Well, I personally consider Totems as one of the most entertaining skills out there. Still I would like this skill to further be expanded, because it's just that great and can easily be improved without becoming... too overpowered/overpowering, as seems to be the norm people apply on the prescence of something good.

So, in this thread, I'll add some suggestions by which I think Totems would become more spectacular.

The inclusion of Spirit Guides:

I haven't noticed around "true" animals, the ones that are represented on Totems, anywhere on the Basin, other than: trout, squirrel, snake, stag. In any case, maybe every one of this totems spirits could embody an actual creature as avatar. Meaning, that a wolf could be encountered around Prime in representation of Wolf.

Now, these animals would surely be scattered and moving all around the Basin, therefore it should be like a small quest trying to find them out. Once they are found by a totem user, he/she could request adoption of said animal with a new Skill:

Request

By submitting your spirit with that of a Nature Spirit, you become under their guidance.

Now, this skill wouldn't be that great, the only real thing this would do for a totem user would be bestowing upon them the ability to perma-bond with no more than two Totem Spirits. This in other words would avoid someone to having constantly to bond with said spirit and instead remain bonded even at the account of death as their spirits are now intertwined.

This is one idea I've come of for totems, I'll add on later. You too feel free to keep on adding skill ideas, if you wish.
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Also, there could perhaps be a few more Great Spirits discovered and be honored with their own Totem. I've come up with a few suggestions:

Owl

SPIRITBOND Owl
SPIRITRELEASE Owl

Grandmother Owl, seer of the night, takes brief possession of your eyes allowing you to pierce through the frabrics of illusion.

(Bonding with Owl, increases someone's probabilities of viewing through illusions)

Coyote

SPIRITBOND Coyote
SPIRITRELEASE Coyote

Illusion:

Uniting with the coyote helps you fool others with trickery.

Hawk

SPIRITBOND Hawk
SPIRITRELEASE Hawk

FLY

The ability to overcome all obstacles and reach new hights are bestowed upon those who embrace the child of the winds, the Hawk.

Thunder

SPIRITBOND Thunder
SPIRITRELEASE

Be as swift as Father Thunder. (Increases Dex by one point)

Dog

SPIRITBOND Dog
SPIRITRELEASE Dog

SCENT

Let your spirit be domesticated by the Dog, and make out of yourself your must trusted companion.

(Upon doing scent, you can perceive the scent of whoemever is in that room, or was moments ago: five minutes)

Turtle

SPIRITBOND Turtle
SPIRITRELEASE Turtle

Being moved by Grandfather Turtle reveals to you the secret of longetivity.

(Cont increased by one point)
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Now, instead of being skills that are instantly being acquire by being new and adding them to the list...

There could be quests to actually bond with this creatures, requiring of the totem user to venture the lands in order to find the avatar of this creatures. Once the avatar is found, the totem users could do SPIRITBOND to be accepted by the animal spirits.

I would love a Charisma boosting totem, maybe Songbird or something like that.

Having the spirit animals roam the basin would be cool, especially if they could be killed (obviously there would have to be a reasonable way to defend them) to prevent a totem user from bonding with the corresponding totem. Not sure how that would work with things like Sun, Night, Rock and River though.

Sun could have as avatar an Eagle, messanger of the Father Sun (so to say) or a scarab or a phoenix. Mother Night could have a nocturnal creature as Avatar such as a cat or a bat. Rock being an element could possess it's elemental as avatar being a gnome somewhere. For river a water nymph (hence the daughter of River).

Also, yeah, the animals would be killable, but because they are the avatars, they would be a bit tougher than regular animals, also, they would be wandering around certain areas.. Because they share a tight bond with those that bonded with them... maybe those whom have bonded with them could hear their Spirit guide calling/shouting(making an animal noise), as a summoning call.


Something I just noted about groundhog, I think it is bugged because a person can no longer bury things. Which is very peculiar. If it wasn't a bug... then I suggest reasonable upgrade for groundhog totem:

DIG/BURROW/BURY

DIG will allow you to try dig something out.

BURY will help you bury something underground.

BURROW obviously is still working.

I think totems are fine, and adding much more would give Serenwilders a little too much of an advantage, unless they are skills purely for fun.

Stag and Moon I would still like to see some work on, but Totems looks fine to me.

To much of an advantage? Rituals, the equivalent of Totems to city dwellers, is much better. So is Cosmic, though Cosmic is the equivalent of Nature.

An intelligence boosting totem would be nice.

Yeah, good point Tuek. But I just wanted to say I don't have any problem with Totems. They are one of our best skills.

Personally I love the Totems abilities, they are extremely handy and have myriad number of uses. I'd rather have the Stag and Moon specializations looked into instead, those need a lot more works than Totems.

I'm definitly jealous of totems.

They need acquisitio in totems though. That skill rocks.

Hmmm...

Dog

Short: The spirit of Faithful dog will fetch items that have been forgotten.

Syntax: SPIRITBOND DOG
SPIRITRELEASE DOG

Aided by the playful nature of Faithful Dog, fetch items that have fallen upon the ground.

Doesn't leprechaun already do that? I'm fairly sure it keeps snarfing things anyway, in addition to its highwayman duties. Maybe I'm confused.

Yes, but leprechaun is only for Wiccans (bleh), while Totems are for everyone in Serenwilde.

No, you are right. But as Cuber said, that the leprechaun is only for Wiccans, thus only Moondancers unless other Wiccans pop out. But if you make dog like that, then leprechaun would need to be able to do something different. Wasn't it leprechaun that broke shields? Or was it brownie?

Meh...



But then people would say we are overpowered....and then comes the threads....so no leprechaun.

Neither do I. I think so, too. In fact, hence the subtitle(?): Because even the best may keep on improving. Like I said, Totems is a very fun skill and I do believe it is one of the best Serens have, but I think that it could still be expanded, adding few more skills.

Even though I do agree that it could be best if the Divines concentrated on Stag, Moon, and try improve those skills. Nonetheless, even when I post my ideas, by no means do I consider that the divine will actually take them into account. Some of us Idea posters must keep in mind that the Divines without doubt have their own workings surging accross their minds.




Songbird could be an option, how about the butterfly?

SPIRITBOND BUTTERFLY
SPIRITRELEASE BUTTERFLY

Be as captivating as Sister Butterfly, invoke natures beauty into your presence.

(Charisma increased by one point, except Taurians... we aren't charismatic)



It is okay to be jealous. Totems is such a nice skill after all

Acquisitio could perhaps be embodied with either Weasel or Spider. A bonding that um, makes you subconsciously pick items up.

Or... you could get the enchantment.

SPIRITBOND TIGER
SPIRITRELEASE TIGER

Call forth the arts of camouflage of Tiger and be undetected during the daytime.

Anything that allows me to hide during the daytime, too, would do fine.

Zebrahs... *nod me*

That would nullify nature camouflage. I like that we are more vulnerable during the day... it makes sense we can only hide best at night.

I am not so sure about that. There are plenty of animals adept at camouflage that can be very active during the daytime (tiger). In fact, camouflage is vital to some natural creatures to blend with their entourage to hunt or escape being hunted.

See, if you were a Serenguard that took highmagic, this wouldn't be a problem. Yesod and Hexagram.