Thaumaturgy (VTM)

Thaumaturgy is the closely guarded secret blood magic practiced by the vampiric Clan Tremere. Created by exhaustive research and extensive experimentation, Thaumaturgy utilises the principles of Hermetic magic used by House Tremere when it was still a cabal of mages, adapted to be fuelled by the inherent magical power of Vitae rather than the Quintessence known to mortal mages. While it is certainly powerful and versatile, it is organised very differently to the Spheres; thaumaturgy is largely unknown to mages, and universally distrusted and reviled by those who do know of it.

Thaumaturgy uses a system of paths and rituals to focus the thaumaturge's will. Paths are learned expressions of thaumaturgical principles developed into reliable, repeatable effects. Unlike the "natural" powers of Disciplines, however, thaumaturges must concentrate their will, forcing the power of their blood to unnatural ends. If their concentration is not complete, if they falter, then the magic will fail, and in extreme cases such failure can have a lasting effect on the thaumaturge, draining their mental resources. It was not always so, however; before the Final Nights, paths were less difficult to use and did not carry the possibility of harm to the thaumaturge.

Rituals, by contrast, are elaborate, sophisticated and codified instructions for producing set magical effects. Rituals vary in complexity, and require varying levels of thaumaturgical knowledge to complete successfully. They often require the trappings of Hermetic magic - circles drawn in chalk, locks of the victim's hair, meditation, chanting ancient words of power and the like. Rituals can take hours, days or even months to perform, but if successfully completed will always produce the same result. They can be incredibly powerful, particularly when senior thaumaturges join forces; it was a thaumaturgical ritual which cursed the entire Assamite clan.

Paths
Thaumaturgy has a large number of paths; though it is not the oldest tradition of blood magic, the Tremere were magical scholars long before they were vampires and toil ceaselessly to push their studies ever further. Many paths were once known by names which reflected the Tremere's previous magical heritage. Though not used since the Dark Medieval period, these names are listed in brackets after the modern name where known.

Common Paths
Most Tremere will learn at least one of these paths, as will the rare outsider allowed to learn Thaumaturgy from a clan member.


 * The Path of Blood (Rego Vitae) - the signature path learned first by nearly all Tremere, which deals with the manipulation and understanding of Vitae. (Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, p. 178; Dark Ages: Vampire, p. 213)
 * The Lure of Flames (Creo Ignem) - one of the most feared paths, this conjures unnatural flame. (Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Rulebook, p. 180; Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook, p. 214)
 * Movement of the Mind (Rego Motus) - telekinesis. (Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, p. 181; Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook, p. 215)
 * The Path of Conjuring - this path creates increasingly more complex objects out of thin air. (Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, p. 181)

Uncommon Paths
These paths are well known to the Tremere, but only thaumaturges with special interest in them will take the time to learn them.


 * Path of the Levinbolt - the summoning of electricity, from a spark to a lightning bolt. (Clanbook: Tremere Revised, p. 51)
 * The Path of Shadowcrafting - the manipulation of normal shadows; this is distinct from the supernatural darkness summoned by Lasombra using Obtenebration. (Clanbook: Tremere Revised, p. 53)
 * Elemental Mastery (Rego Elementum) - this path grants power over the spirits of inanimate objects. (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 99; Dark Ages: Vampire, p. 215)
 * The Green Path - the manipulation of plant life. (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 100)
 * Neptune's Might - the manipulation of water. (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 101)
 * The Path of Corruption - a path which slowly corrupts throughs deception and the weakening of the subject's morals; thought by some to originate with the Followers of Set, who know it in their sorcery as "The False Heart". (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 102)
 * The Path of Technomancy - a recently developed and controversial path which manipulates technology. (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 104)
 * Spirit Manipulation - allows the thaumaturge to interact with and command denizens of the spirit world. (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 106)
 * Weather Control (Rego Tempestus) - a path practiced in many forms by most traditions of blood magic. (Guide to the Camarilla, p. 99; Dark Ages: Vampire, p. 215)
 * The Path of Mars - a martial path with improves prowess in battle. (Guide to the Sabbat, p. 116)
 * Alchemy - the transmutation of matter. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 68)
 * Biothaumaturgy - a bizarre experimental path that fuses magic and biology. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 70)
 * The Hearth Path - a collection of powers for protecting and securing a haven. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 72)
 * Mastery of the Mortal Shell - control over the physical bodies of others. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 73)
 * Oneiromancy - divination of the future via dreams. Not the same as the Path of Morpheus once practiced by Sabbat Tremere, and now lost. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 75)
 * Path of Curses - bestows curses on victims; also known as the Evil Eye (among other names). (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 78)

Rare Paths
These paths are known only to a few Tremere or, in some cases, only to thaumaturgists outside the clan (and therefore usually in the Sabbat). Some are proscribed (see Dark Thaumaturgy for some of the things considered blasphemous by vampires) or the secret knowledge of groups within the clan, whereas some, like Transitus Velociter, are simply not very useful in the Modern Nights.


 * Hands of Destruction - practised primarily by thaumaturges of the Sabbat, this path inflicts brutal decay and entropy on its victims. (Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, p. 182)
 * Transitus Velociter - used before modern transport, this path magically assists travel over long distances. (Dark Ages: Vampire, p. 217)
 * The Path of the Father's Vengeance - a Sabbat path which purports to deliver Caine's justice to Kindred. (Guide to the Sabbat, p. 117)
 * The Focused Mind - a path that concentrates on clearing and enhancing the mind. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 71)
 * Path of the Blood's Curse - a path that exacerbates the curses of vampirism, developed by Caitiff and Pander thaumaturges and so very rare. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 76)
 * Path of Transmutation - a "quick and dirty" version of Alchemy with much more specific (and practical) effects, considered inferior by most Tremere. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 80)
 * The Vine of Dionysus - a path that provokes ecstacy and intoxication, practiced only by the few thyrsus who are members of the Cult of Dionysus. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 82)
 * The Faux Path - a complicated path which seeks to intimate and understand thaumaturgical power without actually wielding it. By its nature, it is very difficult to tell when this path has been used. (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p. 84)