<< > > The clearest case of RQ muddying the waters is in the rules
I would treat it similarly to the one use rune spells that can be derived from spirit cults. Are they big spirits, or tiny gods? Largely semantics and roolz, in my opinion, as long as in character the Hsunchen are able to take the shape of their totem animals as the world dictates.>>
Not quite semantics, as there *is* a difference between a small god and a big spirit, specifically, the means used to approach them (though the amount of power they grant you is, indeed, the same). In RQ there's no real distinction, but in HW there will be, reflecting the different way that priests and shamans see the world. And, as mentioned in the Stygian thread, using completely the wrong method to approach a deity (treating an Orlanthi god as if he's really a saint, for instance) will result in weaker magic, precisely because there is a difference between the categories. Worship him as a slightly different god than the folks over in the other valley do, no problem; worship him as if he's something other than a god, he gets a bit miffed.
<< BTW, are there any in-character explanations as to how the Hsunchen do
their
thing? Do they call the power of Telmor/Basmol/whoever into themselves, do
they ritually bind wolf-spirits into charms or animal skins, or what? >>
The shaman takes you into the spirit world where you must find a wolf-spirit or whatever and integrate it into you. Once its in there, it stays, and you can call on its power whenever you need to. Hsunchen know that such spirits are their 'lost parts', and that they cannot be whole until they have put all those parts back together. The more spirits they integrate, the more transformation abilities they gain, although the three-features-and-you-can-do-the-full-transformation rule of RQ is a simplification of the actual situation, albeit one that's good enough for most purposes.
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
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