The following class description for the Orc Shaman supercedes the Monster Spell-caster guidelines found on RC/215-7, which limit orc clerics to 6th-level. This has been done to give DMs the option of using the Orc Shaman as a high-level foe, and players the option of running a high-level humanoid PC. Still, in deference to the RC, spell-casting ability has been limited to that of a cleric of one-half the shaman's current level.
Orc shamans are tribal clerics, responsible primarily for spiritual leadership and political counsel. Unlike the warlike masses that comprise the bulk of an orc tribe, shamans are few in number and rarely talented at war-play. Instead, through their relationship with the tribe's patron Immortal, shamans wield quiet, but considerable, influence over tribal leaders, tribal enemies, and tribal members.
The position of shaman is more than holy—it is exalted, feared, and a cause for wonder amongst others. A shaman is tightly woven into his tribe's social fabric, which would quickly unravel in his absence as chieftains lack counsel, warriors want for healing, and the tribe starves for spiritual food. Indeed, tribal shamans are viewed with some awe: while the chieftain and his champions might stand to fight powerful enemies, the shaman stands before the patron Immortal himself, and lives not only to spread the Immortal's will, but actually gains magical powers as a result. As a result, shamans are fiercely protected, highly respected, and not a little feared.
The downside of such presence is the relative lack of freedom a shaman is afforded. Adventuring opportunities are few, since the shaman's place is with his tribe, tending to his humanoid flock. In addition, shamans are the recorders of history, the "memory trace" of a tribe's existence, and the final word (as the mouthpiece of the Immortal) on when an enemy is attacked, what village is plundered, and which prisoners are ransomed or killed. In other words, while the chieftain may enact a decision, the shaman actually makes it (ostensibly through divine dictates, but more practically as a result of wisdom, patience, and forethought greater than that of the chieftain himself).
That said, shamans and their ilk do have special needs—pilgrimages to make, holy artefacts to seek (always to bring more personal influence, tribal power, or both), infidels to vanquish, and campaigns to guide. While the shaman is an integral and staid part of the tribe, there are logical precedents a DM can present to the questing player of an "orc of the cloth."
Class Details
Primary Attribute: Wisdom.
Experience Bonus: 5% for Wisdom 13-15, 10% for Wisdom 16-18.
Hit Dice: 1d6 per level up to 9th level. Starting with 10th level, +1 hit point per level, and Constitution adjustments no longer apply.
Maximum Level: 36.
Armour: Any.
Weapons: Restricted to those wielded by patron Immortal; Weapon Mastery as normal PC (RC/75).
Combat: Attacks as cleric of equal level.
Special Abilities: Cast Clerical spells as cleric of 1/2 current level, Infravision (30'), and Languages (Common, Orc); at 1st-level – General Skill of Ceremony (orc Immortal); at 3rd-level – General Skill of Healing; at 6th-level – General Skill of Persuasion.
Special Abilities
Probably the most formidable of the shaman's powers is his ability to cast Clerical spells, which he does as a cleric of half his experience level. As part and parcel of this capability, the shaman learns early the proper ceremonies required by his tribe's Immortal patron; this is reflected as knowledge in the skill of the same name (RC/83).
As a shaman advances in experience, he is granted more of the knowledge typically "reserved" by the tribe's shamanist circle. Among these teachings is the Healing skill (RC/83), which is (not surprisingly) put to extensive use within a society as warlike as that of orcs. When the shaman reaches 6th-level, his influence grows such that he is a trusted and respected voice in tribal affairs, especially as a mortal translator of divine will. This influence is simulated by the automatic gain of the Persuasion skill (RC/84), and, due to his high status, skill rolls are modified by +1 for every three experience levels earned.
Orc shamans have no power over the undead.
Higher Experience Levels
At name level, orc shamans gain 2-5 lesser apprentices who, in the eyes of the tribe, serve as assistants, messengers, and overall lackeys. However, the primary job of these apprentices is to act as students of the tribe's shamanist circle—living vessels, if you will, that contain the tribe's spiritual beliefs and secular history, as well as the shamans' canon as decision-makers, power-brokers, and persuasive guides of tribal practice. Each apprentice is an orc shaman of 1st- to 4th-level.
Name level orc shamans also gain the protection of 7-12 orc champions, each of level 1-4. These bodyguards are hand-picked by the shaman, more for loyalty and intelligence than for strength or fighting ability, since the addition of a champion protectors can put the shaman in a position of even greater advantage in the tribe's political arena than normal. To be sure, many orc chieftains have been "cultivated" to the role by opportunistic shamans with a persuasive voice and good eye for political grooming (such as it is within orc society).
Experience Table
| Level | XP Req'd | Notes |
| 1 | 0 | General Skill: Ceremony (orc Immortal) |
| 2 | 1,500 | Cast spells as 1st-level cleric |
| 3 | 3,000 | General Skill: Healing |
| 4 | 6,000 | Cast spells as 2nd-level cleric |
| 5 | 12,000 | |
| 6 | 25,000 | General Skill: Persuasion; cast spells as 3rd-level cleric |
| 7 | 50,000 | |
| 8 | 100,000 | Cast spells as 4th-level cleric |
| 9 | 200,000 | |
| 10 | 300,000 | Cast spells as 5th-level cleric |
| 11 | 400,000 | |
| 12 | 500,000 | Cast spells as 6th-level cleric |
| 13 | 600,000 | |
| 14 | 700,000 | Cast spells as 7th-level cleric |
| 15 | 800,000 | |
| 16 | 900,000 | Cast spells as 8th-level cleric |
| 17 | 1,000,000 | |
| 18 | 1,100,000 | Cast spells as 9th-level cleric |
| 19 | 1,200,000 | |
| 20 | 1,300,000 | Cast spells as 10th-level cleric |
| 21 | 1,400,000 | |
| 22 | 1,500,000 | Cast spells as 11th-level cleric |
| 23 | 1,600,000 | |
| 24 | 1,700,000 | Cast spells as 12th-level cleric |
| 25 | 1,800,000 | |
| 26 | 1,900,000 | Cast spells as 13th-level cleric |
| 27 | 2,000,000 | |
| 28 | 2,100,000 | Cast spells as 14th-level cleric |
| 29 | 2,200,000 | |
| 30 | 2,300,000 | Cast spells as 15th-level cleric |
| 31 | 2,400,000 | |
| 32 | 2,500,000 | Cast spells as 16th-level cleric |
| 33 | 2,600,000 | |
| 34 | 2,700,000 | Cast spells as 17th-level cleric |
| 35 | 2,800,000 | |
| 36 | 2,900,000 | Cast spells as 18th-level cleric |