Re: Animists and ancestors

From: Tim Ellis <tim_at_...>
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 10:39:31 -0000

>
> 6 is not general incompetence, 6 is what everybody *normally*
> has and in the case of a bargain, failure means the trader
> gets his price or no deal is reached. Therefore it doesn't
> behove a shaman to hone Bargain to heroic levels as opposed
> to Spirit Combat.

I'm not completly convinced by this argument, I'm afraid. Even if you assumed the Shaman could persuade a friendly tradition spirit to inhabit a fetish on a simple roll (no resistance), this only gives a 30% chance of success. Greg was arguing at Convulsion that everyone would normally have a mastery in there normal "professional" skill (Would you want to see a doctor who fumbled 5% of his normal diagnoses/procedures?) - On this basis 70% of your shaman's fetishes are not going to work, Even more if you allow the spirit a chance to resist...

Also take the example of a Shaman summoning spirits for the tribe (or taking the tribe to the spirit plane) so they can refill their own fetishes. If the shaman only has a standard 6, then his trader buddies will be better at filling fetishes than he is, which just sounds wrong...