[Lysanderz]

So, the people who have the book:
Can you tell us anything about what traditions are in the core book? How are they mechanically different? What are totems
like now? How do they work?

I see people with the book talking about all sorts of irrelevant things, but they seem to be ignoring the important stuff.
Or...is there no difference anymore, and all magicians are the same thing?

I'll be brief because I have a lot of campaign work to do tonight:

Mentors now do something for pretty much all practitioners of magic (Bear gives Adepts 1 free level of Rapid Healing for instance). Other than that, they seem pretty much the same. As for if Gator is back... No. And neither is the Crocodile.

[Reiper]

So, the people who have the book:
Can you tell us anything about what traditions are in the core book? How are they mechanically different? What are totems
like now? How do they work?

I see people with the book talking about all sorts of irrelevant things, but they seem to be ignoring the important stuff.
Or...is there no difference anymore, and all magicians are the same thing?

I'll be brief because I have a lot of campaign work to do tonight:

Mentors now do something for pretty much all practitioners of magic (Bear gives Adepts 1 free level of Rapid Healing for instance). Other than that, they seem pretty much the same. As for if Gator is back... No. And neither is the Crocodile.

Curious, is the Seductress, Raven, or Trickster? Just curious on if they changed for magicians this time, and really interested in how they'd help Adepts

[Giabralter]

Mentor Spirits have in addition to having an advantage for all Awakened, they have a "Similar Archetype" line to find one that meets your magician/Adepts ideals. So at this point if Gator or Crocodile is not in there, you could look at the Similar Archetypes to find something close.

[Shinobi Killfist]

Bah no gator Shaman and yes we can houserule it like allways. Best Shaman in the game and for some reason dropped since 4e.

[Reiper]

Bah no gator Shaman and yes we can houserule it like allways. Best Shaman in the game and for some reason dropped since 4e.

What was the gator shaman perks and negative/

[Giabralter]

+2 to Combat and Detection Spells, +2 dice for conjuing water spirits or City Spirits

Lazy, Greedy, impatient of subtlety, - 1 die to illusion spells.

[Shinobi Killfist]

I don't even care about the perks, it was the description that was awesome.
"Gator is lazy and greedy.  As an eater, he prefers to glut himself with food and then laze around. As a Shadowrunner, he prefers a job with a big payoff that will let him take it easy until all the money is gone.  It can take some heft argument to make gator exert himself.  His greed makes him loathe to share material goods, and he will almost never make loans or pick up the check.  Once on a job, he goes for the direct solition and is impatiant with subtletey. To make gator break off a fight, a chase, or other direct action takes a willpower test."

It may have changed a smidge in 3e, I don't remember.  I loved it. 

[bannockburn]

Bah. Who needs hungry toothy things?
What about Raccoon?

[Mara]

I'll be brief because I have a lot of campaign work to do tonight:

Mentors now do something for pretty much all practitioners of magic (Bear gives Adepts 1 free level of Rapid Healing for instance).

So, would I be right in gathering from this that Mentors are:
This is the universal Ban:
This is how it  benefits Hermetics.
This is how it benefits Shamans.
This is how it benefits Aspected Magicians.
This is how it benefits Adepts.

Or is

This is the Ban.
This is how it benefits Magicians
This is how it benefits Aspected Magicians
This is how it benefits Adepts.

Or is it

This is the Ban
This is how it benefits sorcerers.
This is how it benefits conjurers.
This is how it benefits adepts.

[GiraffeShaman]

Giraffe totem is the best because it takes self preservation to levels beyond even those seen in Rat shamans, and also specializes in spotting enemies from a distance to better avoid them. And all the salads and vegetables you can eat, what a deal.

[mtfeeney = Baron]

Giraffe mentor: +5 Combat, +8 Perception, +15 Running
Giraffe followers must roll a composure test(5) to pull out of a fight.

[GiraffeShaman]

Giraffe mentor: +5 Combat, +8 Perception, +15 Running
Giraffe followers must roll a composure test(5) to pull out of a fight.

Quite the opposite. They have to roll composure to stay in a fight. They avoid all confrontations. Their big specialty is Detection spells. All the better to detect the guns and stay far away from them.

[mtfeeney = Baron]

Pfft, shows what you know.  Giraffes are freakin' psycho, man.  When a giraffe flips out, the lions are like "Whoa, take it easy... chill out."  Even Wolverine is like "Maybe you should calm down a bit."  Not the animal, the X-men member.

[Lysanderz]

Mentors give a bonus to Magicians (not specifying the exact type) and then adepts.  Sorry for the confusion. I WISH they had been as detailed as to give shamans and hermetically different bumps from their chosen totems.

By the way, when you mentioned Wolverines I was thinking of Patrick Swayze.

[RHat]

Mentors give a bonus to Magicians (not specifying the exact type) and then adepts.  Sorry for the confusion. I WISH they had been as detailed as to give shamans and hermetically different bumps from their chosen totems.

Of course, if they did that putting out the new magic supplement and the new traditions therein would be a pretty serious amount of extra work.  As in, "effects what is available for the rest of the book" extra work.