MANTA Environment: OCEAN Advantages: * +3d SEA spirits * +3d ILLUSION spells Character: Manta is mysterious. She is always keeping secrets. She likes to play it low-key, but often does overdoes it-- to the point of making it obvious that she's trying to be subtle. She prefers life in the slow lane-- why rush things? You never enjoy anything you do in haste. Disadvantages: Manta tends to be clingy at times, getting hooked on people or things and generally refusing any change in life. She also can be rather annoying at times with the "mysterious" bit, since she often over-estimates the importance of some of the "secrets" she carries. She will often exaggerate these "secrets" in her own mind just to boost her ego. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANTIS Environment: ANY LAND Advantages: * +1d ALL SPIRITS OF LAND * +1d COMBAT and HEALTH spells Character: Mantis is both the wisest and the most deadly of the insect totems. She is infinitely patient and utterly merciless. Mantis shamans are always female-- at least, only female Mantis shamans survive for any length of time. Male Mantis shamans are very quickly sought out by the females for reproduction and consumption. Mantis shamans have probably the easiest time dealing with normal totems, out of all the insects, but that doesn't mean they still aren't dangerous. They just don't actively seek the deaths of everyone else, like most insects. Disadvantages: Like all insect totems, Mantis will eventually subvert her shamans into flesh form spirits. Mantis is generally content to avoid others (and, in fact, prefers it this way) but those who cross her are dealt with swiftly and fiercely. She never works with others for very long, prefering to go her own way. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MINK Environment: FOREST Advantages: * +2d FOREST spirits * +2d ILLUSION and HEALTH spells Character: Mink is a social creature. She is always meeting and doing and socializing and partying. Mink shamans aren't concerned with who you are and what you do and how much you make a year-- who do you know? Most Mink shamans have a lot of contacts at low Ratings rather than a few at high Ratings. They are concerned with gaining the widest possible social base of operations. Disadvantages: Mink shamans are often superficial and trite. They nod in all the right places, smile when you say something witty, and forget what you look like an hour later. They are rarely willing to commit to any long-term project because they've got a million other things to do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MONKEY Environment: JUNGLE Advantages: * +2d JUNGLE spirits * +2d ILLUSION and DETECTION spells Character: Monkey is more serious than Chimpanzee. He is an explorer and is always taking things apart to see how they work, breaking into things to see what's inside, and generally going to extreme lengths just to see what's over the mountain, so to speak. Disadvantages: Monkey's curiosity will sometimes get him in trouble. Also, Monkey gets jealous easily-- when someone else does some impressive thing, he feels obliged to outdo it or (if he can't hope to surpass) belittle it. Monkey is often distracted from the task at hand by irrelevant things. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOOSE Environment: PRAIRIE and TUNDRA Advantages: * +2d PRAIRIE and TUNDRA spirits * +2d DETECTION spells Character: Moose is insightful, low-key, mellow, and calm. Moose has marvelous self-esteem, but lacks the vanity that plagues Lion, Cat, and some of the others. Moose shamans are usually large and strong, and very sedate about nearly everything. Moose knows how to take things in stride; it is very hard to really surprise, shock, or freak out a Moose shaman. But if you do, watch out! He'll really start a fuss then. Disadvantages:  Moose is outspoken and very, er, virile. Moose shamans of both sexes tend to intimidate members of the opposite sex in a big way, but that doesn't stop them from trying at every available opportunity. Moose is also often a bit slower than average, and the tendency to remain calm will sometimes cause a Moose shaman to hesitate just a bit too long before taking action. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOUNTAIN LION Environment: MOUNTAINS Advantages: * +2d MOUNTAIN spirits * +2d COMBAT and DETECTION spells Character: A great hunter, but not a wasteful one. Mountain Lion finds excessive killing beneath his dignity. He is a proud leader, but doesn't suffer the vanity of the Lion. Keen, aware of his surroundings, and aggressive when necessary-- this is the Mountain Lion. Disadvantages: Aside from the fact that he is very critical of waste in any form, and from anyone, the Mountain Lion shaman is also possessed of a certain tendency to accident-- consider him to have a point of Bad Luck for every 1 and 2 rolled on his LCK roll at the beginning of a run. Mountain Lion shamans quite often bite off more than they can chew as well, and may often get burned while playing with fire. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOUSE Environment: FIELD and PRAIRIE or URBAN Advantages: * +2d FIELD and PRAIRIE or CITY and HEARTH spirits * +2d DETECTION spells Character: Because Mouse is so much smaller than many other animals, and because so many other creatures hunt her, the Mouse shaman usually has a well-developed sense of danger. Mouse scrutinizes everything, and has a marvelous ability to categorize and organize. Mouse is not as skittish as Rabbit, or as selfish as Rat. Disadvantages: To others, Mouse often seems a nit-picker. A Mouse shaman will always try to find new, better, or more efficient ways of doing things. Mouse always wants to go over every little detail, and usually blows all the obstacles way out of proportion. This slows things down a lot sometimes-- which can be bad for a shadow job. Mouse also loses 1 die from all Combat spells. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------