Thaumaturgy Revised

By Martin Terman (mfterman@access.digex.com)

Foreword

I decided to revise Thaumaturgy on the grounds that I didn't like the existing form of it. There are the Paths and Rituals, and there's little to no linkage between the two of them. Plus the Paths currently seem little more than pseudo-Disciplines, cheaper than normal Disciplines with the only limitation that they top out at rank 5, not a real problem to high generation vampires.

On the other hand, I liked the idea of the Paths, and liked the idea of Rituals, so I decided to make the pair work more closely together. I also cleaned up some of the rules around Rituals and advancement in Thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy is now a Discipline, but quite distinct from anything else. With that aside, onto the show...

Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy is a Discipline unlike any other. It is a Discipline that replicates magick. The advantage of Thaumaturgy is that it is incredibly flexible. A Discipline usually has a specific focus, but Thaumaturgy in theory can replicate any power of any Discipline, providing the right focus is used. Rituals can be performed by groups, increasing their power, and Rituals can be made more long and involved, also to increase their power.

So why learn Disciplines at all? Easy. Rituals take time, at least fifteen minutes per rank of the Ritual. Rituals almost inevitably require props, gestures, invocations or more. Disciplines just tap into the innate resources of the vampire and work almost instantly. In theory, one could use a ritual to transform oneself to a wolf, but Protean 4 is faster and doesn't require the pelt of a wolf to pull it off. Rituals can't be cast at the drop of a hat and never during combat. Disciplines are more focused, but more innate to the vampire.

Paths and Rituals

Thaumaturgy is subdivided into Paths. Each Path is an area of magick, such as blood or weather. While Thaumaturgy is infinitely flexible, in order to tap into that flexibility one must learn new Paths to extend the power of Thaumaturgy to new areas. Each Path goes up to rank 10, just as Disciplines do.

Learning a Path does not grant any innate abilties. Instead it gives the vampire the potential to work Thaumaturgy Rituals. Rituals are invocations of power harnessing the mystic potential given by having the Thaumaturgy Discipline. All Rituals have a rank and a Path, requiring the vampire to have that Discipline at that rank. Some Rituals belong to more than one Path, requiring the vampire to have all the requisite Paths.

Some Rituals may appear in different Paths. Binding a ghost can be done using either Spirit Thaumaturgy or by Necromancy. However the Rituals are considered distinct from each other, as each is based on a a different mystic approach. While Paths may overlap in territory, they are each considered distinct, and there are no bonuses for learning related Paths.

Advancement

The first Path a vampire learns in Thaumaturgy is the primary Path. The primary Path must always be the highest ranking Path, or among the highest ranking Paths. The primary Path must always be advanced first, and the vampire pays the Discipline costs for advancing to the new level. After the new level of the Discipline is learned, the other Paths may be advanced to that level at the Path cost instead.

Advancing in a Path is not the same as in advancing in a Discipline. While learning a new Discipline requires either a tutor or being Caitiff, advancement usually can be self-taught without penalty. With Thaumaturgy, if the vampire does not have a book or a tutor or some method of instruction, the cost of raising the Discipline/Path rises to that of an invented Discipline or Path, and the appropriate research work on the part of the character to back it up.

In addition, before a Thaumaturgist may advance in a Path, he must know a Ritual at the rank of his current Path. His Path rating represents his power in theory, the ability to use a Ritual demonstrates his power in practice. There is only so far one may advance one's power without actually putting it to use. When initially purchasing Paths and Rituals (see below) this requirement must be taken into account.

Learning Rituals can go from days to years, depending on the rank of the Ritual. The experience point cost of a Ritual is the rank of the Ritual. If the Ritual is invented, its 3xrank. Inventing new Paths or Rituals requires Thaumaturgy 5 and Occult 5, and usually a lot of research time as well.

Rituals

Rituals is a new background that starting vampires may take. It represents the number of ranks of Rituals a vampire starts the game with. It goes from 1 to 5, but can be increased arbitrarily after the game starts. Rituals is a manditory background if the character starts with a Thaumaturgy higher than 1. Thaumaturgy 2 requires Rituals 1, and Thaumaturgy 3 requires Rituals 3. No character may start with a Thaumaturgy path rating that is higher than her Rituals score. Since characters may only start with one Path, all the Rituals must belong to that one Path. This Path must be declared at character creation, and is the character's primary Path for the remainder of the vampire's existance.

Clans and Bloodlines

Every Clan has vampires who know Thaumaturgy, though the numbers vary wildly from Clan to Clan. Elders are more likely to know it than ancillae, who are more likely to know it than neonates. Its a slower, harder road to power, and most young Kindred take the fast road of the Disciplines.

Tremere

Tremere have Thaumaturgy as a Clan Discipline, and a wide variety of Paths. Teachers and textbooks are available to Clan members in good standing who have served the Clan well. This serves as carrot and stick. Service to the Clan is rewarded with power, failure is punished by withholding it. The Tremere do not teach to non-Clan Kindred, and often try to suppress Thaumaturgy outside of the Clan.

Giovanni

The Giovanni have an extensive library dealing with the Path of Necromancy, which is available to all Clan members. There are few teachers or books on the other Paths, so the Clan has compensated by interrogating the spirits of dead Thaumaturgists instead. The Giovanni do not teach to non-Clan Kindred, and tend to deal with those outside of the Clan who show exceptional skill or knowledge in Necromancy.

Assamites

The Assamites claim to have invented the Path of Blood, which they say the Tremere stole from them. The Ritual that cursed them was most certainly of this Path, and they work ceaselessly to break it. They do have a smattering of other Paths, but prefer to rely on Disciplines for the most part. Training in Thaumaturgy is restricted to older, proven Kindred or those who show great potential. They do not teach to non-Clan members.

Tzimisce

The Tzimsce have an extensive tradition of Thaumaturgy. They tend to favor the Path of Blood, since the Rituals they use to manipulate the Blood Bond rely on this Path. They claim to have invented it, whatever the Assamites might say. The Path of Biothatamurgic Experimentation used to be popular, but Vicissitude has since displaced it. They rarely teach to non-Clan members.

Followers of Set

The Followers of Set claim to have invented the Path of Corruption, and no one will argue with them on that point. It is the Path that all Setites learn first when they learn Thaumaturgy. The Setites will teach that Path to anyone, for a price. They feel that spreading the power of corruption is worth the inherent danger. The Setites also know the Path of Necromancy to a degree that would surprise the Giovanni, but this Path is kept secret and only to Clan members of proven power and ability.

Malkavians

Oddly enough, the Malkavians are the most likely of the remaining Clans to know Thaumaturgy. Manipulating reality is something the Malkavians have a natural aptitude for, and Rituals make a powerful resource when Pranking. Especially when Pranking elders. Malkavians have invented many odd Rituals that drive the Tremere crazy trying to understand why they work.

Other Clans

For most of the other Clans, Thaumaturgy is practiced mainly by elders, and mainly dealing with the areas of concern to the Clan. In many to most cases, it is either self-taught or they acquire a tutor via Blood Bond or calling in powerful favors. The Tremere suspect that many of their younger neonates who have vanished have been forced to give up the secrets of Thaumaturgy to powerful elders who wished to learn the art.

Conversion

Costs for the Disciplines and Paths are the same as in the main rules. Costs for totally new Paths and Disciplines can be found in the Outcasts book.

Thaumaturgy

All of the Paths of Thaumaturgy are preserved. However, the powers that belong to each Path are now converted over to Rituals. There are other Rituals belonging to those Paths, but those are the most commonly known and taught. All of the existing Rituals listed in the sourcebooks must be declared to belong to one Path or another. New Paths may need to be invented to deal with some of the more esoteric Rituals.

Dark Thaumaturgy

All of the Paths of Dark Thaumaturgy are now reclassified as Thaumaturgy Paths, just Infernal Paths. The side effects of learning the Paths are the same as normal. All of the Rituals of Dark Thaumaturgy are classified as belonging to a specific Path.

Necromancy

Necromancy is reclassified as the Path of Necromancy, a subset of Thaumaturgy dealing with all aspects of death. The powers of Necromancy are the more commonly known and practiced Rituals of this Path. There are many others.

Notes

Okay, the Paths are out as pseudo-Disciplines, and Thaumaturgy works entirely around rather inflexible Rituals, though admittedly learning new Rituals is a lot easier than developing new Disciplines. The system also strongly encourages finding teachers or rare texts, as the experience point costs get a lot more hideous when doing research on one's own. That's why the Tremere scour the world for new books.

Now the Rituals are tied to the Paths, so as to give more weight to knowing various Paths. The learning of Rituals as a requirement means that the character just can't advance Paths as they will; they need to put that power into use, which means they need to spend a lot more time researching Rituals. Thaumaturgists are encouraged to work out new Paths, to work out Rituals no one else knows.

This does weaken Thaumaturgy somewhat. Rituals are no longer free in cost, Paths don't grant innate abilities, and Rituals now have Path requirements. But one can increase the availability of Rituals as needed if it looks like Thaumaturgy is too weak. After all, a rank 5 Ritual is in many ways more powerful than a rank 5 Discipline.