Thaumaturgy: The method and discipline
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:45 am
There have been a few references to this section of the Monk/Templar guild pages regarding channeling thaumaturgy:
- An overzealous templar wishing to purge the land of nether-taint, killing people who are innocent other than being only negligibly tainted or are resisting or not significantly effected by the taint, or tenuously connected with those who may be tainted. The templar would still be believe himself righteous and doing the right thing by eliminating the taint from the world and making the world a safer place. Misguided and abominable though his methods may be, in his mind he is doing what is right for the good of mankind and the world at large. Note also that having the wrongness of his actions brought to his attention, particularly be an authority leader, would likely shake his faith and conviction, resulting in diminished thaumaturgic abilities.
- A monk working for and healing members of a faction opposed to the Church, out of compassion for the people. The monk is simply trying to alleviate pain and suffering, even if others view his acts as treasonous due to assisting "the enemy." In the monk's mind, all people are fundamentally the same, and deserve help and aid despite their personal alignment.
"Believing they are doing the right thing" should not be interpreted as simply "They are okay with their own actions" or "They feel things should be this way." If they are not acting out of honor, righteousness, or compassion, then they should reconsider their actions. Examples:
- A templar using his abilities to gain power and dominion over others, because he believes he is entitled to such due to his prowess. This is done out of selfishness and pride. Even if the templar believes it is "right" for him to use his powers for these reasons, he is not channeling honor, righteousness, or compassion. He is likely to suffer penalties to his ability to channel thaumaturgy.
- A monk using his ability to heal in order to make money. The monk begins to charge money for his healings (or to "encourage donations" - essentially the same thing), believing himself entitled to such due to his efforts on behalf of others. The monk is now using thaumaturgy for selfish reasons, rather than out of compassion for others. He will likely suffer a penalty to his ability to channel thaumaturgy.
I thought I would clarify a little, and I'll update the wiki pages to match. The words "believe that they are doing the right thing" may be a bit too vague. The discipline and method through which thaumaturgy is harnessed is based on a person's own sense of honor, righteousness, and compassion. These feelings can exist in a person even if they are doing things that other people might consider bad, but the feelings must still exist in the user. Some examples of where this would be the case:Their ability to harness and channel their inner light for use in magic-like abilities draws solely on their own power - not that of any patron deity. Because of this, a Templar may retain their abilities even if they are perceived to be "wrong" or "evil" by others, so long as they themselves believe that they are doing the right thing.
- An overzealous templar wishing to purge the land of nether-taint, killing people who are innocent other than being only negligibly tainted or are resisting or not significantly effected by the taint, or tenuously connected with those who may be tainted. The templar would still be believe himself righteous and doing the right thing by eliminating the taint from the world and making the world a safer place. Misguided and abominable though his methods may be, in his mind he is doing what is right for the good of mankind and the world at large. Note also that having the wrongness of his actions brought to his attention, particularly be an authority leader, would likely shake his faith and conviction, resulting in diminished thaumaturgic abilities.
- A monk working for and healing members of a faction opposed to the Church, out of compassion for the people. The monk is simply trying to alleviate pain and suffering, even if others view his acts as treasonous due to assisting "the enemy." In the monk's mind, all people are fundamentally the same, and deserve help and aid despite their personal alignment.
"Believing they are doing the right thing" should not be interpreted as simply "They are okay with their own actions" or "They feel things should be this way." If they are not acting out of honor, righteousness, or compassion, then they should reconsider their actions. Examples:
- A templar using his abilities to gain power and dominion over others, because he believes he is entitled to such due to his prowess. This is done out of selfishness and pride. Even if the templar believes it is "right" for him to use his powers for these reasons, he is not channeling honor, righteousness, or compassion. He is likely to suffer penalties to his ability to channel thaumaturgy.
- A monk using his ability to heal in order to make money. The monk begins to charge money for his healings (or to "encourage donations" - essentially the same thing), believing himself entitled to such due to his efforts on behalf of others. The monk is now using thaumaturgy for selfish reasons, rather than out of compassion for others. He will likely suffer a penalty to his ability to channel thaumaturgy.