Talk:Rules:Traditions and Spirits
Excerpt from Street Grimoire Page 41: Common magic traditions of the Sixth World are presented below. The outlines of how to use traditions in Shadowrun are presented on p. 279, SR5. Each tradition presented below includes preferred spells and/or adept powers for that tradition. There are no benefits in game mechanics for choosing those spells; they are there so that players can give their characters the flavor of that tradition. The descriptions also include the type of spirits each tradition uses to perform particular functions, as well as the attributes they use for Drain. Mages of that particular tradition may only summon the spirits listed with the tradition, and they are restricted in the tasks they can assign them. Assigning tasks outside the general area of their tradition will not receive a response from the spirit (for example, a Buddhist mage telling an air spirit to heal him will get no response, as air is a Combat spirit in that tradition, while the Health spirit is earth). Descriptions also include notable teachers in each tradition who can be used in games to help characters advance in a particular tradition. Note that when a tradition is described as a possession tradition, replace the spirit power of Materialization in any spirits summoned by conjurers of that tradition with Possession (p. 197).
OK! So that looks like it means that you need to use spirits from your tradition for specific tasks. Meaning that a Shaman needs to use Fire spirits for Combat and Man spirits for "Manipulation" (whatever that means).
That tradition (asking a air spirit to heal him) definitely makes it looks like it's 100% intended to be that you had to use a spirit for specific kind of action. Which completely garbages up how spirits have traditionally been used.
There's discourse on the internet (now, I am sure you're shocked, so I'll give you a moment to calm down) that says that this section actually is only talking about aiding spellcasting and teaching spellcasting - which doesn't work with the example - but also doesn't make the game inconsistent with other editions - and doesn't screw up Josh's build. So my suggestion we use the rules that way.
> (from Malta in the Kvetching email thread) > Just to clarify: You remain limited to the spirits on your tradition's table --MaltaTalk
