> > Did someone complain that shamans were
> > underpowered compared to Theists?
>
>I should expand this slightly. This doubling up of skill to cross
>the barrier has several major enhancing effects on Shamans.
>
>1 - crossing to the otherside allows them to find a large variety of
>spirits and so increase their powers.
>2 - crossing to the otherside is the first step in heroquesting,
>which gives shamans access to many non-spirit based powers.
>3 - each increase of 2 in their barrier crossing ability reduces the
>amount they have to take from any ritual bonus so that they can get
>to the otherside. The increased residue can be spent on skill
>bonuses in the quest.
The objections to this :
A shaman, on the other hand, is part of a small, often nomadic group. (At least, this seems true for most animists I know of - from Pent to Pamaltela.) They don't have vast numbers, and they may not be near the ideal holy site when they need to cross over. Instead, the shaman needs to do so himself.
There is also the different expectations of the community here. Theists expect to support the priest, to make the gods strong by their own worship. Animists expect a shaman to act on their behalf, interacting with the spirits alone.
2. The powers gained by a shaman are limited in that they (a) cannot be increased by spending hero points, (b) cannot be used unlimited times during a given day and (c) often start at a relatively low power.
3. The magical specialists who cannot pretty much automatically step to the otherside whenever needed, is pretty much useless. Priests can do this because they use large congregations, established rituals, and known holy spots. Shamans can do so because they have a fetch. Both are equivalent.
4. Where do the rules say that a congregation cannot support both crossing over and another step? Not so much an objection, as something I would allow, and I'm not sure whether its a house rule or not...
Cheers,
Graham
-- Graham Robinson graham_at_... Albion Software Engineering Ltd.
Powered by hypermail