[DL] On creating a Shaman (Was: A small mail on shamans and such.)

["Michael Sprague" <mds@rochester.rr.com>]

So, I am thinking about playing an Indian Shaman, and am looking for advice
on it.  I am not a power gamer, but I don't like playing a one-trick-pony
either.  However, I am fairly new to Deadlands.

I have played with the Character Generation Software, and the Thunderbird
Totem looks interesting ... but I have yet to find it in a book.  The Snake
Totem also looks interesting.

What Traits would one emphasize and what Aptitudes might one recommend?

~ Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: "Allan Seyberth" <darious@darious.com>
To: <deadlands@gamerz.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2003 1:59 PM
Subject: RE: [DL] A small mail on shamans and such.


> >I looked over the section on rituals and on filling up the guardian
spirit,
>  >and looks to me like it's perfectly legal in gameterms. Might be time
for
>  >me to make some houserules on this subject though.
>
> Yup - since there is the rule that asking for the same Favor more than
once
> in a day costs extra Appeasement, it's not that hard of a stretch to say
> that when using the same Ritual more than once a day grants a +2 to the
> base Target Number. (Similar to the write-up of Pledge in GD, which costs
> +1/per use each day)
>
> Spirit Song was also given for free in GD, but that was back in the day
> when the rules stated that each ritual had to be bought separately - so
you
> would most likely see a Shaman with Pledge 4, Dance 2, War Cry 2 - at the
> cost of 8 character points during creation. This was both expensive and
> limiting to Shamans.  Nowdays all they need is 5 point into Ritual and
they
> get 5 rituals, all cast at 5 dice.  The bottom line is that it may be
> desirable to limit filling the Guardian Spirit to only using the Spirit
> Song ritual, and at 1/day.
>
> Owl as the totem huh?
> That's a nasty one, all right.  Owl is almost not meant to be a  PC totem,
> as the ghost way is filled with a lot of Favors that you just don't tend
to
> see heroes doing and the Owl's abilities are just brutal.  You did
remember
> that non-ghost Favors cost "double" during character creation?  That
> illusion ability of his would take two of the granted slots.  There is
also
> an optional rule in Hexarcana that non-favored Favors cost two extra
bounty
> to buy during game play (7 as opposed to 5).
> Also - only ghost favors get the double appeasement point factor.
Illusion
> still costs one for one, and don't forget that the appeasement costs
double
> if the illusion is out of contact with the shaman.  Those viewing the
> illusion do get a tough roll to try and beat it, too.
>
> Shapeshifting is limited to natural animals only, and the shaman isn't
> carrying any gear.
>
> By the way - what Favors and Rituals does your player have?
>
> And keep an eye out for the red chip ability of Owl - it is potentially
> very nasty, especially in combination with Shapeshifting.
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------
> Allan Seyberth
> darious@darious.com
>
> "On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all
> mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been
quarreling,
> fighting, burning and torturing one another for abstractions
unintelligible
> to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension
of
> the human mind."
>                  - Thomas Jefferson
>
>
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