community.

Class Abilities

A medicine man has all normal shaman class abilities, except as noted.

Spellcasting

Like a shaman, a medicine man knows only a small number of spells. However, each day a medicine man may change the spells he knows. When a medicine man meditates to regain her daily allotment of spells (see below), he sends forth her spirit guide to bargain with the spirits and retrieve knowledge of the specific druid spells he will be able to use that day. He can cast any spell he has retrieved at any time, assuming he has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.

Each medicine man must choose a time of day when he must spend 1 hour in quiet meditation to regain her daily allotment of spells and bargain with the spirits for the specific spells he knows on that day.

Metamagic

If a medicine man knows any metamagic feats, she applies them to her spells when she retrieves them for the day. For example, a medicine man might choose to retrieve an empowered flame strike by using a 6th-level spell known. Any time she uses flame strike during the ensuing day, she must use a 6th-level spell slot to cast it, and it is always empowered. A medicine man could use a 4th-level spell slot and a 6th-level spell slot to retrieve flame strike and empowered flame strike if she wanted to have both spells available to her in a day. A medicine man cannot choose to alter her spells with metamagic feats on the fly, as other spontaneous casters do. Medicine mans using metamagic feats do not have an increased casting time as sorcerers do.

Spirit Channel

A medicine man can use the Spirit Channel ability only against creatures he touches. Delivering a spirit channel to an unwilling target is the same as delivering a touch spell. Also, the medicine man's spirit channel ability is not limited to spirits; the medicine man can heal or hurt any creature with this ability.

Mercenary Spirits

Because the medicine man bargains with a multitude of spirits for specific services rather than developing close relations with specific favored spirits, he does not have the same link to spirits that a normal shaman has and does not receive the same protection and guidance. The medicine man lacks these shaman class abilities: Summon Allied Spirits, Blessing of the Spirits, Warding of the Spirits, Spirit Quest, Greater Blessing of the Spirits, and Spirit Destination.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

Spells
Summon Allied Spirits
Spirit Channel
Blessing of the Spirits
Warding of the Spirits
Spirit Quest
Greater Blessing of the Spirits
Spirit Destination