Would Shamans make a good mystic character for North America

[Rali]

Europe has Druids, Austrailia has Body Crystal (?) magic...

I've been doing some research on shamen recently, and was wondering if you all though this would make a decent mystical character background. especially with their connection with totems and spirit animals, and the spirit world in general.

The way I see it Native american, and Inuit shamen were very similar to the Psychic Sensitives from "Beyond the Supernatural", but think adding the ability to create fetishes (Magic Items), similar to the Psichic Mechanic, would add a fun RPG element to this type of character.

I have put some initial work on my web page "Shaman Background", and would appreciate any feedback.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Shamen?...

I think shamans are certainly plausible in AtB, but lacking the other AtB books, I don't know what the proper format for magic characters in AtB should be.

Aside from the obvious examples in Rifts Spirit West, you might also want to take a look at the old Revised Palladium fantasy Shaman for guidelines.

I'd be inclined to base an AtB Shaman on the Mystic from Rifts or Nightbane, or the Psi-Mystic from PF myself.

[Rali]

you might also want to take a look at the old Revised Palladium fantasy Shaman for guidelines.

I'd be inclined to base an AtB Shaman on the Mystic from Rifts or Nightbane, or the Psi-Mystic from PF myself.

When you have time and access to these manuals, could you post the pages and book titles so I can refer to them?

Also, I don't have access to any RIFTs books beyond the Main book, World Books 1-6, Mercs and Wormwood. So any Rifts references beyond these won't be helpful.

Thanks

[Rali]

That is a very well put together background. However, I think your fetishes could use some work. I think you need some birds in there. For example, use owl for Night Vision and Astral Projection, and some form of migratory bird for navigation. On the whole though, I like what you've done and will probably use it if I ever get around to running a game of ATB.

What I've posted on my webpage is far from being done, and the list of what abilities totem/spirit animals endow onto the shaman would take up a lot of space, so I am initially working on what would most logical to northern shamana.

I also need to take into account the difference between a tribal shaman and a wandering shaman, as tribal shaman are not likely to be part of adventuring group - acting as a tribes spiritual leader instead.

The way I see it, a wandering shaman - most likely set on a path by their spirit guide - will be treated very differently. For instance, the ability to make fetishes would be a gift left to a higher level (4th?) wanderer, but would offer stronger gifts than the tribal shaman (whose fetishes are ment for use in rituals).

ATB shamans for 1e were given rules in TMNT Transdimensional TMNT and in
MUTANTS IN AVALON

I'll have to look that up. Thanks

[EDIT]
ADD:Just finished looking through both Avalon and Transdimensional, and neither had Shaman. Avalon only has Druids, and TransD only has Time Lord and Wizard magic.
[/EDIT]

[Rali]

You're missing something
to be a shaman meant you can cast magic
.. That costed alot of Bio E ( 25 or 30)
that's the part you're not getting..

otherwise , one can use shamans from South America I or Spirit West And just tack on to ATB

Actually, the cost system for Magic in AtB settings (including TransD) varies from nothing to 35 BIO-E, so there really is no set cost to gaining magikal or mystical powers.

Druids Cost: NO COST?! (Avalon)
Time Lord Costs: 25 BIO-E (TransD)
Create Crystal Self Costs: 35 BIO-E (Down Under)

But thanks for pointing that out to me, it may be a good decision to add a Bio-E cost for Shaman Mysticism. Somewhere around 50 BIO-E should be about right for the powers these characters would get: Ritual Magic, Totem Gift, Fetishes, etc.

Franctly, Druids should be charged somewhere around the same since they continue to gain Animal Psi equivilant abilities as they level, plus Earth Magic at Level 8. All at no cost other than a slow level progression (they add 1000 experience per level for 2-5, 2000! for levels 6-10, and 10,000!! for levels 11-15).

Thanks for turning me onto the Tribal Shaman and Totem Warriors in the Rifts: South America I book (I don't think I've cracked this manual open since I bought it...ten years ago ). It was the last Rifts book I bought - good thing I did, it has a lot of what I am looking for. I don't want the AtB Shaman to be a direct port of the Rifts:SAI Shaman, and may combine a little of the Shaman and Totem Warrior into something new.

Kewl and Thanks

[spirit+]

Actually, I think the Unrevised Palladium Fantasy 1st would have rules better suited to TMNT, if it covers shamans. Of course, I could be wrong. And if you don't have an available copy, go ahead and forget it. In fact, even if the shaman is covered, who knows? Perhaps they don't use the system for mages that they do for shamans.

DO NOT USE THE SO CALLED "shaman" FROM PB1. As they are not shamans but hippies. I'm not a Native American but I still found the description insulting. Use Rift:Spirit West as those are much better done.

[spirit+]

It's my understanding that the wizard combat skill table (which increased magic strength and spells per melee) in Transdimensional TMNT was similar to one in the older versions of Palladium Fantasy.

If you are talking about H2H:magic you would be right. It's not somethng they have in officially included the 2ed of things but it still works pretty well.(e.i. it's not unbalancing)

[Ronin Shinobi]

Adventures in the High seas has an excellent reference to making a shamen and would require little converstion to ATB

[Rali]

The only problem I have with conventional shaman classes, is that they revolve around human's and demi-human's channeling and/or connecting with the animal/spirit world. In ATB, you're playing anthropomorphed animals so I think the method of an anthro-shaman would differ slightly since their bond with the animal/spirit world would be stronger that a human/demi-human.

I had to shelve my development of this idea a few months ago, but it still makes it's way to the front occasionally. It's nice to know that there are still some people who are interested inthe idea, and doing a slightly modified conversion of the shaman class from Rifts: South America would probably work until something else gets worked out.

The aspect I like is that as shaman are seen as spiritual leaders in communities, players who choose to play a wandering/adventuring shaman would often be called upon by the rural communities in times of peril and strife, thus making them a natural source of adventures.

[Ronin Shinobi]

Good way to balance is to take a page off of the transdimentional converstion on creating a magic user anthro. At the cost of 30 bio-e give the character the abilities listed for a shaman but double the bonuses and cut to the ritual times for any abilites by half to reflect the attunment their animal side. Especially if you use the Spirit of the West Animal Shaman OCC.