A recent posting at Fark got me thinking about the dearth of vegetative totems. Sure, there’s Oak, but given the importance of plants in human societies, you would think you would see more plant magic. May I therefore suggest:

Totem: Wheatgrass

Benefits: +2 dice to health spells, +1 die to spirits of the land or spirits of man (player’s discretion)

Disadvantages: -1 die to illusion spells (once you start talking up the benefits of wheatgrass, nobody is going to believe anything from you). Wheatgrass shamans must also consume at least 2 oz of wheatgrass a day, or (temporarily) lose one point of magic per day. Once magic points have been lost in this manner, consuming wheatgrass regularly will restore a point of magic for every three days of uninterrupted dosing (2 oz).

Description: Wheatgrass is a totem symbolizing vitality, health, and a resurgence of life. It also represents man’s incessant desire to better himself through external means and strict regimens. Wheatgrass shamans tend to be healers, hippies, and visionaries, however, some follow a twisted path (wheatgrass is subject to dangerous molds) on corruption of the metahuman body and mind.

The dietary restriction is silly as is the Magic Loss. I also don't see why they would have any bonus with city, desert, or mountain spirits. Based on your description, the following makes a lot more sense for the totem.

WHEATGRASS
Benefits: +2 dice with health spells and +2 dice with field and prairie spirits.
Disadvantages: -2 dice with combat spells due to the totem's focus on health and vitality.

Hmm. I can see a grass shaman, but I wouldn't think of wheatgrass being exactly the type of grass involved...

I like the changes. I just wanted something more unique than the typical "-2 dice for combat spells" usually attributed to more passive totems.

My thinking behind the dietary requirement was that a) wheatgrass abusers are sort of like critters and should be treated as such ( : -) ) and b) it might be interesting to see more totems with built-in geas-like behavior (just thinking about Sun and Moon shamans, for example).

Maybe the reduction in "effective magic points" should instead be a reduction in "effective essence," to better reflect the feelings of "vitality" and "wholeness" attributed to wheatgrass imbibing. Perhaps "effective essence" (not to be confused with virtual essence) could be lost at a rate of 0.25 per day, and rebuilt at a rate of 0.25 per day upon resuming the wheatgrass enriched lifestyle. By knocking out effective essence (the character won't slip into "cybermancy" at 0 effective essence, he just won't be able to cast spells, being effectively mundane) the magic rating will also take a hit in the desired fashion.

I see Wheatgrass as a totem for the effete, wealthy, and wanna-be elven.

Aren't there rastafarian rules? If not, there should be.

If you want to force an odd restriction on them, give them the equivalence of the Sensitive System flaw due to the totem's focus on holistic living. You need/should give them some other advantage to offset that as well, though. Maybe the Holistic Medicine knowledge skill at their starting Magic Rating like a Unicorn Shaman? I dunno.

I'm wating for cannibus shamans. They'd all have have dietary requirement: Cheetos, and have to spend no less than four hours a day just sitting around and playing video games.

Just imagine the shock/awe from your players when they find out the big mysterious villane at the end of the six month plot arc is the horrifying toxic poison ivy shaman!

Pel.

I think they briefly discuss Rastafarians in MitS. If I remember correctly, they treat smoking ganja as a centering technique and/or geasa.

Well, rituals in general. The one time I created one I used it as an Expendable Focus for him, too. Even grew his own "Herbal Raw Materials" to make 'em.

You know... if there can be a toaster shaman, I guess you can be a shaman of just about anything. Even grass.

When I saw this topic title I expected a thread about totems that have gone into comas...

Venus Fly Trap is similar to the Siren totem modifiers and description with a bonus to Swamp Spirits instead of whatever it is. Nightshade might fit with Raven, and Chrysanthemum is perhaps Dragonslayer?

I like using Siren for Venus Fly Trap. That's a pretty cool idea.

With regard to wheatgrass: +1 dice to health spells and the Create Food spell, +1 dice to all spells during the harvest season, -1 dice to all spells during winter? Maybe one more disadvantage of some sort, such as -1 to elemental manips or combat spells?

~J

vegetable totems i want to see: couch potato, bluegrass.

Carrot totem: +2 for detection spells (carrots are good for vision, right?) -2 for combat spells (Bunnys like carrots, bunnys don't like to fight, so this follows...)

JaronK

Also, allowed to learn special martial art: Bun Fu.

~J

(Just a note on the veggie path-- I was listening to a pair of vegans today discussing the difficulty of finding good soy cheese, and the joy of tofu quiche, etc. At some point, it became too much, and I turned to them with a wry smile: "It sounds like you're talking about some distopian future where everything is made out of soy.")

Totem: Habanero
Game Effects: +1 die for combat spells, +1 die for elemental manipulation spells. -1 die for detection spells. +1 die for spirits of man. Habanero shamans may go berserk in combat in a similar fashion to Shark, Bear, Gator, (whatever) shamans.
Description: Habanero claims to be the spiciest pepper out there, and regardless of whether or not this is true, Habanero shamans carry the same chip on their shoulder, trying to be the baddest, meanest, most powerful magicians on the street. Habanero shamans are common in rural areas of Aztlan and the southwestern CAS.

Forget blood mages. My next evil Azzie NPC is going to be a habanero initiate.

Blood magic is a metamagic, not an entire tradition. A toxic habañero blood shaman is technically valid (although some would consider habañero to be toxic anyway).

bah. they just don't have the stomach for what habanero represents!

And most people don't have the stomach for what Baron Samedi, Mosquito, and Sangre del Diablos represent either.

I'm in a run right now with a Couch Shaman. He weighs 700 pounds and can't move unless he's on the couch spirit he summons to carry him around.

Cactus shaman: +1 dice when in the desert, +2 dice to combat spells, -1 dice to health spells, -4 dice to touch-range spells.

~J

I'm starting a new campaign where one of the players is a Rasta Bachus shaman with a predisposition for sitting around and smoking up.

It'll be extra fun because we're running Bug City.

Venus Fly Trap shamans should get a bonus against insect spirits.

You could also have other insectivorous plant shamans, like Pitcher Plant and Sundew.

I thought about Pitcher Plant as Seducer totem, but the mythology for them is not as prevalent as Venus Fly Traps.

Nah, Siren is much more appropriate in concept.

As a totem modifier it wouldn't provide any spell defense of its own. The shaman would still have to allocate Sorcery dice to spell defense, then any time those spell defense dice come up he gains a +2 bonus for everyone he's protecting. But once the original allotment of dice run out, he's unable to provide any spell defense.

i'd think a cactus shaman would get a bonus to touch-range spells. after all, touching a cactus is just about the last thing you want to do.

The most notable touch-range spells I can think of, and certainly the most common in-game, are those such as Heal and Treat.

~J

Stun Touch and Death Touch are devestating spells. The Drain is pretty much laughable and you're all but guaranteed to take someone down with one of them (especially with the touch target modifier bonus). The only drawback is the fact that it is a touch-range spell, but that's kind of hard to avoid when gaining a bonus with touch-range spells.

The spell modifier can also be applied to all friendly spells which would not only lower the Drain but provide +2 extra dice. Pretty powerful advantage, that.

The image of a Habenero Shaman puffing up his chest as he walks down a dusty street in rural Aztlan is great.

Reed/Willow. Bonuses to Health and "protective" spells ie Deflect, Armour, Combat Sense...

Technically mfb suggested it. I was just clarifying a bit on touch spells.

[b]Piri-Piri Shaman[/i]

Gains a +1 bonus to Elemental Manipulation (Fire) spells and -1 to Elemental Manipulation (water) Gains +2 to combat spells and a -2 to health spells.

Create food spell ALWAYS include a lot of spices. Summons fire elementals instead of spirits of water.

What would Wormwood be? Perhaps a Corrupt or Twisted totem?

Why would Wormwood be corrupt or twisted anymore than any other plant?

Wormwood has psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. Because of that, I'd add +2 to Illusion spells to that.

I sort of have an interest in it after reading somewhere that John the Evangelist was ingesting copious amounts of it when he was writing Revelations. In fact, Wormwood is the name of the falling star that poisons the waters in Revelations and the herb is called "the Girdle of St. John" in some places.