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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: PencilBoy99 on March 18, 2015, 10:03:06 AM

Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: PencilBoy99 on March 18, 2015, 10:03:06 AM
"Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff" podcast had a great bit about changing the Cleric class so that it was more like authentic polytheism (e.g.,  summoning spirits, interacting w/ the spirit world, taking psychotropic drugs to achieve visions). Is there any OSR/Hack or something out there that has mechanics and fluff for this explicitly?

Also, is there any OSR/Hack or something that has mechanics for a more medieval-style faith powered monotheistic cleric (witch hunter) sort of thing? Where the "cleric" has only a handful of abilities but they are of the Witch Hunter sort.
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: Turanil on March 18, 2015, 01:26:16 PM
My own OSR game makes priest classes different. It might fit your bill, or not. Just download the free PDF to see if it suits your needs. Link below:
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: The Butcher on March 18, 2015, 02:24:55 PM
Quote from: PencilBoy99;820822"Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff" podcast had a great bit about changing the Cleric class so that it was more like authentic polytheism (e.g.,  summoning spirits, interacting w/ the spirit world, taking psychotropic drugs to achieve visions). Is there any OSR/Hack or something out there that has mechanics and fluff for this explicitly?

The Druid class wont cut it for you? ACKS reskins the Druid as a Shaman, and AS&SH has a Shaman class distinct from the Druid.

AD&D 2e's Al-Qadim campaign setting had the Sha'ir class that gained spells from petiotioning genies. Substitute genies for animistic spirits for a workable Shaman (or fiends, for an interesting old school take on the Warlock).
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: Ronin on March 18, 2015, 06:32:40 PM
Sabres and Witchery sounds like what your looking for. The hunter class is witchhunter that can turn undead and fights. The magus, is a magic user/cleric (Not a warrior) that can cast spells, and turn undead. I think the game could be played or easily hacked into what your looking for.

Sabres and Witchery (http://beyondbeliefgames.webs.com/Sabres_Witchery%20v1.pdf)
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: talysman on March 18, 2015, 07:17:50 PM
Quote from: PencilBoy99;820822"Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff" podcast had a great bit about changing the Cleric class so that it was more like authentic polytheism (e.g.,  summoning spirits, interacting w/ the spirit world, taking psychotropic drugs to achieve visions). Is there any OSR/Hack or something out there that has mechanics and fluff for this explicitly?

Clerics Without Spells (http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com/2011/05/clerics-without-spells.html) is specifically about making clerical power focused on commanding spirits using the Turn Undead mechanic. That's all clerics,  but works great for shamans, too. I re-used the mechanic for a couple other classes based around telling something to do what you want: beast-masters, bards, mesmerists, conjurors.

I submitted it to Fight On! as "Miracles Gone Wild!" but I don't remember if it made it into an issue. Here is the write-up for that version. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nUjg5DTIzxYKNGsJhDlVZPpBfJ5lGm_Dj2G1DS_h7ww/edit?usp=docslist_api)

QuoteAlso, is there any OSR/Hack or something that has mechanics for a more medieval-style faith powered monotheistic cleric (witch hunter) sort of thing? Where the "cleric" has only a handful of abilities but they are of the Witch Hunter sort.

Here's one from the B/X Blackrazor blog (http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2010/04/bx-witch-hunter.html).
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: Simon W on March 19, 2015, 03:16:25 AM
Quote from: Ronin;820893Sabres and Witchery sounds like what your looking for. The hunter class is witchhunter that can turn undead and fights. The magus, is a magic user/cleric (Not a warrior) that can cast spells, and turn undead. I think the game could be played or easily hacked into what your looking for.

Sabres and Witchery (http://beyondbeliefgames.webs.com/Sabres_Witchery%20v1.pdf)

I was going to suggest this!
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: PencilBoy99 on March 19, 2015, 11:38:15 AM
Thanks!
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: Kyussopeth on March 19, 2015, 06:11:49 PM
Quote from: Turanil;820844My own OSR game makes priest classes different. It might fit your bill, or not. Just download the free PDF to see if it suits your needs. Link below:

I really like Turanil's take on clerics/priests.
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: RPGPundit on March 21, 2015, 01:43:39 AM
Quote from: Kyussopeth;821044I really like Turanil's take on clerics/priests.

As do I!  Had I seen it earlier, it would likely have changed how I handled Clerics in my Albion campaign.
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: Kyussopeth on March 21, 2015, 03:48:45 AM
Quote from: RPGPundit;821212As do I!  Had I seen it earlier, it would likely have changed how I handled Clerics in my Albion campaign.

As of now it's my favorite all time version of clerics in D&D. If I was running a homebrew D&D campaign right now I would want it to conform to Turanil's way of doing things. In general his take on magic has the benefits of OSR familiarity & the exact changes I was always too lazy to make.
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: RPGPundit on March 22, 2015, 05:56:18 AM
Quote from: Kyussopeth;821217As of now it's my favorite all time version of clerics in D&D. If I was running a homebrew D&D campaign right now I would want it to conform to Turanil's way of doing things. In general his take on magic has the benefits of OSR familiarity & the exact changes I was always too lazy to make.

It's a big part of the genius of FH&W.  It actually applies some of the "we use everything" concepts of the OSR in ways other rule-sets, even other pretty radical rule-sets don't do.  It's written the way people actually run OSR games (i.e., assuming you're not necessarily going to stick to one system, or one theme, or one style).
Title: OSR Shamans
Post by: PencilBoy99 on March 22, 2015, 09:46:03 AM
Yea, in general Fantastic Heroes and Witchery is an amazing book. I just got it.