The Shaman of Sarran

Quick Build

You can create a Shaman of Sarran quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose an appropriate background for your campaign or setting.

Class Features

As a Shaman of Sarran, you gain the following class features

Trainee's Totems

Beginning at 1st level, you can carve up totems during a short rest, using your totem making kit. Roll 1d4 for each type of totem you want to make. You can carve up a number of totems equal to the score of the roll. You can do this 2 times per short rest, and 4 times during a long rest.

You also need to have a component such as wood or bone, which you then carve into a totem of a particular type. If you do not have components, you cannot carve any totems. Components can be easily found in nature, such as branches from trees, bones from dead animals or skeletons, rocks or pebbles. During the carving, you recite a specific chant in your mind, to bind an element to the totem. Each totem takes 1 minute to carve. Each totem is no bigger than your fist, and represents a crudely carved representation of anything from nature.

You can then place a totem on the ground, in or outside of combat. The totem's effects begin immediately and they last for 1 minute, or until destroyed or detonated. The totem has a range of 30ft and also be thrown up to 30ft away from you. All creatures found inside the totem's range are affected by it. All totems have 1 hit point and an AC of 15 + your Intelligence modifier.

You can have up to 2 different totems active at one time. Each totem placed on the ground also increase your AC by 1 point for the duration, as well as that of your allies. Once the effects have worn off, the totem crumbles to a fine mist. Each totem requires one bonus action to place.

*For each of the following levels gained in the Shaman of Sarran class: 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19, you add an extra 1 point bonus to your Earth, Water, Air, and Fire totems.

Dreamwalk

Beginning at 1st level, during a long rest, whilst asleep, you can enter a state of lucid dreaming, enabling you to tear open a crack into the Lands of Forever. Whilst there, you can pursue a number of activities, such as binding spirits to you or communing with dead souls. Once awake, you are granted various boons, depending on what you have done during your dreamwawlk.

You can dreamwalk every time you take a long rest, but can bind spirits only once per week. The are a few other activities which you can take during dreamwalking, as described below, along with any possible reward they may bring.

• Explore when dreamwalking, you can just explore the Lands of Forever in order to know more about it, and through it, know more about the Living World. When you wake up, you have advantage to your next Intelligence: Nature and/or Arcana check. If unused in the next 24 hours, the advantage is lost, as your memory of the dreamwalk starts to decay.
• Commune when dreamwalking, you can do so for the purpose of finding a specific soul of a dead person, at the request of someone alive. The dead soul must have been a relative of the person alive, no matter how far in the line. You can take a message from the dead soul back to the relative in the Living World, or vice versa.
• Saran's Guidance when dreamwalking, you can seek Saran itself, the warden of the gates between the Living World and the Lands of Forever and seek his guidance on things to come. When awake, you gain +1 to your attack rolls and AC for the next 24 hours.

At later levels, and by following the Path of the Dreaming Shaman archetype, you gain additional features related to dreamwalking.

Friend of the Beasts

Beginning at 1st level, you can communicate and give simple orders to any beast with a Challenge Rating equal to 0. This feature acts as the Speak with Animals spell, but its effect is permanent. Additionally, you do not need to roll for a Persuasion check when attempting to persuade the beast.

Spellcasting

By 2nd level, you have learned to pull at the strings of Sarran's power and are now able to cast spells.

Archetype Choice

Beginning at level 3, you can choose one of the 2 available paths for this class. You can pick between either The Path of the Dreaming Shaman or The Path of the Sarran's Warden. Each path has a number of features available right from the beginning, with more granted at levels 7, 15, and 20. The archetype choices are further described at the end of this document.

Sarran's Gift

At level 3, you learn how to shift into the body of a beast with a CR no greater than 0 which you can see. Whilst in this form, you retain all of your attributes and skills, in addition to gaining the actions and features of the beast you shifted into. You cannot speak, however, as the beast cannot make the sounds required for speech. You retain your own thoughts and memory for the duration and can communicate through signs or other methods with your allies and other beasts. You are restricted to shift into beasts that can only walk on land. Once you have shifted out it, the beast resumes its existence as if it were unaware of what has happened.

The shift can take up to a number of minutes equal to double your level in this class. You can end it early, at will. You can shift twice and can recover your expended uses once you have completed a long rest. You cannot shift during combat, and you revert to your original self automatically when you enter it.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Soul Leash

When you reach 5th level, you can leash your soul to another living creature's soul. Sarran's powers manifest through the leash and confers a boon or a hex, depending on the leashed creature. This feature requires a bonus action to perform.

• When you leash an allied creature, whilst the leash is active, you both gain 1d8 temporary hit points at the start of each turn (they do not stack). These hit points are removed first before the leashed creature's own hit points are affected. Add an extra 1d4 for each level gained in this class beyond level 5.
• When you leash an enemy creature, whilst the leash is active, you can attack that enemy creature twice per turn with your weapon, and add your Intelligence modifier to the attack and damage rolls each time.

At level 13, you can leash 2 creatures at the same time, however, you need to use a bonus action for each leash cast.

At level 19, you can use a leash to bring down a flying creature and hold it there for the duration of the leash.

Swarm

At level 6, during combat, as an action, you can call on a swarm of critters to attack your target. Choose a type of beast with CR0. Roll 1d20. The score represents how many critters have heeded your call. They appear as if out of nowhere, in a great swarm, attacking your target. Each critter deals 1 point of damage and then dashes out of sight. Additionally, the target loses more hit points, equal to half of the initial damage as physical damage, at the start of its turn, before it takes any actions. Once used, this feature cannot be used again until the end of a long rest.

---

The die for this feature increases by an additional 1d4 for each level gained in this class beyond level 6.

Shaman's Totems

At level 9 you have learned how to make and use of 2 new totems.

For each of the following levels gained in the Shaman of Sarran class: 12, 16, and 19, you add 1 point bonus to your Lava totem's damage. The number of creatures the Breeze totem can remove a charm effect from, increases incrementally by 1 upon reaching levels 12, 16, and 19 in this class. The totems always removes charm effects from the nearest charmed allied creatures to it and in range.

Warden of Sarran

Beginning at 10th level, you have learned enough about the ways beings from the Lands of Forever fight. You gain a bonus to your AC, total hit points and attack roll equal to 1d4 when fighting against undead, celestial, fiend, outsider or elemental beings. This bonus is applied whenever entering combat against such creatures, or by being struck, or striking such creatures. The die number is increased by 1 for every level gained after level 10.

Soul Blast

Beginning at level 11, during combat, whilst you have an active leash, you can use Soul Blast to detonate it, affecting you as well as your leashed creature. Once detonated, you cannot leash another creature until the start of your next combat. This feature requires a bonus action to perform. After the 13th level, you can leash a 2nd creature, regardless whether you have detonated your 1st leash or not.

• Detonating the leash between yourself and a friendly creature creates an invisible shield around each of you, which automatically reflects the next successful incoming enemy spell that deals direct damage, back to the caster. You retain the temporary hit points, however they are not renewed once the leash has been detonated.
• Detonating the leash between yourself and an enemy creature damages the creature whilst healing you for the amount. The damage and the heal is equal to the total points of damage you dealt to the leashed creature with you last two attacks made with a weapon this turn.

Once used, Soul Blast cannot be used again until you have completed a short rest.

Sarran's Favor

At level 13, you receive an improved version of Sarran's Gift. You can now shift into any beast with CR no greater than 0, that you can see. You can also fly, or swim underwater, if the creature you have shifted into can also do any of these things. The duration has also been increased to a number of minutes equal to four times the level in this class.

Sarran's Totems

At level 14 you have learned how to make and use of 2 new totems.

For each of the following levels gained in the Shaman of Sarran class: 16, and 19, you add 1 point bonus to your Storm and Flood totems' damage output.

Wisdom of the Ancestors

At level 17, you can call on the spirit of a past living sentient being, to help answer a riddle or a puzzle. You must have a personal object which belonged to the spirit whist alive and chant above it for 10 minutes. When the spirit appears, you must specify the way in which you wish it to aid you. You can either request an extra hint to be revealed, or to grant you advantage to your next History, Arcana, or Religion ability check made in regards to the current puzzle or riddle you are trying to decipher.

In order for the spirit to grant you its aid, you must first roll a Charisma: Persuation check against DC 15 in order to persuade it in doing so, as the spirits do not like being brought over into the Living World in this manner.

If you succeed, you get the aid from the spirit, as requested. If you fail the ability check, you can try again, but every successive try increases the DC by 2 points. Once the spirit has granted you its aid, it vanishes back to the Lands of Forever, and you cannot use this feature again until you have completed a long rest. At that time, the DC resets to 15.

Conduit of Sarran

At level 18, you can have up to 4 totems active at the same time, up from 2. In addition, you use a bonus action on your turn to detonate all active totems and recover spell slots equal to the number of totems detonated. You regain the use of this feature once you have completed a long turn.

The Path of the Dreaming Shaman

Beginning at 3rd level, you may choose to follow the Path of the Dreaming Shaman archetype, which focuses on dreamwalking and supporting your allies. Upon picking this archetype, you receive a few features, described below, whilst more are given at levels 7, 15, and 20.

Leash Elemental Spirit

Beginning at 3rd level, whilst dreamwalking, you may search for an elemental spirit, and when you have successfully binded to it, you may choose to bring it back with you into the physical world. For the next 24 hours, during a fight, you can summon the elemental spirit you have binded to by using your action on your turn. Once summoned, the elemental spirit will take its action immediately, and then disappear.

Elemental Spirits

All elementals summoned appear vaguely humanoid, lacking distinctive features such as eyes or mouths, or even limbs, and seeming completely engulfed in the element they represent. They do not walk, but float at a short distance from the ground. They cannot exist for long in the Living World, thus each elemental disappears back to the Lands of Forever after it takes its action.

Once the summoned elemental has completed its action, or when 24 hours have passed with summoning it, you lose the bind to it, and you will need to dreamwalk again in order to bind a new elemental spirit.

---

You lose the immunity to its elemental type when you summon the elemental spirit, which you can do every 24 hours, and must spend at least a long rest before being able to summon another one.

Earth Elemental

You can point the location at which you wish to summon this elemental, up to 15 feet away from you. The location must be unoccupied. The Earth elemental appears and solidifies in its place. A faint, orange glow envelops it, and red cracks appear across it, with lava oozing out of them. The elemental stays in place for 1 minute, unable to move, or to act.

---

The next magical attacks made by an enemy against you, or any allied creature, whilst the elemental is in place, are absorbed entirely by it. The number of magical attacks absorbed is equal to half of your Intelligence modifier, rounded up. Once the elemental has absorbed the maximum numbers of spell, it disappears. It cannot absorb any area of effect spells.

---

For spells or magical effects that travel from creature to creature, only the first number of creatures, equal to your Intelligence modifier, rounded down, are immune from the spell's effects, as every creature in the chain is considered as single target.

Air Elemental

Once summoned, the elemental spins around you until it morphs into a gentle wind that rushes above and around all allied creatures, causing light enough objects to lift up into the air. The wind dissipates after a short while and you and all of your allies have been granted Air's protection.

---

The next non-magical ranged attacks made by an enemy against you, or any allied creature, are deflected. The number of ranged attacks absorbed, is equal to our Intelligence modifier, rounded up.

---

Every time a projectile is deflected, it has a chance to be sent back to the attacker. The intended target of the deflected projectile may roll a d20. If the score is an even number, the projectile has been successfully sent back to the attacker and the intended target may roll for attack, adding their own attack bonuses and adding the projectile's original weapon hit bonus to the score. If it hits, the attacker takes the damage.

Water Elemental

You can point the location at which you wish to summon this elemental, up to 15 feet away from you. The location must be unoccupied. Once summoned, the elemental appears as if from thin air, by using the moisture in the air and any bodies of water in its vicinity to take shape. Thin tendrils form up in the air, spinning slowly into each other, forming threads, which meet other threads and so on, until the elemental is fully formed. It spins faster and faster, splashing all creatures around it in a 60ft radius with water and then crashes to the ground, leaving a pool of water which slowly seeps into the ground, as it disappears.

---

All enemy creatures splashed with the elemental waters have been hexed, and the next spell that hits them, which deals direct damage, has its damage dice increased by a number equal to its attacker's Intelligence modifier. For spells such as Magic Missile, only the first magical "projectile" is considered for the bonus.

---

The number of spells cast that receive this bonus is equal to your Intelligence modifier and they can be cast be any allied creature, including yourself, provided that you or your ally have been splashed by the elemental's water.

Totem Power

At level 15, your totems have increased powers. Refer to the table below for a description of each totem's empowerment:

Sarran's Glory

At level 20 in this archetype, you can call on Sarran's Glory. As an action, you can recite one of the fabled deeds of Sarran, in order to strengthen the resolve of your allies. Upon hearing your words, any friendly creatures inside a radius of 60ft centered on you receive the boon Sarran's Glory, including yourself. For the next 6 seconds (1 turn), the hit points of any allied creature with the boon will not go down below 1, regardless of how much damage they have suffered.

Once used, this feature cannot be used again until you have completed a long rest. You can only use this feature if all of your allies are below their maximum hit points.

The Path of Sarran's Warden

Beginning at 3rd level, you may choose to follow the Path of the Sarran's Warden archetype, which focuses on meeting your enemies head on. Upon picking this archetype, you receive a few features, described below, whilst more are given at levels 7, 15, and 20.

Heavy Armor

At level 3, upon picking this archetype, you receive proficiency with Heavy armors, however you are restricted to Ring and Chain mail types.

Shelter

At level 3, you can raise your shield to defend yourself against any incoming projectiles. You receive +2 bonus to your AC when defending against any physical ranged attacks for the next 6 seconds (1 turn)

Bash'n'Crush

At level 7, you have learned how to put your might behind the shield. As an action, on your turn, you can attempt to bash a target with your shield and render it prone. Make a normal weapon attack for your shield. You may add the shield's AC class bonus to the roll. If you are not in melee range of your target, and have not moved yet this turn, you can charge it from a distance up to your maximum speed and add a further +1 to your attack roll for every 10ft traversed. If you have successfully attacked the target, you do not deal any damage to it, but you render it prone instead and get a free attack against it, with your weapon.

---

The targeted creature must be maximum one size larger than you.

Totem Grip

At level 15, your totems also slow any enemy creatures inside their radius to half their normal speed and become immune to all magical damage.

Gift of Life

At level 20, upon taking lethal damage, you can attempt to use the Gift of Life, a skill learned from Sarran itself.

---

Upon your hit points dropping to 0, as a reaction, you can attempt to use the Gift of Life. You may roll a percentage die. If the score is above 50%, you recover half of your total hit points. If the score is below 50%, you recover 1/4th of your total hit points.

---

In order to be able to use this feature, you must have previously dreamwalked. Once used, this feature cannot be used again until you have completed a long rest and have dreamwalked.

End Notes

This is a class I have designed for a prehistoric themed setting, however I have left the descriptions somewhat vague, as to be easily translated to other settings as well, thus the simple concepts of the Living World, which is the real, physical world, and the "underworld", or the "otherworld", or the World of Forever as it is called by the shamans, which is a sort of plane of existence for spirits and elements.

I wanted to play around with the idea of a shaman class being a more tanky class, without having to wear really heavy armors and tower shields. As a half-caster, I wanted him to rely on a kit related to nature and elemental spells, and combine those with totem and the ability to dreamwalk.

This is not the final version, some features may change or disappear entirely as I revise and polish it further, but for the moment I'm pretty happy with this kit. Some of the features may feel overpowered or underpowered. Without more playtesting, I can't really be sure at this time, so play this class at your own risk / pleasure.

Also, the text is in beta. Before the final version, it will go through another pass for typos, grammatical errors and the likes.