Re: starting a shaman

From: Andrew Dawson <asmpd_at_...>
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 20:00:06 -0500

At 07:59 AM 11/16/2000 -0800, David Dunham wrote:
>I know that the average animist starts with 5 one-use fetishes [p.
>213]. But we have a shaman character -- p. 214 gives him a fetch but
>no other spirits. Am I missing something? Surely he'd have fetishes,
>probably usuable more often.

Here's how I do it:

Since a tribesman gets 5 one-use fetishes at an average might of 17 (p. 213) and a shaman gets to buy a 1/day fetish between sessions for 2 HP (errata for p. 215, I got this directly from Stephen Martin), I have extrapolated that a starting shaman gets 5 fetishes, usable at least 1/day, with an average power of 17. Shamans also get to trade two fetishes for an integrated ability (p. 213). This isn't explicitly written out in HW:RiG, but I think that it's a fair enough interpretation of what is there.

What I add: I allow the shaman to have no more 3/day fetishes than 1/day fetishes, which means that a starting shaman in my games can have:

1. 2 integrated abilities, 1 1/day fetish, avg. might 17
2. 1 integrated ability, 1 3/day fetish, 2 1/day fetish
3. 2 3/day fetish, 3 1/day fetish
4. anything lesser that the player wants (maybe the player wants 5 one-use fetishes)

In play, I have not yet seen a shaman bind a fetish of greater frequency than one-use, probably because the player doesn't want to spend 2 HP (1 to clinch a greater victory, 1 to cement the fetish). For me, this casts some doubt on the "realism" of a shaman getting a 1/day fetish at might 12 between sessions (see errata note above), though he does need to spend 2 HP, which matches what really seems to happen. Just an observation.

Thanks,
Andy