Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy encompasses blood magic and other sorcerous arts available to Kindred. The Tremere Clan is best known for their possession (and jealous hoarding) of this Discipline.

The practice of Thaumaturgy is divided into paths and rituals. Thaumaturgical paths are applications of the vampire's knowledge of blood magic, allowing her to create effects on a whim. Rituals are more formulaic in nature, most akin to ancient magical "spells." Due to the complex structure of Thaumaturgy & inter-clan politics, Tremere are considered an advanced clan and are not recommended for first timers to Vampire: The Masquerade. When a character first learns Thaumaturgy, the player selects a path for the character. That path is considered the character's primary path, and she automatically receives one dot in it, as well as one Level One ritual. Thereafter, whenever the character increases her level in Thaumaturgy, her rating in the primary path increases by one as well. Additional rituals are learned separately, as part of a story; players need not pay experience points for their characters to learn rituals up to the level equal to their overall rating in Thaumaturgy, though they must find someone to teach the rituals in question. As mentioned before, the first path a character learns is considered her primary path and increases automatically as the character advances in the Discipline itself. Secondary paths may be learned once the character has acquired two or more dots in her primary path, and they must be raised separately with experience points. Furthermore, a character's rating in her primary path must always be at least one dot higher than any of her secondary paths until she has mastered her primary path. Once the character has achieved the fifth level of her primary path, secondary paths may be increased to that level. Each time the character invokes one of the powers of a Thaumaturgical path, the thaumaturge's player must spend a blood point and make a Willpower roll against a difficulty equal to the power's level +3. Only one success is required to invoke a path's effect -- path levels, not successes, govern the power of blood magic. Failure on this roll indicates that the magic fails. A botch causes some kind of loss or catastrophic backfire, such as losing a Willpower point (or dot!), spontaneous combustion, or accidentally letting a living statue run rampant.

Available Paths
Below is a listing of playable paths for those choosing to play a Tremere. Some paths have been banned and are listed on the Bans page. The links provided below go to the V2O subnet page for that path. Please keep in mind that nearly every Tremere starts with Path of Blood, and you will need a substantial reason to not have it as your primary path.

Green Path
The Green Path deals with the manipulation of plant matter of all sorts. Anything more complex than an algae bloom can theoretically be controlled through the appropriate application of this path. Ferns, roses, dandelions, and even ancient redwoods are all valid targets for this path's powers, and living and dead plant matter are equally affected. While not as immediately impressive as some other more widely practiced paths, the Green Path (sometimes disparagingly referred to as "Botanical Mastery") is as subtle and powerful as the natural world which it affects.

Hands of Destruction
A few Camarilla Tremere have managed to learn the secrets of this path over the centuries, despite it being practiced mostly by the late Sabbat antitribu. The Hands of Destruction has an infamous history, and some Tremere refuse to practice it due to rumors that it is demonic in origin. This path cannot be taken as a starting path, and any who indulge in it will likely not be trusted.

Lure of Flames
This path grants the thaumaturge the ability to conjure forth mystical flames -- small fires at first, but skilled magicians may create great conflagrations. Fire created by this path is not "natural." In fact, many vampires believe the flames to be conjured from Hell itself. The Lure of Flames is greatly feared, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death upon a vampire. This path cannot be taken as a starting path no matter what, and any Tremere using Lure of Flames subjects themselves to scrutiny and suspicion inside and outside the clan.

Movement of the Mind
This path gives the thaumaturge the ability to move objects telekinetically through the mystic power of blood. At higher levels, even flight is possible (but be careful who sees you). Objects under the character's control may be manipulated as if she held them -- they may be lifted, spun, juggled, or even "thrown," though creating enough force to inflict actual damage requires mastery of at least the fourth level of this path.

Neptune's Might
Vampires are rarely associated with the ocean in most mythologies, and most Kindred have nothing to do with water in large quantities simply because they have no reason to do so. Nevertheless, Neptune's Might has enjoyed a small, but devoted, following for centuries among Camarilla thaumaturges. This path is based primarily around the manipulation of standing water, although some of its more disturbing effects depart from this principle.

Path of Blood
Almost every Tremere studies the Path of Blood as her primary path. It encompasses some of the most fundamental principles of Thaumaturgy, based as it is on the manipulation of Kindred vitae. If a player wishes to select another path as her character's primary path, you will need to provide an adequate reason that fits lore.

Path of Conjuring
Invoking objects "out of thin air" has been a staple of occult and supernatural legend since long before the rise of the Tremere. This Thaumaturgical path enables powerful conjurations limited only by the mind of the practitioner.

Path of Corruption
The Path of Corruption is primarily a mentally and spiritually oriented path centered on influencing the psyches of other individuals. It produces a gradual and subtle twisting of the subject's actions, morals, and thought processes. This path deals intimately with deception and dark desires, and those who work through it must understand the hidden places of the heart. Accordingly, no character may have a higher rating in the Path of Corruption than he has in Subterfuge.

Path of Mars
This path has proven useful, turning the tides of several confrontations with other vampires. The path adopts a very martial stance, whereas other blood magics tend to have subtler, less violent effects. It is rumored that some Camarilla Tremere have learned this path, but very few of them have the right temperament to wield this path effectively since it was developed by the late Sabbat antitribu. You cannot start with this path as your primary, and any who use it will under suspicion.

Path of Technomancy
The newest path to be accepted by the Tremere hierarchy as part of the Clan's official body of knowledge, the Path of Technomancy is a relatively recent innovation, developed in the latter half of the 20th century. The path focuses on the control of electronic devices, from cellphones to laptops, and its proponents maintain that it is a prime example of the versatility of Thaumaturgy with regards to a changing world.

Path of the Father's Vengeance
This path, based loosely on a powerful thaumaturge's interpretations of the Book of Nod, devotes itself to delivering justice to the race of Cainites. Each power supposedly has some precedent in the parables of the ancient book, and focuses on teaching the lessons of Caine via the power of blood magic. Camarilla vampires don't have the same knowledge of the Book of Nod that the Sabbat do, but the path is not entirely unheard of in Tremere chantries.

Weather Control
Command over the weather has long been a staple power of wizards both mortal and immortal, and this path is said to predate the Tremere by millennia. The proliferation of usage of this path outside the Clan tends to confirm this theory; Weather Control is quite common outside the Tremere, and even outside the Camarilla. Lower levels of this path allow subtle manipulations, while higher stages of mastery allow a vampire to call up raging storms.

Rituals
Rituals are Thaumaturgical formulas, meticulously researched and prepared, that create powerful magical effects. Rituals are less versatile than paths, as their effects are singular and straightforward, but they are better suited to specific ends.

Thaumaturgical rituals are rated from 1 to 5, each level corresponding to both the level of mastery of Thaumaturgy the would-be caster must possess and the relative power of the ritual itself. Unless stated otherwise, a ritual requires five minutes per level to cast. Casting rituals requires a successful Intelligence + Occult roll, for which the difficulty equals 3 + the level of the ritual (maximum 9). Only one success is required for a ritual to work, though certain spells may require more successes or have variable effects based on how well the caster's roll goes. Should a roll to activate a ritual fail, most of the time it just ends up doing nothing. A botched ritual roll may indicate a catastrophic failure or summon an ill-tempered demon. Rituals sometimes require special ingredients or reagents to work -- these are noted in each ritual's description. Common components include herbs, animal bones, ceremonial items, feathers, eye of newt, tongue of toad, etc. Acquiring magical components for a powerful ritual may form the basis for an entire story.

Lvl 1 Rituals - Lvl 2 Rituals - Lvl 3 Rituals - Lvl 4 Rituals - Lvl 5 Rituals