Shaman Kit Request: Scion of Murder
Calemyr
Member Posts: 238
Shaman, on its own, is an interesting class, but it needs kits. Elementals and spirit animals, while not bad, are fairly boring. There would be a lot of interesting possible shaman kits, like one that summons small dragons (psuedo and fairy to start), or a dread necromancer that summons undead. But there's one, inspired by ToB's epic mod Ascension, that I would really, really love to see.
Scion of Murder: Instead of summoning spirit animals and elementals, the Scion summons echoes of the souls of those bound to the Scion in murder. People who have died for or by the hands of the Scion become his weapons, with the basic pool being the generic foes you've fought by that point: goblins, bandits, maybe the sirines as well, expanding to your classics like vampires and mindflayers and such. However, you'd keep watch the "death" variables for certain named inviduals. If you kill Carbos in Candlekeep, he's one of the potential summons, along with other bounty hunters like Nimbul and Tarvesh, bosses like Sarevok and Mulahey. Also pick a number of powerful people who don't have it coming as well, giving you access to powerful summons early if you are willing to revel in evil and murder in the name of power. Add in additional options based on plot, such as the BG1 characters after you witness their grisly murders in BG2. Note that these are "echoes" of the people who were murdered, and details like potential resurrection and actual power need not be considered. The echoes of the generics would not necessarily wield the powers of their original selves, but rather a power level equivalent to the tier they'd get summoned on.
Basically, the Scion of Murder plays two ways, depending on who you are. If you're good, you draw from the friends and family you've lost and the trials you've overcome. If you're evil, every life you take adds to your power and makes what used to be pointless and petty murders into brutal bids to expand your options, and truly be powerful because of your evil for once, not in spite of it.
Obviously, this kit would not work outside of the Baldur's Gate games, nor would it be effective for any player character other than the Bhaalspawn. However, one thing I've always felt BG never properly explored was what it meant to be Bhaalspawn: all it did was a few little divine innates or an underwhelming and self-damaging shapeshift, while you were no more of a monster than just about anyone else in your party. This strikes me as an interesting way to use a new class to make a very narrative-aligned run at that shortcoming, though I admit it would take more effort than cutting spells per level by 1 and adding a few extra abilities over the levels.
Scion of Murder: Instead of summoning spirit animals and elementals, the Scion summons echoes of the souls of those bound to the Scion in murder. People who have died for or by the hands of the Scion become his weapons, with the basic pool being the generic foes you've fought by that point: goblins, bandits, maybe the sirines as well, expanding to your classics like vampires and mindflayers and such. However, you'd keep watch the "death" variables for certain named inviduals. If you kill Carbos in Candlekeep, he's one of the potential summons, along with other bounty hunters like Nimbul and Tarvesh, bosses like Sarevok and Mulahey. Also pick a number of powerful people who don't have it coming as well, giving you access to powerful summons early if you are willing to revel in evil and murder in the name of power. Add in additional options based on plot, such as the BG1 characters after you witness their grisly murders in BG2. Note that these are "echoes" of the people who were murdered, and details like potential resurrection and actual power need not be considered. The echoes of the generics would not necessarily wield the powers of their original selves, but rather a power level equivalent to the tier they'd get summoned on.
Basically, the Scion of Murder plays two ways, depending on who you are. If you're good, you draw from the friends and family you've lost and the trials you've overcome. If you're evil, every life you take adds to your power and makes what used to be pointless and petty murders into brutal bids to expand your options, and truly be powerful because of your evil for once, not in spite of it.
Obviously, this kit would not work outside of the Baldur's Gate games, nor would it be effective for any player character other than the Bhaalspawn. However, one thing I've always felt BG never properly explored was what it meant to be Bhaalspawn: all it did was a few little divine innates or an underwhelming and self-damaging shapeshift, while you were no more of a monster than just about anyone else in your party. This strikes me as an interesting way to use a new class to make a very narrative-aligned run at that shortcoming, though I admit it would take more effort than cutting spells per level by 1 and adding a few extra abilities over the levels.
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Comments
And it would give a great reason to play as an evil character, since your powers would grow much more being able to slay anyone you thought would be a great summon later on... *cough* Drizzt *cough*
Personally, I'd certainly like to see more Shaman kits as well. Preferable authentic ones that match real life Shamanism in some way.
For example: an Śramaṇic Shaman kit could certainly deal with the spirits of the dead, the energies of the living and the concept of "reincarnation". The continents of Zakhara and Kara-Tur alike are familiar with similar doctrines and could be used for tying such a kit into the game world.
Another direction for Shamans that deal with the dead (both corporeal and incorporeal) would be Vodun/Vodou. More commonly known as Voodoo. Maztica, Chult and other jungle regions most likely have such teachings.
On a side note, there is an official Dragon Shaman prestige class as well. Although I'm not a fan of that one. Given that it's a fighter with "auras" instead of a caster with "spells".
Shamans were indeed officially implemented within Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Maybe even prior to that in OD&D. You can read about them within Faiths & Avatars, page 187, for instance. Many specialty priests of Faerunien deities are actually Shamans themselves, not Clerics. Chances are that they were even featured within Matzica's AD&D campaign setting, although I'm not too familiar with its books.
What beamdog did with their Shaman has little to no connection with AD&D second edition's Shaman though. Nor does it have much to do with any official Shaman class in later editions. Of course, this goes even more so for real life Animism. It is a class completely designed by themselves. Nothing more, nothing less.
For me, I am a slave to the narrative. I want to see a good story told, regardless of the elements that embody it. The whole demi-god condition was something I would have loved to see explored deeper. Personally, my own headcannon is that the main character is the Scion not because s/he has more of Bhaal's essence, but rather that, by virtue of constant adventuring, they have killed more things than even the greats like Sendai and Yuga Shura have. Through self defense, mercenary work, and general heroism, they've become more entwined with death than even those who actively seek to replace their father. The whole Scion of Murder thing could be a stylish way to represent it.