Fetch questions

[Tupper]

I've been reading the shaman rules again, and have a couple of points of confusion regarding the fetch:

1. How does a fetch die or get destroyed?  The book tells me that this happens if its POW goes to zero (page 358).  How would that happen?  In spirit combat it loses magic points.  What happens to the fetch if its magic points go to zero (either by spell casting and/or spirit combat)? 

2.  If a shaman does badly on awakening his/her fetch, a fairly weak fetch can be created.  What can the shaman do to "beef it up" subsequently?  I see that he/she can grow its POW by sacrificing his/her own.  How would one raise the fetch's CHA?  "Expanded presence" (page 360) will raise its "temporary" CHA, so the shaman can store more spells in it, but that wouldn't let the Shaman have a larger menagerie of spirits under his/her control, which is the other use for the fetch's CHA.

[Psullie]

A shaman can sacrifice their fetches POW as their own, also some attacks drain POW such as Soul Waste p155. Materialised Fetches can be killed with mundane weapons p360. Also, though this is not explicit, spirits that are defeated in Spirit Combat can be controlled p368, how this effects the shaman would be up to the GM, also embodied spirits take HP damage on Specials and Crits, again it would be up to the GM too decide if the Shaman takes the hit or the fetch in POW

CHA can be increased through training, so there may be rituals or holy places that enable a shaman to train their fetch?

[PhilHibbs]

I think it's fair that if the shaman gets a CHA bonus for something, such as a successful mission or great deed, that the fetch gets it as well. Even gaining flashy treasures could show through in the fetch's confidence.

[Tupper]

Great answers! That clears up fetches a lot for me.

One last question, though: what happens if one Shaman captures another Shaman's fetch?

[Psullie]

he'd have him by the short and curly's - as a Shaman gets their 'authority' by having a fetch, without one would be like a Rune Priest with a sudden loss of POW, but worse. The effected shaman would no longer be a shaman in the tribal sense as he'd be at the mercy of another influence (assuming you as the GM even allowed him to remain conscious and mobile) and very weak when dealing with the Spirit World. The shaman would likely be ostracised until he could could reclaim his fetch. 

[Joerg]

55 minutes ago, Psullie said:

he'd have him by the short and curly's - as a Shaman gets their 'authority' by having a fetch, without one would be like a Rune Priest with a sudden loss of POW, but worse. The effected shaman would no longer be a shaman in the tribal sense as he'd be at the mercy of another influence (assuming you as the GM even allowed him to remain conscious and mobile) and very weak when dealing with the Spirit World. The shaman would likely be ostracised until he could could reclaim his fetch. 

I am not sure that a fetch could be captured as it is not an independent discorporate entity, more an appendage into the spirit world. A discorporate shaman whose Fetch is watching over his prone body can be captured, on the other hand, as can be any non-shaman foolhardy enough to discorporate.