From: | ANANDA%BSU.DECNET@***** |
---|---|
Subject: | Re: "new" totems / magical traditions |
Date: | Wed, 3 Jun 92 09:34:00 CST |
original idea was not to have Air, Earth, Fire and Water as totems, but
_aspects_ of those elements as totems. The guy in the Secrets of Power trilogy
is called a _rock_ shaman, rather than an earth shaman. He does some stuff
that is extremely difficult to explain in game terms. One thing in particular
comes to mind: he creates a figure out of sticks, mud, and rock, and it
becomes a wolf-like tracker that can continue for days without rest, food, or
water. The guy seems to get major power bonuses when he's near Ayers Rock.
When SR first came out, I remember a discussion about the lack of magical
traditions other than the stereotypical-wizard-like Hermetic mages and the
Amerindian shamans. With the London sourcebook, we've got druids, too. But
what about other traditions? Nothing official's been done with voodoo, let
alone any of the magic of the far east. Some of the other 'types' of magic can
now be explained via a combination of pseudo-hermetic magic or shamanic magic
with geassa (e.g. necromancy), but there are others that don't fit the hermetic
or shamanic or druidic mold easily (e.g. precognitive magic). Perhaps the idea
of a stream shaman or a rock shaman is an attempt to bend one of the non-
standard magical traditions into the SR mechanics. (?)
-Ananda
ananda%bsu.decnet@*****.msus.edu /ananda%bsu@*****.msus.edu \__if the .decnet
ananda%bsu.decnet@*****.bitnet \ananda%bsu@*****.bitnet / causes problems
<assorted sounds of automatic weapons fire, grenades, yells, sirens in distance>
<silence>
character just showing up: "So, people, are we having fun yet?"
<more sounds of automatic weapons fire, yells, and sirens>