[Kot]

While creating my character for the Urban Brawl game here on the boards I've made up the Spellweaver tradition. One of it's fundamental rules is treating Spirits as at least equals, and by that banning Binding entirely for it's followers, and requiring them to repay the Services that their spirits done for them, if those spirits ever ask for that. Now, that's a problem, since most interesting Services are restricted to bound spirits only. I want to work something around that, and any advice would be good. Would a Spirit Pact of a special kind work this out - just by using some of the Binding rules, but without forcing the spirit into it(the Karma would go to the Spirit)?

As for the tradidtion, he's a member of a small, not so formal tradition, that aspires to work with the Magic as a self-driven force. It has some ties to eco-activists, nature-worshippers and similar minded groups. They see their magic as weaving the streams of mana together, and using them as a 'prayer' to the World-Soul. One of the unusual things in their tradition is the relationship with spirits. They consider them more than equals, as their astral nature and existence within the Manastream makes them closer to the World-Soul. Therefore they treat them a bit like minor gods, appeasing them with sacrifices, and bargaining for help (not services). The ever-changing nature of spirits if for them a proof of their connection and to their beliefs. They find Free Spirits as those, who managed to embrace both the Physical and Astral Path, and treat them with great reverence. As for the general type, the spirits they summon seem to be both Nature and Elemental spirits, and sometimes even a hybrid between the two (like the spirit of an Avalanche, or Mist).

Combat: Guardian, as those folowing the Spellweavers way tend to use force only when necessary for protection of their own, and others (especially others).
Detection: Guidance, as they believe there are spirits that favor humanity with it's advice and guidance.
Health: Plant, as they believe in the power of the green world, that heals every wound in time (many of them learn to use natural remedies).
Illusion: As, as it is the element of Smoke and Mirages.
Manipulation: Man, as the metahumanity has learned much from the spirits, that they believe to mimic them, or be created (Weavers abhor the idea, believing that 'Spirits of Man' were there long before any metahuman).
Banned: Task, as they believe those are twisted spirits, enslaved and suffering.
Drain: Willpower + Intuition**, as they seem to have an innate sense of Mana, that allows them to use the Streams in their favor.

[Bradd]

You could always just solve the problem with role-playing rather than game mechanics. SR4A already describes something close to this for shamans:

... Hermetic mages typically view their
elementals as servants to be commanded and ordered about, whereas
shamans typically treat spirits as equals—if not gods or venerated
elders—and so implore them for assistance or strike bargains for their
aid (returning the favor with such tasks as ecological cleanup, gardening,
animal tending, worship, and so on).

In practice, this means that shamans pay 500¥ × Force for Binding like everyone else, but their "ritual materials" are gifts for the spirits, service in kind, and so forth. Likewise, your spellweavers could strike bargains with spirits that are equivalent to Binding, but according to the tradition are not "binding." (For a similar example, lots of religious traditions have Spellcasting that is not "spell casting.") Spellweavers should probably avoid the Spell Binding service as a general rule.

[Kot]

Thanks. Looks like I misinterpreted the description. Well, I'm still pretty new to SR. And i forgot the first rule of game mechanics - whatever you do, do it along existing rules.

[CyberNed]

Yeah, it all really just boils down to flavor. Kinda like how a Voodoo practitioner might 'bribe' his gods with tobacco and liquor, or how a Shintoist 'tricks' the spirits into service. Mechanically there's no difference.