I've not really thought about Shaman and their fetches enough to be certain, but I'll through some thoughts out and see if it stirs up any further thoughts for you.
In the RQ2/RQ3 paradigm, IIRC, the Fetch was initially formed from part of the Shaman's POW, and had an entirely Spirit based existance, generally residing 'within' the shaman. A fetch of this nature in HW would just have a "Fetch" rating per the rules (= Shaman's best ability isn't it?) which it could use to aid the Shaman in things like Spirit World Travel, Spirit Combat and Shamanic Escape
It appears that in Hero Wars a fetch may also have some sort of material presence in some other sort of being (say Kolating Shaman with his fetch in a Storm Spirit, an Earth Witch with her fetch in a snake or a Telmori with his fetch in a Wolf) and the question Charles and Wulf are asking is how these "incarnated" fetches should have their abilities dealt with. I'd guess that you could treat the "incarnated" fetch as both a Fetch and a Follower - with it's Fetch rating = to the Shamans best skill, and two other skills determined as for any other follower.
I think follower rather than Ally because (a) they already get the bonus of the "Fetch" rating and (b)an Ally need not always be part of an episode, whereas a shaman is never likely to be far from his fetch. "Follower" just seems to be about the right sort of power level to me...
You could treat an "Allied Spirit" in the same (or a similar) way where they were previously bound into say an Alynx for Orlanth or a Vroc Hawk for a Yelmalian (With the proviso that they may actually be some sort of Daimon rather than a spirit, of course, and that Thunder Rebels and/or Storm Tribe may tell us more about these beings)
Powered by hypermail