Shattered Kingdoms

That is true, but people that actually worship animals don't kill their deities.

Yes, I never suggested that they killed their spirit guide, just that they create a symbol akin to it. It would be a completely different spell from spirit doll.

The great thing about Shamanism is there are no 'rules.' You can RP how you like. If a certain spirit doll of a random NPC had some meaning, that is what I would like to wear, not be pigeon holed into one of the set examples from a certain quest. Any of my shaman's RP have already been laid out well in advance to discovering the book/quest which lists the animals.

Looking back, perhaps my initial bear spirit example was a bad one. It would be nice to have the freedom to RP how you want. I wouldn't want to see this change force shamans to pick a 'religion' like a priest by choosing an animal that they worship and then wear as a symbol.

The change is pretty simple, and does not need to be so complicated. Change spirit dolls back to being worn on the 'symbol' slot and reduce their stats to match other symbols so they are not imbalanced. This gives players the freedom to RP how they want, and almost endless possibilities. Basing the idea around a quest that is buried deep within a hidden area is not the direction I think should be taken.

Spirit dolls should be as powerful as they are now, IMO, and the trade off is the hold slot. Dulrik pretty much said they are not going to be changed back because they were never supposed to be changed in the first place. A totem/symbol would be an addition and, for the same reason that priests can't just conjure any old symbol willy nilly, should be based upon a conscious decision. . . Like completing that quest.

That's fair. I still do not like the idea of a shaman having to pick a 'religion' to have a symbol though. That was the beauty of the old spirit dolls. Other players in this thread, pre thread necroing, also agreed.

In the history of shamans my favorites have never worshiped the bear or the eagle or the bat, but their own interesting take on their own Ancestors/Spritis/Combination of above. Maybe that's another reason I like shaman RP so much, there is freedom to create your own story/gods/spirits/ancestors/whatever outside of the traditional pantheon. I like the idea of adding a totem or symbol for shamans but I don't think creating a shamanic pantheon is the right choice. That will only make shamans conform.

Making that specific spirit quest the mecca of all shamans is also something that I'm generally against.

c 'create totem' naj

You create the totem of a naj.

If you are going to go with the history of shamans for your thesis, then you should know that shamans have specific spirits that they are more attuned to than others, be it bear, eagle, hawk, snake or even different plants. It is where they derive their power from. It is why they go on their spirit journey to begin with, to find their strength. Their spirit teaches them their song. That song is unique to the shaman. This does not preclude the shaman who gets their power from wolf, from asking salmon for assistance.

inb4 Aquaman