A few questions put together in one thread for your convenience
----------------------
First of, I have been playing Shadowrun a lot, and despite a lot of things that are flawed with that system, there is one thing I really liked: the concept of totem spirits. Wizard types are mostly classified in 2 traditions: hermetic and shaman. Shamans (in the latest version it is every wizard, but I don't like that change) have a totem spirit, a guide that defines their understanding and use of magic. The totem spirit grants a bonus to one kind of magic while putting a penalty on another. The character of the totem is always similar to the shamans own character and the shamans own behaviour is reinforced by the totems character.
examples:
- Coyote is the Great Trickster, unpredictably bold one moment, cowardly the next. He can be a friend or a dark joker who leads you into danger. A Coyote shaman is too independent to be bound by anything except his word. Like Grandfather Coyote in the legends, his is intensely curious. He is often greedy and fond of taking risks just for fun.
- Owl is a wise and silent observer. She does not speak unless she has something important to say. Owl lives by night and shuns the sunlight, in which she is practically helpless. What she hunts for, she finds. Owl is helpful to her friends and fearsome to her enemies.
- Because Mouse is so much smaller than many other animals, and because so many other creatures hunt her, the Mouse shaman usually has a well-developed sense of danger. Mouse scrutinizes everything, and has a marvelous ability to categorize and organize. Mouse is not as skittish as Rabbit, or as selfish as Rat.
How would you put something like this into the game? I personally would put it somewhere between an aspect and sponsored magic. An aspect would probably be to weak, sponsored magic would be too much for what I have in mind. A supernatural stunt combined with an aspect would probably be the best way to go, the stunt representing the bonus/penalty of the totem, the aspect representing the character of the totem that can be invoked or compelled according to the totems character.
----------------------
Next, I am not sure if something like this has been brought up yet, so I am going to put it in the same thread. I am talking about non-animal-beast-changed. More specific, things like changing into pure flame/air/etc. with beast change. How would the powers of such a best-form look like? Would you be ok with things like this? They are not exactly canon, but only because we haven't seen things like this doesn't mean they don't exist. They would probably cost a lot of refresh in any case.
----------------------
The last one might be a bit silly. Do you think about what gestures they do when your wizards cast their evocations? And more importantly: do you do them?
Casting a fireball is pretty straight forward, usually: aim and shoot. I find myself most often doing the fireball throwing gesture in this case.
Other times, like an earthshock spell, I thrust both hands at the ground, palms open. Letting a tree grow to grab someone? Ever see the Merlin movies with Sam Neil? Something like that.
What are your casting gestures for what spell, and do you do them at the table, when you play?
