I don't have my .pdf on this computer so help me out. Can you take more than one mentor spirit (paying for each one seperately)? If so, are there any penalties? If not--why? Just for game balance or does it actually explain why in the book? Thanks!
-P.C.
Full Version: Mentor Spirits - More than One?
| QUOTE (SR4 @ page 79) |
| A character may only ever have one mentor spirit. |
Likely for the best since it is spelled out explicitly as your GM would likely have just hit you with the largest, heaviest handy book if you tried to take two.
You are suppose to dedicate yourself to the particular philosophy of the Mentor Spirit, and having two would tend to eventually create serious conflicts where at least one of them would drop to something less than #1 priority....which for a Mentor Spirit generally is not acceptable.
That being said, I'd be quite happy to watch the roleplaying sessions that would come from having a player change from one mentor spirit to another...
You know, I actually could almost see a character having two Mentor Spirits - either ones that have similar perceptions on The Way Things Are™ or ones that are VASTLY different, and they are, essentially, vying for control over the character's personality. Either that, or if the character has multiple personality disorder. THAT would be interesting, neh?
Or a pantheistic shaman.
A pantheistic shaman would simply be a shaman without a mentor spirit, eh?
You could perhaps take a schizophren character ... two personalitys and every personality its one mentor 
(Perhaps personality (a) could be punished for the things (b) did - because those two mentors will have different views
)
(Perhaps personality (a) could be punished for the things (b) did - because those two mentors will have different views
)
| QUOTE (blakkie @ Oct 9 2005, 07:55 AM) | ||
Likely for the best since it is spelled out explicitly as your GM would likely have just hit you with the largest, heaviest handy book if you tried to take two. You are suppose to dedicate yourself to the particular philosophy of the Mentor Spirit, and having two would tend to eventually create serious conflicts where at least one of them would drop to something less than #1 priority....which for a Mentor Spirit generally is not acceptable. |
So I guess the pantheistic shamans of SR3 are screwed then, huh?
| QUOTE (tirsales) |
| You could perhaps take a schizophren character ... two personalitys and every personality its one mentor (Perhaps personality (a) could be punished for the things (b) did - because those two mentors will have different views ) |
Well, no need to build against the rules:
A 'schizophrenic' character with a 'schizophrenic' mentor spirit.
*nice*
What can we think of ... Dragonslayer with a second identity which is a coward
What can we think of ... Dragonslayer with a second identity which is a coward
Take five types, add in one toxic. 
Six Mentors - role a d6 to determine which one's home every time the shaman invokes a spell.
-Siege
-Siege
You want two mentor spirits just decide what both there characters are like. Take a set of bonuses and create them as one mentor spirt, then play out which one is influencing you at one time.
It you want to be a pantheistic shaman then take a mentor spirit that represents all the pantheon talking to you.
It you want to be a pantheistic shaman then take a mentor spirit that represents all the pantheon talking to you.
| QUOTE (Earthwalker) |
| It you want to be a pantheistic shaman then take a mentor spirit that represents all the pantheon talking to you. |
Or none at all. Not every Shaman has to have a Mentor Spirit.
Technically, but c'mon - what's a Shaman without a Totem looking over his shoulder?
-Siege
-Siege
| QUOTE (Siege) |
| Technically, but c'mon - what's a Shaman without a Totem looking over his shoulder? -Siege |
A pantheistic Shaman?
I was thinking "a bland, generic magical archetype with no meaningfully discerning traits from what used to be a hermetic," but that's just me.
-Siege
-Siege
| QUOTE (Siege) |
| I was thinking "a bland, generic magical archetype with no meaningfully discerning traits from what used to be a hermetic," but that's just me. |
Hey, they can just as easily be a Coyote shaman. Don't knock the shamanic traditions without the crutches of a totem benefit. Besides which, there are many ways that a shaman in SR4 is different from a hermetic, stat-wise.
Major differences being:
Did I miss anything?
-Siege
- Resist drain with Charisma + Willpower, rather than Logic + Willpower
- Different spirit groups for spell categories
Did I miss anything?
-Siege
The pointy hat, hermetics wear pointy hats. And all shamans wear loin cloths. 
P.S. Hermetics can now take Mentor Spirits, right? There isn't any fluff about them doing so, while there is fluff in the Shamanic tradition that talks about Mentor Spirits. But i don't see anything in the rules stopping Hermetics from taking a Mentor Spirit?
P.S. Hermetics can now take Mentor Spirits, right? There isn't any fluff about them doing so, while there is fluff in the Shamanic tradition that talks about Mentor Spirits. But i don't see anything in the rules stopping Hermetics from taking a Mentor Spirit?
Absolutely correct - hermetics are more than able to take Mentor Spirits, if so inclined.
-Siege
-Siege
Which I love! Think of Faust - hermetic character with a bad-ass Adversary-like mentor spirit. I actually had designed a physad in SR3 rules a while ago who got his powers from an Adversary-like spirit - literally made a deal with the devil because he really, really wanted to be magically active. That'll just work out even better with SR4 rules.
| QUOTE (Siege) |
Major differences being:
|
Yep. There are also different spirits altogether. In addition to having different spirit/spell group assignments, you also have beast spirits instead of fire spirits.
Furthermore, you can conduct ritual magic with shamans instead of hermetics.
-Frank
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