"Shamans: The Alternative to Healers"
(or, "The Swiss Army Knife of the Abandoned Realms")

By: Brains "Mmmm, brainsss..."

Why a shaman? Personally, I began to play them when I wanted to play a 
character that could stand up to the vast majority of enemies, as well as 
being able to explore and fight many tough mobs alone. This meant choosing 
a class with the fewest weaknesses vs other classes. Aside from 
illusionists (who can't stay in a fight long without illusions) or 
necromancers (same problem), this left two choices: healers and shamans. 
Healers are THE defensive class of Thera. Ultimately, that was also the 
reason I chose to be a shaman; healers seemed a little too defensive, not 
having any real offensive communes. However, a shaman can be played quite 
effectively as either a defensive class or an offensive one. Also, ranking 
evils love shamans. You won't have a hard time finding a group to rank up 
with, but as with any group of evils, be sure to watch your back! 

Other reasons include the ability to explore almost as fearlessly as a 
healer, as well as exploring some areas that are filled with aggressive 
mobs, better than a healer, given a bit of extra time. Shamans are great 
for solo play, a must for groups, and have a nice variety of "fun" 
communes, like 'blanket of darkness' and 'summon'. They can cure almost as 
many things as a healer, as well as *inflict* those nasty things on foes. 
With 'enhanced damage', shamans can be more effective at killing without 
communes than a healer. As such, they can be played in several different 
ways:
 As an invoker without 'mana shield' or 'hellstream' vs. goodies
 As a low-power ranger without pets
 As a tank-mage (healer)
Depending on your ethos, many cabals are open to you: Legion, Mystics, 
Heralds, Justice, and Assassins, any of which you can do well in.

As always, there's all sorts of interesting uses for spells and skills 
that I won't explicitly describe, although I do hint at some of them here. 
AR isn't something that should be handed to you on a plate; while there 
are some things you NEED to know to get started, ala purple potions, some 
things you should find out for yourself.


RACE COMPARISON

Duergar - The race of choice during mid-'01 and earlier. Short, fat, ugly 
suckers.
* Pros: Innate magic resistance. (This is THE reason to play a duergar. It 
basically means less hunting for svs gear and more pummeling things with 
the Vainglory while wearing red dragon armor.) High constitution means a 
good deal more base hitpoints than a human.
* Cons: Weakness to water weapons. (Just ask Farusse!) Anyone who is 
anyone knows about water cubes, and 'demonic visage' can't be used while 
the victim is blind. This means trouble, unless you can spell them up 
quickly... Low intelligence means you won't get as much mana as a human, 
though you still will get more than a dumb fire giant. Be very aware of 
'protective shield' around giant warrior-classes; if they manage to bash 
you, you will suffer a four-round lag!

Drow  -	The anti-elf. Drows have several advantages with a few 
disadvantages. 
* Pros: Autosneak, which is an absolute lifesaver when trying to flee from 
a bad fight. High max dexterity means you'll evade bash/bodyslam/trip more 
often than a human, and possibly parry more often. Intelligence is rumored 
to affect spellcasting, and as a drow, only two other races best drows in 
this department. With a max int of 24, you'll practice almost all spells 
and skills to 75% with one practice, so expect around 600 max base hp if 
you trade your extra trains in for health. You will also end up with 
around 1100 mana with a properly rolled and raised drow shaman, due to 
intelligence. Since shamans learn 'cure critical', that can translate into 
roughly 2800 total possible hitpoints! Lastly, you have 100% proficiency 
in 'infravision' and 'faerie fire'. Less communes to spam.
* Cons: Low strength means you can't carry around as much crap and can't 
physically hit as hard as any other shaman race; you are more dependant on 
your communes than other races. It is rumored that the closer you are to 
your max burden, the harder it is to recover from bash/trip/bodyslam, so 
try to pack light if you expect to get dispelled near a warrior class. Low 
constitution means you'll have to earn those spare trains for extra 
hitpoints. Unfortunately, drows have a 500xp penalty. This can extend the 
amount of time you need to rank considerably, as well as giving you an 
unfavorable PK range. The last big disadvantage for drows is the inability 
to wear mithril gear, leaving them without access to the ultimate shaman 
weapon: the cursed Vainglory.

Fire Giant - An interesting addition to the shaman races.
* Pros: Resistance to physical attacks means you'll take jack squat for 
damage against any non-magic, non-ice weapon, especially considering 
communes like 'sanctuary' and 'protection'. Max strength of 25 means you 
won't need any fancy armor or weapons to smash foes into bits with your 
second attack and enhanced damage. Insane constitution means you'll have 
the most health possible of any shaman. You also are able to wield 
two-handed weapons in one hand, so staff becomes a very useful weapon to a 
giant shaman.
* Cons: You're stupid. I don't know how much mana you can have at 50, but 
it is less than any other shamans'. You have a slight problem when it 
comes to ice and magic weapons, just like any fire giant. Also, you'll 
have a 400xp penalty, which will tend to keep you in the middle of the PK 
range possibilities.

Human - The basic race. Nothing special.
* Pros: Good PK range. No experience penalty.
* Cons: ... they're boring. ;)


COMMON SENSE TIPS

** Don't practice certain communes, such as 'cause light/serious', 'cure 
serious' (possibly 'cure light', if you like a challenge). 'Enfeeblement' 
is also of questionable use. Other potential communes/skills to ignore are 
'detect good/magic', 'know alignment', 'infravision' (but then be careful 
of thieves prying your light!), 'dispel good', and 'kick'. Convert these 
saved practices into trains for more hitpoints.
** DO PRACTICE THE 'cure disease/poison' COMMUNES!
** Follow common sense when training; master all your defenses and mace, 
at *least*. 
** When attacked by or attacking a thief, ninja, or ranger, commune 
'faerie fire' first! If they can't hide, they've lost a major advantage, 
both offensively and defensively.
** If you come across a sleeping victim, due to 'insomnia', or otherwise, 
commune 'hex', 'curse', 'deteriorate', 'weaken', 'hysteria', 'blindness' 
and 'blasphemy' before any commune that can cause physical damage, such as 
'dysentery', 'plague', or 'poison'.
** Every race except for fire giants MUST keep 'protective shield' up at 
all times. Expect to have your groupmates bash or trip you while you tank 
mobs, so never EVER run yourself too low on health while ranking. 
** Don't commune 'harm' on an enemy that is badly hurt. 'Harm's damage is 
actually based on how healthy your victim is; if he's hurt bad, the 
commune will do very little damage. Use 'demonfire' for goods and neutrals 
instead.
** Dispel magic is your greatest enemy. Always be careful around classes 
that use it; keeping your saves vs mental lower than -30 is a good idea.
** Keep the following in your pack at all times:
	scrolls of flight (5); 'fly', duh
	purple pills or green potions (3); 'teleport', for desparate 
situations
	misty potions (3); 'pass door', because you can't use 'ethereal 
passage' in combat


YOUR A.E. COMMUNES (Don't leave home without them!)

(100% means you MUST have this skill mastered to be effective. Lesser 
percentages compare the other skills and communes to the "must haves". 
Doesn't directly correspond to recommended proficiency.)

100% - Blindness, faerie fire, dispel magic, cure critical, shield block, 
parry, mace
95%  - Curse, deteriorate, phantom grasp, dysentery
90%  - Insomnia, hex, blasphemy, cure blindness, energy drain, plague, 
poison, hysteria, weaken

You should consider having these communes up all the time, or *at least* 
when in battle, for you giants
 Sanctuary         (Duh)
 Frenzy            (+8/+8 hit/damroll allows you to parry better and hit 
harder)
 Warcry            (-6 svs, +hitroll)
 Protection        (-1 svs, -30% damage from goods)
 Protective Shield (May be left off for long mage fights if no lagging 
classes or stone mercs are near)
 Armor             (A little extra -AC never hurts)
 Dark Shroud       (Useful for confusing an enemy; they can't be sure what 
communes you have up)
 Detect Invis      (In case your foe becomes invisible while trying to 
flee)
 Mass Invis        (Forces classes that don't have 'detect invis' to use 
items to see you)


DEFENSIVE STRATEGIES (When you're simply not going to win)

** Blind your foe. With the exception of paladins, healers, or fellow 
shamans, this will end the fight as soon as you flee. A blinded foe cannot 
initiate an attack. (Be aware that some enemies may be carrying multiple 
gyvel potions.) ... okay, if they use area attack spells, then stand next 
to Dagnir.
** Don't waste time on purely offensive spells such as 'harm' or 
'demonfire'.
** Run away! (Duh.) Use 'word of recall' and your purple pills or green 
potions to evade enemies.


OFFENSIVE STRATEGIES (When you have the upper hand)

** Do not blind the victim first! Almost anyone will flee immediately when 
they are blinded, and some can run away and hide well even when blinded. 
Save 'blindness' for last. This also goes for 'blasphemy'... healers and 
paladins will usually disengage immediately if you land it.
** Use certain communes before others when the target has good svs. I 
suggest 'hex', 'phantom grasp', 'curse', and 'deteriorate' be used to 
improve your chances at landing the other communes like 'dysentery', 
'plague', 'poison', or 'blasphemy'. 
** When fighting victims with bad svs, use your nastiest maledictions 
first, such as 'dysentery', 'plague', and 'hysteria'. Those three will 
make it harder for your foe to flee or recover.
** Warriors, paladins, and monks can 'counter' your initial physical 
attack. Initiate fights against these classes with a spell.


VS OTHER CLASSES

Bard        - Why are you fighting bards?
	Bards don't use any weapons you do... not yet, anyway. They might 
learn staff soon.

Berserker   - A blind zerker is a dead zerker. 'Power of Roiy' helps them 
sometimes, but keep hammering away with 'blindness'. Flee when they rage; 
you usually can't take the beating a raged zerker gives. (If you flee from 
a minotaur, be sure to get the first attack when you re-engage.) As 
always, make sure you've got 'protective shield' up; it is also VERY wise 
to be flying. Be aware that 'headbutt' can be a real headache, as you will 
be unable to commune for one in-game hour, so I suggest you flee and run 
around until it wears off.
	Use a whip against berserkers. Remember, they may cleave it!

Dark Knight - These guys are one reason you want to learn 'cure 
poison/plague'. While they are not a real threat to you by themselves, 
their charmed pet can become a problem. Blind it, and possibly commune 
'plague', poison', 'weaken', and 'insomnia' on it, especially if it is a 
unique mob. (Otherwise, he'll just summon '2.triton' and charm that one.) 
Skilled DKs fight hot and fast; make sure you are flying and have 
'protective shield' up, not only because of the DK's lag skills, but 
because of the charmie's as well. Unless you have a cursed weapon, it 
isn't a great idea to stick around if you get dirt kicked. Certain DK 
charmies also shield disarm, which is a vital part of your defense, unless 
you're using a good staff, but then again, I don't know of a decent, 
cursed staff. If you've got a DK hot on your heels and either can't or 
don't want to totally escape, run to water and fight him there. If you 
also happen to have ~-30 saves vs maledictions, you won't have to worry 
about any of the DK's spells, although you can cure yourself of any of 
them.
	DKs don't learn staff, so you might try using one against them.

Healer      - These guys are annoying. (At least they don't learn 'mana 
shield'!) 'Hex' is usually a good opener, as most healers have very good 
svs. 'Curse', 'deteriorate', and 'phantom grasp' will help you worsen 
their svs. Someone told me that healers can't cure 'insomnia'. Whether or 
not this is true, it's still a nasty commune. However, healer battles are 
generally exercises in spamming 'dispel', which is why 'hex' is a good 
thing to use first. You can generally outdamage a healer, and if the 
healer is chasing you, remember to flee and move a few rooms away each 
time the healer uses 'divine retribution'. You could just stand there and 
eat the extra damage, but why? Good svs against mental are also a must for 
extended fights with healers. However, if *they* don't have good svs for 
some reason, spell them up as mentioned in the "common sense tips", being 
sure to finish with a 'blasphemy' so they can't cure themselves.
	Healers use the same weapon types as you.

Illusionist - This class of mage can only bring you down with illusions. 
Don't think for a moment that you can last long against three enlarged, 
hasted Defilers. Things can go from bad to worse in a blink, because it is 
very likely that the illusionist will first attempt to dispel you, leaving 
you open to bash and trip and without sanctuary. As with an invoker, high 
saves against mental spells are a must. Even if the illusionist can't 
dispel you, you still can't stay in the fight for long at all. Your first 
goal is to dispel at least one illusion... if the remaining two are too 
much of a threat, dispel a second. If you dispel all three, the 
illusionist will run away and get more, so don't dispel all three and 
expect the mage to stay. (You could also try summoning away the illusions, 
although you'll need to know the name of the illusion first.) If the 
illusionist has crappy svs, 'curse' and 'insomnia' him, commune as many 
other maledictions as you think you can get on him before he runs, such as 
'dysentery', 'plague', 'poison', and 'hex', then blind him before he 
flees. This leaves him without the ability to gate or recall, although he 
can still take a chance with 'teleport'. If you're having trouble with 
mirrors, use 'earthquake' to destroy them all and engage the real 
illusionist.
	Use a mace against illusionists; use a cursed weapon if their 
illusions can disarm.

Invoker     - This is the most dangerous foe you will face, due to the use 
of a single spell... 'mana shield'. 'Mana shield' is the most broken spell 
in the game, due to the fact that it makes almost every spell or commune 
fail against it, and is extremely difficult to dispel. (I don't recommend 
trying to dispel 'mana shield' unless you are obviously winning anyway. 
Save your mana.) You *must* have good svs if you even think about fighting 
an invoker, because the most often used invoker "strategy" involves 
spamming 'dispel' until your sanctuary falls, at which point they begin to 
spam 'hellstream', which hurts. A lot. 'Dispel' is rumored to be a mental 
spell, so make sure that your combined saves vs mental is at least -30 or 
better. With ~-30 vs mental, I've had elves waste over 1000 mana trying to 
'dispel' me and only partially succeed twice. The goal is to either 
outlast the invoker with pure melee and 'cure critical', or to catch them 
when 'mana shield' drops, at which point you must land 'insomnia', or 
'plague' if they are hurt badly and/or are an avian. (The former will be 
difficult as you can't keep an invoker from running if you can't land your 
communes. The latter will almost never happen against even a mildly 
skilled invoker. So take your pick.) An alternate strategy I have tried 
with little success is to attack their 'mana shield', which *should* drain 
their mana away fairly quickly. Use a magic-based weapon and I believe 
'phantom grasp' will drain the 'mana shield' at least as fast as any other 
spell you have. If this turns out to be false, then I'd expect 'dispel' to 
be the best choice, if it drains the shield, as there is rumored to be a 
small chance to dispel the mana shield.
	Use a flail or a staff against an invoker.

Monk        - Treat as a warrior, but don't fight them in their own 
temple, as they fight much, much better there than anywhere else.
	Use a flail or mace against monks, cursed, if possible.

Necromancer - You're probably safest summoning a necromancer away from his 
pets. Although 'sleep' does not work often at level 50, be aware that a 
necro can easily turn the tables on you if he manages to put you to sleep. 
If you try it, be sure you are not in an area that has a single-exit room 
with a closeable door. Alternatively, you could summon away his zombies 
one-by-one and spell those up, but I haven't tried that myself, yet. If 
the necro has good svs and you don't, this might be your only chance, 
aside from running away like a girl. If you choose to assault a 
necromancer head-on, make sure you are flying and have 'protective shield' 
up, as well as having at least -30 saves against mental spells. Ignore the 
pets, and attempt to spell up and kill the necromancer. Don't expect to 
stay in the fight too long, and watch out for 'dispel'.
	Use any weapon except a whip against a necromancer. Cursed is 
nice, too.

Ninja       - Always a potential danger due to 'assassinate', you need to 
be able to get in the first attack so you don't get strangled. Even if 
they don't assassinate you, they can blind and poison you while you sleep. 
Move to a room where they can't hide, preferably many rooms from one they 
can hide in. The first commune you should try is 'faerie fire' (duh). When 
trying to draw a ninja out of hiding, be sure to be hungry or thirsty, or 
drink a herbal brew to poison yourself. Be aware that you do not 
regenerate well while poisoned.
	Use a mace, flail, or whip against ninjas, cursed, if possible.

Paladin     - These guys are warriors that can't trip, bash, or dirt kick 
you. 'Hex' them first to negate 'virtuous light'. Don't bother with 
'blindness' unless you can land 'blasphemy' right away (or vice versa). A 
paladin does not recover mana quickly at *all*, so hit him where it hurts 
and dispel him. If he persists, be sure to mix in goodies like 'insomnia', 
'dysentery', and 'weaken'. (A paladin can cure blindness, disease, curse, 
and poison, so don't depend on them.) 'Demonfire' is great for use on a 
dispelled paladin. I'm not quite sure what you'd want to try against a 
dwarven paladin; your communes won't work nearly as well. Your best bet is 
to find a good water weapon, perhaps the Flail of the Oceans is 
water-based, which would be your best bet if it is. Otherwise, I'd bet on 
the Staff of Storms. Even good 'ol water cubes should work, but expect 
them to be parried and disarmed often. The goal in this case is to exploit 
the weakness to outdamage a dwarf in melee combat; 'warcry', 'frenzy', and 
possibly 'demonfire' are the key weapons to this end.
	Use a whip or a flail against non-dwarven paladins.

Psionicist  - If you have 'forget' cast on you, run around until it wears 
off. I can offer very little insight into this class, but I'll bet you'll 
do okay if you keep your saves vs mental below -30.
	Use a mace against psionicists.

Ranger      - As with any class that can hide, your first commune should 
be 'faerie fire'. Blind the pet(s), and possibly 'plague', 'poison', 
'insomnia', 'curse', and 'weaken' the pet(s) if it becomes a problem. You 
can summon the pet(s) to you to accomplish this easier. Remember, rangers 
need time to get more pets. Otherwise, treat as a warrior; I'm not sure 
about rangers' 'throw', but if you are somehow getting lagged while 
fighting a ranger, sacrifice anything that they drop on the ground. 
'Hysteria' can help you out here, too.
	Use a mace against rangers, cursed, if possible.

Shaman      - Same class vs same class fights are often tricky. Try 
'blasphemy'.

Thief       - Commune 'faerie fire' first. Thieves are mostly just an 
annoyance and not a serious threat to your life (your gear may be a 
different matter) unless they catch you with sanctuary down, which will 
make dual backstab hurt quite a bit. Also, thieves love it when you 'hex' 
them. Be sure to do so, if possible. Avians are weak against disease, so 
'plague' is a very good commune to use against an avian thief. 'Poison', 
'dysentery', and 'hysteria' will help keep them from fleeing easily or 
running too fast or too far.
	Use a staff, flail, or whip against thieves, cursed, if possible.

Warrior     - Do not begin a fight with a warrior by using 'murder'. 
You'll often find the attack countered back in your face! Summoning these 
guys to water is a very good idea, as 'dirt kick' can make any fight 
annoying. You'll definitely want to be flying and have 'protective shield' 
up, because you'll be in trouble if they start lagging you. You have two 
attacks and two defenses per round; warriors have four to six? eight? 
attacks and four defenses per round. You *cannot* win without your 
communes, so don't let them lag you. Expect lots of kicked dirt if you're 
not over water. I tend to flee when I get dirted, but if you feel you can 
land communes easily, by all means, stay in the fight and spell them up to 
high heaven... don't forget 'hysteria'! You can always blind them, then 
run off to sleep after you've given them the works.
	Use a cursed weapon against warriors, if possible.


CABAL-SPECIFIC STRATEGIES

Assassin - ?
Herald   - ?
Justice  - Blinding a Justice not quite as effective as it could be, as 
their special guard can engage you if you are WANTED. Might want to blind 
the guard, in that case.
Knight   - Blind, 'plague', 'poison', 'curse', 'weaken', 'insomnia', and 
kill the horsie. (Healers make this difficult.)
Legion   - ?
Mystic   - Be careful of initiating with a commune that you don't want 
cast back at you.
Warlord  - 'Hysteria' kills warlords.


MEAN TRICKS

** If an enemy is using a cursed weapon, commune 'remove curse' on him.
** The old "summon enemy next to a no-exit room and hope they flee into 
it" trick.
** Out of fly scrolls? Use 'ethereal passage' to wedge yourself into an 
fly-only area, then summon a non-flying enemy to you.


COMMUNE SPECIFICS (Details about communes)

Blasphemy      - Target cannot commune for a short time.
Blanket of...  - Can create a cloaked room that you can't scan in or out 
of, or leave, except by foot.
Cure Disease   - Cures 'plague', in case it isn't obvious.
Curse          - Worsens target's -svs and prevents them from recalling by 
any means.
Dark Shroud    - Hides spell auras. Very useful at times.
Demonfire      - Direct damage. When used against an evil align, it can 
damage you instead!
Demonic Visage - Can disarm an opponent. Will not work if target cannot 
see you.
Deteriorate    - Worsens target's -svs and -AC.
Dysentery      - Target cannot eat, becomes hungry and thirsty, and squats 
every game hour.
Earthquake     - Area affect direct damage. Will not harm flying targets, 
but will reveal any hiders.
Energy Drain   - Can halve target's mana and mv, giving you a small bit of 
health in return.
Enfeeblement   - Drains a small amount of mv from the target. A *small* 
amount. (I don't use it.)
Ethereal Pass. - Allows movement through most doors and into areas you 
can't otherwise walk into.
Giant Strength - Used in case you are affected by a strength reducing 
spell.
Phantom Grasp  - Can lower target's effective svs for a short time, as 
well as inflict damage.
Plague         - Stops recovery, weakens target, and does a bit of damage.
Poison         - Slows healing and mana recovery, weakens target somewhat, 
and does damage.
Protection     - Grants -1 svs, reduces good-aligned damage by 30%.
Harm           - Direct damage. Not effective when target is near death. 
Try 'demonfire' instead.
Hex            - Reduces target's luck by -4 at L50. Lasts 100s of hours 
and cannot be cured.
Hysteria       - Makes it harder for the target to flee and use skills, 
such as 'parry'.
Insomnia       - Target cannot sleep for ~10 hours, then falls asleep for 
a few more hours.
Weaken         - Lowers target's strength. Use 'plague' and 'poison' 
first.