[RPG] the XP cost for leveling up Thaumaturgy past 5

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I'm reading through the 20th Anniversary book, and I'm not quite sure how leveling up Thaumaturgy works. On page 212 it says this:

When a character first learns Thaumaturgy, the player selects a path for the character. That path is considered the character’s primary path, and she automatically receives one dot in it, as well as one Level One ritual. Thereafter, whenever the character increases her level in Thaumaturgy, her rating in the primary path increases by one as well. […] Path ratings never exceed 5, though the overall Thaumaturgy score may. If a character reaches a rating of 5 in her primary path and increases her Thaumaturgy score afterward, she may allocate her “free” path dot to a different path. (Experience costs are covered on p. 124.)

I'm not entirely sure what leveling Thaumaturgy past level 5 is going to cost at this point. The XP cost on leveling Thaumaturgy costs (current rating) X 4. This means that the fist level past Thaumaturgy 5 would cost 20, the next 24 and so on. However, this creates the suggestion that a vampire cannot have more than 9 points spread all across Thaumaturgy, which I feel clashes with the statements that Thaumaturgy is very mutable and flexible made throughout the book.

The other alternative would be that once you hit Thaumaturgy 5 you can start buying from different paths, but by the strictest reading of the XP rules this would mean that the first dot in a path is free (0x4=0), which I feel cannot be the right way to go about leveling up. So how does this work?

Best Answer

Here's an example of a vampire who isn't a caitiff and doesn't have Thaumaturgy as a Clan Discipline buying it with XP, step by step.

  1. Thaumaturgy 1 (Path of Blood 1) is 10 xp for a new Discipline which includes a free dot in the primary path for 10 xp in total
  2. Thaumaturgy 2 (Path of Blood 2) = 7 xp (current rating 1 x7 xp for an 'Other Discipline'), 17 xp total
  3. Thaumaturgy 3 (Path of Blood 3) = 14 xp (2x7), 31 xp total
  4. Thaumaturgy 3 (Path of Blood 3, Elemental Mastery 1) = 7 xp for a new secondary Path, 38 xp total
  5. Thaumaturgy 4 (Path of Blood 4, Elemental Mastery 1) = 21 xp (3x7), 59 xp total
  6. Thaumaturgy 5 (Path of Blood 5, Elemental Mastery 1) = 28 xp (4x7), 87 xp total
  7. Thaumaturgy 5 (Path of Blood 5, Elemental Mastery 2) = 4 xp (1x4) 4xp times current rating for a Secondary Path, 91 xp total
  8. ...
  9. Thaumaturgy 5 (Path of Blood 5, Elemental Mastery 5) = 36 xp (2x4+3x4+4x4), 127 xp total
  10. Thaumaturgy 6 (Path of Blood 5, Elemental Mastery 5, The Green Path 1) is 35 xp (current rating of 5 times 7 xp for an 'Other Discipline') but includes a free dot in the new secondary path for 162 xp in total

All experience costs as per the chart in the 20th anniversary Vampire the Masquerade rules page 124:

  • New Discipline 10
  • Other Discipline current rating x 7
  • New Path (Necromancy or Thaumaturgy) 7
  • Secondary Path (Necromancy or Thaumaturgy) current rating x 4

Just for completeness sake, Tremere, or another clan with Thaumaturgy as a clan discipline, would pay the current rating x5 to increase Thaumaturgy, while a Caitiff would pay current rating x6.

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