Thom Baguley wrote:
>
> > From: Graham Robinson <gjr_at_...>
> >The problem is that animists have little access to magic except that they
> >get during play. Theists can spend the hero points and bring their
> >affinities up to a par with their mundane skills, the shaman has to find
> >suitable spirits. If they're to keep up they need regular opportunities to
> >find the spirits they want. Constant forays to the otherside are often not
> >relevant to the plot, and I don't have time during my games to do this
> >regularly, even if only a few minutes long. Instead, I let the shaman
> >capture the spirits that are in the game for good plot reasons - the three
> >ghosts in Rainbow Mounds, for example.
The problem I have with animists in a game which is theistic is that its sort of like having a decker in your Shadowrun/Cyberpunk game... very useful and neat but requires large amounts of narrator attention to do right.
There are ways around it == mostly by giving the opportunities Graham mentions above. Or allowing some interaction with the spirit world through 'blue booking' but if you're the only animist in a gorup of 5 theists, you have to realize that there will probably be a big 'time share' problem. Personally, I have a lot of trouble multi-tasking as a narrator.
> I think ghosts are fair game as they are embodied by being bound to a place
> or object. If they could escape to the spirit plane they'd be long gone.
> The resistance might be high for ghosts tied by powerful magic.
>
> Thom
Yes, I would tend to agree. Ghosts are spirits, by and large. Now I am not sure what happens to a theist who goes 'off course' but its possible they could evolve/change into a spirit. Or be eaten by something that takes their identity /uses them as an anchor to get to the Middle World.
Some heortlings are born with spirits instead of souls (bad wording, I know)... and they often become ghosts at death.
Jeff
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