What is a spirit (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

What is a Spirit?

Several of the animist' and shugenja's abilities affect spirits. For purposes of the these abilities, a “spirit” includes all of the following creatures:

• All aberrations
• All constructs
• All dragons
• All fey
• All magical beasts
• All monstrous humanoids
• All humanoids of the giant or shapechanger subtypes
• All outsiders
• All creatures of the Plant type (not normal plants)
• All undead
• Creatures created by spells, such as animate object.
• Creatures summoned by spells, such as summon nature's ally.
• Creatures in astral, ethereal, or incorporeal form.

In the shaman's or shugenja’s worldview, elementals and fey are simply spirits of nature, and undead are spirits of the dead. Magical beasts, constructs, plants, giants, monstrous humanoids, and aberrations are either spirit-possessed or spirits bound in corporeal form.

A simple way to change the animists power is to change what spirits are in your game. At the bare minimum, dragons, fey, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, outsiders, and undead should be spirits. A more generous definition of spirits might include anyone capable of casting 7th level spells, which makes high level spellcasters into spirits, including animists themselves.

Enshrined Spirits

In cultures where animist and shugenja are common, it is normal practice to enshrine spirits. This uses the seal spirit power, and the sealed spirit is not hidden away. Rather it is made into the focal point of a shrine or temple, venerated, and kept placated. Whole religious orders can be dedicated to keeping a powerful or destructive spirit sealed. Shugenja seek out such shrines because they can learn spells from them, but those guarding such a site often demand some kind of service or fee from a strange shugenja before they let him into the presence of the spirit. A normal fee would be the same as that for casting a spell of the level the spirit can teach.