[忍]

As I understand it, having a mentor Spirit ought to affect several aspects of a character such as how to view the world or even one's self.

So just what does it mean to be a rat shaman? How does that differ from being a "wolf adept"? How are mages influenced by their mentor spirit?

[fseperent]

To me, mentor spirits helps focus the person's nature towards certain traits.
Traditions also would effect the relationship between the awakened person and the mentor spirit.

[RowanTheFox]

I have a character who is a wolf shaman, and it is a very powerful influence on her personality.

Positive: Loyal, protective, tenacious, strong, cunning.

Negative: Vengeful, unable to back down from a fight, tends to give those she cares about more chances than they deserve. Won't commit an act of violence against anyone she cares about. Will hunt and pursue those who hurt her or her loved ones until they are dead, or she is.

[Jack_Spade]

I imagine a rat shaman to be a bit twitchy, likely hedonistic and rather defensive oriented.
A mentor spirit won't build a connection to you if your personality doesn't fit with its own - imho.
So they aren't so much influenced as that they always have been that kind of person the spirit is attracted towards.

That said: Refluffing is always a possibility. You can just take the trash panda... I mean raccoon spirit and call it rat spirit if those traits fit your character better.

[Kuirem]

Every magician has a different way to look at mentor spirit. In general they will always have at least the main trait of their mentor (reprensented by the disadvantage). Then it depends on traditions, Hermetic Mages are more likely to see a mentor as an entity to gain knowledge from more than a guide, a Shaman on the other hand will have a personnality really close to its mentor. Aztec mage even have a description on how they see the mentor in Street Grimoire :

Every nahualli must have a mentor spirit that represents their animal twin, and their relationship to that mentor is complex.They do not so much try to emulate the traits of their mentor as incorporate those traits in their magic, using the skills of their mentor to compliment their own abilities.

[Glyph]

Even for the same mentor spirit, that spirit might manifest itself in different ways in different traditions, or to different individuals.  And people can have a variety of relationships with their mentor spirits - skeptical, trusting, struggling, cynical, etc.  Consider how a mentor spirit interacts with a character, and how that character views his/her mentor spirit, when you make a character - but don't feel constrained to pigeonhole that character a certain way.  That said, you should still keep the broad brush strokes of a mentor spirit in mind, and not deviate to the point that you are ignoring the major aspects of it.

[Medicineman]

Because Ingame the Mentor Spirits chooses the Schaman and only comes/bonds with those that represent him
(not the other Way round)

He who dances with Mentor Spirits
Medicineman

[Thanael]

That said: Refluffing is always a possibility. You can just take the trash panda... I mean raccoon spirit and call it rat spirit if those traits fit your character better.

+1.

A great example is Rook, who is an elven shaman/hermetic (not sure here) with Raven as a mentor spirit m, though for him it is Morrigan the Celtic deity.