I think the crux of his question is that a female ss'ressen cannot take the Shaman Initiate Background, which means that the character cannot be fully optimized to be a Primal Caster. As such, it is less a 'what is legal' question vs. 'how may I get the most value out of my choices."

As noted 4 ranks in Arcanum (Primal) is going to be a struggle. Maybe come at it from the other end.

What Paths and other skills/talents does she want to use in addition to casting?

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3 ranks in Primal looks easy with some variation.

3 ranks: Arcane, Female Black Talon, skill rank (lose background)
3 ranks: Arcane or Expert, Exile/Shaman, skill rank (lose race due to Male or Ghost Scale Female)

Hello,

Primal casting is considered to be something relegated to males, given that they are not allowed to practice "major" magic, like Divine and Eldritch magiic.

Obviously, this is a role playing thing, but it should be noted.

Additionally, if she wishes to be a Primal caster, she's pigeon holed herself into a Discpile of Jeggal Sag.

So I think before you crunch numbers, I think Beth should settle on what social role she wants to belong to.

Thanks Henry. I've spoken with Beth and she is considering her options.

Henry, would you be able to clarify this? For humans most Primal casters revere 'nature spirits' or raw elemental forces. Is this not an option for Ss'ressen? I may be misunderstanding you here.

If you look at the statements about the Shaman Background, it specifically says Ss'ressen males have to be dedicated to Jeggal Sag.

From a more narrative perspective, the ss'ressen are (as far as we know) the only group which officially recognizes the worship of a 'minor being', and this acceptance probably means more people will forged pacts with this being than with other nature spirits.

Similarly, we only get to see a few tens of thousands of Black Talons in this game, with fewer thousands of Ghost Scales and Ashen Hides. This is a fairly small and rather geographically isolated group, which means that there is a strong sense of community and community control. While it may be metaphysically possible for Ss'ressen to be shamans of other powers, it is vanishingly rare among the populations the players can play.

Hello Akira,



Yes and no.

Nothing exists in a vacuum. Humans have traditions of worshipping nature spirits and these shamanistic traditions are handed down from teacher to student, generation after generation.

The ss'ressens do not have this type of tradition. To them, worshipping the stream or a river is nonsense, as it is a foreign belief. They are taught (referring to Black Talons here) that all power comes from either "sorcery" or their gods. A ss'ressen cannot recieve power from anywhere else.

Females rule the social system and are thus granted priviliges and responsibilities not grated to males - among these is the right to be priests of the Fire Dragon.

Some males (as well as females) are "contacted" by Jeggal Sag and become its disciple. He is not a Big "G" god in the eyes of the ssethrics and so following his mystical teachings is viewed by the priestesses as slumming, for lack of a better word. In the social pyramid of the Black Talons (as well as other ss'ressen egg clutches) the Disciples are better low on the totem pole.

Does that answer your question?

Am I missing something? Black Talon females don't get a rank in Arcanum (pg 117), they get Wilderness Lore and any Interaction skill. I checked the Errata 4.3 and didn't notice any changes to this. Is it written somewhere else? I checked the Ghost Scale and the errata for the Codex as well.

If I'm right then it's impossible to start with 4 ranks in Arcanum when playing a Ss'ressen.

You can get 3 ranks via Arcane/Expert, Exile, and skills (if going female) probably best for Eldritch
or 3 ranks via Expert, Exile/Shaman, and skills (if going male) probably best for Primal

Yes, thank you very much for the explanation.

Thanks for putting this all in perspective Henry. At present Beth has two character concepts she's happy with, a female Arcane caster and a male Primal caster. We found a way to make it work and especially in the female case a hook to get her to the First City. As well as a reason for my Ss'Ressen to be with her (should we choose that option.