The Hidden Paths: Shamans
 | |
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Rules Edition: | Third |
| Abbreviation: | StHP |
| Product Type: | Sourcebook |
| Author(s): | Sarah Link, John Snead |
| Publisher: | White Wolf |
| Product Number: | AG0250 |
| ISBN: | 1-56504-037-6 |
| Release date: | 1993 |
| Format: |
Softcover (original) PDF (current), 127 pages |
| Availability: | Out of print; PDF available |
The Hidden Paths: Shamans is a Third Edition Ars Magica sourcebook.
Subject and Contents
This book details a Non-Hermetic shamanic magical tradition. Shamans are found mostly in the pagan lands of the Novgorod Tribunal.
The chapter headings gives some idea of the scope --
- Chapter One: Introduction - introduces the Sun Clan (shamans) and Moon Clan (shapechangers).
- Chapter Two: Characters: includes Shaman Templates for Northern Traveller; Spirit Master (Hermetic Influence); Shaman within Christendom; Spirit Master (Shamanic Influence); Temple Attendant. Companion Templates are: Northern Bear Defender; House Shapechanger; Maltese Shapechanger; Dreamer; Mongol Shapechanger. Sun Clan Grog Templates are: Hunter; Tanner; Wildstender; Fisher; Craftsperson. This is followed by rules for "advanced character creation" beyond templates, Shamanic Powers, and Playing a Spirit Master: Hermetic Shamans.
- Chapter Three: Shamanic Societies - covers Slavic Traditions, Mediterranean Traditions, and Northern Traditions.
- Chapter Four: Outside Relations - deals with shamans roles in society, relationship with the Order of Hermes and Christendom.
- Chapter Five: The Spirit World - travel and magic in the Spirit World. Regiones are noted as being closer to the Spirit World and it is therefore easier to travel across there.
- Chapter Six: Bestiary of the Spirit World - Ghosts, Spirits, Genius Loci
- Chapter Seven: Tales of the Spirit - three story seeds.
Credits
The cover was by Pam Shanteau, the interior art by Tom Dow, Jeff Menges, Josh Timbrook & Lawrence A. Williams. Layout was by Sam Chupp, Art Direction Richard Thomas. Development was Ken Cliffe, Editing Alara Rogers & Robert Hatch, Production Chris McDonough.
Community Reviews
The following reviews were collected from the original Ars Magica FAQ site. Please feel free to add your own comments below.
FAQ Rating: ** (16 reviews; 2 *, 9 **, 5 ***, 0 **\*)
- Good book, but not very suited for Mythic Europe. With a little work, you could make up a great Mythic North America with it, though.
- Improved in Dragon and the Bear.
- Pretty out of place in ME.
- Made more sense than Werewolf or Mage - unfortunately, ArM is not the World of Darkness.
- Buy Hedge Magic instead.
- Completely unnecessary and so out of paradigm that it stings like a mosquito bite right between your shoulder blades.
- Pretty good guide to shamans, but smacks of American Indian shamanism.
- Its poor fit with ME is a pity for an otherwise interesting book.
- White Wolf's Treatment of shamanism. Interesting.
- Beautiful, but limited use.
- ...being non-American, I am not displeased with this source book's Amerind flavor (this brings 'exotism' into play).
- Useful to build an Order of Odin and using Vikings in a saga.
- One of the better treatments of shamanism in any rpg, but doesn't fit really well into Ars Magica, nor does it seem like it would be fun to use in a game.
Please edit this page to add your own comments about this book.
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