K, so I remember this was a topic a couple months back, but I thought I'd dig it up.

I want to do a run that involves a really wacky shaman, and I need some ideas for a crazy totem. Ideas? (Ducks as the platapus and coyote shamans rush)

Hamster totem: like to stuff nuts in his mouth (can be taken anyway you like) and generally act cute

Gold Fish totem: shaman has complete memory wipe every 3 seconds.

Blue Footed Boobie totem: not what everyone thinks he is.

But what are the drawbacks?

Body Hair +1 ; maybe has to take a pack-rat ish flaw?

Elvis Totem:

Env: Las Vegas; Graceland + 50 Mile Radius, any film set location for Elvis' movies (Hamauna Beach for Blue Hawaii.. etc...)

+2 Dice for Spirits of Man

+2 Dice for Directed Illusion Spells, +2 Dice for Control Manipulation.

-2 Dice for Health Spells (Elvis wasn't exactally a health conscious guy.. But hey.. all the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches you want.)

hax0rz0r:

Environment: Parent's basements, college dorms.

Advanteges: + 2 dice spirits of man, + 2 dice detection spells.
Disadvantages: Must have computer skill of at least 6.

Hippie:

Environment: Coffee houses, college psychology and philosophy buildings, Burning Man.

Advantages: + 1 die to nature spirits, + 3 dice to illusion spells.
Disadvantages: Hippie shamans may not cast combat spells. In addition, all Hippie shamans have the Pacifist Flaw.


Oh, and Mortax, the blue-footed boobie is a bird.

Jabberwocky

Enviroment: Forest
+2 Dice for Forest Spirits and Combat Spells.
-2 Dice for Spirits of Man and Health Spells.

Compulsion: Must make a willpower (6) test when facing an opponet weilding a vorpal sword or be paralyzed with fear for 1d6 combat turns.

I'm telling you! THe Care Bear totem!

Terrain: clouds

Advantages +2 health and manipulation ( 'cause let's be honest, they're manipulative little buggers)

+2 dice for sky spirits

They even have a built in centering skill - sticking out your gut and repetious chanting.

Drawbacks - killed on site by pretty much everyone

I want to use the Elvis totem for a crazy street preacher. Thank you

Ok, I have:

(plants can be totems too, just see Oak):

Peyote:

+2 dice Illusions
+2 dice Hearth Spirits(those little guys running around)
-2 dice Detection(let's face it, they get cet a proper reading on anything)

Permanent Flaw: Flashbacks.

Ganja:

+2 dice Illusions
+2 dice Grassland Spirits

Permanent Flaw: Oblivious, and Compulsion: Munchies.


Donald Duck:

+2 dice Combat spells
+2 dice Water spirits(he is a duck)

Followers of Donald go berserk as a Bear shaman. Come on, Donald is a seriously angry guy. Cannot be in the vacinity of anyone following the Chipmunk totem.


Yoda:

2+ dice Detections
+2 dice Control Manipulations
-1 die Combat

Yoda followers have the general Pacifist flaw. In addition, they must speak everything in disjointed sentences or lose their bonuses for the day.

But only for gnomes, dwarves, or any normal human afflicted with the size of one. Also: Must have Athletics 6, and be capable of responding to any Star Wars quote, at any time, any place.

Here's an idea...

Mecha:

+2 dice on anything pertaining to interacting with someone with cyberware, or any form of robot or drone with humanoid form
+2.0 Essense bonus for cyberware installation purposes only.
Can only conjure Spirits of Man
Gradually starting to look asian, if didn't start that way. (*dodges the beatings.*)
Must speak, read, and write Japanese and English fluently. (At least a 6 speech, and a 4 reading/writing.)
At least 6 ranks in Sing (Mecha Anime Themesongs)

Whatever the hell this thing is:mutant mole thing

-2 detection
-2 combat
+2 spirits of the forest
Environment: Underground

-78 on social skill tests due to the "Oh My God, what the f*** is that thing on its mouth!?!" factor.

For SR4 only:

Totem: Decker
Env: Basements (or any property belonging to parents)
Advantages: +2 to detection spells +2 to direct illusion spells
Disadvantages: -2 to combat spells (come on, a Max Power?) -2 to Spirits of Man, Max charisma of 4.

The Decker totem yearns for an age of simpler technology when smart people had the sense to steer clear of situations hazardous to their meat bods. Deckers make great sources of information and deception but aren't too handy in a fight. Decker is a shy totem, with little force of personality. Decker will not bestow gifts on those he feels are too socially adept to appreciate the 733t skillz he offers.

Magic: The Gathering Totem
+2 Illusion Spells
+2 Combat spells
Can summon all Spirits

Negitive
Must always cast spells with expendable fetishes that are in the form of playing cards. Must hord the said fetishes.

.........wow. I think that's what happens to a mole bitten by a drop bear.

Like someone else mentioned before (sorry, can't remember who) I think the idea of Google as a totem is sheer genius.

New Magical Tradition: Poketotems
Although a full priority A tradition, this one steps significantly away from the common threads of most documented magical traditions.
First, the "Trainers" have very restricted access to spells. They primarily have access to health spells, and all such spells must include the "Restricted Target: Pokespirit" effect. They may also learn the detection spells "Analyze Pokespirit" (which can be used to aid an assensement of one) and "Catalog Pokespirits" which is usually only taken by those obsessed with "Catching them all." (which amounts to 98% of those devoted to the Poketotems)
Secondly, the Trainers must go questing for their spirits and may only have 6 specific spirits on call at any time. However, as long as the spirit doesn't break free, it is treated somewhere between an ally spirit and a bound free spirit.

Trainers begin with one Pokespirit that is a force (Trainer MR/2, rounded down) and usually a cosmetic variant of either a salamander, undine, or manitous.

Once they initiate, Trainers may go on astral quests to try to tame Pokespirits. The rating of the quest is determined at random, but will match the initial force of the Pokespirit found. Due to the limited abilities of Trainers, most resort to using a favored Pokespirit to deal with the dangers of questing.

Trainers can use sorcery for their Pokespirit friendly spells, dispelling, and spell defense uses.
Trainers use conjuring to try to bind a defeated Pokespirit, retain control of a bound Pokespirit, as well as standard banishing.

Trainers may aspect or bias their powers toward a specific element in their Pokespirits. Aspecting limits them to only those Pokespirits which include that element, biasing gives them +2 dice to all tests related to Pokespirits of that type, but -1 die to all tests of Pokespirits linked by a vulnerability to the selected type. To clarify, by "linked by a vulnerability" I mean that either the Pokespirit is vulnerable to the favored element type or the favored element type is vulnerable to the Pokespirit.
Valid elements for pokespirits include anything listed in MitS as a possible elemental effect for manipulation spells.

Bad bad bad.

Edward

The discovery of a magical tradition that so closely resembles a turn of the century children's game has resulted in varried responses from the magical community at large.
The responses tend to range from "Oh drek, it never ends does it?" to "Woot, I've wanted a charmander since I was 5!"

Star-nosed. The mole, that is.

Samurai Jack

+2 dice combat and health spells (hey, have you ever seen him stay injured?)
+2 dice Spirits of air

Disadvantage:

Ban on all equipment but a katana.

Elastoplast

+2 dice health spells

Disadvantage: compulsive (buying slap patches)

David Blaine

+2 to all endurance rolls
+2 to all manipulation and illusion spells

Disadvantage: must spend at least 5D6 days a year doing something stupid like balancing on top of a pole or in a glass box above a river.

Samurai Jack does use other stuff, remember the Gladiator episode. He barely touched the sword there.
oh,and shouldn't that be 50D6 days a year for Blane?

Now for some more musical ones:

Michael Jackson:

+2 Illusions
+2 Detection
+2 manipulation
-4 Combat
They also enjoy Home Ground: Neverland Ranch.

Disadvantages: Michael Jackson shamans have automatic Police Record flaws, Distinctive Style(white glove), and Bad Reputation(only in neighborhoods with kids.)


Slipknot:

+2 Combat
+2 Manipulation
-2 Health

Slipknot shamans have all spells Fetish limited without the Fetish benefits. Fetish: Boiler suit and mask of choice.

Toaster.

Solid Snake

Advantages:
+2 dice for illusion spells
+2 dice for all Stealth tests

Disadvantages:
-2 dice to all rolls when within ten meters of an ally (Solid Snake always works alone)
Must smoke at least one pack of cigarettes per day

You missed the free spell.

"Ignore Box" (TN: 4)
When cast on a box that has the shaman inside, it will be completely ignored unless it starts moving. Even then, the potential observes must make an intelligence test against the force and number of successes to not dismiss it as a cat, dog, or very large rodent.

Antiseptics

Urban Totem

The Modern day germaphobic Shaman follows something a bit different than your friendly Dog Shaman down the street.

+5 Health Spells,
+2 Detection Spells,
+3 Spirits of Man (In Hospitals)
Manditory Obsessive Compulsive flaw
Must have Knowledge skill: Diseases or Equivalent

Disadvantages:
-3 to cast spells if dirty
-1 to caste spells if in an "unclean" area (This includes nature).
-2 to cast spells if sick.
-2 healing tests (from being ill)
+2 time to heal (from being ill.)

Possible Gaesa or Fetish:
Bottle of Purell hand sanitizer.
Bottle of Antibiotics
Must take Antibiotic 1hr before to gain bonuses.

The followers of the antiseptic way have vast healing abilities and knowledge of the true threat to the metahuman world. Germs!! Antiseptics wage a constant war to stay clean and germ free. Saddly they have overdone things and their bodies are so unused fighting viruses for themselves that they have grown weak and get hammered by even the lightest infections. Oddly Antiseptics can not magically heal themselves from illnesses brought about by common virus or bacteria and must tough it out. This of course leads to a vicious cycle.

Antiseptic Avatars usually appear as paraniod beings wearing rubber gloves.