Religiones y magia orientales

CONFUCIANISM

The rigid structure of hermetic study appeals to Confucians, so they are much more likely to follow this tradition.

It is unusual to find Confucians who follow a shamanic path, as this requires a mindset that is often at odds with the highly ordered world set forth in Confucian principles.

Strict Confucians see metahumans as a lower, flawed order of humanity. Some neo-Confucians have advocated for a sixth relationship, that of human to metahuman, to reflect this.

SHINTO

All Awakened Shinto priests are shamans. Most of them are female and are called miko. Practitioners of Shinto share, and in many cases reinforce, the Japanese distrust and distaste for metahumans.

DAOISM

Daoists have two internal traditions. Wai-dan Daoists are almost always hermetic mages or wujen, and are also the Daoists most likely to dwell in cities and be part of modern urban life in the Sixth World.

The other tradition, Nei-dan, claims mostly adepts and shamans who follow Nature totems (all), Mythic totems (Griffin, Phoenix, Pegasus/Unicorn—called Qi-ren in China—Leviathan and Wyrm) and Idols (all except Bacchus, Horned Man and Wild Huntsman). Nei-dan Daoists also have a large number of Magician’s Way adepts at their monasteries.

Daoism sees metahumanity as merely reflecting the diversity of the universe, and Daoists often regard metahumans as those who have inhabited one of the many spirit realms in a former life and have been marked for their deeds in these realms. This often affords metahumans extra respect among some Daoists.

ZOROASTRISM

Zoroastrians are almost always hermetics, though occasionally they are shamans who follow the Bull, Sun, Fire-Bringer, Sky Father or Wise Warrior totems. Zoroastrians have an enlightened view of elves but tend to regard dwarfs, orks and trolls as tainted.

BUDDHISM

Buddhists can follow any of the common paths of magic in Shadowrun. Buddhists who follow a shamanic path most often worship bodhisattvas, or saints who are linked to animals or ideals. Many Buddhist monks, such as the famed Shao-Lin monks of China or the Zen archers of Japan, are formidable somatic adepts.

The Buddhist church keeps an open mind toward metahumans, seeing them as another form (and to some, a lesser form) of reincarnated human.

Tibetan Magic

Nearly all Tibetan monks are Talented, recruited into the monasteries at a young age. The monasteries make a point of recruiting and training every Talented individual they can find.

Most are eager to accept the training, as it represents a far better life than that to which most Tibetans have access.

Tibetan Buddhist magicians follow the Path of Wuxing (p. 17, MITS), with one notable exception. Instead of hermetic circles, Tibetan Buddhists utilize mandals, intricate paintings made with colored sand. Mandalas follow most of the same rules as hermetic circles, but physically are one-third the size of hermetic circles (though they are the same size on the astral plane) and take three times as long to construct. To symbolize the impermanence of the world, each mandala is used for only one ritual before the colored sand is swept up and poured into flowing water, preferably a river dragon line in Tibet. Because Tibetan monks follow the Path of Wuxing, they do not need mandalas to summon spirits. The increased time of construction and single-use policy only really come up when mandalas are used for ritual sorcery or during astral quests.