V20 Dark Ages: Thaumaturgy Paths

Vampire: The Masquerade

Last week, I showed you Necromancy’s Paths. This week, I wanted to share Thaumaturgy’s Paths, likewise. It’s provided by our own Geoffrey McVey. This skews pretty close to V20, with some new flavor, and some material from Dark Ages: Vampire. When developing this, we’re finding a lot of dials in where to set any given thing, between editions and eras.

One thing I didn’t want to do is copy/paste past editions. From a design standpoint, that’s kind of boring. And frankly, we encourage you to use versions you prefer. This philosophy gives you another version to work with, to pick and choose. This is supposed to be a good baseline for your V20 Dark Ages chronicles, not a comprehensive guide to Thaumaturgy in the Dark Medieval World. But, depending on how the Kickstarter does, more content’s certainly not out of the question.

I think next, I’ll be sharing either Rituals, or maybe something more setting-driven, like the first chapter establishing the Dark Medieval World. Vote in the comments?

Thaumaturgy

When the mortal magic of the Tremere failed after their transformation, they knew that they would be helpless without a substitute. Out of the centuries of lore that their libraries held and through daring experimentation in their laboratories, they cobbled together the first blood-powered paths of the Discipline for which they are now most famed: Thaumaturgy. Unlike the arts of the magi, whose applications are limited only by will and imagination, the Tremere’s substitute art is precisely delimited. Each path produces a predictable effect if the thaumaturge has the strength of will; each ritual can be repeated with scientific accuracy so long as it is carried out without error.

Of the two forms of Thaumaturgy—paths and rituals—the rituals are the safer. An error in performing them simply means a waste of time and perhaps ingredients. The paths, being substantially more roughly constructed than rituals, have the potential to backfire spectacularly if a user cannot master the necessary force of will.

While other, older forms of blood magic exist, Thaumaturgy is strictly the domain of Clan Tremere. The leaders of the Clan know that the discipline has the potential to raise them to the highest eschelons of Cainite society, and they severely punish any Tremere who risks that future by sharing their secrets with outsiders.

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A Hermetic Theory of Vitae

The Tremere have made the study of vitae their foremost concern. Their present theory is that it represents the prima materia, the pure matter out of which all other things are generated. Without any form (in the Aristotelian sense) of its own, it can be shaped into whatever its possessor wills it to be, but it is vulnerable to those elements of nature that embody clarity and perception: the Sun and fire. Both of these, because they aid the mind and senses in recognizing the forms of things, react against the formlessness of vitae and force it back to an inert state.

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System: Unless specified otherwise, Thaumaturgic powers all follow the same system. For path powers, spend a blood point and roll Willpower against a difficulty of (power’s level+3). For rituals, roll Intelligence + Occult against a difficulty of (ritual level+3, maximum 9).

The Lesser Paths

The so-called lesser paths are most often the ones first taught to initiates in the Thaumaturgic arts. Increasing mastery of these paths does not teach the Thaumaturge new applications of power, but merely increase the force or scope of a single ability.

Creatio Ignis (The Creation of Fire)

With this power, the Thaumaturge conjures an eerie flame in his palm that sheds light but offers no warmth and does not provoke Frenzy in other vampires. When he releases it at a target within sight, however, it burns like any ordinary fire and is beyond his control.

System: One success is enough to conjure a flame for illumination and to release it at any target within ten yards. Every additional success gives the flame a further ten yards of range, up to the limit of the Thaumaturge’s line of sight. To hurl the fire at a target in combat, roll Perception + Alertness to hit and apply damage according to the power’s level. For complete rules on fire, see page XX; for rules on Rötshreck, see page XX. Thaumaturgic fire causes aggravated damage.

Botches: A botch when using Creatio Ignis means that the conjured flame is not under the Thaumaturge’s control. It immediately spills from the hand to a flammable object within ten feet or, if no such object is present, causes the caster one level of aggravated damage before extinguishing itself.

Candle (difficulty 3 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)

•• Palm of flame (difficulty 4 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)

••• Campfire (difficulty 5 to soak, two health levels of aggravated damage/turn)

•••• Bonfire (difficulty 7 to soak, two health levels of aggravated damage/turn)

••••• Inferno (difficulty 9 to soak, three health levels of aggravated damage/turn)

Iter Pernix (The Swift Journey)

This power subtly strengthens the vigor of mortals, vampires, or animals so that they can cross great distances more quickly than they ordinarily could. It does not speed up their movement in the same way that Celerity does: instead, it instills in them a determination to press ahead and a relief from the fatigue of a constant march.

System: Choose a number of targets and roll for successes. Each success allows the targets to move along roads at a speed of thirty miles per hour for one hour without need of rest or any negative after-effects. It has no effect on movement speeds in combat, only for long-distance travel.

Botches: Instead of speeding up travel, a botch when invoking Iter Pernix causes mounts to become difficult to handle, slowing movement to half speed for the next hour if they are connected to wagons or possibly to wander off-course if they are not.

One being (a mount or walking human)

•• Up to six mounts or one laden wagon

••• Up to twelve mounts or four supply wagons

•••• Up to 24 mounts or eight supply wagons or one siege engine

••••• Up to 48 mounts or sixteen supply wagons or four siege engines

Potestas Motus (Power of Motion)

With concentration and simple gestures, the Thaumaturge who studies this path can lift and manipulate objects at a distance for a brief time. The amount of control is the same as if they were held, and those objects suitable for use as weapons may be employed as such so long as they remain within the vampire’s line of sight. Masters of the path can use it to carry themselves or others through the air, or even to hurl objects more violently than they could through physical strength alone.

System: Each success allows the character to manipulate the object for one turn. At the end of that time, she may make another Willpower roll at the same difficulty to extend the duration without spending any more blood points. If the initial roll achieved five successes, however, the power can be maintained for the entire scene without need for further checks.

At two dots, the Thaumaturge can manipulate weapons well enough to use them to attack: use the initial successes achieved when activating the power as the number of attack successes for the first turn, then roll Melee + Thaumaturgy for subsequent attacks. The effective Strength of the attack is equal to the caster’s Potestas Motus rating.

At three dots, the Thaumaturge can levitate himself or another and fly at running speed. If the target is unwilling, the caster and subject make opposed Willpower rolls each turn.

Botches: A botched roll with Potestas Motus turns the power against the caster, rooting her feet in place for the next turn. Until the end of that turn, the character cannot dodge.

One pound

•• 20 pounds

••• 200 pounds

•••• 500 pounds

••••• 1000 pounds

Potestas Tempestatum (Power Over Storms)

The power to influence weather is one of the oldest of magical techniques, common among both Tremere Thaumaturges and the koldun of the Tzimisce Clan. The Tremere version is less precise than that of the Tzimisce, but can still produce dramatic effects when used properly.

System: The number of successes determines how quickly the desired phenomenon can be conjured from otherwise neutral conditions, with one success being a gradual shift over the next day and five successes being an instantaneous change. Minor changes or changes that build upon existing conditions (such as directing lightning while a thunderstorm is already in progress) allow the roll to be made at -1 or -2 difficulty at the Storyteller’s discretion, while wholly unnatural changes (a downpour in a parched desert) should be at +1 or +2 difficulty.

The difficulty to use Potestas Tempestarum indoors is always at +2. Rain, snow, storms, and thunderstorms cannot be conjured anywhere but outdoors, but fog, wind, and temperature changes may be created anywhere.

Changes in weather last for one scene per success before reverting to their former state.

Botches: A botched attempt to influence the weather triggers a backlash from the local elemental spirits. Winds whirl around the caster, giving +2 difficulty to Perception and ranged attack rolls for the duration of the scene unless he spends a point of Willpower to compel the spirits to relent. Conjured lightning immediately targets the Thaumaturge.

Fog or light breezes (+1 difficulty to appropriate Perception checks, weapon ranges halved), minor temperature changes

•• Rain or snow (+2 difficulty to appropriate Perception checks, weapon ranges halved)

••• High winds (+2 difficulty to ranged attacks, weapon ranges halved, make a Dexterity check [difficulty 6] each turn to remain standing), moderate temperature changes

•••• Storm (combines effects of rain and high winds)

••••• Thunderstorm (roll Perception+Occult to strike a target with lightning for 10 dice of lethal damage)

The Greater Paths

Unlike the Lesser Paths, the Greater Paths are not mastered simply by concentrating more force of will onto a single purpose. Instead, they are collections of related powers that build upon each other through common techniques. Many Tremere teachers require that their apprentices study at least one of the Lesser Paths before being permitted to approach the Greater mysteries.

Potestas Elementorum (The Power of the Elements)

Although the Tremere’s transformation caused them to lose much of their mastery over spirits, thaumaturges who study the path of the elements can still call upon the lesser entities that inhabit natural phenomena. It is a popular form of magic among those stationed in more isolated chantries, ones where the exploration of nature is readily done, but its secrets are just as useful to urban Tremere.

• Strength of the Earth

By drawing on the power of the earth beneath her feet, the thaumaturge can temporarily increase her physical might with only a fraction of the cost in blood that another would require.

System: Assign three temporary points between Strength and Stamina for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled. The duration may be extended at a cost of one point of Willpower each turn, but the power cannot be “stacked” by using it again while one invocation is still in effect. It ends instantly if the thaumaturge is completely separated from the ground.

•• Wooden Tongues

By coaxing the minor elemental spirit of an inanimate object into awakening, the thaumaturge may converse with it briefly to discover what it has experienced of its surroundings.

System: The number of successes determines the extent and relevance of the information that the thaumaturge gains: one success is enough to learn of major events nearby, three successes can focus the spirit’s attention on the presence or absence of creatures during those events, and five successes is enough for it to describe creatures in comprehensible terms.

••• Animate the Unmoving

The thaumaturge learns to awaken elemental spirits further, and can now imbue them with limited powers of movement. Objects animated in this way cannot bend or warp in any radical way, but can shift and twist themselves by degrees in order to move. A door could open or shut, a chair could pull itself across the floor, a statue could walk slowly, or a sword could shudder to cause itself to be dropped.

System: The thaumaturge must expend a point of Willpower to use this ability in addition to the standard blood point and Willpower roll. Success allows him to animate one object for up to an hour, so long as it remains within his line of sight. Multiple uses of the power allow for the animation of more than one object, but a thaumaturge cannot control more objects at a time than he has points in Intelligence.

•••• Elemental Form

The thaumaturge is able to transform herself into an inanimate body of earth (metal, dirt, or stone), air, or water (liquid, ice, or fog) roughly equal in size to her own volume. She cannot take the shape of any crafted object.

System: One success turns the thaumaturge into the appropriate substance, but keeps her shape the same if the form is a solid one. Two successes allow her to mimic any natural formation of the element, such as a small boulder, pool of water, or chunk of unworked iron. Three or more successes allow her to use her disciplines while transformed, so long as they do not require eye contact or movement. The power lasts until sunrise, but the thaumaturge may dismiss it at any time.

In elemental form, she cannot move of her own accord and is largely impervious to harm, but take one (unsoakable) level of bashing damage each turn that the form is disrupted in any significant way. Regardless of the amount of disruption, however, the body will remain coherent. (You cannot put part of a watery thaumaturge in a bucket and carry it away from the rest. The water will seep back to join with the main body.)

••••• Summon Elemental

A master of Potestas Elementorum can summon one of the four classical elementals: a sylph (air), gnome (earth), salamander (fire), or undine (water). Although potentially a powerful ally, elementals are notoriously difficult to control. Stories of them turning on their summoners are well known among the Tremere who teach this art.

System: The thaumaturge must be near some source of the element from which the entity is to be summoned in order to manifest it. The process of calling the elemental is separate from that of binding it into service, making it a risky enterprise unless the caster is confident in her knowledge of the arcane arts.

An elemental has a base score of three in all Physical and Mental attributes. For every success on the initial Willpower roll to summon it, the caster may add one dot to one of those attributes. The elemental may also possess other powers at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Once she has summoned the elemental, the thaumaturge must roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 4 + the number of successes on the summoning roll) to command it. The possible outcomes are as follows:

Botch The elemental immediately attacks the thaumaturge.

Failure The elemental either leaves or attacks those nearby, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

1 success The elemental does not attack the thaumaturge.

2 successes The elemental performs one service in exchange for appropriate payment.

3 successes The elemental performs one service that is reasonable for its nature.

4 successes The elemental performs any one task that does not endanger it.

5 successes The elemental performs any task it is commanded to, even if it takes several nights or puts it at risk.

Potestas Exsecrabilis (The Accursed Power)

When the Tremere were mortal wizards, they treated the common witchcraft of curses and maledictions as a technique unworthy of their scholarly attention. Now, however, they have recognized that they need every instrument at their disposal, so they have quickly adapted it for their needs.

The Accursed Power has requirements that other paths do not. First, the thaumaturge must not only be in the presence of the victim of the curse, but must declare it clearly. It need not be in a language that the victim understands, but it must still be forcefully spoken. Second, the thaumaturge requires some part of the victim’s being: hair, blood, a nail clipping, or something similar. Finally, the victim can throw off the effect of the curse by making a Willpower roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated), representing her ability to hold fast against the psychological impact of the power.

• Stigma

In a time when the Tremere struggle for political status, the power to weaken their opponents’ ability to influence social situations can be as important as any display of raw force. This curse lays an aura of wrongness on the victim, causing those around him to shy away instinctively, regard him with suspicion, or simply find his presence intolerable.

System: The thaumaturge spends a blood point and rolls Willpower as usual. If successful, the target suffers a +2 penalty to all Social actions (rolls involving Charisma, Manipulation, or Appearance), to a maximum increased difficulty of 10. The effect lasts until the next sunset or until the caster decides to lift the curse.

•• Malady

Although Cainites are spared most of the diseases that permeate the Dark Medieval World, this curse allows the caster to simulate their effects. The result can be both physical crippling and psychologically damaging, as the vampire victim is suddenly and powerfully reminded of the mortality she left behind.

System: For every success that the thaumaturge rolls, the target’s Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina pools are reduced by 1 (to a maximum of a 3-dice penalty with three sucesses) for a number of nights equal to the caster’s Willpower. Each night, the victim can make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to shake off the effect; each success reduces the penalty to Physical Attributes by one die until the next night, and if she removes all penalties in a single night, the curse is broken.

••• Scapegoat

A refinement of the Stigma curse, Scapegoat causes those who see or otherwise interact with the target to perceive him as a bitter rival or hated enemy. Each person’s perceptions are affected differently, so that the victim becomes whatever it is that person despises the most. Unlike Mask of a Thousand Faces, the illusion laid by the curse cannot be pierced with Auspex: its method is too new, too unusual, for the common traces to be discernable.

System: For every success that the thaumaturge rolls, the curse lasts for one night. During that time, the victim appears to everyone he encounters as some form of enemy. Although this does not necessarily result in immediate violence, it does tend to prevent the target from interacting in any normal way with those around him.

•••• Corrupt Body

With a malediction against some feature of the target, the thaumaturge invokes this power to cause a painful and specifically directed transformation. It can cause muscles to atrophy, limbs to shiver, faces to warp, or the entire body’s frame to grow frail and emaciated. What makes it most fearsome in the eyes of other Cainites who have witnessed its effects is that it can last far longer than other Tremere curses. A few nights suffering under a Malady is nothing compared to the weeks or months that Corrupt Body can cause.

System: Once the thaumaturge lays the curse and rolls for successes, the target can try to resist by rolling Willpower (difficulty 7), with each success reducing the effective strength of the curse by one. After that, however, there is no chance to undo it unless the caster lifts it voluntarily or the duration has elapsed.

The curse only requires one turn to cast, but the transformation takes three turns to complete. For those three turns, the pain of the change causes the target to take a 3-dice penalty to all actions. Afterward, for the duration of the curse, the victim suffers a 1-die penalty to all actions (cumulative with wound penalties) and has one attribute of the caster’s choice—Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, or Appearance—reduced to 1. The duration depends on the number of successes rolled:

1 success One night

2 successes One week

3 successes One month

4 successes One season

5 successes One year

••••• Acedia

This powerful curse not only lays a shroud of misfortune on the victim, but also instills such a strong sense of self-loathing and defeat that she may withdraw entirely from the world until its effects have passed. Every thought and action becomes a trial, burdened with doubt and the crushing bleakness of the belief that she will fail.

System: The effects of this curse require a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to resist. If the target botches the roll and the caster achieved at least three successes in casting it, the curse is permanent. Otherwise, the duration is the same as Corrupt Body.

While under the influence of Acedia, the victim cannot succeed at any task automatically, and is treated as having rolled one botch in every action. (In other words, negate one success in every roll, with no successes meaning a botched result.) Even if she succeeds, the maximum effective result she can achieve is two successes, including additional success from Willpower or other sources.

Potestas Vitae (The Power of Lifeblood)

Understanding and controlling the mysteries of Vitae was the first task of the Tremere after they joined the ranks of the Damned, and their mastery of this form of thaumaturgy contributes heavily to their current reputation. While not every thaumaturge studies this path, many other Cainites assume that they do and treat them with appropriate caution.

It will only be much later that the Tremere overcome one of the greatest drawbacks of the Potestas Vitae: the fact that some of its techniques cause the thaumaturge to move closer to being bound by the very blood that he consumes. Any Cainite who successfully discovers a way to solve this problem can expect to be richly rewarded.

• A Taste for Blood

By tasting a single drop of blood, the thaumaturge can divine its origin: if it is vitae, then the relative power (generation) of its source, its freshness (how long it has been since the vampire fed), and concentration (how much blood the vampire holds). If the blood is mortal, he can identify whether or not it is mixed with vitae, thereby recognizing ghouls, as well as any blood- or humour-based illnesses affecting the mortal source.

System: The thaumaturge consumes only a single drop of blood, spends a blood point, and rolls as usual. Because of the degree of focus that the power requires, however, even that one drop is enough to move him one step closer to a blood bond with the source, so Tremere are reluctant to use it except on mortals or when absolutely necessary. A single success can determine whether or not vitae comes from a vampire of much higher or lower generation than the thaumaturge, with more successes giving more precise inforrmation. It takes at least three successes to estimate the concentration of the blood (that is, the size of the source’s blood pool), and five successes gives detailed information on all aspects of the vitae. When used on mortal blood, one success is enough to recognize extremely ill sources or the admixture of Cainite vitae. In the latter case, more successes let the thaumaturge know whether or not the vitae is from a source he has tasted before.

•• Blood Awakening

Although intended as a way for Tremere to assist incapacitated brethren in healing their own wounds or summoning the strength of their blood, this power’s side effect—rousing the recipient’s Beast to hunger—has already led to some nicknaming it “Blood Rage.” By touching the intended target, the thaumaturge can control their ability to use vitae for healing or raising their physical attributes, although she cannot trigger the use of Disciplines that require an expenditure of blood points. The control lasts only as long as she maintains physical contact with the target.

System: The thaumaturge spends a blood point and rolls for success as usual after touching the target. Each success forces the target to spend one blood point, either for healing non-aggravated wounds or raising a Physical Attribute, in a manner chosen by the thaumaturge. While under the effect of Blood Awakening, the difficulty for the target to resist frenzy is also increased by the number of successes, possibly triggering a frenzy even in situations that would not otherwise do so.

••• Inner Vessel

Through a form of internal alchemy, a thaumaturge can use this power to temporarily concentrate his vitae to act as that of a vampire of an older generation. Although it is not a total transformation of the blood, it does allow the user to channel some of his gifts more effectively.

System: After expending a blood point and rolling for success, the vampire can divide successes between effectively lowering his generation by one per success or giving the effect a duration of one hour per success. If no successes are put towards duration, the effect only lasts for one turn. The temporary alteration only affects the vampire’s ability to use Dominate, the number of blood points he can spend in one turn, and the number of blood points his body can hold. It affects neither the generation of any childer created while under its effect or the result of any diablerie during the duration; both of those acts take effect as normal.

•••• Theft of Vitae

This power allows the thaumaturge to force blood from a target up to fifty feet away and draw it into herself as if she had consumed it directly. The blood bursts from the target’s mouth and pores, arcs across the intervening space, and is immediately absorbed by the caster. Mortals can be severely injured by the theft; vampires can be deprived of their vitae.

System: After spending a blood point and rolling as usual, the thaumaturge drains one blood point from the target for every success and adds them to her own pool. Blood points in excess of what the caster could usually hold are wasted in a splash of blood around her feet. Mortals who are the targets of the power take one level of lethal damage per success. Cainites take no damage, but still lose the appropriate number of blood points. Consuming the stolen blood causes the thaumaturge to move closer to a blood bond with the target, just as if she drank it directly from the source.

••••• Cauldron of Blood

Lacking the subtlety of the Assamites’ power to poison blood, the Cauldron of Blood is no less effective in its results: with a touch, the thaumaturge causes a target’s blood, whether mortal or vitae, to burn from inside, causing serious injury.

System: The thaumaturge must touch the target in addition to the other usual requirements of the power. In combat, or with an unwilling target, this could require a Dexterity + Brawl roll. A single success is enough to kill a mortal. Against a vampire, each success causes one level of aggravated damage and destroys one blood point.