Spirit Shaman

Formal descriptions still in the works!

Design Note: This class is a druid that loses wildshape and gains metamagic and access to the warlock's spell list, as well as a sort of familiar-like companion that provides more passive benefits and less exploration benefits than Find Familiar. It has not been playtested and there's probably some game-breaking multiclass options, but it has some excellent flavor and RP options and should not be more powerful than many official options. 

Bonus Cantrip

You learn one additional cantrip, selecting from the following: Guidance, Spare the Dying, Resistance, or Chill Touch. 

Metamagic

Unlike the druids, your magical talents lie in manipulating the weave of magic itself, not in manipulating your own body. You lose the Wildshape ability, but gain a maximum number of sorcery points equal to your proficiency bonus, and you learn two metamagic options of your choice from the Sorcerer Metamagic options. You can regain sorcery points as a sorcerer does; you also regain all expended metamagic points on a long rest.  Additionally, once per day, you can regain your spent sorcery points derived from this feature on a short rest. 

Bonus Spells

 

Druid Level	Spells
2nd	Bane, Inflict Wounds
3rd	misty step, see invisibility
5th	Speak with Dead, Spirit Guardians
7th	Locate Creature, Death Ward
9th	Antilife Shell, Dispel Evil and Good
11th	Magic Jar
13th	Resurrection

Spirit Guide

You gain the companionship of a spirit that shares your goals and aids you in your quests. Work with the DM to determine the form and personality of your spirit guide; any tiny Beast is an appropriate form for a spirit guide, but your DM may allow any other form. Normally, only you can see or hear your spirit guide, though other Spirit Shaman, spirits, creatures with Truesight, and creatures that can see into the ethereal plane can also sense them. Your spirit guide is non-corporeal; it is a extension of your own mind and soul, and therefore sense only what you can sense through your physical body. It has a flying and swimming speed of 60 ft, can move through objects and creatures, and is immune to all damage and conditions.

Your Spirit Guide grants you the following benefits:

• You may cast Augury as an Action without expending a Spell Slot (the error chance still applies for multiple castings).
• You gain one skill proficiency of your choice, as your spirit guide helps guide your words and actions. You may change this proficiency during a long or short rest. 
• You add your Wisdom modifier to Initiative rolls. 

Additionally, you can use a Bonus Action and expend a Sorcery Point to empower your Spirit Guide for one minute. When you do so, they become visible to others and lose the ability to move through creatures and objects, though they also cannot pick or move physical objects. They have hitpoints equal to your druid level, are immune to poison and nonmagical physical damage, and use your physical and mental attributes. They act either immediately before or after your turn in combat (you choose each round), and can only use their action to Dash, Disengage, Help, or cast Spare the Dying; they can also deliver any spell you cast with a range of Touch using their Reaction. If both you and the spirit cast Spare the Dying on a creature, it regains one hit point. Additionally, you can use your Action to see and hear from their space as if you were in their space. They revert to their normal, un-empowered form after one minute or if they are reduced to zero hit points or are ever more than 100 feet from you. 

Spirit Possession

When you reach 10th level, you gain mastery over the bonds that tie the soul to the body. As an Action, you can possess the corpse of a humanoid you can see within 30 feet of you, projecting your own soul into it. The DM may determine that you can possess the corpse of a non-humanoid. This possession lasts for up to ten days, until the corpse is reduced to zero hitpoints, until your spirit is Turned or expelled from it by a spell such as [Tooltip Not Found]). 

A possessed body has Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of 10, a movement speed of 30 ft, no racial features, and cannot be healed except by effects that heal undead (spending hit dice can heal you). You retain your mental ability scores (including racial bonuses) and class features, including hit dice. The DM may determine that a particular corpse has different statistics. The corpse is undead, but this is only visible without the aid of magic if the corpse is visibly damaged or decayed, or by physical inspection that reveals signs of undeath (such as the lack of a heart beat). If a creature does not realize the body is undead, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) or (Performance) checks to pose as that creature. 

You can also use this ability if you die and there is an eligible corpse within 500 feet of you have not previously possessed and that has not been protected by magic or appropriate burial rituals (as determined by the DM). If a creature casts Revivify, Raise Dead, or Resurrection, or similar magic on you while your possessed form is within 5 feet of your dead body, the spell does not require a consumable material component and ignores the any time limit on resurrection that is greater than 24 hours. This feature does not work unless the spell is cast a sufficiently-complete corpse (the DM determines how much of a corpse is required). 

 

Improved Spirit Guide

As your powers improve, your connection with your spirit guide increases, as does its power. You gain the following features:

• As an Action, you learn the Commune or Divination spell, and can cast it as an Action without expending a spell slot (the failure rule still applies). You may switch spells when you complete a long rest.  
• Your spirit guide provides you with Expertise in one skill of your choosing; you may change this on a long rest.
• While Empowered, your Spirit Guide can move through solid objects and creatures as if they were difficult terrain, taking 6 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside of a creature or object. 
• If your spirit guide is Empowered and you fail a Constitution Saving throw to maintain Concentration on a spell, you can use your reaction and expend one Sorcery Point to end the empowerment and succeed on the Saving throw.