[Devil]

I was wondering if anyone could do me a favor. I'm building a character who uses magic, but I wont have Street Magic until next week at the earliest. Could someone please post any traditions that would be suitable for a an awakened samurai?

[anotherJack]

Is it a mage or an adept ?
Then secondth step, I think it could be great to read a little about what samurai's traditions really are, because it's really not so cool and fun than what the clichés say.
Particularly in the shadowrun world.

[FastJack]

Alternate Magical Traditions	35
The Aboriginal Tradition	35
The Aztec Tradition	35
Black Magic	36
The Buddhist Tradition	36
Chaos Magic	37
Christian Theurgy	37
The Druidic Tradition	38
The Hindu Tradition	38
The Islamic Tradition	39
The Norse Tradition	39
The Path of the Wheel	40
The Qabbalistic Tradition	40
The Shinto Tradition	41
Traditional or Hedge Witchcraft	41
The Voodoo Tradition	42
The Wiccan Tradition	42
The Wuxing Tradition	43
The Zoroastrian Tradition	43

I'd probably go with Shinto:

Shinto magic originates in the relationship between the practitioner and the kami, spirits that invest every aspect of the world. It primarily concerns itself with ensuring that the practitioner acts in harmony with the kami spirits, with magic being a natural extension of this harmony.

[anotherJack]

Buddhist could apply too. If I'm not wrong, both religions were and are practiced in japanese society.

the buddhist tradition
Concept: Magic springs from personal self-development along the path towards enlightenment, as revealed to the student by the master and as a method to understand the true nature of existence.

[FastJack]

True, Buddhism has spread through much of Asia and the world.

[Devil]

Correct. Taoism and Christianity are also not uncommon.

I believe he is a Zen Samurai, so I would want Buddhism. Thankyou both. Could someone please post the stats for Buddhist Tradition?

[FastJack]

Correct. Taoism and Christianity are also not uncommon.

I believe he is a Zen Samurai, so I would want Buddhism. Thankyou both. Could someone please post the stats for Buddhist Tradition?

Hmm... Well, I don't see anything in the CoC about it, so here's the base stats

The Buddhist Tradition
Concept: Magic springs from personal self-development along the path towards enlightenment, as revealed to the student by the master and as a method to understand the true nature of existence.
Combat: Air
Detection: Guidance
Health: Earth
Illusion: Fire
Manipulation: Water
Drain: Willpower + Intuition

(And Mods, if this is something to be frowned upon, feel free to delete the post and let me know)

[Devil]

Thanks muchly

[Walks Through Walls]

The Wuxing tradition also has some samurai type ideals in it

[Devil]

I'll have to check it out when I get the book. Buddhism is probably right for this character though. Bushido ties closely to aspects of Zen Buddhism.

[Glyph]

The trouble is, according to the fluff, most Buddhist sects see magic as merely another part of reality that must be overcome to find enlightenment.  The Buddhist tradition in Street Magic, which is an exception to that, is Vajrayana, or Tantric, Buddhism, which would not really fit a samurai nearly as well.  There would be enclaves of it in Japan, just as with Christianity, but if your main concern is an authentic samurai-type character, Shinto would probably fit much better.

[Devil]

Hm. Perhaps I'll have to wait until I get Street Magic to decide. What is the Drain Attribute for Shintoism?

[FastJack]

Shinto's information:

The Shinto Tradition
Concept: Shinto magic originates in the relationship between the practitioner and the kami, spirits that invest every aspect of the world. It primarily concerns itself with ensuring that the practitioner acts in harmony with the kami spirits, with magic being a natural extension of this harmony.
Combat: Air
Detection: Water
Health: Plant
Illusion: Beasts
Manipulation: Man
Drain: Willpower + Charisma

[anotherJack]

Following the shinto or the buddhist tradition doesn't mean you don't believe in the other religion. You can totally make a shintoïst magician, following both the zen buddhism and the shinto religion, since theses religions were mixed in Japan.
The description of the Buddhism concept may fit more with a samurai, but you don't have to be a buddhist magician to be a buddhist.

[Lansdren]

You could make a custom tradition if you wanted but there is the risk of it getting abit silly if your not careful