Common Questions

Section 1: What is It?

1.0) What is Blood magic?
1.1) Blood magic consumes blood, right?
1.2) Can mortals learn Blood magic?
1.3) What about Vampires?
1.4) What happens to embraced Magicians?

Section 2: Six of One ...

2.0) Isn't Blood magic just another name for Thaumaturgy?
2.1) Why is Thaumaturgy and Koldunic Sorcery incompatible?
2.2) How old is the practice of Blood Magic?

Section 3: The Middle ground

3.0) Innate, mystical, or magical?
3.1) Why bother with the difference?
3.2) Which Disciplines are mystical?
3.3) What about the Salubri's Valeren?

Section 1: What is it?

1.0) What is Blood Magic?

There appear to be two opinions:

Opinion #1:
It is a Discipline, and nothing more. This so called "Blood magic", simply grants powers built upon ancient principles of cultural mysticism, instead of upon the mystic nature of vampirism. Blood magic represents an alternate way of focusing vampiric powers.
Opinion #2:
Blood magic truly is a form of magic. The rituals and paths are learnable by anyone who practices magic. Calling it a Discipline, was to simplify game mechanics.

(See Blood Magic: Secert of Thaumaturgy, pg.33-34, and pg.35, paragraph 5 & 6)

1.1) Blood magic consumes blood, right?

Not necessarily.

Life-energy is the mystic force behind blood magic. When casting blood magic, the caster either taps the life-energies stored in his own blood, or uses his blood to filter life-energies being drained from another source.

Blood loss depends on the way the caster uses his blood:

1.2) Can mortals learn Blood magic?

Anyone can learn Blood magic, if they can meet the requirements:
  1. The caster has to draw the power from (or through) his own blood. This prevents most mortals from using Blood magic as they have no inborn capability to do so. (This is not the same as using blood as a component in ritual magic.)

  2. The caster also needs a way of quickly replenishing his blood, if spilt or consumed. (Blood loss kills most mortal casters of blood magic.)
So as a rule, morals rarely practice true blood magic. Revenants being the exception. They have an inborn ability whioch allows them to tap the power of blood, and have the power to quickly regenerate their unique blood.

At least two Ghoul families have Thaumaturgy listed as a Family Discipline.

(Blood Magic: Secert of Thaumaturgy pg.139,140).

1.3) What about Vampires?

Blood magic comes natural to Vampires as they can sacrifice large amounts of blood without dying or suffering health damage. More importantly they have the innate ability to manipulate and replenish blood.

Not to say any vampire can learn Blood magic on a whim.

Occult knowledge, practice and skill, are still key components of learning magic.

1.4) What happens to embraced Magicians?

Magicians, Sorcerers and Hedge Wizards are mortals who practice Path & Ritual magic, which is sometimes called hedge magic. These magic users are different from those which practice Sphere Magic (a.k.a. True Magick).

When a Magician is Embraced she loses access to all her hedge magic. This process may take weeks or happen immediately. However, because the Magician did have hedge magic, she has a leg up on other Fledglings. In this rare case, the experience points originally spent acquiring occult knowledge and skills in using Path & ritual magic, can be recycled.

WOD:Sorcerer, (original edition, pg.54), provides a system of converting Dots in Hedge Magic back into experience points. However, this is for the sole purpose of purchasing Thaumaturgy Paths or Disciplines similar to the magician's old powers.

Section 2: Six of One ...

2.0) Isn't Blood magic just another name for Thaumaturgy?

Actually ... No.

Part of the confusion is White-wolf's habit of using the term "thaumaturgy" as a name for all forms of Blood magic. Every vampire who learned some form of blood magic, was listed as having acquired Thaumaturgy.

As the game developed several separate and distinct traditions of blood magic were revealed to exist. However, due to limited game mechanics, their spells were defined using the Tremere's Thaumaturgical paths and rituals.

2.1) Why is Thaumaturgy and Koldunic Sorcery incompatible?

In the WoD, most forms of magic are limited by a tradition; a cultural belief system which defines how magic works, as well as what it can and can't do.

Hermetic-Thaumaturgy works by formulating the relationships between objects and forces, then using the caster's vitae to fuel an exertion of his conscious Will in order to effect the change. Personal Willpower creates the change, with blood empowering Will. This gives the Caster a great level of control, and the ability to design effects, but is limited by the power of the Caster's Will.

Koldunic Sorcery is spirit magic. While the Koldun uses Will, it is not to effect change. The Tzimisce have a Pact with the Spirit of the Land, granting them a form of authority which other spirits accept and follow. However, the Koldun must do more than making his Will known to the spirits. Casting requires a knowledge of the spirits and their ways. Failing to follow the proper forms and practices is a bad thing. The spirits then use their power over the physical and spiritual world to create change. The Caster forfeits a level of control to the spirits, but the effects are only limited by the spirit's power.

The same true for the other traditions of blood magic. Some share the Tremere's Hermetic approach to magic, sharing a level of compatibility. Other traditions remain whole unique and incompatible.

2.2) How old is the practice of Blood Magic?

Tremere often act and speak as if they are the soles creators of Blood magic, having developed their Thaumaturgy as a replacement for their lost mortal powers of magic. However, several Dark Age and Revised books, reveal otherwise.

Section 3: The Middle ground

3.0) Innate, mystical or magical?

Most Disciplines are extensions of the vampire's undead nature. They extend innate abilities, whether they be of the mind, body or soul. They are the traditional powers you would expect a vampire to have.

Blood magic is seen as a learned abliity, instead of an innate power. It has certain identifying characteristics: multiple Paths with only five levels per path, the ability to invoke rituals, the potential for an unlimited number of rituals or paths, and the need for some form of occult knowledge.

Then there is the middle ground, the mystic or mysical Disciplines. Like blood magic, they are closely linked to the mystic or traditional beliefs held by a culture. However, instead of taking the form of blood magic, they follow the traditional 10 levels of innate powers.

3.1) Why bother with the difference?

The division between the innate and mystic Disciplines doesn't truly reveal itself unless you play the game of Mage.

The Mage book called Blood Treachery (pg.76), discusses the affects of mages becoming ghouls. While ghoul-mages can learn innate Disciplines, they can not learn nor practice blood magic nor mystic Disciplines.

One of the trade-offs Mages make for the power of True Magick (Sphere magic), is the forfeiture of all other forms of magic. Any attempts to cast spells using other forms of magic, results in the True Magick asserting itself and empowering the spell.

The nature of mystic Disciplines makes them too close to magic. Any attempts to practice their powers results in the True magick stepping in an empowering the Discipline effect with the possible side effects of paradox.

3.2) Which Disciplines are Mystical?

The exotic Disciplines of Quietus and Chimerstry.

Supposedly, Quietus originated in old Babylo-Sumerian religious rites, and was used by the Assamite "judges" of the Second City to police other vampires (silence crowds, punish rogue vampires, etc.) While the Assamites claim Quietus has changed over millennia, Assamite Sorcery appears to have aided Quietus in retaining its mystic elements.

Chimerstry's origin isn't discussed, but supposedly its a weakened version of a power only referred to as True Chimerstry. After some time studying the Discipline, I treat Chimersty is either the Mystic Art of Conjuring or the Art of Summoning, but developed as a innate Discipline.

I would also add the the Lasombra's Obtenebration but only when combined with Abyss Mysticism.

3.3) What about the Salubri's Valeren?

This Discipline is so close to being Blood magic in design, it raises questions. Not only does it have (at least) two paths, but it also has rituals of awakening new powers. Then there is the opening of the third eye (a symbol of mystical enlightenment) which happens to anyone who learns the third level of Valeren.

The only thing preventing the Discipline from being seen as a full form of Blood magic, is its traditional structure of 10 levels. However, considering the nature of the Lasombra's Abyss Mysticism, its possible we are seeing hints of an unrevealed Salubri Mysticism which being used in combination with Valeren.


End.