I consider myself pretty familiar with the magic system in Shadowrun, but something about the wording for Centering and Totem Bonuses has me confused.

Let's say I get a 2-Dice bonus to combat spells from my totem. I have learned Centering and have a pretty good centering skill. Confronted by two gangers, I decide to take them both out in one hit. Splitting up my Sorcery dice evenly (assuming I have a skill of 6), I use 3 dice for a Stunbolt at one ganger and 3 dice for a Stunbolt for the other ganger.

In the description of Totem bonuses, it says that I apply the two dice after everything else, so do I the two dice to each spell or do I divide it up amongst the spells I cast that round? While I realize GMs have the final say, it would seem really broken if I could cast one spell per turn per sorcery die, using one die for each spell and then gaining my totem modifier on top of it.

I have pretty much the same question about centering. If centering for successes is a Free action, could you center for each spell you cast at once? Granted, you would still need to succeed with the actual Sorcery die you roll, but if you cast six spells each with one die, some of them are going to succeed.

I'll take opinions and comments, but if anyone could canonically prove that a player could or could not do it, that'd be great.

-fr

This is all IMO so YMMV (whee, acronyms):

1) I'd say that the totem bonus is applied almost like a pool. In that case, then for combat spells you have 6 sorcery dice + two from the totem "pool." Therefore, you could split it 4 and 4 for the stun bolt spells. Not 5 and 5 by applying totem bonus after splitting for a dual spellcasting attempt.

2) I've never encountered Centering in my games so I'll not comment on it as I don't truly understand it.

First off, by canon totem dice are not a pool, it explicitly states that those dice are used every time. You get them for casting every time you cast and drain every time you resist drain. Totems are cool like that.

Second centering is a free action, and you get ONE free action during your turn. Only one.

Bit, if what you say about the bonuses is true, I'll be one happy Shammy.

Also, in regards to drain, yeah, it's super dangerous, but I'm looking at a F5 Stunbolt spell cast at either light or moderate damage. That should be drain test against 2(damage code of spell), right? Not hard since you don't split up dice used for resisting spells or drain, right?

Ah ha! Thanks, Bit. I knew I had to be missing something. Thanks for the link to the other post too, I'll have to check it out when I get off of work just to prove it to my GM and stuff.

Thanks for your help, yo!

I haven't yet found the words in the book that tell me that Totem Bonus dice are added to both Sorcery and Drain tests when spellcasting. Can someone quote the words that say this?

I'm at work now, hence my referring to the other thread, but I'll give it a look when I get home.

Regarding the Centering question, I would not allow Centering for Successes on multiple spells, just one of them.

I'm not sure I'd allow centering against the drain penalty of +2 for each extra spell. I'd have to discuss it with the 3 GMs in our group to make sure it wasn't allowing powerful magicians to unbalance our campaign. If I did allow it, it would apply to all the drain tests in that Complex Action.

This made me read the portions of the BBB that cover totem modifiers very carefully. And they're poorly written, not very specific at all.

However, I think my final impression is that the intention is that totem modifiers be added to the final number of dice rolled in any sorcery or conjuring test. So, the dice are added to the spellcasting test, but you could round about use them for drain by withholding the same number of sorcery dice as you get as a totem mod for the drain test. Same with conjuring.

I am inclined to agree with Luke here... the section *is* poorly worded, but nowhere does it explicitly state that the totem modifier applies to both spellcasting and drain resistance for a single spellcasting instance. For that matter, nowhere does it explicitly state that totem modifiers *ever* apply to drain resistance, except in the roundabout manner suggested by Luke.

The only Totem to have a bonus to Drain rolls is the Crab Totem, which has no spell bonuses.

There is nothing in the rules which even implies that shamans get their Totem bonus to Drain resistance rolls.

Sorcery is a skill that allows the spellcaster to split the dice between spell defense, spellcasting, and helping to resist Drain. But you get your Totem bonus to your use of Sorcery - you don't get to add it to everything that you have split it up to do. Imagine a Dragonslayer shaman who decides to spend 6 dice casting a manabolt, 4 dice defending against the enemy mage's stunball, and 2 dice to help resist Drain. Having 3 extra dice added to that will help him out quite a bit. But he shouldn't get 9 extra dice.

okay, I can't knock that logic.

You do not get to use Sorcery with Drain Resistance Tests. Only Spell Pool. Totem modifiers apply to all uses of Sorcery and Conjuring as appropriate.

If you're a shaman with a totem that grants +2 dice with illusion spells, you get those +2 dice on any Sorcery test you make involving illusions. Did you assign any Sorcery dice to spell defense? If so and you're helping to resist an illusion spell, bam, you get +2 dice on top of whatever you assigned. Are you casting three Invisibility spells simultaneously on yourself and two of your friends? Bam, you get +2 dice on all three of them. Are you trying to dispel a Trid Phantasm spell? Bam, you get +2 dice on the test.

It is not a pool, it is not split between tests in the same action; it applies to any tests you make with them as long as it involves either Sorcery or Conjuring as if within the category of spell or spirit. The same goes for the penalties.

As previously mentioned here and in another thread, totem dice don't come into effect with Drain Resistance Tests unless a totem specifically grants that ability.

Totem bonuses apply to spell defense? Since when does that happen?

Got a page quote for that? I skimmed through and couldn't find anything that implies that is the case.

It's been quoted several times.

SR3, p. 163, Totem Modifiers: "A shaman gains bonus dice when using Sorcery or Conjuring according to the totem's ideals."

Note that it doesn't say "when casting a spell or summoning a spirit." It applies to all uses of Sorcery and Conjuring. Spell Defense can be done with Sorcery, but it's generally foolish to do so if you have more than one available phase per Combat Turn (because Sorcery dice always "replenish" each phase whereas Spell Defense dice don't). But if you did assign even 1 Sorcery die to Spell Defense, your totem modifiers apply if you help defend against a spell covered by your totem... positive or negative.

That's an... interesting interpretation. I'd argue with it, but after really combing the rule book, it's not clear which way it goes. The section on sorcery never mentions totem modifiers (though the section on Conjuring includes it in most of the tests).

There is nothing that explicitely states that you get the modifier for those tests. The closest it comes is a relatively vauge reference to getting totem modifiers for other uses of sorcery under the heading for shamanists. Close to proof, but not quite.