So I'm rereading the Threat section of Magic in the Shadows and I cant find a quote that explicitly forbids a PCs from learning Sacrificing via an initiatory group that knows the metamagic. The only text on the subject in the blood magic says:

Barring further text, I would conclude that PCs can learn Sacrificing.

~J

This is just another example of how the game designers apparently don't go over their text with as fine a tooth comb as the average player does.


Since I'm incapable of wit, subtlety, or good sense, I'd probably just end up running some kind of "evil magician" campaign where all the PCs are bad guys and they're competing with each other to pull off the worst atrocities so as to end the game with the highest number of potency points.

I believe this change was made partway through the line, due to the argument that many religious and magical traditions sacrifice animals or inflict self-harm. Witness Catholic self-flagellants or vodoun rituals.

So what if it says the PCs are incapable of learning sacrificing?
When was the last time you had a really good idea and you let a rule designed to keep you from exploring it stand in your way?

It's your game.

Go ahead, let your PC learn it. So his team mate can turn him in for the blood mage bounty. Good money right there.

And he'll go insane doing it too. Make him roleplay that.

After all, he'll lose his sanity, says right there in the book

And a total fucking badass to boot.

And even then, only those that appear on the DF's little list are eligible for the bounty.

Quebec will still pay you, though.

~J

Yeah, but not as much.

IMO, sacrificing gets a bad rap. It's not inherently evil. The Great Ghost Dance was essentially sacrificial magic, right?

It's only when you sacrifice unwilling sentient victims that that it really crosses the line.

Although, for game balance reasons, I wouldn't ever let a shapeshifter learn it

Dammit, Kage. I nearly spit up on my keyboard from laughing so hard.

mfb was being sarcastic. The half-horror immortal elf son of Ysrthgrathe and Aina named Thais taught the Great Ghost Dance, which is funny, since I didn't think of it as the kind of thing you could just learn, but oh well.

What if you sacrifice somebody who was going to be executed for good reasons, like a murderer, or SL James? Would that be evil?

But do the dancers know it's a sacrifice, maybe they thought they were just giving themselves into the 'dance' to give it power. Not a sacrifice... until their life force got ripped from their bodies and they toppled over dead. Maybe they thought their buddies were just falling over unconscious from the exertion of the dance and not death. Ooops.

Well if I agreed that Blood Magic was inherently evil then I might say that there is a difference between mundanely sacrificing yourself and Sacrificing yourself via having your lifeforce/soul ripped out in order to power a magical spell.

Of course, personally I believe that Blood Magic like anything else is a tool, but that it is a very dangerous one because of the temptation of looking at your fellow meta-humans as Mana-batteries. In my opinion there should be very, very little if anything in a Cyberpunk game that is truely Evil and even *LESS* that is truely Good.

Dont forget boys and girls that Blood Magic actually IS inherantly evil. If the likes of Harlequinn and Ehran are to be believed. I Believe it is the Aztlan book (or perhaps something detailing amazonia, i`m sure Ancient History could give us the referance) Where there is the big discussion between a couple of the Immortal elves, including Harlequinn and a few other shadow posters in the know (Dunkie may have been one of them) and the Ghost Dance comes up as being the very beacon that damages the barrier or what have you that was keeping the Horrors out and causing the rift to open a little more. I do recall they directly go as far as saying that ANY form of sacrificial magic, willing, unwilling or anything is BAD mojo that just attracts things you really dont want to be attracting....

(Going to have a nose through my SR library to get the book its all from)

Well personally I try not to believe anything the immortals have to say, even when speaking among themselves in a Matrix forum. But I'd like to point out that just because using something is a very, very bad idea because it will quicken the coming of the next Scourge isn't the same as being Evil.

At least in my opinion.... *winks*

Oh and more On Topic. I was alwyas under the impression that anything listed as Threats were designed to be used as Antagonists to the average campaign (hence the term Threats) as opposed to being available to PC's. Though that said it does address the term Characters who know the Sacrificing Metamagc can summon blood spirits... but that geas has got to be a bugger.....

Still digging for the bit i`m on about. Tsk, all you naughty people wanting to kill things for POWER!!!!

Can you think of a better reason?

~J

There's only a finite number of potential enemies in the world, so you need to find the way to get the most complete use out of each one. This appears to be:
1) tranq them
2) take their stuff
3) mimc them on the matrix and drain all resources they might have
4) blackmail anyone who might care
5) ritual sacrificing to power magic
6) sell any used cyberware/bioware not pulled out in step 2
7) organlegging
8) sell remaining meat-parts to ghouls

Did I miss any?

You need to figure out if using them as slave labor would gain or lose you money (possible organ degradation, etc.).

~J

Using their Hair for wigs.
Teeth to make false sets for paying clients.
Not sure if the above are naturally inclusive in organ legging since niether are organs.

Take any shoes they may own.
Sell their clothes.
Take blood samples to use as false DNA leads on future crime scenes.
Drain their tear ducts and keep untill you can sell bottled water to the tourists.

Bah.

A real bastard would save their tears solely to sustain himself.

A Real Bastard!!! would drain said enemy's tear ducts while they are alive an concious... now thats just nasty... Not sure if it counts as Sacrificing though..... perhaps part of a Ritual....