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Sorcery (WOD)

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Sorcery, known to mages as linear magic or more dismissively as hedge magic or hedge wizardry, also called Shadow Craft[1] or Yojutsu[2] by the Fera is the form of magic used by mortal non-mages in the World of Darkness. The Technocratic Union refers to it as "hedge science."[3]

Overview[]

Unlike true magic, one does not need to be Awakened (or Enlightened) to use sorcery. Thus, any mortal with sufficient traits can become a sorcerer and use the linear paths of hedge magic. As a result, sorcery is the most common form of magic among humans in the World of Darkness. During the Dark Medieval, a similar linear technique separate from the Pillars of High Magic known as Incantations existed.

In contrast to psychic abilities, sorcery is not an innate ability and has to be learned. As such, it is always a deliberate choice, instead of an accident. Individuals that have taken up the study of sorcery describe themselves driven by something they refer to as the Yearning. This yearning manifests as a hunger for occult secrets and hidden knowledge that every sorcerer shares.

The following types of individuals can be Hedge Magicians: Mortals/Sleepers, Ghouls, Revenants, Dhampirs, Kinfolk, Mages, Caitiff, Vampires and Kinain (probably).

Among Supernaturals[]

Vampire: The Masquerade[]

Path-based linear magic has much in common with blood magic. As such, Clans that have traditions of blood magic often search among sorcerers for possible recruits for the Embrace or as servants. This is one of the reasons sorcerers have learned to keep their cover.

It is also said that the Thin-Blooded vampires can read grimoires and practice occult rituals, just as a mortal can. The innate magic of the Blood makes hedge magic even easier for vampires than it is for mortals. An occult-minded Caitiff or dhampir might learn hedge magic Paths or invent their own quirky Disciplines of magic. Learning such magic, however, follows the rules for creating "personal" Disciplines.[4]

In recent nights, redworking has become more and more saturated by mortal practitioners who use the more business-oriented side of the scene to provide materials that they do not naturally possess. [5]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse[]

While the Garou themselves rarely concern themselves with sorcery, many of their Kinfolk do in order to support their relatives in their protection of Gaia. Some Garou think that this gives them an unnecessary degree of power and endangers them, others encourage it, seeing that everyone who knows of the Wyrm should have the tools to fight it. The Bastet tribes of the Qualmi, Bubasti, and Ceilican also study their own versions sorcery and often practice it themselves. Some Kitsune are also able to learn their own versions of Paths of Sorcery and certain camps of Uktena do the same.

The Wyrm and its banes teach the willing their own sorcerous arts. The Enlightened Society of the Weeping Moon was a well-known group of wyrmish sorcerers during the Victorian Age. In general, most Garou tend to view sorcerers as being no different than Awakened.

Mage: The Ascension[]

As mages understand it, linear magic resides within the bounds of the Consensus (barely), and as such, it does not cause Paradox, unlike the dynamic magic of mages. Despite their magical talents, sorcerers are still sleepers, but their connection with the magical world makes them ideal consors and acolytes to Awakened mages.

Within the various Crafts and Traditions, the separation between a sorcerer and a mage is not always clear. Some crafts, like the Bata'a, have no separation whatsoever. Others, like the Order of Hermes, incorporate them into their structure at the lower rungs, hoping to train them to eventually awaken.

Since the Reckoning, Sorcerers have become much more prominent among the Traditions, since several Masters and other high-ranking mages were lost on the other side of the Gauntlet. The same can be seen within the rise of the Extraordinary Citizen among the Technocratic Union.

Wraith: The Oblivion[]

Wraiths are often the target of sorcerers that try to force or coerce them to serve their interests. Several of these also qualify as mediums.

Hunter: The Reckoning[]

Classic[]

By and large, Imbued are not capable of using Hedge Magic and largely can't tell the difference between them and Awakened Mages. They may be able to aid a mage in mundane tasks, but they don't gain any powers from it.

5th Edition[]

It is quite rare, but not unheard of, for Hunters to turn to the arcane arts in search of tools with which to level the playing field against their quarry. The Endowments offered by sorcery have more than once been the separation between a successful Hunter and a dead one. Sorcery is also exploited by orgs, most notably the Coalition's Newburgh Group and G-Kontoret, both of which were founded with aid from the even more sorcerously-inclined Arcanum.

Mummy: The Resurrection[]

The Cult of Isis is a sorcerous organization that is primary aligned with Osiris and the Reborn. They are the only ones with knowledge of the Spell of Life used to create new immortals.

Demon: The Fallen[]

Many Earthbound owe their existence on earth to ancient mages and sorcerers that summoned them in rituals thousands of years ago. While sorcerers who summon forth and coerce demons into serving them are not necessarily deemed evil, they do walk a fine line. Some sorcerers end up giving into the temptation of power and seek a shortcut to glory and will often form pacts with demons for supernatural powers and become their Thrall. Sorcerers who do are branded Infernalist and are at best shunned by the sorcerer community or at worst hunted down, tried, and executed.

Sorcerous Affiliations[]

Most sorcerers are independent or members of the various traditions or the technocracy, but there are groups called Affiliations dedicated solely to the study of sorcery outside of these that care not for the ascension war. Some of these groups still remain and are active in the modern nights, but most have either gone extinct, joined with one of the traditions, or are too small to be relevant.

The Many Paths[]

The diverse forms of sorcery can include Roma curses, high school Wiccans' spells, voodoo and folk magic. However, specific effects can be codified into various Paths (sometimes called "Ways"), each representing a fairly narrow category of magical effect. Two sorcerers may achieve the same effect with very different methods and use very different terminology, but they are still on the same Path.

For more information, see Path (MTAs).

There is also a version of these powers used mainly by the Society of Leopold, this kind of power is called "Theurgy".

Known Sorcery users[]

Version Differences[]

In the first times this kind of power was mentioned, it was also called "Thaumaturgy", these were said to be magical spells specially designed to use against Vampires. The user (usually a Hunter) needed to have 3 distinct Abilities, they were Casting, Duration, Extend, and Ritual and could only be bought with Freebie Points. These said spells were 5 for each Mental Attribute (Perception, Intelligence and Wits).

From Ascension's Right Hand to other books until the 20th Anniversary Edition, Hedge Magic started to use a standard Attribute + Ability dice pool, have Difficulty modifiers depending on the situation and mays need the cost of Willpower points.

Sorcerer Revised Edition introduced several changes to the system of linear magic. Among them was a new system based on aspects, which were designed to give the spell system of sorcerers more flexibility. Each aspect had to be specified before the casting, therefor dividing up successes for a greater range of effects.

In the 20th Anniversary Editions, this complex system has been abandoned for the previous, much simpler system, in which aspects are not separate from the overall number of dots in a Path.

Gallery[]

References[]

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