[Mirikon]

I have a question about some of the more... unusual totems. Specifically, totems that may or may not be insect totems.

Spider is one of the totems in the core book, but also seems to be an insect totem, judging by some of the old fiction. Is it both, and that insect part of it is just 'bound' somehow?

There are a group of natives in the Mojave causing trouble for the PCC (Anasazi, i think?) and some of them are said to be Scorpion shamans. Scorpion would seem to me to be a very traditional desert totem, much like snake or coyote would be. But it is also close to insect totems.

There are others, but I've been wondering about those specifically.

[Crimsondude]

Spider and Scorpion are not insect totems, per se. That is, they have never followed the rules associated with insect totems and insect spirits. The confusion with Spider comes mainly from the spirit that the PCs encounter in Total Eclipse (?), which AFAIK was proven to not be the Spider Totem Spirit.

That said, they are generally more alien than more ... human-friendly ... totems.

[Mirikon]

Then if the spider-things in Find Your Own Truth weren't insect spirits, what the hell were they? Just wanna know, so I know what else to be afraid of.

[Crimsondude]

A heretofore unclassified type of spirit.

[Mirikon]

Oh, drek.

[CanRay]

All praise Toaster!!!

[Angelone]

Are Elvis and Toaster friends or enemies?

[Bull]

Keep in mind that Find Your own truth predates the Bug Spirits.

I suspect that at one time, they were going to be linked more closely, but that was eventually abandoned.

I'd also say that if you look at Mythology from various cultures...  Spider is present in a lot of them as a totem of some kind.  And he's sometimes VASTLY different.  So it's possible there's more than one kind of Spider out there, and one of those may be more "Insect-like".

Bull

[Halancar]

Don't forget that spiders and scorpions are not, in fact, insects. They don't have the right number of legs, to start with

[CanRay]

Are Elvis and Toaster friends or enemies?

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches.  'Nuff said.

[FastJack]

Are Elvis and Toaster friends or enemies?

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches.  'Nuff said.

I've tried that on warm toast. No wonder the King died. He found Heaven!

[Angelone]

Omg yeah, especially with honey added to the mix.

[Crimsondude]

Don't forget that spiders and scorpions are not, in fact, insects. They don't have the right number of legs, to start with

Yes, but perception colors reality in Shadowrun's magic system, and a lot of people think they are.

[CanRay]

Don't forget that spiders and scorpions are not, in fact, insects. They don't have the right number of legs, to start with

Yes, but perception colors reality in Shadowrun's magic system, and a lot of people think they are.

Which is why it's hard to tell the difference between the regular and the toxic version of Spider and Scorpion.

FYI:  My personal theory is that Twist unleashed Toxic Spider on the world, and only diminished her power to the point where it's at the same level as any other Toxic Totem (Rabid Dog, Devil Rat, etc.).

[Nath]

My own personal theory is that Insect Spirits weren't Insect in the first place. But the first shamans who got in touch with those totems had a blurred mental image of a swarming infinity that their mind understood as insects of some sort.

That, or insect spirits really are the ghost of dead insects.