What's the deal with Shamans?

[Hom-Sha-Bom]

So if you want to do ranged damage you need to invest in 3 skill lines: Quickness, Ranged Combat, and the specific gun type you want to use, and a 1-time purchase of your weapon.

If you want to do spell damage, you need to invest in 2 skill lines: Willpower, and Spellcasting, and a 1-time purchase of the spell.

If you want to do deal damage as a shaman, you need to invest in 4 skill lines: Charisma, Spirit Summoning, Spirit Control, and Conjuring, a 1-time purchase of the conjuring spells, and fill your limited inventory space with many, very expensive, single-use, consumable items, and they have a decent chance to backfire on you. And when they do, you can heal only the last damage you took once every 3 turns but only if you chose Bear, and you can't carry many med kits because of needing to fill your inventory with consumable spirits.

What. The. Frag. What is this drek? It's the only class that looked interesting to me. The only reason I bought the game in the first place. But once I played it, this is just ridiculous.

And if you want to tell me to play a different class, fine. I beat you to it. I'll go play something boring that I don't even want to play as just because the the thing I wanted to be is worthless.

[steelcoresoviet]

IF you're buying fetishes as a shaman, you're doing it wrong. Summon the ambient ones instead. Use spells when none are availible.

[Hom-Sha-Bom]

Originally posted by steelcoresoviet:

IF you're buying fetishes as a shaman, you're doing it wrong. Summon the ambient ones instead. Use spells when none are availible.

If you're buying fetishes as a shaman, you're doing it wrong? Only a shaman would buy fetishes! Saying they shouldn't be bought is just an admission that this is an utterly worthless and broken game mechanic. The ambient ones are not common enough. Haste and barriers have long cooldown and the rest of the conjuring spells are worthless.

[rentier7419]

You have more interacting possibilities with the environment because of beeing a shaman (free elementals are often to be found, so you don't need to buy them)

I did 2 playthrough with elf shaman and was having a blast

first was shaman gun (and gunnery is very helpful in longrange)
Charisma 8
Spirit Summoning 8,
Spirit Control 7 ,
and Conjuring 8

Quickness 7,
Ranged Combat 7,
and the specific gun 6

Intelligence 2
Biotech 2

in my second I did a decker gun shaman to see what decking is like (and the walls were not so helpful as I thought they would be)

Charisma 6
Spirit Summoning 6,
Spirit Control 4 ,
and Conjuring 0

Quickness 7,
Ranged Combat 7,
and the specific gun 6

Intelligence 7
Biotech 2
Decking 7
ESP 2

[ArchAngel]

I don't have a clue what OP is about. You don't need summons to be a Shaman. Conjuring spells let you do lots of stuff. Summoning is just your second option that synergizes the most. You can as well use guns if you want to.
And pure soldiers carry grenades and medpacks. Drone masters have to carry medpacks and repair packs. YOu carry medpacks and 1 or 2 extra highest level summons.
And summons are very powerful. I managed to make some situations very trivial on Very Hard with summons in Dragonfall.

[Hom-Sha-Bom]

Originally posted by ArchAngel:

I don't have a clue what OP is about. You don't need summons to be a Shaman. Conjuring spells let you do lots of stuff. Summoning is just your second option that synergizes the most. You can as well use guns if you want to.
And pure soldiers carry grenades and medpacks. Drone masters have to carry medpacks and repair packs. YOu carry medpacks and 1 or 2 extra highest level summons.
And summons are very powerful. I managed to make some situations very trivial on Very Hard with summons in Dragonfall.

There are *TWO* skill lines that are completely dedicated strictly to summons. To act like summons are not a class defining characteristic of shamans is just... I don't even have words to describe your ignorance. I have never said that shamans must summon. I said to deal damage as a shaman you need to use summons. Conjuring spells do don't any damage except for fire and lightning barriers. If you're taking conjuring then you're already putting karma into Charisma. To take summoning there are only 2 additional skill lines to invest in. If you want to do damage through guns instead, then there are 3 additional skill lines you need to invest in (quickness, ranged combat, and your weapon of choice).

[ArchAngel]

This is a game without Classes. Summons is a seperate line of skills that synergizes well with Conjuring. Nowhere it says taking Conjuring means you must also take Summoning. You don't need to deal damage with Summoning, you can deal with whatever.
And you completely ignored how Summons are the most powerful weapon in the game (both in DMS and Dragonfall and I used them in both).