What exaclty do you get those bonus dice for.
If you have a +2 illusion and +2 city spirits for example, what exact rolls do you get bonus dice on.
Do you get them on the sorcery test? The conjuring test?
The Drain test?
Tests to research?
Tests to enchant spell or group specific foci?
Test to ascense spells?
Tests to clean up signatures? To Identify sigantures?

Do you apply them to all the rolls in a round or are you limited to adding the 2 bonus dice to the sorcery test OR the drain res test. What about casting multiple Illusion spells in one round?

They apply to any tests you make for any categories that qualify.

So yes, you get the bonus for casting and drain, even if casting multiple spells.

So if I cast to Illusion spells in the same round I'd get two bonus dice on both sorcery tests and two bonus dice on both Drain Res tests?
That's pretty neat, gotta play a shaman one of these days.

It's 2 dice to divide between Sorcery test and Drain Resistance test. Not +2 for each. But you can divide those 2 dice as you wish during the casting phase.
(IIRC, never play a mage)

Yes, and there's the essential debate, whether the dice apply to 1) *either* the spellcasting test or the Drain test but not both, 2) *both* the spellcasting *and* the Drain tests, or 3) apply to the whole spellcasting action, and can be divided between the spellcasting test or the Drain test as desired. According to the letter of the rules, which just mention the extra dice applying to any test made regarding the indicated spells/spirits it would appear to be that option 2 is the most logical interpretation (see p. 163 SR3 for the deal on totem modifiers), but as always you'll find people that fully believe any one of the three interpretations, plus any number of others.

Unfortunately, the books don't go into much more detail about totem advantages than the blurb on p. 163. One thing that is clear is that the modifiers apply to every other test you make regarding the selected spells/abilities, such as dispelling, banishing, learning a spell that you get a totem advantage for, etc. (p. 180, for instance, details how Totem advantages are applied to learning spells.)

Keep in mind though that, between the shamanistic mask and the totem advantage, there's a whopping -3 to the TN to spot your spellcasting. This, combined with how relatively easy the base TN is anyway (p. 162 SR3 for details), makes shaman spellcasting really really obvious, rather like a giant sign over your face saying "Geek Me!"


(Edit): In other words, if you're looking for a clear answer, you're not getting one. Strict interpretation of the blurb on p. 163 indicates that it applies to both the spellcasting and drain tests, but most people dismiss that as unbalanced so it's usually interpreted as either 1 or 3 in most actual games.

Now here's an interesting question: is it usually worth it to become an Urban shaman (p. 16 MitS), or for that matter a Wilderness Shaman (same page)? I mean, giving up both Land and Water spirits just to get spirits of man and sky for a little longer; how often do you find, in practise, that not having access to either spirit is an actual disadvantage?

as far as i'm able to tell, it never actually says exactly what the bonus dice can be used for. on SL, we split them as desired, but it never actually says you have to do so in SR3. i don't know about earlier editions.

I'v always played that you get the +2 dice which can be used for either the casting or the drain, but not both. It is a bit ambiguous in the book.

I use the same interpretation as Backgammon and mfb, which is Eyeless Blond's Option #3.

As to the question regarding Urban/Wilderness specialization, I personally would never choose to go that route with any of my characters (and I play Shamans more than any other archetype). The disadvantages heavily outweigh the advantages in my opinion. Besides, it is pretty much cake to just summon another Spirit once the previous one departs due to time restrictions.

It says you get bonus dice when using sorcery. (SR3 p. 163) It does not mention drain. Perhaps drain, being a direct consequence of sorcery is considered to be part of "using sorcery" because MITS p. 38 says shamans, houngans, & path of the wheel followers get to use their bonus dice to resist ritual magic drain. Now (in the case of the ritual leader) begins the debate as to whether it means only unused bonus dice or all the bonus dice to both the ritual pool and drain resistance. Until we get errata or a FAQ to go by, GMs decision. I think all options are defensible.

I've heard it both ways, and the book is unclear. I asked here recently, and got both "you get +2 dice, devided between casting and drain" and "you get +2 dice to casting and to drain."

So, dunno.

JaronK

I like using actual dice pool. Every player has in front of him a pool of dice representing his combat pool, magic pool etc. When a dice is added to a roll, it is physically removed from the pool and rolled.

Considering that sorcery can be split into different rolls, it is basically treated the same as a dice pool except that it refreshes every combat phase instead of every round. So I make sure the mage has a pool of dice representing his sorcery too.

So when a Wolf Shaman cast a combat spell, I just toss him two more dice to add to his sorcery pool for the phase. If a Raccoon shaman cast a combat spell, I withdraw a dice from his sorcery pool for the phase.

It's easy to track that way.

Strictly speaking, it's a bonus to sorcery skill tests (SR3, p 163), conjuring skill tests (SR3, p 163,186) and conjuring drain tests (SR3, p 188). In practice, I've never seen any GM let shamans "double dip" for the conjuring skill and drain tests, nor have I seen GMs restrict the totem modifier to only sorcery spellcasting tests. The pool dice is a good analogy, except it would "refresh" every initiative pass instead of every combat turn.

it would refresh every casting. for instance, a wise warrior shaman who dual-cast two manabolts would get the +2 dice for each casting.

Yet another reason to love shamans.

Besides, If you have the right totem, you might get pluses to your intimidation skill when your mask manifests. GM call, of course. (How would you react if someone started looking like a shark?)

Also, low level disreguard could take care of the mask proble, if you're worried about it.

Ah... the old rules of combat:

If it moves, shoot it.
If it doesn't move, walk up to it and shoot it.
If it starts moving again, empty the clip.