The Hidden Paths: Shamans

**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.

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.

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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