Part Five: Thaumaturgy, or Path Magick

By Timothy Toner

"There was a time, a time before now, when dragons took to the skies, and the fae gamboled in the fields. There was a time when magick was about creativity, bringing whimsy to life. That time is dead. Now magick is about one thing: survival. And the only way to survive is Path Magick." -Gnaeus the Sanguine, Tremere

Of the three major Arts, the most readily practiced, and yet most despised is Path Magick, or Thaumaturgy. The reason for the venom leveled at Thaumaturgy is simple: it is a painful reminder of what magick has become, a sterile, climical solution to a problem the hedge mage has no control over.

To begin our study of this elusively powerful Art, we must first define our concepts. Calling Path Magick Thaumaturgy is a misnomer. Thaumaturgy is but one part of the infinite branches of the tree known as Path Magick. Thaumaturgy is the study of harnessing internal power, to make up for the failings of the Earth's mana field. Its most common form manifests as the dreaded Blood Thaumaturgy, or Blood Magick of the Vampiric Tremere. These creatures have found a way to channel the Shadow Empyrean, source of all their power, into themselves, transforming normal blood into potent vis, and then using this vis to cast spells. Although we will discuss the Tremere later, it is interesting to note that they are the greatest victims of Path Magick. So many Generations of Tremere have come and gone, without learning the nature of Path Theory, that they have succumbed to the magickal stagnation and death they feared most.

There is a living, humane form of Thaumaturgy, which works on a similar principle, albeit slower and more methodical. The mortal wizard attunes his body to become a filter for Quintessence, allowing the vis to naturally bleed into his system. This supercharges his blood, in much the same way the Tremere are able to do it. Eventually, the Mage can become a walking battery of vis. The process is incredibly slow, however, taking a full day to create a single pawn of internal vis.

More generally, Thaumturgy speaks only to the source of power, and is not terribly descriptive about what Path Magick is. To understand Path Magick,we need to delve into the death of the World of Myth, and the birth of the World of Darkness.

Perhaps we overtaxed the mana field. Perhaps the Technomancers created the Gauntlet, cutting us off. Cause is unimportant now; it is the effect that destroyed us. We soon learned that Magick was still possible, but at an awesome price: Paradox.

And so as the mana field waned, and the reserves of raw vis dwindled, we hedge mages were left with a difficult decision. Either we could exploit new resources, as the Tremere did, or we could change how we consumed magick. If there was a more efficient was to do it, then perhaps we would not need to fear Paradox.

The brightest minds pored over the old spell formulae of the great Hermetics, seeking solutions, keys to efficiencies. The best examples that could be studied were grimoires called "didactic Paths." Intended to teach an apprentice elementary spell theory, by showing how spells of increasing complexity are created, it was once as critical to magickal theory as the dissertation today. If you had something new to say about the nature of Magick, the idea was to start small, and then permutate the theory, making it more potent and complex. It was an excellent learning tool, and it was here, in these areas of pure research, that the failed Hermetics fled.

And, to a large extent, it worked. It was supposed to be a step toward the solution, and suddenly, it became the solution. Here was spell efficiency on a level they never dreamed. Literally thousands of Didactic Paths had been created over Hermetic history. Most were simply copied, one from another, such as understanding how fire could be created in greater and greater intensity (Lure of Flames, for instance, was once a didactic path written by the founder of House Flambeau himself, emulating Creo Ignem at various stages). Others were brilliant theses revolving around a single form or technique (the Path of Creation). The most advanced were those that centered around an ethereal concept not related to magick, but still had a unity of magick theory (Elemental Mastery).

It was possible with Symbolic Magick to supercharge a Rote, or formulaic spell, making it hyper-efficient, generating an Effect level of 8 with a Effect level of 5 expenditure. Such rotes took years to develop. Didactic spells were all about conservation of power, maximizing result, while minimizing energy. To an initiate, they were everything magick should be: simple, easy to construct, and a snap to learn. In a sense, when one looked at a Path, it all made sense. Cause and effect flowed.

However, no one intended Path Magick to take off as it did. Gone was the fluidity that made the Ars Magica so desireable. Gone also were the years of devotion it would take to learn the other Hedge Magicks. Sure, the Magick was limited, but at least it was something.

And Path Magick carried hedge magick through the dark ages of the fall of the Hermetics, and birth of the Technomancers. In many ways, the ordered structure of Path Magick, with so few variables, put it beneath the note of the Technocracy. With such limited possibilities, compared to other kinds of magick, it just wasn't a threat.

But like all good magi, the Path Wizards never stopped experimenting, tweaking and twisting certain variables, seeing what could be changed in the static matrix of the didactic spell, and what just wouldn't change. And indeed, a few became very good at it indeed.

Part of the advantage of most Path Magicks rising from hermetic theory is that factors such as Duration and Area of Effect had a similar structure in every spell. If factor Aleph was tweaked in Lure of Flames 1 to extend Distance, tweaking factor Aleph in Path of Nature 3 would also extend distance. If one could master all the factors, then perhaps Path Magick wouldn't be so limited.

So the modern Path Wizard concerns himself not only with the learning of Didactic Paths and the Harvesting of Vis, but also dabbles in the spell theory of the Symbolic Wizards, his brother in Ars. Rather than becoming a specialist in a Form or Technique, he Specializes in the mechanisms of spells, tweaking them to his advantage, often producing unpredictable results.

Mastering Factors

The five factors which compose spells must be learned if a Path Wizard strives to be anything more than a minor mage. The Tremere vampires keep the secret of Factors away from their charges because it indeed allows certain freedoms the Tremere consider irrelevant and perhaps dangerous.

Each is learned as if it was a skill, with a range of 1 to 5. The Different factors, with their Hermetic code names, follow:

  
           Distance         Aleph. 
           Duration         Beda.
           Area of Effect   Gana
           Power            Detla.
           Ritual           Epas.
The reason for the Hermetic signature was simple: a spell already possessed these factors, known in the native tongue of a wizard. Often, it was necessary to distinguish between the factors inherent in a spell, and the ability a Path Wizard had to alter that spell, particularly when this informations was inscibed in the margins of a Grimoire. Each is a corruption of the first five letters of the Greek alphabet, and as such is very easy to learn.

A rating in a Factor allowed the Path wizard to change that factor of a spell. For instance, if a Path wizard wanted to change Lure of Flames 1, a Dis 4, Dur 0, AoE 1, Pow 1, Rit 0 spell, and the wizard had Detla 2 and Aleph 2, the Wizard could change Distance by a factor of 2, and Power by a factor of 2. In this instance, the wizard's foe is right before him. He can use his Detla 2 to make the spell's Power, currently 1, now 3, which will now do three dice of damage.

However, each expansion beyond the spell's parameters takes energy. In the above example, the Effect Level of Lure of Flames 1 is 1. Using the Detla 2 makes the Effect level 3. This is all well and good, but if the spell was Lure of Flames 4, the wizard would need Vis to make the spell possible.

An option is to manipulate the pattern of the spell, removing power from certain Factors, and adding them to others. To do this type of switching, however, a Wizard needs the appropriate rating in Factors. Looking at the above example, the Wizard wants to generate Lure of Flames 4, (Dis 4, Dur 0, AoE 1, Pow 4, Rit 0). He wants to increase the Power from 4 to 6 with Detla. The effect of the spell is now 6, and the Wizard doesn't want to spend any Vis. He can use his Aleph rating to bring the distance down 1 (up to 2 if he wants to), so that the effect is now 5. He must have the Factor to "unwork" that aspect of the spell. Without this knowledge, the spell will fall apart.

Path Magick and Vis

The subject of vis is a rather touchy one amongst Path Wizards. Indeed, since most spells are calibrated to exist in the Mana 5 limit, Path Wizards shouldn't need to use vis to cast their spells. In effect, the magick formulae should be so perfected that extra input should be unnecessary. After all, each step in a didactic path was a look at how magick expanded with increasing quanta. All one had to do was trim at the fifth level, and a Path was ready for use in the modern world.

However, part of that fine tuning of a spell sometimes involved finding the perfect source of vis that complemented the spell. A spell that would require 3 pawns of Vis could be instead fueled with a tooth of a cat, or a handful of dust from the target's home, as befits sympathetic magick. These specialty vis, sometimes called foci, often cannot be used to fuel other spells, and thus act as white elephants, that must be carried around and used when the spell is activated. Often the focus is consumed in the casting, making some one-shot paths expensive.

There are ways around such one-shot applications. Vis can often be used to supplement foci. Generally, one pawn is needed for a common, non-specific foci, such as a match for certain rare forms of Lure of Flame. Difficult to get foci can take up to three pawns, and personal effects, such as locks of hair of the intended target will be as high as four. If the item is consumed in casting, the number of pawns automatically increases by 1. You can, however often meet the magick half-way. If a lock of hair from the female target is needed, a lock of female human hair and a pawn of vis will often do the trick. This doesn't always work, so it is best to try such magick out beforehand in the laboratory.

The true advantage of Path Magick and vis is that although the Lure of Flames can be described as Creo Ignem, Create Fire, Pyrokinesis, each technically requiring specialized vis, in Thaumaturgy, any type of vis will work. Thus, a point of vis is a point of vis is a point of vis, with the rare exception of a spell that, like the above examples show, requires a foci that happens to be a pawn.

Note that a pawn is indeed a pawn. Any Mage, Tremere or otherwise, can use fresh blood as pawns to fuel spells. This is the heart of blood Thaumaturgy, and is readily frowned upon by Path Wizards. One option in last ditch efforts is to use the Wizard's own blood as pawns. This extremely dangerous act removes a point of blood (adult humans have 10, and gain 2 back a week) and inflicts a wound level. Pity the foe of a suicidal mage.

Picking Paths

This is perhaps the easiest choice a Path Wizard can make. Finding the right path for you, however, is a chore. For instance, every Hermetic had a variation on Creo Ignem written up as a didactic path. The vanilla path should be easy to find. Poking around rare book rooms and old book stores is a start. To find the true gems, however, takes perseverence, good contact, and a generous Storyteller.

For instance, let's look at Movement of the Mind. The vanilla path requires a point of vis to be expended each round regardless of Effect level. The Tremere burn blood to accomplish this. Those who cannot siphon blood off easily cannot get away with this so readily. Perhaps a Path exists which merely requires a specialty focus, like a prepared cape. The particulars of the Path ought to be well balanced, with every advantage coupled with a related disadvantage. If your path worked at a greater distance than the normal Path, maybe it was less powerful, or took longer to cast. For more information on this, see Making a Path, below.

Once the right Paths are picked, even a Thaumaturgist with a fraction of the flexibility of a Symbolic Wizard can get quite colorful...and quite unpredictable. It is to the advantage of the Path Wizard to seek out these rarer paths, since oftentimes their use is completely misinterpreted by those who are used to vanilla Thaumaturgy, and its limitations.

Finding a Path

The greatest collection of Didactic Paths can be found in the libraries of Vienna, where the Tremere guard them jealously. Others can be found in obscure little libraries and bookshops around the world. Often, their owners have no idea about the true nature of these guides. After all, they seem little more than fanciful speculations on the part of crackpot alchemists.

A Path Wizard should choose his initial Paths carefully, since they will be the only "free" ones he will ever obtain. Whether it be money, other paths, or favors, or even risking the wrath of wizards and vampires by stealing these paths, the Hedge Wizard will pay.

How much should he pay is a more difficult question. Often, money means very little to those who control the primal forces of the universe, but sometimes the rent has to be paid. Those ignorant shop owners know an old book when they see it, and you're going to have to pay through the nose for it (a wizard's salivations at the sight of it doesn't help, either). And there's the simple cost of paying off contacts, getting to Berlin, and searching through 20 book stores to find the right text. Here is a hard and fast system for determining the monetary cost of a path:

  
         Factor                              Cost (in US )
         Each level found                    1000
         Each deviation from standard        1000
         Each city passed through            1000
         Each contact used                   500
         Multiple use of the same contact    x2 current
         Each favor promised                 -1000
         Exchange of books                   Relative to the 
                                             value of the book
         Having it retrieved for you         Twice final value

Thus, we see that a Gift of Morpheus with all 5 levels found intact would cost $5000. Travelling first to Vienna and Rome would make it $7000. The rarity of finding a copy that has added range would either up the price (for those sellers who know its value) or make it that much more difficult to find, making the final price $8000.

Why spend the money on a contact? Well, first, you're not only buying their expertise in finding such texts, and their network of contacts, you're also buying their silence. A Storyteller with a character who wants to find an obscure tome should compile a list of cities. For each contact spent, one of the incorrect cities is removed. A player may use up to his backgrounds in contacts per month. Any more uses costs the player twice the current rate. Thus, a player with Contacts 2 needs to check out 4 cities. He spends $500 each for the first two cities, and must now spend $1000 MORE to search the next two. If he needed one more city searched, it would cost a grand total of $5000 (2x500 + 2x1000 + 2000)! Second, that Contact absorbs a great deal of risk on the part of the player. Maybe some people don't want that tome found.

Favors rank from small, "I'll be a one time contact," to swearing an oath of undying fealty. The price listed is for an average arcane favor, such as a True Name or an Arcane Connection, though some momumental ones will be worth much more.

Finding such texts can be the source of many plot threads, and Storytellers are encouraged to make these grimoires as rare as possible. Only then will players learn to value their books above all.

Initial and Learning Paths

Although one can go through a lengthy apprenticeship session, I find that it's much more satisfying to assume a character knows something about magick, and dive right into the adventure. It should become readily apparent that the quest for arcane knowledge will more than likely consume the life of the wizard. When selecting those initial spells, keep in mind that the Wizard would pick those that are best compatible with who he is. Thus, the initial paths help define who the Wizard is.

The cost of initial paths are 7 for the first rank, and five for additional ranks in the path. However, the spells must be initially arranged in a hierarchy, with no two paths sharing the same level of understanding. Thus, a beginning player could have MotM 5, LoF 4, PoConj 3, PoCorr 2, and GoM 1. The maximum amount of initial Paths, then, is 5. After play begins, a player can increase any and all levels as much as he desires, to the maximum of 5.

Likewise, a mage will research and quest for spells that best personify who he wants to be. Storytellers should key in these passions, since they will set the tone for the player. Just how far is he willing to go in the name of his Art, anyway?

There are two methods of learning. The first is the acquisition of a new didactic Path. The mage must dive into the particulars of the theory, and develops tunnel vision, ignoring all but the magicks. A mage pays for the first level of a path with 7 experience points. The mastery of this magick comes slowly, as every additional path builds on this initial one. Thus, it cannot be taken lightly. The time it takes usually equals a month, but certain circumstances, such as actively studying other magicks, or mastery of a related path, will make this time more or less, depending.

The other method of Learning involves climbing the rungs of a path. This costs Current level x 4 in experience, and takes an amount of time equal to a week x the level desired. Thus, if a wizard with Neptune's Might 2 wanted to learn Neptune's Might 3, it would cost 8 x.p.s and take 3 weeks. If he performed strenuous work, the time could increase. It takes an increasingly large period of time to master each level because the differences in structure are very subtle indeed. Without careful study, a mage may leave out what seems to be an extraneous component, only to find his spell unravelling.

Casting Path Magicks

Once a level of a Path is learned, it is ready to cast. Simply prepare the spell, readying any foci, modifying any Factors, and spend the appropriate Vis. The player then antes up 1 WP, and rolls Current WP against a difficulty of spell's rank + 3. Casting Movement of the Mind 4, then, would take a WP roll, with a difficulty of 7. Any modifications to the spell, even if balanced, will increase the difficulty by one. If the roll fails, the anted WP is not lost. If, however, the roll is botched, the 1 WP is lost.

Oftentimes, however, Path Magicks only invest a power that must be further used by the Wizard. For instance, it is one thing to gain power over the wind (Weather Summoning). It is quite another to use it to knock a cup off a ledge. Thus, even if the spell goes off, it becomes necessary to find out how well it went off. This usually entails an Attribute+Ability roll.

Making Path Magicks

This is perhaps the most difficult section, as most of the work to-date by the majority of Thaumaturgists has been to reclaim that which has been lost. It is possible, however, to create new magicks, but the time it takes usually prevents all but the undying from attempting it.

First, the mage must be versed in what is known as Spell Theory, a Knowledge trait. All Path Wizards know a bit about theory, but just as anyone can learn to play an instrument without reading sheet music, almost anyone can learn hedge magick without studying Spell Theory.

Second, the player sits down, presumably with the Storyteller, and maps out what he wants the path to do. Keep in mind that each rung is a step in understanding. Thus, all levels are somehow related to each other, with simpler applications below, and more complex applications above.

The simplest way to do this is to state an end goal: I want to be able to turn into a chicken. From here, we break down into four steps that will add up to the final product. The senses of a chicken is one (or perhaps 2 if the chicken has supernatural senses). Entering the mind of the chicken is another, so either control over chickens, or the ability to communicate with fowl is important. Finally, certain body parts can be crafted into those of a chicken, such as claws or a razor sharp beak.

Once we've hammered out vague levels, start building each with the five different factors. How long will it last? Can I do it to other people? Based on these figures, arrange the steps into increasing levels of power. Here is your 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. If one seems too powerful, we can augment it by requiring a foci or increasing the difficulty of all rolls using that power.

Finally, we see if any need an Attribute+Ability roll to better define the range of a power. It's one thing to possess the ability to mind control chickens, but how swayed are they? How many are really affected, and how many managed to resist? Pick a logical attribute and a logical ability, but be creative. Should you use Animal Ken, or Leadership to make this roll? Since you're entering the minds of the chicken, maybe you understand their concepts of leadership, and leadership can then work.

This is the number one spot for abuse, and most of it unwitting. Don't let your players "stack" attributes or abilities if you can help it. For instance, a player in the above example could claim that Animal Ken would work for all levels. Wouldn't you know it? He has Animal Ken 5! Try to find more specific Abilities that add color to knowledge of the spell.

Once a plan is delineated, however, it isn't created. The hedge wizard needs to see if the spell works as she intended it to. This is a time consuming excercise, to say the least. Each level takes 1 month x Target Level to perfect. Thus, a complete Path will take 15 months of nothing but non-stop research, enough to make the average hedge wizard throw in the towel.

At the end of the time period (1 month in the case of Level 1), the Wizard rolls Intelligence+Spell Theory, Difficulty 6. Before she can move on to the next level, she must amass 5 successes. If she did not, she must wait another time period (1 month / level), and roll again, with successes being cumulative. This simulates that the Path has not only been created, but fully understood by the Wizard. He must overcome the inertia to move beyond his current research.

A botch on this roll indicates that the concept is lost, and the Wizard must try a new approach. There are several Paths that only reach Level 3 or 4, remnants of burned out wizards and dashed dreams.

Translations

(Note: The following Paths are Copyright White Wolf Game Studios. They are listed here only as an aid in showing how to translate to the Hedge Magick system I propose. The use of said Paths are in no way a challenge to the copyrights).

The following is a brief summary of the Thaumaturgical Paths found in the various White Wolf products, with notes on how to convert them to my system. In cases with random results, determined by a Attr+Ability check, the spell is listed as if minimal successes were gained. You want more successes? Buy this option with 2 power. Also, any listing under Power lists the minimal dice that can be rolled for a spell. If a mage must roll Cha+Falconry, which totals 2 dice, he can instead roll his Power rating, 6.

  
  Path Name          Dist   Dur  AoE   Pow  Rit  Where
  Path of Blood                                  V:TM
  Taste for Blood    1      0    0     2    0    
  Blood Rage         1      0    1     3    0
  Blood of Potency   0      4    0     4    0    
  Theft of Vitae     4      4    1     2    0
  Cauldron of Blood  0      0    1     6    0
  Lure of Flame      4      Var. Var.  Var. 0
  Movement ot Mind   0      0    0     Var. 0
  Weather Control    4      4    4     Var. 0
  Path of Conjuring
  S the S F          0      1    0     2    0
  Permanancy         0      5    0     2      
  Magic of the Smith 0      5    0     5    0
  Reverse Conjuration 4     3    1     5    0
  Power over Life    1      5    1     5    0
  Neptune's Might
  Eyes of the Sea    4      0    0     3    0
  Jail of Water      2      4    1     4    0
  Dehydrate          4      0    1     5    0
  Flowing Wall       0      5    1     5    0
  Blood to Water     1      5    1     5    0
  Spirit Thaumaturgy
  Evil Eye           3      3    1     2    0
  Spirit Eyes        3      4    0     2    0
  Spirit Slave       2      4    1     4    0
  Fetishes           2      5    1     5    0
  Elemental Mastery
  Elemental Strength 0      1    0     3    0
  Wooden Tongues     0      3    1     2    0
  Anim. t. Unmoving  4      1    1     2    0
  Elemental Form     0      5    0     5    0
  Summon Elemental   3      1    1     4    0
  Corruption
  Contradict         0      3    1     2    0
  Disfigurement      0      5    1     2    0
  Change Mind        3      2    1     3    0
  Cripple            2      1    1     5    0
  Corrupt Soul       3      2    1     7    0
  Perception Spells                              HH
  Scent of the Vamp  0      3    0     1    0
  Esc. Und. Eyes     3      0    0     2    0
  Voices of t Dead   1      3    1     2    0
  Cloak of Shadows   0      0    0     5    0
  True Sight         3      1    3     2    0
  Intelligence Spells
  Gift of Psyche     1      0    0     2    0
  Return of Light    0      3    0     2    0
  Confess            2      1    1     3    0
  Grasp of the Mind  0      3    0     5    0
  Heart of Evil      3      0    5     4    0
  Wits Spells
  Bring To Body      1      0    1     2    0
  Light ot True Sp.  1      3    1     1    0
  Soul of the Tree   0      2    1     4    0
  Shield ot Thinker  1      3    1     3    0
  Flash              4      0    3     4    0
  Gift of Morpheus                               PGttS
  Cause Sleep        3      1    1     2    0
  Mass Slumber       3      1    3     2    0
  Enchanted Slumber  3      1    1     5    0
  DreamScape         1      3    1     4    0
  Master of Dreams   1      3    1     5    0
  Dark Thaumaturgy (Note:  To gain these powers, a player must
  accept as a foci:  Soul Contract)
  Chains of Pleasure
  Ecstasy            0      0    1     2    0
  Overstimulation    0      0    1     3    0
  Wave of Pleasure   3      0    Var.  2    0
  Writhing Delights  0      3    1     4    0
  Glow 1000 Embr.    1      0    1     7    0
  Hands of Dest.     0      0    1     3    0
  Gnarl Wood         0      0    1     3    0
  Acidic Touch       0      0    1     3    0
  Atrophy            0      0    1     4    0
  Turn to Dust       0      0    1     7    0
  Fires of Inferno   2      Var. Var.  Var. 0
  Path of Pestilence
  Sickness           0      5    1     1    0
  Vampire Sickness   0      5    1     2    0
  The Swarming       4      2    3     2    0
  Diseased Breath    2      0    4     4    0
  Cause Plague       0      5    1     3    0
  Path of Phobos
  Induce Fear        4      1    1     2    0
  Spook              4      3    1     2    0
  Terrorize          4      1    1     3    0
  Fear Immersion     5      1    1     4    0
  Leech of Fear      4      1    1     5    0
  Path of Secret Knowledge
  Whispers           1      0    1     1    0
  Secrets ithe Dark  1      0    1     3    0
  The Hidden         1      1    1     4    1
  Dark Prophecy      0      1    0     5    1
  Unlock the Heart
         of Mystery  5      0    0     5    2
  Path of Torture
  Hurt               1      0    1     2    0
  Hunger             1      0    1     3    0
  Torment            1      1    1     3    0
  Agony              1      1    1     5    0
  Pangs of Hell      1      1    1     7    0

Rituals

Often a very powerful spell will survive, or the fragment of a potent path, lost to time. These Rotes are exceedingly powerful, some so powerful that the cost in vis to cast them normally prevents their use.

Character Generation

Factors are treated as abilities for purposes of buying.

Path Hunter: +10 Freebies (Has an Ace up his sleeve. ONE)

Path Novice: +15 Freebies (Knows a few Words) -1 to Background

Path Adept: +20 Freebies (Is fairly well rounded in his Paradigm) -1 To Social, -1 to Background

Path Master: +25 Freebies (Is extremely well rounded) -1 to Social, Background, Physical

Path Wizard: +30 Freebies (The true mages who have devoted their lives to the Dangerous Game. Order of Tremere fit in this category) -2 to Background, -1 to Social, Physical.