RPM: Urban Shaman

[Lameth]

I’m attempting to design a tradition for my urban fantasy game I run of Urban Shaman. I see It as someone who communes with the Free spirits of the city. Essentially if spirits take on the aspects of the physical matter they Possess, them there would be spirits of buildings, cars, electronics, electricity, etc. They would ask of these spirits for boons and favor. I can see the main paths of matter, spirit, energy, and chance maybe. Not sure of what style perks best fit them, nor special traits, such as maybe like a Druid who gets a boost in magic for pristine areas they instead for densely populated ones. Or maybe a lot of their magic looks like TK as they ask the spirits in things to animate.

Any advice on tradition themes, spirits, Paths, spells , perks, etc would be Helpful from those that are familiar with this kind of tradition. I sought other rpg or fantasy novel inspirations and came up black. White wolf has some aspects of it but very little.

[dcarson]

If they own or rent a property in the area they are more attuned and get a +1 maybe.

Perks to make them do better in different types of neighborhoods, residential, business, industrial, warehouse area etc. Maybe even a style of city planning that suits them more.

[ericthered]

A while back on my blog I wrote up The Path of Machines. I found that in a TL8+ setting, machines got complex enough that path of matter either got too powerful or that working with the machine via magic got too complex. The short description is that the Path of Machines is like the path of Spirit or Undead, but for computers, vehicles, and the other contraptrations we fill our lives with.

One fun thing you could give the character is the ability to fix machines via reaction rolls... but only when the character is present! The machine shapes up and stops messing around when someone like them is around!

[AlexanderHowl]

First, I would suggest looking at the Shadowrun treatment on the subject, considering that it probably has the most written on the subject of urban shamanism. Second, I would also take a look at WtA from oWoD, especially the Glass Walkers, as it would also be a good resource. As for the Paths, they would probably focus on a mixture of the artificial and the natural.

In the case of the artificial, you would likely have a Path of Computers, Path of Diseases (which would include infectious diseases, mental disorders, and non-infectious diseases), a Path of Machines, a Path of Oppression, and a Path of Structures (which would include cables, pipes, rails, and roads). In the case of the natural, you would likely have a Path of Animals (which would include humans), a Path of Elements, a Path of Fungi, a Path of Plants, and a Path of Spirits. The combination of the five artificial Paths and the five natural Paths would create a dynamic tension in the magical system.

[Lameth]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

First, I would suggest looking at the Shadowrun treatment on the subject, considering that it probably has the most written on the subject of urban shamanism. Second, I would also take a look at WtA from oWoD, especially the Glass Walkers, as it would also be a good resource. As for the Paths, they would probably focus on a mixture of the artificial and the natural.

In the case of the artificial, you would likely have a Path of Computers, Path of Diseases (which would include infectious diseases, mental disorders, and non-infectious diseases), a Path of Machines, a Path of Oppression, and a Path of Structures (which would include cables, pipes, rails, and roads). In the case of the natural, you would likely have a Path of Animals (which would include humans), a Path of Elements, a Path of Fungi, a Path of Plants, and a Path of Spirits. The combination of the five artificial Paths and the five natural Paths would create a dynamic tension in the magical system.

Thank you, but this is for RPM not path and book, but ya good ideas.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Lameth

Thank you, but this is for RPM not path and book, but ya good ideas.

I think he might have meant running RPM with completely different paths... which is possible, and flavorful, but I think its overkill for the question. I do think Adding a single path for machines would add a lot of urban flavor to the magic system.

I'm thinking about what sorts of things in an urban environment would have "spirits". Computers and Vehicles have been mentioned, and large pieces of machinery are easy enough to imagine. I think that Buildings might be another common urban fixture that could have an attached spirit, and its not too hard to imagine a building's personality.

In addition to Electricty, there is also a lot of plumbing in urban life. This plumbing takes waste water away, but it also brings the water in the first place, and sometimes it bring more exotic things like natural gas. Plumbing associates pretty strongly with the path of matter, but it could also invoke the path of gates: its very highly tied to travel. As are roads, another common urban feature.

As for what an urban shaman's magic looks like? I suspect it'd look like thing mysteriously breaking or working or working out when they shouldn't. I'd expect an urban shaman to look nothing so much like a handiman, who sits down with the problem, grumbles for a few minutes, and then walks away with a new strange effect in place.

Alternatively, you can intentionally build the urban shaman after the nature-loving mold, but themed after street grime. He talks about how the buildings talk to each other and how their is a natural cycle and how the city has a will of its own, and you have to feel the flow of the city.

[AlexanderHowl]

Originally Posted by Lameth

Thank you, but this is for RPM not path and book, but ya good ideas.

These are new Paths for an urban shaman tradition of RPM (the default paths do not break down in a form that is shamanic, much less urban shamanic, as it is designed to fit around the Sephiroth), not for Path/Book magic (which is pretty compatible with shamanic traditions with its default Paths). While I do not have a Path of Magic or a Path of Undead, the concept of the Path of Magic tends to be rolled into the Path of Spirits while the concept of the Path of Undead tends to be rolled into the Path of Disease in shamanic traditions.