Beginners' Guide

fennic's beginner guide
This guide has been designed as a condensed and very brief rundown of Shaman basics. For a full understanding of Shaman, new players may also consult the other information pages found under the More Information section of the "Adhere" page. Players should also review, at the very least, the Rules and our Members Database to confirm that their Out of Character, Character, and/or Familiar names are not already in use prior to joining. It may also be helpful to check out the FAQ page, found here.

Staff Members

Shaman is owned and maintained by a group of two individuals who share equal power. These two players are Aspelta and Merlin.
Any staff member is willing and able to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. If you would like to have something not expressly mentioned in the rules, or aren't sure if you are permitted to do something, please feel free to approach them at any time! Oftentimes they will be able to work one-on-one with you to develop a way for you to earn a particular prize you want or reach a certain personal or character development goal.
Staff members can be reached most easily by posting on the Chat Board, but can also be reached directly/privately at the contacts below. Please notify staff by posting on the Chat board to alert them that you've sent an email in order to ensure a prompt response!

Aspelta
Chatango: thetamar
Email: aspelta@shamanrpg.com

Merlin
Chatango: magicalmerlin
Email: merlin@shamanrpg.com

The World

This game is set on a unique planet/world of the same name (Shaman). It was founded as a sanctuary for fairies in 1919 by the deity Aura.
Shaman is quite similar to Earth; the grass is still green, the sky is still blue, etc. However, as the planet was created with magic, Shaman doesn't quite follow the same laws of physics and nature as Earth. For example, it would be perfectly reasonable to have a freezing tundra and a burning desert co-existing right next door to one another. Shaman is also home to a variety of unique flora and fauna!
If you would like to learn more about the world of Shaman, you can do so by visiting this page.
Shaman is still a relatively "new" world, so it can seem pretty backwards compared to Earth. Electricity and other modern power sources don't really exist, but magic can be used to substitute for these things. Technology is also frequently brought in from other worlds. In general, most people are not literate.
There is a central government (known as "the Core") of Shaman which is run primarily by the royal family of Shaman, headed by the crowned King or Queen. The current king is Arthur, who is played by Merlin. The government are the ones who make the laws for the land and the rest of society is structured beneath them.
Most people live in family groups within their own individual territories, but empires and ambition also exist. By and large, the people of Shaman are fairly peaceful. Most wars and battles occur between fairies and other magical creatures, or when the gods come to Shaman to mess things up.

Life on Shaman

There are a ton of positions, jobs, and responsibilities that characters can take on; really, the possibilities are pretty endless! To name just a few...
- » Family-oriented fairies can set up their own little homeland with permission from the King and settle down into a nice family routine. A list of established homelands/territories can be found under Reside.
- » At the Academy, fairies can teach the next generation or become apprentices and maybe earn themselves a title and profession such as doctor, soldier, pioneer, carpenter etc.
- » Posh fairies and aspiring politicians might want to join the King's courts and become members of the elite. If they are especially favoured they may even become nobles.
- » Work-oriented fairies may also select a job (or jobs!) at the Castle; available positions include everything from Lord Marshall to Servant!
- » Law-abiding citizens may want to become prison guards, royal soldiers, or even bounty-hunters. Adventurous fairies can explore Shaman as King's Explorers or pirates.
- » Rebellious fairies may become outlaws, safe only in the Apeliotes Caves.
- » Ambitious fairies can establish their own empires and make up their own section of society, or maybe attempt to usurp the throne from the existing royal family.
- » Battle-hungry fairies can fight monsters in Macabre Marsh.
If you're not sure where to start, or haven't decided what you would like your character to do, you can always post them at the Silver Cove, where they can run into all manner of interesting people who may help to inspire or direct them!

Fairies

The primary playable species here at Shaman is fairy. Fairies may originate from Earth, where they coexist in secret with humans, or alternate dimension/worlds. You may also join a character that was something (anything!) "else" in another world/dimension, as long as you keep in mind that all characters, regardless of what they were originally, will become a fairy upon entering Shaman.
All fairies were created, at the beginning of time, from stardust. Stardust is also the origin of all magic!
Earth fairies are able to enter Shaman simply by wishing themselves here, but it is much harder to return home once you've arrived. Oftentimes it would require the permission and assistance of a deity, however, the ability to return to Earth has been hampered by our current site plot (more detailed information on the current plot, and Shaman's history, is available here and here).
- » You can learn more about life for fairies residing on Earth here.
Player characters are considered ordinary fairies; they will develop wings at level 2 (our magic system is explained in the following sections) and cannot control "divinity" (pure magic).
Aside from the wings and other physical traits that can be earned in game and/or through the use of coins (explained in a following section), fairies appear and often behave very similarly to humans.

The Original Fairies

The first twenty (or so) fairies ever created are called "original fairies". They are rather similar, physically, to ordinary fairies, except that they do not possess wings, are immortal, and are able to control pure magic (called "divinity"). These original fairies act as Shaman's gods/deities.
- » Divinity is magic in its purest form and is more or less omnipotence, although what it can be used for depends on the skill of the fairy using it. It can only be harnessed by an original fairy. If an ordinary fairy has divinity, they cannot control it.
There are several original fairies that are still alive, these fairies include: Mallos, Gwythr, Lorraine, Allianah, Zed, Khasekhemwy, Rhaegar, Xephyr, and Tsi. Together, these originals form an intergalactic government known as the Council of Originals, whose duties include the creation and enforcement of laws (particularly those that the other gods must obey) and protecting fairykind.
- » Deceased original fairies include Aura, Caspian, and Thoth (not to be confused with the demigod of the same name!).
The deities of Shaman are a diverse bunch, just like ordinary fairies! They live amongst and interact with other characters on a regular basis; most originals can be found by visiting the Pantheon (under Adventure), though a few do reside in other locations.
Originals are often considered to be selfish, arrogant, and fairly inefficient, but each has their own redeeming qualities. There are no good or evil deities; like normal people, each has the potential for good and evil within them. While some originals may be more inclined to assist mortals than others, characters may approach any deity at any time for any reason, but should keep in mind that they may not be all that helpful; their actions depend entirely on their own attitudes and beliefs!
You can learn more about the deities here.
It should be noted that there are absolutely no restrictions on a character's personal religion/beliefs/etc. Characters may be agnostic, atheist, Christian, Muslim, etc. etc. or they can choose to follow one of the fairy religions explained in the above link.

Permanent Magic

Because of the magical protection surrounding Shaman, all characters will enter the world as a level one fairy, meaning they will have no wings and will not usually have any magical powers to begin with.
Magic comes in many different forms here at Shaman. Specific, permanent magical powers may be gained in numerous ways, but the most common way for a character to develop one is through trading a coin. Magical powers include things like immortality, elemental manipulation, telepathy, and so on. Please note that a "magical power" or "trait" is defined by a single ability or alteration. So "telepathy" is one ability, and is one power. A character with "Spiderman" powers would have their Spideyness broken down into individual abilities, e.g. (1) Web spinning, (2) Wall crawling, (3) Super strength, (4) Super flexibility. Players have to trade the appropriate amount of coins for the individual abilities, so a "Spiderman" character wanting those four abilities would require four coins.
Characters will learn to master their magical powers by progressing through levels; characters move up in levels by earning Points. Level rules are relatively loose and open to player interpretation, so have fun and be creative!
- » There are seven ordinary levels that all ordinary fairies will progress through over time. Once characters obtain level seven, they will be send on a quest to find a unique item called a "ren object". The ren object will allow your character to unlock one of eight different level "branches" and three extra levels. You cannot choose your level branch but you can express a preference!
» Points are used to raise your character's level and can be earned in a variety of ways; points remain with the character who has earned them and cannot be exchanged between characters/players. You can learn more about how to earn points here.
- » Unless otherwise noted, players will need to post on the Updates Board in order to claim points and levels for their characters.
More information on magic and levels can be found here; a list of just some of the powers characters can possess can be found here.

Doubloons

Doubloons are both in character and out of character currency (shown as a number followed by a dollar sign, example 50$), that can be earned and spent in a variety of ways. You can see how to earn Doubloons [here]. New players will also earn 200$ after completing two In Character posts anywhere on Shaman!
- » Unless otherwise noted, players will need to post on the Updates Board in order to claim Doubloons!
Doubloons can be used to purchase shop items, some of which will grant a temporary form of magic and/or game permissions and controls. Some examples of items you can buy with Doubloons include a telepotion, which is a one-time use item that can transport characters in or out of anywhere and a triple birth, which will guarantee a character will have triplets! A full list of items available for purchase can be found here.
Doubloons are put in a player's bank and may be accessed by any of their characters freely. You can check your Doubloon balance and all "free" items (those items that have been purchased or earned and are not associated with a specific character) by visiting here.

Coins

Coins are very special magical items that can be used for the following purposes:
- » give your character one "standard" power (e.g. immortality, shadow manipulation).
- » remove a defect, psychological disorder, trait or power from your character.
- » obtain an ordinary familiar.
- » change a familiar's form.
- » obtain a unique physical trait (e.g. green skin, cat's tail).
- » to choose the name, sex, and appearance of a baby when reproducing.
For the most part, coins will be earned by a specific character and only that character may access and use the coin. More rarely, players will earn a "free" coin, which will be place in a player's bank and can be accessed by any of their characters.
Upon the creation of a new player's first character, he or she will be granted a single coin that can be set aside or used immediately for any one of the above purposes. Only your very first character will be given this special opportunity, so be sure to think carefully on how you would like to use it!
Coins are earned less frequently than Doubloons and Points, but are still available for players to earn! You can learn more about how to earn coins here!

Familiars

Ordinary fairies have souls that are naturally split in two; this unique feature is what allows characters to obtain a familiar. A single coin is powerful enough to grant the familiar part of the soul a solid body as any natural, non-mythical, non-extinct creature. If you would like a different type of familiar (mythical, extinct, or "other" creatures), you will need to either obtain shop items (using doubloons), request tasks OOCly, approach a deity IC, or spend additional coins (between 2 and 5 coins will be required, depending on the type of unique familiar you desire).
Once it has solid form, a familiar can converse aloud with any fairy and communicate telepathically with their own fairy. They share their fairy's thoughts and feelings and form an alternate personality to their fairy. The bond between fairy and familiar is exceptionally close.
More information on familiars can be found here and here.
Like their partner, a familiar's personality[?] will grow each time their fairy gains a new magic level. You can see how a fairy's levels will impact their familiar by visiting the levels page here.

A special thank-you to Fennic for writing this guide for us!

how to get things
This is probably not a comprehensive list, but it should function as a good reference guide for newbies!

fixed rewards

Task	Reward
Make your first two IC posts on the site.	200$.
Being the first to reply to an open/any post.	+5 points (for that character).
Making a significant contribution to a sister site's new layout (coding the whole thing, or creating all the art, etc).	800$ or +80 points.
Posting 1 ad for us (no spamming!).	3$ or +1 point per ad.
Posting 1 ad for our sister site (no spamming!).	2$ per ad.
Linking to us on your personal website.	300$ or +30 points per link.
Linking to our sister site on your personal website.	200$ or +20 points per link.
Referring a new player to us (they must post 3 times before you can claim).	600$ or +60 points.
Referring a new player to our sister site (they must post 3 times before you can claim).	400$ or +40 points.
Joining one of our sister sites (you must post 3 times before you can claim).	500$ or +50 points per site.
Responding to one of our surveys.	50$ and +5 points.
Winning Member of the Month.	500$.
Winning Character of the Year.	+1 coin (for that character).

variable rewards

Task	Reward
Providing a sample post when joining a new character.	Between +5 and +25 points.
Reproducing.	Points for the offspring and parents (based on how many points the parents have).
Defeating a monster in Macabre Marsh.	Points, doubloons or items.
Embarking on explorations.	Points, doubloons, items, coins, temporary blessings/curses.
Purchase and use a point bundle from the shop.	Points.
Purchase and use a copper from the shop.	Random power, familiar, or defect removal.

You can also gain points, doubloons, coins, items and other rewards by:

Participating in and winning OOC and IC competitions.
Responding to spirit or deity quests.
Reading the News board - freebies are often posted here!
Admins can also grant points for players for "expression of talent" (sharing any kind of talent with the community), being particularly active, or being particularly helpful.
Admins sometimes host games in the chat box with prizes.

set your own rewards
If there's something specific you want, there's a number of ways you can proceed.

Post your character to a deity and request it. It's a good idea to have an Emerald Leaf to barter with, but not necessary.
Post your character to another character who can grant the thing they want (e.g. the King).
Ask an admin OOC. We'll sit down with you and work out how to get what you're after.

If you have a specific goal or a task you know you have to complete (but perhaps are struggling with), you can always ask an admin to offer you an incentive. These can be RL things as well as Shaman things - so if you need to revise for that test or complete that commission but can't bring yourself to do it, speak to an admin and we'll help motivate you by offering you a game reward for completing your goal.