VtM - WhiteWolf: Genealogy

VtM - Review: Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy
Chapter Three has all the fun system stuff that the power gamer looks forward to. More paths, more
rituals, and rules for creating new ones. The new paths presented are a mixture of new ones and rewrites
of ones which have appeared in various previous supplements. Thankfully, they are not geared towards
the power gamer but often towards simple utility and even research purposes. The Hearth Path, for
example, focuses on control over one's haven and Alchemy is more suited to the laboratory than combat.
Most of the paths are elaborate, with more than sheer numbers and mechanics. They have flavor. Rating:
4
The rituals section also starts with rules for creating new ones, like the previous section, and guidelines
on how long it takes to learn them (anywhere from a week to a year). Then there are rituals. Lots of
rituals. Eleven pages of rituals, up to some wicked level six, seven, and eight ones. All in all, they are
very well done. Also, in a page and a half sidebar, a number of Storyteller options are presented relating
to blood magic, including charging experience for rituals, increasing times to learn, cooperative path
research, and the optional background Occult Library (which I found a touch unbalancing, even if it only
applies to research). Rating: 4
Chapter Four deals with non-Thaumaturgical blood magic and had a lot of potential, though I found
myself more disappointed than I was intrigued. First off, we deal with the other major practitioners of
magic in the vampire world, the Giovanni. Necromancy is given a bit of a new life by this chapter which
was much better than I had expected. First off, there is an intelligent and insightful history of
necromancy, as well as trends and changes in how it is practiced. Here is introduced the 'principles' of
Necromantic magic: Authority and Taboo. This is further extrapolated in the next section, which covers
practical aspects of how necromancy rituals are performed and the reasons behind the ritual elements.
This is nice, it makes the trademark Giovanni perversity utilitarian rather than gratuitous. The rituals that
follow are generally pretty good, with a nice mixture of grotesqueness and power. Rating: 4
Next, we are treated to the Voudoun branch of Necromancy, as practiced by the Samedi, Serpents of
Light, and an odd sect of Lasombra that dwell in Haiti. This is the main reason I bought the book and I
was very disappointed in the treatment. Rather than explore the depth of the faith, it seems to focus
entirely on Baron Samedi. It doesn't reference any of the copious amounts of material published about
the Creole dead, which is a sheer waste. Finally, and inexplicably, it has three pages of material on a
hitherto unmentioned Samedi-worshipping sect of Lasombra, and less than half a page each on the
Samedi and Serpents of Light, the major practitioners of voudou in the World of Darkness, and even
what is there is vague and the space is mostly wasted talking about the relationship of these groups to
Samedi and his pet Lasombra. Further, the voudou ritual items presented are also vague and poorly
researched and none of the hallmark items of voudou rituals (like drums, the asson rattle, or the peristyle)
are mentioned at all. No new paths are presented, just odd tweaks on the existant ones, and the new
rituals are uninspired. All and all, an utter waste of space. Rating: 1
Next, we are treated to Setite Sorcery, which the book tells us is very different from Thaumaturgy as it is
tied up in the spirituality of the Followers. While there is some interesting and bizarre material here
relating to Egyptian beliefs, most of it is half-assed and spends way too much time stressing the 'eeeeevil'
http://vampirerpg.free.fr/Books/2106.php3 (3 of 5) [6/1/2002 12:20:05 AM]