|
|
Sample Totemic Shaman:
Ul-Nar |
| Sample Totemic Shaman:
Shal-Nam |
| Totemic Shaman (toe-TEM-ick SHAH-man), or
more typically just Shaman, tend to be from more rustic lands
where people are still in touch with the natural world. Many
come from cultures considered "barbaric" by other civilizations,
but some are from rich cultures that have a strong sense of
spiritualism. |
| Regardless of their precise origin, Totemic
Shaman are almost universally skilled survivors, and they can
also be fearsome warriors, scouts, trackers, and spies. Their
ways may seem savage, but they are effective nonetheless. |
| Focus |
| A player can expect their Totemic Shaman to
start off strong, but their powerbase does not extend upwards, only
outwards. They can get more abilities, but they are all of roughly the same
strength. However, these abilities are extremely inexpensive cost wise and a
Totemic Shaman can have a modest complement of Magical abilities and still
have points for other capabilities. |
| Means to Power |
| Totemic Shaman believe that
animal Totems have mystical properties and can be used to
work Magic by those with the proper training or talent. By attuning
themselves the Totemic Shaman gain archetypical abilities associated with
various animal Totems. This is a form of Divine Nature Magic;
it can be either inherent or learned as preferred by individual GM's. |
|
TOTEM FAMILIARITIES |
| Totemic Shaman work Magic via Totemic Gifts as described in
the Totemic Shamanism System document. |
| Totemic Gifts and related powers such as Multiform to
change into one or more of the animal types represented by their Totems, and
Animal Companions are a Totemic Shaman's primary abilities,
and the true determiner of how powerful and capable an individual
Totemic Shaman is within the context of their Magic System. |
| However Totemic Shamanism
mixes well with other Professional pursuits by design and individual Totemic
Shaman are encouraged to take as many or as few Totem Familiarities as they prefer and can afford, unless a GM is placing some
arbitrary minimum or maximum limits within their campaign. |
| MASTER STATUS |
| What exactly indicates "Master" Totemic Shaman status might
vary from setting to setting, or even from region to region within the same
setting, and Totemic Shamanism is difficult to measure in terms of simple points to
begin with. |
| However, as a rule of thumb a character that has a Totem
Lore Skill of at least 15- and has spent at least 75 points on Totemic
Shamanism (split in any fashion between Totem Familiarities, Animal
Followers, Multiform, Totem Armor, and other Special Powers), and has at
least one full Totem can be considered to be a "Master" Totemic Shaman. |
|
ENDURANCE RESERVES |
| By default Totemic Shaman may not have Endurance Reserves
for use with their Totem Gift. Individual GM's might waive this
restriction, but should note that the impact of Endurance costs for their
abilities is intended to be the primary control factor of the Magic System;
allowing Totemic Shaman to circumvent this check will result in the Magic
System being significantly more powerful due to the frequency and volume of
individual Power activations. |
| ARMOR AND PERSONAL DEFENSE |
| As noted in the
Totemic Shamanism System, Totemic
Shaman can wear
cloth, leather, hide, and fur Armor by default and since their Magic System
affords few opportunities for mystical protection most probably should wear
some or have an alternative means of damage mitigation such as Combat Luck
and / or high DCV, or taking advantage of the ability to make
Totem Armor as
discussed in the System document. |
| MAGESIGHT |
| Many Totemic Shaman take the Mage Sight Talent
as described in Fantasy HERO for 5th Edition at least at the five (5)
point level, or some equivalent ability to make it easier for them to
sense and interact with Magic. However this isn't required; it is simply a
convenience. |
| LONGEVITY |
| Totemic Shaman may take Life Support
(Longevity) at up to the ~200 year level, unless the GM prefers to
disallow this. |
| DISTINCTIVE FEATURE |
| Working with Magic marks Totemic Shaman in
subtle ways, and they have a recognizable aura that is detectable by
those with appropriate senses. Totemic Shaman should take the following
Disadvantage. |
|
DF: Totemic Shaman (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction;
Detectable Only By Unusual Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) |
| Disadvantage Value: -5 points |
|
Learning Powers |
| To Learn a Totemic Gift, a Totemic Shaman must have a
character point to spend on the familiarity for that Totemic Gift and must
spend a number of hours equal to the Active Points of the Totemic Gift in
fasting and uninterrupted meditation. At the end of this period of
meditation, the Totemic Shaman makes a Totem Lore Skill Roll at a penalty of
-1 penalty per 10 Active Points of the Totemic Gift in question, plus an additional
-2 penalty if the Totemic Shaman does not already have a Totemic Gift from
that same Totem. |
| If the Totem Lore Skill roll is successful, the Totemic
Shaman may add that Totemic Gift to their character sheet; if it is failed
they may not try to learn that Totemic Gift again until their Totem Lore
Skill roll is at least one higher than it currently is. |
| To learn an Advanced Gift, the Shaman must already have the Basic version of the same Gift for the same Totem. Thus for a Totemic Shaman to learn Advanced Toughness from the Bear Totem, they must already have the Basic Toughness Gift from the Bear Totem. |
| A Totemic Shaman may take twice as long in
meditation to learn a Gift, with each doubling of time resulting in a cumulative
+1 bonus to the roll. |
|
Creating New Powers |
| Totemic Shamanism is a closed system
of Magic and practitioners lack the ability to create new Powers for
no Disadvantage points. |