Shadowrun 4th Magical Tradition Summoning Question

[Leadfeathermcc]

Does a Hermetic Mage's Magical Tradition limit what he can have a particular spirit do?

That is, can he only use fire spirits to attack either physically or with the fire spirits powers because fire is considered the combat spirit per the Hermetic Tradition? Or, once summoned, can he request the use of any of the fire spirits powers, depending on how many services the fire spirit owes him?

What about an air spirit, that in the Hermetic tradition used for detection? Can the mage have an air spirit keeping watch on the motel, then when fighting breaks out, command the air spirit to attack?

[Dratsabre Tsabala]

A magician can spend a service to have a spirit use any of its powers, at any given time and for any purpose the magician desires. Same deal for attack, defense, lookout duty, bashing down doors, transportation, etc.

The only reason certain spirits are tied to certain spell types is for the purpose of determining which spirits can help you learn or maintain those spells. For instance, if a hermetic mage wanted to summon a spirit in order to use one of its services on an Aid Study action to help him learn a detection spell, it would have to be an air spirit. Likewise, if he had a fire spirit summoned and wanted it to maintain a spell for him, the spirit could only maintain combat spells.

[estradling]

No...

A spirit can do anything with the limits of its stat block once summoned. The Combat or Detection limits the types of spells in can help out with (Aiding, sustaining etc)

[Dimers]

The last paragraph on page 177 should clear this up. "Spirits in physical form can also perform any physical task as a service, as appropriate to their form, of course." The limitation is their form, not the summoner's tradition.

I haven't seen anything in the basic book or Street Magic countering that implication or suggesting that your tradition limits more than which five types of spirits you can summon. Combat-associated spirits can only help you research Combat spells, but that's a limitation in the mage's mind rather than in the elemental itself, since the same elemental would help a Buddhist or a houngan research a different category.

[Leadfeathermcc]

Thanks for clearing this up.

[Dratsabre Tsabala]

No...

A spirit can do anything with the limits of its stat block once summoned. The Combat or Detection limits the types of spells in can help out with (Aiding, sustaining etc)

Ehm... not to nitpick, but how is that any different than what I said?

[Leadfeathermcc]

You two posted at almost the same time, I think he was saying no to me not you.