Orc Shaman
Orc Shaman (CR 5)
Orc Shaman are common additions to Orc raiding parties, though there tend to be very few of them. As a general rule, Orcs favor brute savagery over the more complex and time-consuming deep-thought required to attune oneself to the forces of nature and wield them as weapons. Of course, Orc Shaman are not looked down upon once they achieve this arsenal, as such derision is often corrected with great pleasure and showmanship. Needless to say, few orcs need more than three or four reminders of why you don't pick on the runty orc in robes. (It's not that the average orc is dumb, it's just that they need to be sure it wasn't a fluke the first few times.)
Orc Shaman have spent years cultivating a relationship with one or more nature spirits native to the area their tribe calls home. They are spontaneous casters, like sorcerers. While they are also quite capable with a quarterstaff, they eschew its use in combat, relying in their magical prowess to smite their foes and bring honor to their clan.
GENERAL
CR 5 Hit Dice 7
XP 1,600
CE Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Init +3; Senses Low-Light 120 ft., Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+4 dex, +7 armor)
hp 52
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: -
Immunities: -
Weaknesses: -
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Single Melee quarterstaff +10 (1d8+5/19-20x2)
Full Melee quarterstaff +10 (1d8+5/19-20x2)
Ranged none
Special Attacks Lightning Strike, Thunderstorm, Gust Front
Action Points 0
STATISTICS
Str 11, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 19
Base Atk +5; CMB +11; CMD 22
Feats Combat Casting (+4 to concentration checks)
Skills Knowledge: Arcana +9
Languages Giant, Common
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Concentration Checks for Combat Casting: d20 + 13 vs DC of 21 for all spells. (Includes Combat Casting feat)
- Lightning Strike (Sp)
As a standard action, the Orc Shaman can cast Lightning Strike, dealing 3d6 damage to one target within 50 feet and one additional target within 10 feet of the first target. Targets may make a Reflex save, DC 14, for half damage.
- Thunderstorm (Sp)
Once per encounter as a standard action, the Orc Shaman may cast Thunderstorm. The shaman selects a 20-foot radius area within 100 feet of him, which becomes engulfed in a Thunderstorm, with dark clouds, strong winds, heavy rains and flashes of lightning. Torches are immediately extinguished, and any sources of bright light are reduced to dim light (though dim light remains dim light). All creatures inside the area are buffeted by high winds, making any movement in the spell's area of effect cost twice as much as normal (normal squares cost 10 move, rough terrain costs 20 move).
Up to once per round as a swift action, the Orc Shaman may cause one creature within the area of effect of the Thunderstorm to be struck by a bolt of lightning, dealing 2d6 points of damage. The struck creature may make a Reflex save, DC 14, for half damage.
As a move action, the Orc Shaman may sustain the thunderstorm for an additional round. Furthermore, as part of the same move action, the Orc Shaman may move the area of the Thunderstorm up to 10 feet in any direction. On any round in which he does not sustain the thunderstorm after the first, the thunderstorm's effects end at the bottom of the round.
In the event that multiple Orc Shaman are present in the encounter, they are not restricted to using their own Thunderstorm to invoke the lightning effect. However, no Orc Shaman may invoke the lightning effect more than once per round, regardless of how many Thunderstorm effects may be available. Thunderstorm effects can be stacked on top of one another, though it grants no benefits or penalties to the spell's effects.
- Gust Front (Sp)
As a move action, the Orc Shaman may cast a Gust Front, which creates an extremely powerful gust of wind in a 15-foot cone adjacent to them. Any creatures caught in the radius of the Gust Front must make a Fortitude save or be pushed 20 feet away from the Orc Shaman and are knocked prone. Those succeeding on their saves are still knocked back to a space just beyond the radius of the Gust Front's radius, though they are not knocked prone.
This spell creates forced movement as a Push, which must always move the affected creatures away from the Orc Shaman, though the exact path and final space of the Push can be chosen by the Orc Shaman, as long as no square of the path brings them any closer to the Shaman, and the total movement is no greater than the spell's outcome allows. Note that creatures suffering forced movement cannot be pushed into an occupied space, and if they are pushed into a space which would cause them damage or inflict a status condition, they receive an additional Reflex Save (DC 14) to stop their movement in the square just prior to the hazard.
TREASURE
sell value of approximately 1,375 gp
COMBAT TACTICS
In a fight, the Orc Shaman will hang back and let any accompanying orc warriors get into melee before they engage their targets. They will have trained their warriors to establish a straight forward line of skirmish, to hold the enemy away from them while they cast, and also create a clear line beyond which their spells can safely avoid killing allies.
In the first round, the orc shaman will use Thunderstorm to dim the lights and hamper movement. As a standard action, they will strike an enemy within 30 with Lightning Strike, or use the standard action to move closer to the fight if no one is in range. As a swift, they will use the lightning ability of the Thunderstorm to attack the rear ranks of the enemy.