So, YouTube or forums are full of questions how to manage spirits by rules, how to use them effectively. Same as most sourcebooks. We will learn from them how to use spirits in game and we will get some basic information about them.
But, how to actually RP them? How we will portray them in our games, so that they are more than just a bunch of generic numbers that we throw on the enemy?
That is a question we get little answers to. And because I love playing awakened characters in Shadowrun, and I love spirits, I did some research on that.
Astral Plane
Before we jump into spirits themselves, let’s first rewind definition of Astral Plane from SR5 Core Rulebook.
While the physical world is the one we interact with every day, there is another world, invisible and largely unnoticed, yet indirectly influenced by everyone living in the material plane. This world is known as the astral plane.
The astral plane is an emotionally charged reflection of the physical world. Only living beings and objects infused with mana truly exist there; ordinary physical objects appear only as faint, intangible shadows.
Mana, the essence of magic, flows through the astral plane, connecting the metaplanes to the physical world. It is sustained by the life force of all living things on the planet. This collective life energy bathes the astral plane in a constant ambient glow.
Objects and events from the physical world can still be perceived from the astral, but they appear blurred and muted. Emotional impressions are far more vivid than physical details such as light or sound, often replacing them entirely.
Places and objects marked by powerful emotions may leave lasting astral echoes. These remnants of the past appear as lingering shadows whose strength depends on the intensity of the emotions associated with them. Such echoes are often more colorful and tangible in the astral plane than the physical objects themselves.
(page 312)
So, Astral plane is this vast vibrant, living, breathing space that bridges our physical world with metaplanes. It’s colorful and full of emotions. Spirits fly and lurk in it freely, as it is their home. Bigger spirits might hunt smaller ones. Trickster spirits might try to trick gullible awakened character into traps, while projecting.
Many tables, put this world on side, and when some Astral Projection scouting is in place, it’s generally skipped. You are there, done.
But, given the Astral world is the foundation of magic and spirits in general, it makes us forget, how strange this world truly is. Let me entertain you.
What might the Astral Plane look like?
You close your eyes in peace of your cramped room, that you call your home. Sounds of Seattle rain meld with sounds of your apartment. The electronics buzzing, shuffling of your blanket and creaking of floors above you, until nothing then just deafening shimmer remains.
Then you open your eyes, but not your true eyes. They remain shut. You stand up from bed, leaving your body behind and you look around the apartment. Everything is dull, blurred filled with unmistakable fog of background count.
You move through the wall and you are about to see new side of Seattle, the same side, that spirits living in this strange place see every day. The tall, dark corporate skyscrapers sticking out from ground, like menacing claws trying to grasp the sky. They are all dark, unimportant, but yet they are still there. Above them flocks of colorful dots are blazing through the skies with speeds, that normal eye couldn’t catch. Between streets, strange and formless creatures slither, unbothered by physical world. Some small, some big as whales, with teeth sharp and multiple eyes. They search, they lurk and in many cases they hunt. Among them, ever flowing mass of metahumans and their auras are flowing like a river, leading them to their jobs and to their lives.
Auras, creatures. They are all colorful. Some deep red by hatred, some blue and green filled with peace. You see one spirit, it looks like a man in suitcase. He is following another man, glowing red like hot iron with curiosity and alien intent.
It all feels like vivid dream. Like you would wake up in depths of Mariana’s trench on bottom of the ocean and your wildest imagination would run wild. You look on your hands, they sparkle with bright yellow, fear and anxiety. Six legged woman grasping street lamp notices. She turns her head your direction and starts to walk “air” your direction. She has no face. You do not wait to find out what she wants. Your quickly return back to your body.
Creatures are gone, colors are gone, fog is gone and first thing you hear is sound of your fan. World is normal again.
How to actually RP a spirit
Okay, now to the meat? What we can make out of it? If you are not in combat, where things are fast paced and you wish to interact with spirits, here it how I think it should go.
Cornerstone of spirits is EMOTION. They perceive them, they carry them and for them, it’s the most recognizable thing.
Spirits’ perception of world and you
Spirits will be asensing you the whole time during conversation. For them worded facts are not as important as emotion behind the words. When you try to explain something to them, they will try to read what emotions are behind it. Are you scared when you plead to them? Are you angry, are you anxious? They will make out of it their own truth.
You can hit spirit with scientific facts, and it will listen to you, it will try to think about it. But, it will also read your emotions, how much you believe in what you say. Whole magical world is based on my belief, my world. That’s the reason, why spirits take shape and form based on caster and his tradition.
Carried emotion
As you can see in examples of spirits Carngull and Eileen I wrote, they carry certain emotions in them. For Carngull, it’s hunger, survival. For Eileen it’s sorrow and wish to live life.
Therefore when you are creating concept of spirit, try to think about emotion, which resonates with them. It gives them form, and it gives them something players can attach to.
Things that used to be
A good way to link those emotions is written in core rulebook. It’s kind of hidden, but when you will pay attention, there is written:
“These remnants of the past appear as lingering shadows whose strength depends on the intensity of the emotions associated with them. Such echoes are often more colorful and tangible in the astral plane than the physical objects themselves.”.
Which is kind of cool when you think about it. In astral space might be things, that are no longer in physical world, and can be explored. Those things can be linked back to certain spirits. In case of Eileen, it can be wreck of S.S. Clara Barton, or the ship might be still floating around. Or it may be locket in some house, which children of passed away mother still remember.
Make them weird
Do not be afraid to use these references. They might play into spirit weirdness. Spirits might even reenact certain events of history, just for sake of it, just because emotions on that place are still present. Bunch of fire spirits might reenact in astral plane Gettysburg battle, just for sake of it.
Some other spirit might prepare for players dinner, because it’s reenacts or represents certain aspect, like grandmother. Some spirit might reenact Sioux pathfinder out of joy of it.
Another take you can make, you can surprise caster player, by spirit returning back, without summoning. Maybe spirit enjoyed time with caster so much, it starts to linger in it’s space. Watches the caster from astral. It can be quite hilarious to see shaman getting rid of clingy spirit, they summoned a while ago >:D
What do spirits like to do when you summon them?
I was trying to piece together some information about how to RP ghosts, and I stumbled upon amazing post on Reddit about this topic. It was written by Hammaer96, and he proposed this table of spirits and what they might like as task, and what not.
- Man: likes people tasks, hates non-people tasks
- Beast: likes chasing/hunting/guarding, hates being summoned and given nothing to do
- Fire: likes fighting/destruction, hates watching/guarding
- Air: likes fun/chaos/jokes, hates calm/relaxing/peaceful times
- Water: likes relaxing/constant activities, hates being told to do several things at once
- Earth: likes quiet/stationary/consistent tasks, hates chaos & confusion.
This is interesting take and I really like it. It can also correlate with existing Astral Reputation, which has quite few ways how to move. You summon spirits to wrong tasks, and they get annoyed and tell among themselves.
I do not say, give bad reputation for every bad task, but if you conjure fire spirit every day, to guard bottle with bee inside? He might get pretty mad. He expects fight, he wants that thrill and juice of emotion of thrill. No, he watches fucking bee.
Players, write your own spirits!
Shadowrun is collaborative storytelling, that means, story you are experiencing shouldn’t come only from your GM. You as player can contribute to story, I dare to say, with 35%.
Consult with GM possibility to write your own spirits. When you summon spirit it comes from SOMEWHERE and goes SOMEWHERE, when it fulfilled your wishes. Why not summon the same spirit again?
If you write your own spirits, which are most aligned with your magician, it will add depth to your own character and to story overall. If you summon same spirit again and again, GM will learn it’s personality, party will learn to recognize that spirit and its quirks. It will stop being stat blob, which you throw on enemies.
How to design your own spirit?
As I pointed up, I made so far two for my character Sha. When you think about the concept of calling the same spirit again, it makes sense you need to learn it’s habits. For example, what it represents? Is it former human, or just memory of a human? Does it represent hunt, battle, anything really.
The Location
Set its location. Every spirit will have some location it favors, is it sea? Alleyways, coffee shop, hospital? Any place where your character actually has to go, to summon this specific spirit.
The Offering
Set its offerings. Being on a place is not enough to lure specific spirit. What is it, that tells spirit you are calling them? Leaving hot coffee on table, while you sit in stuffer shack? Footprint in dirt, driven through with nail to lure Sioux tracker? Splash of cider on roots of the tree? Something unique.
Story Hooks
Designing your own spirit doesn’t only give your party some other memorable character to interact with, it also gives your character things to do and GM story hooks to develop. Here are some examples.
- Increase of Force: When you set your spirit on specific force, it might ask you, or you might get idea to raise it. You might embark on adventure to its metaplane to help it get higher force. Sure, it will be harder to summon it, but at some point, spirit might stop being summon, and become powerful contact.
- Memory: You might want to learn more about spirit, and you decide to travel to location linked to it. Visiting wreck of ship, family which might remember that person, forgotten track in Apalachian mountains. Those are powerful stories, which you may be part of.
- Ally spirit: If you like certain spirit you designed, you also might choose to make it your ally spirit. Gathering karma, materials so you can match it’s strength, convincing spirit to give you it’s true name.
Conclusion
The next time your magician summons a spirit, ask yourself one question:
“Who answered?”
If the answer is more than “Force 6 Air Spirit,” you’ve already started telling a better story.
