Blood is a potent and often controversial component in the realm of magical practices in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). This vital fluid is believed to hold immense power and is utilized by certain spellcasters and creatures to enhance their magical abilities or create powerful enchantments. In D&D, blood magic is not limited to any particular class or race, as both arcane and divine spellcasters may harness its potential. Such practices can involve various rituals and spells that require the use of blood as a key ingredient. **One of the primary uses of blood in magical practices in D&D is as a focus or catalyst for spellcasting.** Blood acts as a symbolic representation of life force and serves to enhance the potency of a spell or ritual.
For the blood magician who is either very strong-willed and capable of resisting the more dangerous temptations of that path, or who is prepared to simply launch himself headlong into the most unpleasant aspects of blood magic, this can be a worthy addition to his arsenal of magical powers, allowing him to be a great deal more versatile than the more formulaic wizard or sorcerer. On the other hand, those who simply dabble with blood magic, learning a little here and a little there, believing they can control their habit, are often those most at risk of being either totally corrupted by it, or destroyed by one of the primal forces that seem attracted to it. . .
A few warriors of the old school will swear blood brotherhood or other blood oaths but learning much more than that is generally the province only of primitive sorcerers or the most vile and despicable wizards. Again, it works well as a creature perhaps, looking back on it, even better than as a template, since you have to keep track of how many HD of bloodless you can control , but I would have been interested in seeing a bloodless template.
** Blood acts as a symbolic representation of life force and serves to enhance the potency of a spell or ritual. The casting of spells that require blood from the caster or a sacrificed being is often viewed as a significant sacrifice, amplifying the spell's magical effect. **Additionally, blood can be employed in divination and scrying, offering a connection to an individual or creature.
Blood Magic - Oaths and Sacrifice
The ancient practice of blood magic has been outlawed in many civilised societies, for though it allows access to staggering levels of magical power the price can be very high. Savage tribes often respect blood magic, though even they tend to fear and avoid it where possible – its power is the stuff of legend, to be invoked only by those who expect to achieve great things or die in the attempt. A few warriors of the old school will swear blood brotherhood or other blood oaths but learning much more than that is generally the province only of primitive sorcerers or the most vile and despicable wizards. Those who go into blood magic with good intentions often find themselves seduced by its savage power, and soon want more – at whatever cost, up to and including dozens or hundreds of innocent lives.
The power inherent in sentient blood has been recognised by many of the great philosophers and sages throughout history, both religious and secular. Whether spilling his own blood to fuel his spells, creating a ritual to bond two comrades in blood brotherhood, or sacrificing enemies for magical power, the practitioner of blood magic is drawing upon that ancient, primal force, and must take great care that he can control it, and not vice versa.
Both sorcerers and wizards can attempt to learn blood magic. Finding a teacher in civilised lands can be tricky, though it is also possible to teach oneself through trial and error. Many teachers of blood magic demand a far higher price than the student’s diligence and gold, though, and the would-be student must approach the matter with great caution.
For the blood magician who is either very strong-willed and capable of resisting the more dangerous temptations of that path, or who is prepared to simply launch himself headlong into the most unpleasant aspects of blood magic, this can be a worthy addition to his arsenal of magical powers, allowing him to be a great deal more versatile than the more formulaic wizard or sorcerer. On the other hand, those who simply dabble with blood magic, learning a little here and a little there, believing they can control their habit, are often those most at risk of being either totally corrupted by it, or destroyed by one of the primal forces that seem attracted to it. . .
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Explorer
Encyclopaedia Arcane: Blood Magic - Oaths and Sacrifice
Mongoose Publishing prduct number MGP 1018
By Ian Sturrock
64 pages, $14.95
The 18th in the Encyclopaedia Arcane/Divine line, Blood Magic is a good example of what the series can offer. It provides all different types of blood-based magic rituals, spells, feats, creatures, monsters, and magic items, each capable of being dropped into a campaign without difficulty. Best of all, each is pretty much standalone, so you can pick and choose which new items you want to add without having to drag along a whole lot of other things you may not wish to deal with.
The cover is by Anne Stokes, who I notice has been doing a great deal of cover-work for Mongoose of late. She certainly deserves the work: this is another in a long string of excellent covers from her. The cover manages to cover the topic of "blood-based magic" without dipping too heavily into goriness. You would expect the cover of a book called Blood Magic to use a lot of red and Anne does so, but uses different red hues in the color of the floor and the smoke rising up from the the braziers at the points of the pentagram the wizard has carved in the floor. The only blood present on the cover is that the wizard is spilling from his forearm and collecting in a bowl (which also holds a skull) as part of the ritual he's performing. Given the subject matter, this is tastefully done; under another's care, this could easily have been a blood-spattered gore-fest book cover. Here, the wizard's posture and expression is that of a competent surgeon rather than a crazed serial killer.
The interior artwork is somewhat sparse for a book of this size: only 13 black and white pictures, by Danilo Moretti, Sarwat Chadda, and Eric Bergeron. Some of these lean more heavily toward the "dripping gore" end of things: on page 6, we have an old-style (hairy-footed, hobbitesque) halfling gleefully cutting the tongue out of a decapitated goblin head, and on page 29 we have a female drow straddling a prone human male as she cuts the living heart out of him. (Apparently he's had his revenge, though, by casting some spell that removed the bones out of her left forearm, which is now bent at a rubbery angle and really looks rather ridiculous.) The blood-dripping figure on page 46 wins the "gore prize," though - this is either a naked human female blood mage, or possibly Marilyn Manson, take your pick. (Unfortunately, the bare nipple poking up out of the blood doesn't necessarily prove either possibility.) One final art note: I'd swear the elves on page 33 are Romulans!
Oddly enough, there is no "art" as such on the inside front cover this time around. Instead, there is an example of a "sell your soul to the devil" contract (written in blood, naturally). I was initially displeased, as the inside front cover has in the past been the location of some truly outstanding full-color art. Then I read through the contract and was amused by its overly-legalized, "loophole-avoidance" phraseology. Then, as I read through the book's text, I was back to being displeased, as the exact same contract shows up, in typeface, on pages 19-20. There's no real reason for the repetition, as the hand-written sample on the inside front cover is perfectly legible. Either the inside front cover or the sample contract pages could have been put to much better use.
That, however, is the full extent of my main problems with this book, besides the obligatory minor spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors that seem to so often show up in these Mongoose books. (To the credit of listed proofreader Andrew Wilson and editor Matthew Sprange, the typo-type error quotient is much lower in Blood Magic than I've seen in awhile.)
- Introduction: explaining the concept behind the Encyclopaedia Arcane line
- Blood Magic - An Overview: types and pitfalls of blood magic
- The Basics of Blood Magic: how one learns about blood magic and finds a teacher
- Bonds of Blood: bloodrites (including the blood contract) and potential abuses
- Blood Sacrifice: more bloodrites (those involving sacrifice or self-sacrifice), plus 5 feats, festivals of sacrifice, and the dangers of sacrifice addiction
- Creatures of Blood: more bloodrites (those involving the summoning or creation of blood-related creatures), plus 4 creatures and the Blood Animal template
- Blood Transfusions: gaining temporary powers through transfusing the blood of outsiders, fey, or dragons into your veins, plus a prestige class for vampire arcane spellcasters
- 6 new Blood Magic Items, plus two new artifacts
- Help For Games Masters: integrating blood magic into your campaign as seamlessly as possible
- Designer's Notes: Ian's inspirations while writing this book
- Rules Summary: useful charts from previous chapters
I was glad to see the mechanics of sacrificing the lives of others taken to both extremes: not only do we see how much (and what types of) power can be derived by ritually slaying others (or sacrificing our own blood), but we also see just how far the process can be taken (in the often days-long festivals of sacrifice, where literally hundreds of victims can be sacrificed in a somewhat Aztec fashion) and - perhaps more importantly - just how dangerous the act of sacrificing others can be, in the form of the sacrifice addiction check. I was glad to see a balancing mechanism in place to ensure that sacrificing others is not solely a postive act (in that the sacrificer gains power), but that it also has negative consequences. In that respect, it's rather like the Ravenloft "Dark Gifts" check (or whatever it's called - my Ravenloft knowledge is getting kind of rusty).
The blood-related animals are well done (although it might be worth pointing out that this is a 3.0 book rather than a 3.5 one, not that converting to 3.5 rules would be difficult by any means). My only question was why Ian chose to make the "bloodless" a creature as opposed to a template. Again, it works well as a creature (perhaps, looking back on it, even better than as a template, since you have to keep track of how many HD of bloodless you can control), but I would have been interested in seeing a "bloodless" template. Perhaps we could see it as a free download some day on the Mongoose website, or possibly in a Signs & Portents article? One final quibble: as an undead creature, the bloodless should not have a Constitution score. Fortunately, it's been given a Constitution of 10, so it's incredibly easy to ignore as it should have no influence of any of the creature's derived statistics.
The blood transfusion rules (Ian admits these were based on a story line from Vertigo's Hellblazer comic book, which I fondly recall as well) add a unique new twist on gaining new powers from a different source. Best of all, it also comes with a new spell that perfectly counters all of these new abilities, so the PCs have a weapon if they need to take down a transfusion-powered baddie, or the DM has a way to strip the PCs of their transfusion-based power if they get too reckless with it. The powers themselves are not too outlandish or unbalanced, and the transfusions are only temporary anyway (although they can last for months), so it's a nice way to try something new without having long-lasting consequences in the game world if you don't like how it turns out.
All in all, Blood Magic is a very welcome addition to my D&D library. I'll be using several of the concepts in this book in my own campaign very soon.
** By using the blood of a specific target, spellcasters gain insights, visions, or the ability to track the individual. This form of blood magic allows adventurers to gather information or locate elusive entities, providing a unique advantage in their quests. Another aspect of blood magic in D&D is the creation of magical items or enchantments through blood ritual. **Crafting powerful artifacts often demands a combination of intricate spells and blood, imbuing the object with extraordinary abilities.** This practice may require specific types of blood, such as that from a rare or mythical creature, to harness their characteristics or properties. However, the use of blood in magical practices is not without its ethical and moral concerns. **Many individuals within the D&D universe view blood magic as taboo, associated with dark arts and evil intent.** The act of sacrificing one's own blood or spilling the blood of others can have dire consequences and may be seen as unholy or unethical by certain characters and societies. Moreover, the use of blood in magical practices can attract unwanted attention from malevolent beings or entities that covet the power derived from blood magic. **These creatures may be drawn to the scent of blood or be enticed by the primal energies it carries, seeking to manipulate or control those who utilize blood magic.** This poses a significant risk to spellcasters who delve into these practices without caution. In conclusion, blood holds a crucial role in magical practices within the world of D&D. It is utilized as a catalyst for spellcasting, a means of divination and enchantment, and a symbol of sacrifice. Yet, its use is not without consequences, as it can lead to societal rejection, moral dilemmas, and the attraction of malevolent forces..
Reviews for "Bleeding for Power: The Price of Blood Magic in D&D's Magical Practices"
1. Sarah - 2 stars
I found "The use of blood in magical practices in Dungeons and Dragons" to be quite disturbing and unsettling. While the topic itself may be interesting to some, I personally didn't enjoy it. The book seemed to focus too much on the darker aspects of magic and blood rituals, which made me uncomfortable. I was hoping for a more balanced approach that explored different aspects of magic rather than this intense focus on blood. Overall, I would not recommend this book to those who prefer lighter and more wholesome readings on the subject.
2. Mark - 1 star
As an avid Dungeons and Dragons player, I was excited to read "The use of blood in magical practices in Dungeons and Dragons." However, I was highly disappointed. The book went into excessive detail about blood rituals and dark magic, which doesn't align with my preferred style of gameplay. I was looking for more practical information on how to incorporate blood magic into my campaigns, but this book seemed more focused on glorifying gruesome and horrific practices. The excessive use of blood also made me uncomfortable, and I believe there are other ways to explore magic in the game without resorting to such extreme elements.
3. Emily - 3 stars
"The use of blood in magical practices in Dungeons and Dragons" didn't meet my expectations. The book delves too deeply into the subject of blood magic and the darker aspects of D&D, leaving little room for a broader exploration of magic in the game. While some players may find this aspect intriguing, it felt overly focused and limited in its scope. I was hoping for a more comprehensive guide that covered various aspects of magic rather than an in-depth study of a specific element. However, if you're specifically interested in blood magic, this book could be worth a read.
4. Alex - 2 stars
I was disappointed with "The use of blood in magical practices in Dungeons and Dragons." The book tends to sensationalize blood magic and promote a darker and more sinister element of the game. While I understand that some players may enjoy this aspect, it didn't align with my personal preference for a more lighthearted gameplay experience. I was hoping for a more balanced view of magic and how it can be incorporated into different types of campaigns, but this book lacked that diversity. It's not a book I would recommend if you're looking for a more well-rounded understanding of magic in D&D.