FrivYeti/EnliThaum
Contents
THAUMATURGY: SECRETS OF THE MYSTICS
A powerful force, thaumaturgy is the science of Creation; by understanding the mystical underpinnings of the world, the people of Creation can alter the fabric of reality in small ways, exploiting its interactions to gain insight or power over their fellows.
Thaumaturgy owes its origins to the understanding of the powers that the Primordials used to shape the world. While their great workings were as far above thaumaturgy as the sun is above a campfire, they shaped the principles of Creation together, and it is through these principles that thaumaturgy functions. The gods learned the principles from the Primordials, and in turn taught the magics in a further-distilled form that could be understood by humanity.
Note: Thaumaturgy uses the eleven Arts listed in Oedanol's Codex, with one exception: the Art of Elemental Summoning is replaced by the Art of Elementalism, as there are no 'elementals' per se.
Procedures
The basic unit of thaumaturgy are the Procedures, the individual rituals that define the ways in which thaumaturgy can be used. A character must generally learn each Procedure seperately, although learning advanced degrees can allow them to improvise (see below for details). Procedures are extremely easy to learn, by most standards, especially when compared to the significantly more difficult Techniques and Charms of the other Enlightened. Characters may not learn Specialties for their Procedures.
The Five Divine Degrees
Scholars recognize five degrees of thaumaturgy. These five degrees work as the dividing line for all types of thaumaturgy, and advancement along each degree helps a character understand further the ways in which Essence and matter interact within Creation.
The first Degree is the Common Degree. This is the only degree of thaumaturgy that does not have to be learned; anyone can learn Common Procedures, although they may not be able to cast them effectively. Common Procedures are rated 0 in the Exalted Core book and Oedonal's Codex. Any character may learn Common Procedures; however, she may not apply more than three dice of Attribute and three dice of Ability to a Procedure.
The next Degree is the Apprentice Degree, which requires a character to sit down and study the ways in which Procedures of a given Art interact with one another. With this knowledge, they can begin down the path of increasing power. Apprentice Procedures are rated 1 A character must have Essence 1 and Occult 2 to learn the Adept Degree, and must have that Degree to learn Apprentice Procedures; in addition, she may not apply more than four dice of Attribute and four dice of Ability to any Procedure she casts. However, the Adept Degree adds +1 die to all Procedures in that Art.
The third Degree, the Journeyman Degree, demonstrates significant improvement in the casting and skill of the Art. Characters who have mastered this Degree may learn Journeyman Procedures; these procedures are rated 2 in the Exalted Core book and Oedonal's Codex. A character must have Essence 2 and Occult 4 to learn the Journeyman Degree, and must have that Degree to learn Journeyman Procedures; in addition, she may not apply more than five dice of Attribute or five dice of Ability to any Procedure she casts. However, the Master Degree adds +2 dice to all Procedures in that Art.
The fourth Degree, frequently considered the pinnacle by many thaumaturges, is the Master Degree. Those who have it may learn the greatest thaumaturgical Procedures, those of the Master; these procedures are rated 3 in the Exalted Core book and Oedonal's Codex. A character must have Essence 4 and Occult 5 to learn the Master Degree, and must have that Degree to learn Master Procedures; she suffers no restrictions to Attribute or Ability pools, and adds +3 dice to all Procedures in the Art.
The fifth and final Degree is known as the Archmaster degree, and many do not believe that it exists, but its power is undeniable. Archmasters may cast their Procedures with full understanding of how Creation functions. They do not pay Willpower to activate their Procedures. In addition, they may pay 1 Willpower and increase a Procedure's difficulty by 1 to reduce the casting time on any Procedure from minutes to a number of Speed 5 actions, from hours to minutes, or from days to hours. Finally, Archmasters add +4 dice to all Procedures in their art.
Casting Thaumaturgy
Casting thaumaturgy works identically to its process in Exalted Second Edition, with two alterations. First, there is a base Essence cost to cast any spell. For common spells, this cost is 3 motes. Apprentice spells have a cost of 5 motes. Journeyman spells cost 10 motes. Finally, Master spells cost 15 motes. This cost can keep thaumaturges from overcasting their spells.
In addition, the cost to go without Resources is increased to 5 motes per Resources dot, rather than 2 motes. Reducing the cost down from 0 removes the need for any materials. Unless otherwise noted in their descriptions, Common rituals require Resources 0 materials, Apprentice procedures require Resources 1, Adept rituals cost Resources 2, and Master rituals cost Resources 3 each. Do not generally reduce or increase these costs.
