Author Topic: Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits  (Read 1738 times)

Offline Haru

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Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits
« on: May 25, 2011, 09:35:34 AM »
A few questions put together in one thread for your convenience ;)

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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.

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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.

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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?
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Offline Belial666

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Re: Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2011, 10:03:32 AM »
For your first question, get Echoes of the Beast. Instead of a special skill trapping have it give a special magical trapping while also giving a penalty. You only got to convince your GM it is balanced.

For your second question, shapeshifting into air is a variant of Gaseous Form. Shapeshifting into Flame is also a variant of Gaseous Form with a -2 refresh into an "incinerator" power that would work like "venomous" from the books only instead of poisoning someone they'd put him on fire (mechanically it would work more or less the same). Shapeshifting into a choking or poisonous cloud is simply gaseous form with venomous and Shapeshifting into water is simply [-8] Physical Immunity with [+1] Human Form (for the shift), [+2] Lightning catch, and a [-1] Amorphous power that allows you to slide through tiny cracks or move around barriers. So it's -3 to -6 refresh, depending on what you want to be.


For your third question, I prefer my characters' spells to be mostly in the mind and the incantation.

Offline UmbraLux

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Re: Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2011, 12:58:54 PM »
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.
So far as the totem represents a character's internal affinity with a given philosophy, I see it as an aspect.  (Similar to Harrys quick to anger aspect.)  When the totem becomes an external entity providing power for his agenda, sponsored magic or other powers may work best.  I also don't see the two as mutually exclusive...could easily have some wizards with greater affinities to a totem than others.

Quote
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.
Sounds closer to true shapeshifting than beast change.  Either way, I'm not automatically opposed.  Would just want to see more detail...  :)

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What are your casting gestures for what spell, and do you do them at the table, when you play?
Under a new moon I dance na....err, no.  No I don't.  :)

More seriously, they occur or not depending on just how caught up in the game we are at the time.  Don't have any set gestures and don't try to insert them as a player...just comes naturally on occasion.
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Offline Becq

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Re: Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2011, 03:09:51 PM »
From a flavor-text viewpoint, I think the rules don't include 'elemental-form' types of shapechanging because in the Dresdenverse, a shapechanger's mind has to be capable of managing the new shape.

From a purely mechanical viewpoint, I don't see why you couldn't use Beast Change, but define the shape as whatever fits your concept.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2011, 01:31:29 AM »
I think that an aspect and Echoes Of The Beast ought to cover the totem.

Beast Change, Human Form, and some custom powers ought to cover the elemental shape. If you take a look at the Custom Powers Master List, you'll find that Damage Shield, Dangerous Aura, and Amorphous Form were all made with characters of that sort in mind.

I have no particular preferences or practices concerning casting gestures.

Offline BumblingBear

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Re: Casting gestures, Beast changes, totem spirits
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2011, 01:36:00 AM »


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?

When playing a magic character, I like to do a NGM "Arcane Gestures" before casting a spell.

That way when casting, I have a solid foundation in the narrative to describe what is going on.
Myself: If I were in her(Murphy's) position, I would have studied my ass off on the supernatural and rigged up special weapons to deal with them.  Murphy on the other hand just plans to overpower bad guys with the angst of her short woman's syndrome and blame all resulting failures on Harry.