The thing I love most about shamans can also be there fatal flaw. The shaman's mask. It gives you the chance to tell your fellow players what your largely intangible magic is doing. Also your enemies get to easily spot the magician.

My problem stems around the idol totems. I believe these originally came from the Germany Sourcebook(which I don't own). All other books mention them as a pure statistical introduction. Idols seem to be more conceptual than the other totems used in SR. Raven shamans always mask themselves in the form of a raven. Adversary shamans could mask themselves as Satan or Che Gueverra.

Anyone have any sources to live by or more concrete examples of how to use these totems? I'm looking more for roleplaying information on how Idol Totems guide there shamans.

For discussion I'll mention my character idea that I'm trying to bring to life as a major NPC:

A male irish rocker whose musical style is reminiscent of the 'Drop Kick Murphys'. He has real weakness for vice and makes sure to try it all twice. The runners are going to be frequently rescuing this party animal. I thought that the totem of Seductress really fit the mold of many musicians who OD'd. They'll try anything for a good time and encourage others to taste the forbidden fruit.

The problem pops up with shamanic mask. What picture do you put on the shaman to really differentiate when he is casting a spell or calling a spirit. Saints just don't fit the mold of such a tempted soul. Ella Fitzgerald just isn't rock-n-roll. Sid Vicious wouldn't even be a memory in 2060. I need to come up with an image/person that really sounded out through time the qualities of this totem. Secondly, it would be nice to give it an irish flavor.

Any help and arguments in defense of your case appreciated.

Old Elvis.

Hendrix also comes to mind, as does a troll-sized, friendly purple dragon name of puff.

any of the rolling stones....

since it is an idealized form, it could be someone from spinal tap.

-Mike R.

Why think in celebrity terms?

What happens to someone under the effect of drugs? I mean really...

Bloodshot eyes with dark, dark bags underneath, pale clammy skin, profuse sweating. The shaman's face can remain essentially the same, but with characteristics of the totem's aspect becoming more and more pronounced the stronger the shaman's magic is...

Or they could look like a giant walking piece of drug paraphenalia (saw a holloween costume like this once, dude almost always wins the atlanta club scene holloween costume contests)

I have Lover and Seductress Shamans start to look even more sexy and desirable than they normally her while working with magic.

The First Church of Elvis! Courtesy of Bull.

I'd go with a vague figure in the trappings of some aspect important to the character. A male or even female form, in Celtic adornments manifest about the musician in your example.

Lust: Attractive features and a "come hither" look
Adversary: Militant, hard-nosed or crafty and calculating

I'd even go so far as to say the Idol's features might change per person viewing so that each sees what inspires the Idol's particular emotive content.

A troll watching the rocker with the lust idol may not see a female troll, but he will captivating aspects that draw his attention for unknown reasons.

-Siege

Force 1-3 : He seems to glow, as if lit by a spotlight...

Force 3-4 : A fog, lit by the same glow, swirls around him...

Force 5 : The scent of sex reaches your nostrils, the air seems warm...

Force 6 : He reaches his hand towards you, your heart thunders in your ears (or is it his heart?)...

Force 7 : The fever pitched screams of a multitude of fans (or tortured souls) cry out in your ears...

Force 8 : The multitude can be seen groping for him, some offering drink, drugs, or their still beating hearts (some of them really are tortured souls)...

Force 9 : You are one of the multitude, you long to touch him...

Force 10+ : There is only him, and he is lit like the brightest star in heaven...

Gods include Dionysus, Jim Morrison, and Ville Valo.

What about the Dragonslayer Idol? What would that shamanic mask look like?

Armor, sword, possibly even a slain lizard of some variety on the ground at really high Force.

~J

I was also thinking about a Dragonslayer shaman, whose mask makes him look like the biggest, most dangerous Arnie Awesome that you've ever seen!

It would be a roaring bonfire.

Points to anyone who gets the reference.

~J

Dragonheart? "I hope you like it well done"

Nope. Hint: really old LucasArts.

~J

I usually manifest an Idol's mask as a symbol relevent to the idol in question. It appears above the magician's head while a magical activity is occuring, its brightness and complexisty increasing with the force of the spell/spirit. The effect is similar to rune use in the Suikoden games. Examples:

Dragonslayer: an armored knight thrusting a lance into a draconic beast.
Fire-Bringer: a toga-clad man with a torch in one hand.
Moon Maiden: a crecent moon shape with a woman in a loose dress sitting in its curve like a chair.

Intestingly, one of my hermetic magician players demanded that hermetics have an equivalent to the shamanic mask on the grounds that it "looks cool." I ruled that hermetics have intricate patterns appear on the ground beneath their feet like tiny hermetic circles. The size is larger at higher forces, and the color depends on the spell being cast (comabt = red, illusion = blue, etc.)

Magic is fairly more common in our games than SR standard canon, so the "geek the mage" principal is a little less severe: most NPC crews the runners go up against have mages of their own. (Also, we tend to forget little details like this and their impact in actual games... too caught up in the moment...)

I'm all for hermetics having special magical effects -- whether it's gesturing, chanting in a language, magic circles and patterns (very cool, by the way) or the air gets colder, the wind blows, thunder crashes and horses whinny, whatever.

But in order to do so, I'd have to rule the Hermetic is now just as potentially noticeable as the Shaman with his mask.

I know about the "detecting magic" rule, but I can't apply it to Hermetics without some sort of cue. It just doesn't make sense otherwise.

Which can be hell on the players, but still.

-Siege

Actually, there are two ways to do that. First you spin the gold into straw, and then you can either put the dragon to sleep or use the Fear weave to become what the dragon fears most, namely a roaring bonfire. Either will set the straw alight just fine.

And you get many points.

~J