Tanooki Shaman/Totem, ...any ideas? Options

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Hey, I've got a game I'm setting up with a friend and he's playing a kind of monkey wrenching, practical joker gnome. I've decided I want to have one of his regular contacts/npc helpers take the form of a tanooki shaman. I was thinking of just doing a standard transfer of the standard trickster style totems to this, but I'd like to see if someone else has already done this and what people think would be a fun way to represent the mythical shapeshifting critters as a spirit guide. Thanks!