Zealots of the faith, holy ascetics, and vile priests of dark gods: the Shaman walks the lands shrouded in the protections of his divine Patron, laying horrific afflictions upon the enemies of the faith. Rob the unbelievers of their sight, scald their veins with horrific diseases, cause the strongest of warriors to become as weak as babies, strike down your enemies with holy vengeance, and cause the very flesh to rot from your victims. The shaman is the embodiment of his God's power: he has the ability to defeat any foe and no one finds slaying him easy.

The strengths of the shaman include:

Nearly unsurpassed maelidictive abilities. For any foe the shaman has an option. He can prevent magical and divine transportation in more ways than anyone else, making escape difficult. He can rob his foes of both their mental energies and their ability to move in a variety of ways. The can force warriors to drop their weapons with more ease than any other class, and has the unique ability to kill nearly anyone by sapping their constitution via the rot commune. Shamans have an offensive arsenal that is nearly unsurpassed.

Shamans are built like bricks. They have exceptional damage reduction via holy protection and sanctuary. Few people will find that they can damage a shaman quickly. Common command denial techniques such as bashing and bearcharging are rendered ineffective due to their ability to shroud themselves in a protective shield. The can mend their own wounds with healing prayers. Additionally, they can cure themselves of blindness, disease, and poison: three of the most common and debilitating maladies in Thera. If all of this fails them, Shamans can pray for their god to send them to their hometown with a Word of Recall, giving them an effective last ditch panic button in the event that they are beaten in combat.

Because of this combination of maelidictive offense and self healing, Shamans are the masters of war by attrition. A shaman kills via a thousand cuts, and has the ability to wear down a foe that is unmatched. Shamans also have the ability to dish out the pain with their direct damage supplications such as demonfire and fatigue.

Shamans are one of the few classes that retain the ability to locate any object, and can also identify any object. Additionally, shamans can summon forth their foes and other creatures to fight on their terms, or reclothe and rearm. This utility combined with their toughness and offensive versatility means that Shamans are anything but one dimensional.

Shamans are unique in their ability to dispel both communes and spells, making them invaluable in group versus group combat. Groups that include a healer often have little fear, but if they see an enemy group that includes a shaman, suddenly the surety of their position is in question. Healers, druids and paladins all fear shamans more than they fear nearly anyone else.

Shamans must ask an Immortal for their power, meaning that their lives will be watched closely. Preach the faith well and smite your enemies with success, and you will be rewarded with the powers and favor of the divine.

Weaknesses of the shaman include:

As the favor of your God is a great blessing, so to is insighting his wrath. A shaman who does not uphold the tenants of his faith will find himself stripped of his powers and in great danger.

Shamans cannot inherently fly, and so can be tripped with ease. A shaman will want to find an outside source of flight, and use it often so as not to be easy picking for opportunistic thieves and assassins

Shamans cannot effectively command-deny their opponents. Shamans win most of the fights they encounter, but often will find foes slipping through their grasp at the last moment. This can be counteracted by having an expansive knowledge of Theran geography and relentlessly hunting down your foes. Alternatively, having a warrior or assassin about to lag your foes means sure death for nearly anyone.

Shamans have powerful supplications, but foes that equip themselves to effectively save against communes and spells will often foil a shamans ability to maelidict them. A shaman who cannot wear down his foe via those supplications will often find himself running for the hills. This can be offset by a shamans ability to curse and damn his foe, weakening his ability to resist his offensive communes.