Shaman

Shamans believe that their magic comes from a great totem spirit that guides their life path. Shamanistic relationships allow them to summon spirits and command them to do their bidding, thus having access to skills others cannot master.

Playing experience
Shaman is a bit of a cleric and druid folded into one. As typical for Shadowrun, they can fight on the frontlines, but usually excel supporting their allies with their support spells or doing the dirty work through summoned spirits. Like mages, shamans must forgo extensive use of cyberware as cyberware drains their essence, hampering their ability to cast spells. Also, note that Conjuring spells should not be confused with Spellcasting spells.

Developing Spirit Summoning will eventually grant a choice of totem, which in turn bestows a specific power or benefit. This benefit can be an activated effect, or a passive one.

Leylines are useful to a mage/shaman. However, while a mage's offensive spells often do not discriminate between friend or foe, Conjuring spells are often buffs to the party.

It takes a lot of karma to become a good shaman, as compared to a good mage, due to the additional investment in Spirit Summoning and Spirit Control.

Spirits
Like riggers, shamans who have summoned spirits must avoid attacks which reduce AP, as the spirit will disappear if the shaman is stunned. Another point to consider is that spirit fetishes are rather expensive; relying on them in combat is generally unwise. Shamans can also summon spirits from certain points in the environment.

In Dead Man's Switch and Dragonfall, spirits summoned from the environment function similarly to spirits summoned from fetishes; they could also break free of the summoner's control. In Hong Kong, this was changed: Spirits summoned from the environment could no longer break free, but they only last for 2 turns.

Campaigns

 * Due to the rather generous amount of Karma present in Hong Kong, any player character can devote some points into Spirit Summoning for the totem buff.
 * In Dragonfall, Dietrich is a shaman Shadow mage.
 * In Hong Kong, Gobbet is a shaman Rat mage.