Becoming a shaman, NOW! My totem picks me! Options

[Yasha]

How would you treat it if you had a player who wanted to become a shaman after character creation? Karma cost etc.?

[Dax]

Depends on wether or not they had any magic capablility in the first place. A Street Sam with 0 Magica can not become a shaman, not matter how much the player may want it. The potential to use magic was just never there.

However, if we're talking a Adept going to a Shaman or a Hermetic going to a Shaman. Then yes, its' possible. In the case of the adedpt I'd have him pay for the skills/spells with Karma over time. The Hermetic would just require some minor alterations.

That;s the way I'd do it at least.

[mfb]

i'd carefully question the player. for instance, my first question would be "why you always gotta make me hit you?"

[fctarbox3]

Assuming that I were comfortable with a player gaining magic powers after character creation, I'd look at the difference in Attribute points for assigning A priority to Attributes and for assigning E priority in attributes. Then I'd take this difference and divide it by 6. Then I'd calculate how much Karma it'd cost to raise an attribute by this value, then multiply that by 6. That would be the minimum amount of Karma I'd charge for acquiring Magic after character creation.

And then I'd start planning how the player could roleplay the experience of becoming a Shaman. If they don't do it well, I'd start adding Karma surcharges.

[Kagetenshi]

This gets asked every few months, it seems. Options:

1) (preferred) Slap them with large fish.

2) Assign a really high karma cost to it (something like 10 karma/build point, for a total cost of 300 karma for a full Shaman)

3) #2, but with cost broken up into increments (so you can become a Magic 1 Shaman for only 50 karma, and then buy from there)

~J

[A Clockwork Lime]

It's a lot easier to just treat the Magic priority as an edge-on-crack. You can buy off Flaws for 10 Karma per point, I believe, so reversing that it should cost about (250-30 Spell Points) 220 Karma to become aspected or an adept and (300-25 Spell Points) 275 to become a full magician. I don't know too many players willing to save up that kind of Karma for what would, by that time, be a minor boost in power, though. Which is probably why it's not a standard option to begin with.

[mfb]

just make the character take 30 pts' worth of flaws, to pay for it.

[Rev]

Yea, and make most of them magical flaws :)

Worst magician ever.

[Herald of Verjig...]

6 severe common phobias should work.

"A human walks around the corner, roll willpower to avoid running."
"An orc walks around the corner, roll willpower to avoid running."
"A dwarf walks around the corner, roll willpower to avoid running."
"A troll walks around the corner, roll willpower to avoid running."
"An elf walks around the corner, roll willpower to avoid running."
"You see yourself in the mirror, roll willpower to avoid running."

[Crimson Jack]

I had a player in one of my games that wanted to play a shaman, but he didn't necessarily want to pick the totem. We devised a way through roleplaying where his totem visited him. This was done after three solo runs where we decided that the way he deals with people would ultimately decide which totem came to him. In the end, it was up to me... and he was happy with it all.

However, he set aside the points ahead of time and built his character as if he were a shaman from the get-go. The whole thing went down as a pre-story, with the character eventually running with the rest of the party about 4 years after the pre-story.

Aside from someone basically creating a magical character from the get-go, I don't think I would allow someone to spontaneously start casting.

[Dashifen]

I kinda go along with Crimson Jack on this one:

1. Pay for your aspected/full magician status at character gen. otherwise it just doesn't happen.

2. Allow player to begin the game as a "mundane" with a latent magical power.

3. During the game, have the Totem visit the character. I would think the player could pick the Totem or your could go with Crimson Jack's concept of the GM decides.

[broho_pcp]

[Large Mike]

I figure let him, if he's a good enough roleplayer. Just make sure that everyone else thinks that he had to pay with sexual favors against his orientation.

And if I second person asks, reply with 'Come here so I can hit you without expending energy.'

As an aside: Player buys Cannon Companion, player discovers the gun I had scribbled out of existance, player argues that flachette should do through armor, since it's more areodynamic. I need a new stick. And a new player, incidentally.

[Kagetenshi]

You should've told him yes and then changed the damage code to 15L with eight successes needed to stage up and burst fire not staging.

~J

[boodah]

so what about a mage wanting to become a shaman?

[Lilt]

Well: Shamanism isn't something a character can choose, it's fairly strictly defined that you are chosen by a powerful spirit that gives you your power. IE: If the *character* just wanted to become a shaman: he probably won't be. If the player wants his character to become a shaman I'd look at the character and see what totem he fits best and consider having the totem hive him powers.

That's about the time I'd inform him that to attain even an aspected level of ability he'd need to spend at-least 250 karma.

If he's still cool with it, I'd let him pay his first installment of 60 karma to get magic 1 and astral perception (as per the SURGE effect).

If a character really wants to become a mage during gameplay, I'd make it slightly easier to become a mage as hermetic practices do not require the totem to choose you.

[boodah]

thanks for the info. the deal is my character in game has been devoting his life to magic and information... and even created a company called Enki-Werkz.

I was figuring that as a surprise, he may be given the choice of becoming a shaman following Enki. (pending gm approval, of course...So what say you, Reav?)

[A Clockwork Lime]

[Lilt]

I'd suggest you went for a hermetic path. Shamans don't just choose to be shamans, but your approach sounds sufficiently hermetic enough that you might one day after researching sufficiently figure-out a complex technique that allows you to open the doors in your mind that you always knew were there (or something).

[Lilt]

[A Clockwork Lime]

Which is exactly my point. That's all they are -- beliefs. Some shamans like to say that they were "chosen" by their totem, but that doesn't mean that they were and that that's the only way to become a shaman. It's just what they happen to believe about themselves.

[Dissonance]

There's an easy way to let mundane characters become magical, using the priority system.

1) Magic A or B.
2) Do not spend any points on magical skills.
3) Game on, and hope they don't screw their magic too badly through ware and other things.
4) OMG TEH AWAKEN LATERZORS.

And then allow them to buy spells and skills as per normal. Give them like, five spell points, or one power point, depending on which they are so they can have one or two powers, and a spell they can spontaneously pop off during their awakening.

Then again, I'm mean.

[gknoy]

[Crimson Jack]

...or just have them make a shaman from scratch and play one as thus. If the company that you've been working to create is of major importance, then you might want to get together with your GM and see if you could work out something in the campaign that you're in, where your new shaman becomes a business partner with your current character.

Current character goes on the shelf (or into your GM's notebook), and you start playing Runs With Scissors.

Does that work? Don't have to get raped on all of those high karma costs... :)

[boodah]

hmmm...i really like my current character as hes VERY unique, and fun to play.
Id rather not create a new character, if i could possibly afford it.

Perhaps do an over the years kind of change...? After all, he is an elf.