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 Jul 92 03:41:44 EDT
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Subject: Shamanism
Message-Id: <IO11085.920702214351@maine.maine.EDU>
From:    IO11085@MAINE
To:      io11085@maine.maine.edu, tuff@midway.uchicago.edu,
         heintzel@cernapo.cern.ch, woodr@atlantis.cs.orst.edu,
         aladdin@u.washington.edu, anton@netcom.com,
         cstdxff@csv.warwick.ac.uk
Date:    Thu, 02 Jul 92 21:43:51 EDT

Here's a possible proposal for Shamanism, tell me what you think.

Shamans must by either Second sight or visions, which are explained
explained below. They will have 7 positive points, and 7 negative
points to spend on things below. They must also spend the Points for
a Shamanic Totem Spirit.

+2 VISIONS: Receiving visions related to emotionally or maically laden
    events. Usually the visions are symbolic or confusing.
+1 SECOND SIGHT: Seeing Spirits, Ghosts and other invisible spirits.
+2 Totemic Spirit of Might 15
+3 Totemic Spirit Might 20
+4 Totemic Spirit Might 30
+1 Spirit Favor: For some reason the Shaman is favored by the great
    spirit of the land.
+1 Totem has a special ability.
+1 HEALER: Empathic understanding of how to aid the wounded, the sick
    and the suffering.
+1 WEATHERSENSE: Sensing the upcoming weather, usually short term, like
   one day or so.
+2 DREAM: The ability to enter into the Dream World. It also controls
    the length of time the shaman can dream. Upon declaring their intent
    to enter the Dream World, dream Shamans must attempt a die(1,10) and
    add their Dream Score plus any applicable modifier from the Dream
    Modifier List. Untrained Dreamers make the smae roll. with a modifier
    of +0 for their Dream score. The Dreamer Table shows how long a dream
    lasts.
              DREAM MODIFIERS
    * Dreamer has previously slept(and awoken) within the past sixteen
       hours: -8
    * Noisy, Uncomfortable Conditions: -4
    * Exhausted: +1 or more depending on how we handle exhaustion(hint)
              DREAMER TABLE
    Roll           Time in Dreamworld
  <=3              None
    4-6            1 hour
    7-9            2 hours
    10-11          4 hours
     12+           8 hours

+2 DREAMBUILDING: This power allows a Shaman to create new people and things
    in the dreamworld.
    Dreambuilding can produce anything the user can imagine. However,
    created beings may have no skills or mental attritubtes higher than
    those of the creator. These images physical attritubutes maximum will
    be based on the Shaman's score in dreambuilding. Inanimate objects
    damage will also be based on the score in this talent. Objects created
    by dreambuilding automatically vanish when the builder wakes up.
    A shaman may use this ability to appear in any form she desires. The
    disguse is perfect, since belief comprises part of the dream. Note that
    this aspect of dreambuilding makes it impossible to recognize any
    shaman who wishes to conceal her idenity. Dreambuilding allows
    the shaman to impersonate anyone.
    Once a shaman adds a new feature to the dreamworld, that thing becomes
    real(in the context of the dream). Creators cannot automatically
    control their creations. One can build things with specified propensities
    but once they become part of the dreamworld, they behave like actual
    things of their kind.
+2  DREAMWAKING: This ability allows the Shaman to see and hear the real
    world froma dream. To see a specific place, the shaman must travel
    to an equivalent location in the Dreamworld. A shaman who knows the
    art of Dreamwaking can use it to spy out an area, invisibly, inaudibly
    and safe from any material defenses. However, users of this art can
    only observe places which they can reach in their dreams. They see
    only what they would see if physically standing at the site under
    scrutiny. Dreamers cannot search or manipulate real objects.
    Note that if dreamwaking reveals substantial changes in the real
    world, one's dream image of that place must change as well.
+2  MANIFESTATIONS: This power makes the dreamworld visible to the awake.
    Dream Manifestations have no substance and are harmless, but they look
    are sound real. The skill level in this will determine how much of
    the dream world a shaman can manifest.
    Manifested draems appear in the portion of the ordinary world which
    corresponds to their location in the realm of sleep.
-1  FETISHIST: The shaman has to create a small material charm for each of
    her bound spirits; the fetish must be held in the shaman's hand in
    order to give the spirit a command.Other shamans can attempt to compel
    such a bound spirit at -5 if they have the fetish.
-1  OTHERWORLDLY: The shaman is preoccupied with the spirit world to the
    extent of ignoring the material world. take a -25 to perception.
-1 Warped Magic: Your magic is accompanied by some annoying side effect
    always of the sma etype, but with increasing intenstity according to
    the magnitude of what you are doing. This should cause trouble from
    time to time, but should mainly be annoying.
-1  CURSED: You've picked up a minor surse from a bad run in with a nasty
    spirit. Examples:
    Music causes you pain.
    All food tastes like ashes.
    Smile, laugh, frown, and cry always in the wrong circumstances.
-1 Disfigured
-2 CURSED: some examples:
    Stutter uncontrollably when you try to say something important
    If you ever tell a secret that was entrusted to you, that secret will
    somehow harm you.
-2  Lame
-3 CURSED:
-4 Cursed:

Totems: Every Shaman will have a spirit guide to help them about the
world; the totem will almost always appear as some sort of animal.
The totem spirit can only affect the physical world through the shaman.
The totem gives the shaman a magic resistance equal to half its might.
The totem can manifest as an image.
The totem usually doesn't speak to the Shaman directly, instead it
prefers to send dreams or visions.
The shaman gets the spirit's magnitude as a bonus to most shamanic
abilities.
If the totem is ever dispelled the shaman must use serious cermemonic
magic to get it back.


Shamanism is fundamentaly based on a set of four abilities, with the addition
that some shamans have dream powers, a very few. Shamans do not cast 'spells'
their only means of magically affecting the material world is through the
intervention of spirit.
    CEREMONIES: Performing lengthy rituals which make the other Shamanic
talents far easier. Ceremnies take several hours to perform, but allow
the talent to be added to the roll. Ceremonies are the only way the more
powerful manifestations of the Shaman's arts can be performed.
COMPULSION: Giving orders to the spirits. If the compulsion roll exceed's
the spirit's might, the spirit can be ordered to depart. If any other
command is desired, the roll must exceed the spirit's might by five
fo every service demanded. The spirit also gets a might roll after each
command, in an attempt to free itself. A shaman can attempt an immediate
compulsion on a freed spirit at a roll of -5. Demons can be compelled,
and have been known to pretend to be compelled, even when not. Elementals
in some cases have also been know to be compelled but this is extremeley
rare.
This drains your will.
Totem bonus does not apply to compulsion.
Totems can not be compelled by their own or any other shaman.
(use of this art needs to be modified by a presence type stat)

POSSESSION: By use of this talent the shaman volunatrily gives up control
of her own body to a spirit, generally her totem. The Shaman's totem will
be able to assume their animal form, and will add (might/5) to appropriate
characteristics. Other spirits might add to the players characetristics,
have unique abilities, or only be able to communicate in this manner.
To force a spirit out make a will vs will modified by the players
possession+totem might vs the spirit's might.

PROJECTION: This talent enables the shaman to seperate her spirit from her
body and travel in spirit form anywhere in the spiritual or physical world.
It takes a couple of minutes of ritual preparation to accomplish. The totem
can either remain to guard the body, or it can take the shaman into the
spirit world(at no cost to either of them)
Doing things in this state drains will. -1 will for each mile travelled.
-15 pts to enter the spirit world. Will points can be added at a 2 will:1 pt
to compulsion rolls. They can be used in a direct attempt to harm a spirit
(die(1,10)+willused/2+(prs skill mod)+totemic bonus vs. die(1,10)+might)
or to converse with a spirit, one pt per exchange/converstation.
This is extremely exhausting and should not be used more than once a week
or some you will suffer 15 pts from you will.

A shaman can use compulsion to bind spirits into her service. A shaman may
have one spirit bound for each magnitude of her totem. Because of the might
roll to free themselves, only lesser spirits are usually bound for long.

It is possible to frighten spirits into doing a shaman's will w/o using
compulsion(this is rarely successful), and to bargain for services.
Nature spirits generally respon well to bargains that include honoring
the spirit with ceremonies, or better yet the sacrifice of something
special. Other spirits may not be so easy to please.
Different types of spirits have different powers. One common use is healing;
for example the spirit of a cool stream might be used to break s fever, that
a tree to heal a wound made by a wooden weapon, or a spirit of the land
to heal broken bones. Another common use is divination; for example a
wind spirit can be used to find out what others are doing far away, or a
spirit of the land can tell who has crossed over it.
One possible use of a service would be to interpose the spirit between the
shaman and a spell, using the spirit's resistance and possibly letting
it take the brunt of the spell effect.

Nature spirits are bound to a specific locus, usually a geographic place.
They cannot be taken to far from their homes. A shaman travelling will find
that none of her bound spirits remain, except for her totem, and that none
of the local spirits know who she is.

Attempts to strengthen Totem: Must prepare a medicine bundle of things
connected to the totem. Then roll die(1,10)+pts accumulated+skill spiritlore
for every 5 pts over the totem's might the totem gains +1 in might.
This may be done till the totem gains 2*original might.

Drum: A shaman may spend a season crafting a drum, which thereafter will
give +3 to all ceremonies rolls.