>Wrong. A released spirit adds it FULL strength to the target ability.
>So if you released a Fighting Mighty Claw spirit 5w, it would add 25
>to your hand to hand skill. If he had 2 similar spirts he can release
>both (2 actions) and add 50.
Darn, ya beat me to it. This is my understanding as well. I've long ranted that I don't understand why people see animists as less powerful than other character types when they have this ability. I hope this is valid, because I've been playing like this for a while. Don't have my book in front of me, but, IIRC, it says that when releasing a spirit, you have the option to add the ability level as AP (almost as though it were a follower fighting beside you), or to add the ability level directly to a similar ability.
As Flynn points out, that makes the character substantially stronger than any other type, given otherwise equal power levels (I hadn't even considered the possibiliy of stacking released spirits, one is enough). Now, yes, when you release a spirit, it goes away for a while, making these basically one-shot powers. But I've argued also that these make these powers actually more interesting to players rather than less. And it makes such a character no less fearsome. That is, while the animist has the spirit gun loaded, he's potentially dangerous, which is almost as good as being actually dangerous. That is, would you attack a person who had a gun, even if you knew it only had one shot in it (more like one clip, really, given that the boost lasts for an entire contest)?
There may be some question as to whether or not animists are balanced, but I don't think that they're in any way underpowered. Unless I've been reading the rules incorrectly all this time.
Mike
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