I've finally got around to making some sr4 characters. Im working on a mage now. I definately wanna toss some spell idea's around with you guys. I would also like some help with choosing or making a Mentor Spirit. All my mages follow the shamanic tradition.

I there some kinda formula for deciding the advantages and disadvantages of a Mentor? it looks like most give bonus's to two things and - to another or some kinda test.

I would like to pick bonus's to combat spells, manipulation spells, summoning or binding. But i also believe that you dnt pick your mentor, your mentor picks you. Does anyone have like a table to roll against for advantages and disadvantages? And then i could just assign those to a specific mentor.

Do you think the same mentor like Dog or Eagle affect their followers the same way ? Or do you think that dog grants different abilities to different people according to that person.

As far as spells. You can make a spell look like whatever you want with as little or as much flare as possble right? Like i could use Mana/power/Stun ball to shoot electricity out my butt (without it haveing an electric affect) right? or i could make it look like a fireballs or i could make it look like a ray of light or something??

Choke
Type:P, Range-LOS, Dmg-P, Duration-I, DV: (F/2) +3
Crush
----- --------LOS(A) ------ -------- DV: (F/2) +5
This is as powerful as elemental type attacks that cause status affects. So what would be appropriate for this kind of thing. Im thinking Choke is just a strangling attack but crush would actually crush all the people affected together into one another. They would for sure take damage like normal but what should the side effects be.

I also want a spell that explicity is used to knock/fling people away. There is a fling spell but it is used to toss things at people, I want to actually toss the people.
What kind of drain value would you give to the solo and group version of that spell? The targets would take like falling damage according to how far they get flung? Which would involve making some base flingage. What would happen if you could fling a target 50 meters but you slam them into a wall only after 10. Maybe make a base meter rate and each hit add's +meters and then the victom takes damage according to the ram damage table for car combat resisted with body + half impact armor??

Whats a kool mana type mana damage spell that could be used for fighting on the astral?? ooo i know some kinda sonic scream attack ?? I like the idea of like some kinda glowy sinuas tendrals flowing out from your fingertips that just hurt the other guy.

Ok im thinking i want my guy to either have a totem that likes manipulation spells or night time. The very first spell my guy learned or cast would be barrier. So i was thinking about a Turtle mentor? +2 to manipulation spells, +2 for spirits of water, disadvantage..automatically loses any suprise tests? Always goes last during an init pass unless he makes a willpower+charisma(3) test.

Im looking for a nice common mild allergy to go along with my totem. If i took something like polluted water, how often would he be affected in a city like seattle. Would drinking fountains or park fountains distract him or only when he has a view of a river or pool ?


I'd also love to have a crow mentor. Those birds are extremely smart. I watched on a tv show that crows over in europe take walnuts or something and fly up to a traffic light and drop the walnut into the street and then when cars drive by it crushes the nut and the bird can get at the insides lol. I was thinking +2 manipulation, +2 air spirits , disadvantage...willpower+charisma(3) test to resist the urge to try and steal shiny things? I was gonna make my common mild allergy small shiny objects. Things that he would have a chance of stealing.


The first two mentors were for the same guy. This one doesnt really fit my character and how he awakened but its something i really wanna try. Its a Bat mentor. +2 to air elementals, +2 detection spells disadvantage....physically blind.
In the book it says a mage can use his astral perception to see and all actions are -2. Thats sounds really kick ass and fun to play.

Thoughts on my 3 mentors?? Do they give unrealistic advantages and disadvantages or they to strong or to weak? I still havent finished this mage lol. I have been working over another character but he pretty fleshed out and done. I wanna finish my mage before i move on to making a new guy.

Whats the best foci to get for a newbie mage? I was thinking spellcasting but sustain foci seem nice to...

if you post in the sr4 forum you will get better results.

The "totems choose you" part is flavor text. When actually making a character you pick which totem and gain the benefits listed for that totem.

For creating a totem the only prerequisite is that it be balanced in comparison to other totems. A totem that granted a bonus to combat and manipulation spells (the two most offensively powerful categories) should have some serious drawbacks. If it also adds to summoning a specific type of spirit that too should add more drawbacks.

I personally would wait for the magic book before designing spells, but someone with the SR3 books ahndy may be able to give youy a rough estimate about the DV the spell should have. It would be very rough, because drain values have changed quite a bit in SR4.