When a shaman casts this spell upon his tribe's ancestral mound (the only place the spell can be cast), it causes an ancestor to come forth, drawn back as a spirit of chaotic neutral alignment. The spirit takes form as a transparent being, a combination of totem beast and primitive human. To select the type of spirit summoned, the DM rolls 1d20 and matches the result against the table below. The shaman can also try and summon a normal spirit (a minor spirit of the dead), such as a father or child of a tribal member. (These normal spirits may not leave the vicinity — no more than 50 feet — of the ancestral mound where they were buried.)
When the spirit appears, the summoner makes a Wisdom ability check (using the table's modifiers) to control it; otherwise, the spirit becomes an uncontrolled ghost (use the ghost statistics in the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome) and immediately attacks all living beings around it. However, even an uncontrolled spirit cannot travel more than 50 feet from the ancestral mound.
A controlled spirit may perform the following functions for a shaman: attack a foe (as a ghost—or another type of undead creature at the DM's discretion), guard the ancestor mound for a year (until freed again at the next Runemeet), tell the shaman ancient secrets, initiate a new shaman (only ancestral shaman spirits may do this), or raise dead (refer to the table).
The material components of this spell are the priest's holy symbol (the shaman's sacred bundle), a relic of the desired ancestor (though another may appear), and a small bonfire.
Notes: Granted by the barbarian demipower Uthgar of the Forgotten Realms setting.
Spirit Summoning Table
If a specific normal ancestor (a minor spirit of the dead) is summoned rather than a special spirit from the table, roll 1d20. If the result is 15 or less, the desired spirit comes and the control roll modifier is -5.
| 1d20 | Ancestor | Control Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | Recently dead shaman | -2 bonus* |
| 6-10 | Recently dead chieftain | -3 bonus* |
| 11-13 | Long-dead shaman | +1 penalty** |
| 14-16 | Long-dead chieftain | — |
| 17 | Ancient shaman | +5 penalty** |
| 18-19 | Ancient chieftain | +4 penalty* |
| 20 | Special spirit (see subtable below) | — |
| 1d20 | Special Spirit | Control Modifier |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-12 | Beast power incarnation† | +8 penalty** |
| 13-19 | Son of Uthgar | +12 penalty ** |
| 20 | Beast totem great spirit‡ | +17 penalty** |
- These spirits function as minor or major spirits of the dead (DM's discretion). These spirits may not leave the vicinity (no more than 50 feet) of the ancestral mound where they were buried. ** Only these spirits can perform a raise dead spell. They function as great spirits of the dead. In payment for this, the spirit drains 1d2 experience levels from the person being raised and may demand an annual tribute of riches co be buried in or near its comb. These spirits may not leave the vicinity (no more than 50 feet) of the ancestral mound where they were buried. † This is the ghostly form of the beast totem great spirit. It can remain for a number of days equal to the level of the shaman. Unlike an ancestor spirit, it may leave the vicinity of the mound. Each day, it can bestow the tribe's beast power on a number of followers equal to the summoner's level minus the number of days it has remained on the Prime Material Plane. ‡ The beast totem great spirits are wild primeval spirits. If summoned, one usually possesses the summoner (or someone nearby) and then decides what to do with its newfound physical form. The possessed body becomes a 20th- level fighter (for hit points and attack rolls) with the spells and abilities of a 20th-level druid. The avatar of the beast totem great spirit can assume the beast form or use the tribe's beast power at will.