Non Hermetic Traditions: a compilation

There has been talk in the forums about removing Hermetics from Ars Magica and see what would happen in that case. In those conversations and others regarding the number of Gifted people in Mythic Europe (and beyond!). I am curious about what would become of the magical landscape in case the OoH disappeared, so here comes a list of all the non-hermetic traditions in the diverse Ars Magica 5th edition books I have. I must have forgotten a few, so feel free to point out mistakes.

The books tend to include Mythic Companion, sorcerer-like character concepts and hermetic or pseudo-hermetic traditions. I have passed over the purely hermetic ones (societates and the like), since they are more for flavour than anything; their core mechanic are the Hermetic Arts. However, I have included the ones for ExMiscellanea, since I have always felt that those are less hermetic than the norm in most cases, and easily adaptable to a non-hermetic tradition with relative ease. They can be adapted to non hermetic parts of the tradition.

So, without further ado, here it comes the list. Divided by book. I hope I do not break any (c) laws here. If I do, feel free to delete this message. Thx :slight_smile: I found the compilation informative for myself, so decided to share it with all of you. Take in mind that version 1.0 does not include the 4 books with the most non-hermetic traditions: AM, ROP:F, HMRE & RM.

RoP: Infernal
ROP:I includes a fair bit of supernatural traditions. Along with ROP:D is the book that so far includes more traditions that I have looked at so far. The book’s magic is based around unholy methods&powers and Ars Goethia (4 abilities to deal with spirits). It also includes entries for Chtonic and False Gift concepts that I find to be very cool.

Tainted Children/Devil Child (mythic companion)
Diabolist (unholy methods&powers, all of them). the classical bad guy. Can have any combo of unholy powers that you fancy.
Summoner (all 4 ars goethia: summoning, ablating, binding and commanding).Your classical spirit masters. Not all of them have all 4 ars goethia. Ablating, for example, is the equivalent to torturing and murdering a spirit, so it is infernal.
Luciferans (unholy powers: debauchery, malediction, passions). Misguided followers of Lucifer. They believe he is God and worship him instead.
Strigae (unholy powers: Effusion, phantasm, Ceremony). They worship demons as pagan gods.
Witch Hammers (Incantation, psychomachia, summoning, ablating). They believe they are doing the good work of the church, and that it is OK to torture and kill heretics in the name of God.
Dark Gnostics (incantation, diablerie, phantasm, entrancement). Basic tenets: The world is really Hell, mankind was created by a rebel angel and the God of the Old Testament was really the Devil. Christ will liberate us all. Sins have moral value; they encourage sinning in the name of God.
Dread Host (incantation, effusion, summoning, binding). Infernal “cult of saints” that aspire to become demons after death.
Mulhidun (all 4 ars goethia: summoning, ablating, binding, commanding). Persian tradition that uses spirit demons in a selfish way instead of destroying them. So, corrupted.
Damhadh-Druidsan (incantation, malediction, Consumption, Shapeschanging). Supposed tradition of Davnalleus. "Dark magic dudes" descended from giants that can curse you and shapeshift as well as performing gruesome rituals to boost their powers. Like Davnalleus, only weaker.
Ordo Vagorum (debauchery, consumption, corruption, psychomachia). Infernalist “mendicant friar” order. They satirize about the normal church. Rascals and satirists that try to show you that what the Church says is bad for you is in fact quite a good thing to be done. They live an hedonist life as jongleurs while belonging to minor cleric orders. They structure themselves as a mendicant order.
Witches of Thessaly (Summoning, Commanding, Hex, Chtonic Magic). The original tradition of Trianoma. Spirit masters and witch-like tradition from (yeah, you guessed it) Thessaly. They are not-so-Christian in their practices, and walk a fine line between Chtonic magic and diabolism. Some of them have entered House ExMiscellanea.

Special attention to the city of Orleans, that has already appeared in at least 2 supplements (ROP:I and HMRE) as a den of heretics and witches. Nice place :stuck_out_tongue:

Venatores. Hermetic tradition of demon hunters (apotropaics). Included for the sakes of completeness about this book (it was the first one I looked at).

RoP:Divine
Magic based around methods&powers and Ars Notoria (the 7 rings of Salomon). Includes notes of Hermetic Holy Magic and crafting of divine amulets, as well as a fairly complete magic system for Kabalah dudes, including golems and the like and with a power similar to those of Hermetics.

Nephilim (mythic companion). Sons of angels. Old and powerful beings (as powerful as hermetics) but quite detached from the world
Prefecti (mythic companion).
Zahid (Islamic mythic companion) (meditation, understanding, 2nd sight, true faith)
Kabalists (Jewish mythic companion)

Ascetics (purity, adjuration, cursing, 2nd sight). The classical contemplative dude that asks God for some stuff and God complies.
Cantores (holy music(meditation), blessing, intervention, Enchanting Music).
Sufi (Meditation, transcendence, understanding, ceremony). Islamic tradition of holy people.
Baal Shem (invocation, adjuration, blessing, craft amulets). Jewish tradition
Karaites (Purity, transcendence, holy magic, craft amulets). Jewish tradition that reads the Old Testament literally, refusing the interpretations of the Rabbis on the Holy Scripture.

HERMETIC TRADITIONS
(Included because they can be un-hermetized rather easily)
Sol Invictus (invocation, cursing, ceremony, holy magic).
Priory of St Nerius (Purity, Intervention, Holy Magic, Premonitions)
Zoroastrians (Invocation, wonders, Holy Magic, sense H&UnH)

City and Gild (C&G)
Touched by Realm craftsmen: able to create Wondrous Items with supernatural properties.

RoP:Magic
Spirit Votaries (mythic companion). people that enter into pacts with Magical Gods/spirits in exchange for power.
Enrich Items. Everybody can do it (you do not need to be Gifted). Turn items of virtue into items that grant V&F (second sight, tough, enduring constitution, puissant charm...) though some ritualistic process to "awaken" the power of the stone/herb.

A lot of magical stuff V&F are included in this book, but no magic traditions in the sense of sorcerers. Spirit Votaries are not sorcerers either, even if they are markedly supernatural. There share rules for magic beings and people “touched” by magic. By the rules you can create (for example) a fire magus, giving him a few V&F that would allow him to have a few inbuilt “formulaics” and sponts, but he would be unable to improve his capabilities with fire in play. No sorcerers as such in this book.

RoP:Faerie
Faerie Doctors (Mythic Companion). (Curse throwing and others). Mediators between the fae and the mundanes
Borrowers (all 4 ars fabulosa: Summoning, bonding, captivating and dismissing). Curiosity sellers for Faeries.
Ollamhain (Enchantment, Beguile, Dream, Portage). The paradigmatic Welsh/Celtic poets and storytellers.
Volkhvy (Evocation, conjure, grant, Ceremony). Pagan priests of Faerie Gods and community leaders in the slavic lands.
Wise Folk (Empathy, Ware, Weal, Woe). Your traditional (relatively) weak magician, the Hedge Wizard of old. When a Hermetic thinks about a hedgie, he probably thinks about this one.

Each tradition uses a different set of the Faerie Te+Fo combination. Among them cover all 3 techs and 8 forms, without repetitions. Other combos are possible. The Fae powers offer a lot of potential for derivative traditions, and it is really open ended, so you can work around those a lot. Even if you do not like the Faeries of 5th edition, I would take a look at the magic systems.

[b]Homunculi Wizard /b. Designed to be Hermetic, but could work with other powers as well. It is just that you have a fae teaching you. A faerie version of the False Gift, really

Hedge Magic Revised Edition
Elementalists. A combination of 4+4+3 abilities. From spirit summoners to magicians that control your body humours.
Folk Witches (7 supernatural abilities: Animal Ken, Cursing, Dowsing, Flight, Healing, Second Sight, Shapeshifter). Built around Healing and to a lesser extent a catch-all Cursing ability. Of course they can fly in brooms and shapechange to crows and cats.
Gruagachan. Priests of Gruagach with shapeshifting powers and the ability to bless and curse you for your actions.They tend to do the later to reward good behaviour or punish unworthy deeds... according to their sense of justice.
Trollsynir. Giant kin with a heroic streak. They use the rules for gruagachan, but are more interesting in showing off and beating worthy opponents than in poetic justice.
Kolduni. Eastern European wizards. Similar powers to gruagachan, but with a much darker streak
Learned Magicians. Scholars that have developed a system of human-centered magic with very specific spells. Their main power relies in short term amulets and written spells (chartae). They can affect your luck, with is annoying if you plan to go to the casino.
Mythic Alchemists. The typical crooked man in the basement full of jars with weird substances. They are like Leanred Magicians, but with no spells, and the ability to use Mythic Herbalism, one of the coolest supernatural abilities in ArM5
Cunning Folk. A kind of rural natural magician that specializes in dealing with the fae and the everyday needs of the common folk.
Vitkir. Norse wizards with rune power of old.

Nightwalkers. Protectors of the fertility of the earth that fight battles in spirit form. A Companion class more than a sorcerer.

Ancient Magic
All those are thought as potential hermetic integration systems. However, quite a few are self-sustained systems of magic that can plausibly have practitioners that are totally unlinked to Hermetic practices. They are supposed to be extinct in Mythic Europe, but I can see a few of them being usable under other names, or not being THAT extinct after all easily. Use at your own risk :slight_smile:

Canaanite Necromancy. Can be learned/used without Hermetic Magic easily. The paradigmatic necromancer: magicians that are quite useless on a “combat” situation, but that can be quite powerful when dealing with the dead or if they have time to ask the dead for help.
Defixio Magic (curse tablets). Cursing through inscribed hexes. Can be quite powerful. Supposedly extinct, but only recently (and extremely common in antiquity), so it could have survived easily. The Witches of Thessaly (Rop:I) supposedly would have access to these. I can easily see this ability being accessible to Hex characters with a minor virtue to inscribe Hexes.
Mechanica of Heron. Could exist if you want a pre-hermetic version of Verditius, for example. Creators of magic items and automata with intelligence. A practitioner of this craft could be quite a Wonder Maker easily. Do you fancy a small brazen dragon to sit in your shoulder and cast POF-like jets of flame and assist you in the lab? Or a mechanical boat able to navigate upriver? Here is your magic system. Still, you need to be extremely educated AND rich (too rich IMO, since a firefighter cart costs 3 mythic pounds, but hey) to pull off stuff with these guys, so they are not your average hedgie.
Hyperborean Magic. Hymns to Apollo. There are 7 of them; they work (more or less) like Arts. You only need one of those to be a potent magic practitioner. They imbue themselves with "charges"; imn a sense they become "magic items" with several uses per day for their powers. They warp fast (constant magic effects) but they can pull off quite some cool stuff.
Hesperides Magic. Native Canary Islands magic. Similar to ceremonial ritual magic to improve your village and a cult of ancestors.

Extinct or not really usable (IMO):
Fertility Magic. An incomplete system that requires some work before it can be used in Mythic Europe.
Grigori Magic
Adamaic
Rune Magic (see Vitkir in HMRE)

Houses of Hermes: Societates
Includes a number of non hermetic powers in the ExMiscellanea section and a system to design more of them.
Ex Miscellanea traditions:
Beast masters Summon animals)
Damhadh-druidsan, Hermetic (Shapechanging, giant blood or incantation)
Haruspexes, Hermetic (divination & augury)
Karaites, Hermetic (Holy Magic)
Malocchi (Entrancement)
Shinfolk (Fertility)
Tempestaria, Weather witch (Whistle Up the Wind)
Witches of Thessaly, Hermetic (Summoning)
Columbae (Warding). Experts in Wards
Donatores Requietis Aeternae (Banishing). Ensure that the spirits of the dead reach their final resting place
Cult of Orpheus (Sanguine Humor Blessing)
Pharmacopeians (Mythic Herbalism)
Lineage of Pralix (Comprehend Magic)
Rustic Magic (Craft Magic)
Sahirs, Hermetic (Sihr)
Seirenes (Siren Song)

OTHER EX MISCELLANEA & MINOR TRADITIONS
Nemthengacha. (Embitterment, deficient rego, subtle magic). TOME.

Forest paths (GotF): aging, energy, warping, heartbeast. Can be walked by UnGifted people

Enrichment (RoP:M)

BOOKS WITH FANCY STUFF, BUT NO "SORCERERS"
Art and Academe (A&A)
Maestro (mythic companion)
Even if not magical, it includes information on medieval science: alchemy, medicine, astrology and other sources of knowledge and “superior” effects achievable by pure mundane means.

The Mysteries Revised Edition (TMRE)
A book with a fancy name that sounds like “Tremere”. :stuck_out_tongue:
It is a book about mystery cults for Hermetic Magi. As such, no “deviant” magical traditions here. However, it includes rules for systems that could be adapted to other non hermetic magical traditions. In fact, some of them like alchemy and astrology have already been integrated in other books. Some of the hermetic traditions that “come from other places” can be: astrology, alchemy, divination&augury, spirit magic, theurgy, numerology, geometry, dream magic, memory magic, mercurian magic….

But no, no sorcerers in this book.

Books with no/few magical traditions
Lion & Lily (only Children of Odin Mystery Cult)
Guardians of the Forests (except Forest Paths, read above)
Tales of Mythic Europe (except Nemtengacha exmiscellaneas)
RoP: Magic (except enrichment)
The Mysteries Revised Edition
Covenants
Houses of Hermes: True Lineages
Broken Covenant of Calebais
Fallen Fane

BOOKS TO BE DONE:
ArM5 core book
Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults
Sundered Eagle
Rival Magic

4 Likes

No love for the Spirit Votaries? :frowning:

The what? I do not recall spirit votaries anywhere. I might have overlooked them. Where (and what) are they?

If you detect traditions that I have olverlooked, I would appreciate having them pointed out. :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Xavi

Spirit votaries: RoP: Magic p88

And an Errata with the Cantores, they don't have really Sense Holly and Unholly, they have Magic Music.

In my ROP:D book the cantores have both Holy Music (their form of Meditation) and Sense Holy and Unholy stuff. They have both in the text above... Is there an errata somewhere about that? A link would be useful :slight_smile:

EDIT: Added spirit votaries and Maestros to the mix of supernatural magic users of Mythic Europe. Quite a list so far!

Cheers,
Xavi

Ok, added ROP:Faerie, Hedge Magic and Ancient Magic as well :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Xavi

I repeast, it's a errata of the Erratas. I tell you the definitive Favorite Abilitiesan anothers erratas:
Holy Music (p. 93): Change "Choristers" to "Cantores".
Senior Clergy (p. 93): This should be listed in the Virtues section, after Holy Music. The listing in the insert is correct.
Holy Tradition: The Cantores (p. 93): In the list of Favored Abilities, delete "Sense Holiness and Unholiness". Add "Enchanting Music" after "Blessing".
atlas-games.com/arm5/arm5errata.php#AG0278

Thanks! I have not checked the errata (nor I know where it is most of the time) :slight_smile: Highly appreciated. Changed

Cheers,
Xavi

NNothing, i like help, and a Hedgie Compilation it's great. Don't forget the Egiptian Tradition from Sub Rosa free material.

Great list. Makes me wonder how many magic-users are out there in Mythic Europe!

BTW: I have not read any of the 3 books that remain to be looked at (HoH:MC, sundered eagle, rival magic), so if anyone volunteers to complete the list, it would be cool :slight_smile: I just got hold of HOH:MC, but plan to review the 2 remaining issues of sub rosa before starting on that one.

Cheers,
Xavi

Tomorrow i make you the compilation from HoH: MC & Sundered Eagle, but i say you that on both there are mentions to Hedge traditions, specially on the second. The first talks about some Cults with Hedges included on some Traditions, and with Faery Magic you can resolve some holes from Merinita's Faric Magic.
On the other side, you can sumarize with the Content table from Rival Magics.

Good suggestion! On my way :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Xavi

Another thing did you see the texts that i send you?

I think I did not....

Added descriptions to most supernatural traditions. Hope you find this useful :slight_smile:

Cheers
Xavi

This is really useful / interesting Xavi - thanks!

Lachie

In HoH: MC:
There are another Major Supernatural Virtue: Healing Dance that emules one of the Inner Mysteries of the House Criamon but in another supernatural Tradition.
In the part of the Bjornaer are described briefly the original Tradition from Bjornaer; before they were a Infernal Shapechangers with tainted or infernal powers over spirits, right now i can figure it like related to the Gruagach. There are a Naturae Misteric Cult with members from anothers Houses and other differents Traditions too! The Huntress of the Wood, they have Nature Lore, Strong-Willed and two Teurgic Virtues, the Ascending of Hall of Heores and the Hermetic Theurgy.
From Merinita come three Lineages that are related with Faeric Magic and the Merinita herself: The Followers of Pendule (Glamour and Beguile), The True Merinita (Nature magic) and the Heirs of Merlin (Folk Charm Magic and Adivination).
In Sundered Eagle:
Magical: There are all the Hedge traditions from Hedge Magic but with local notes: The Gragach are related to two Traditions, the Pelasgic Sorcerors, than they lose their Tattoo Magic by some of Goetic Arts and can have the Leadworker Virtue. The Learned Magicians, firlsty Cunning Folk (with Witchwalkers in their numbers) and Mythic Alchemists (the originals are between the Franks). The Elemetalists are represented by some practitioners, specially the Apostles of Apollonius. The Folk Witches have bad fame by association with one Infernal tradition.
Divine: Two traditions added to severy from the RoP: Divine. A Societates, the Society of Cyprian an Justina, with Ceremony, Wonders, Sense the Holliness and Un-Hollyness and Invocation; that poriginally came for the pagan sorceror Cyprian and Justina, oen pious miracle worker taht christianized his. Af the monastic and/or hermit tradition: Heshychasts, the Hermits with PUrity, Meditation, Understanding and Trascendence o monastic changing Purity by Ceremony; they are both heirs of firsts hermits and saints.
Faeric aren't said.
Infernal: Paulicians, and corrupt Manicheistic Sect, taht is sbbttle and tolerated, with Ceremony,Debauchery, Diablerie and Malediction. The Stringla are the Greek version of the Strygaes, related with Folk Witches and an selection of Virtues and Flaws like Infernal Blessing, Nigjhtwalking, False Power (Night Walking) and Depareved, they are bad Mother-on-law and wifes that suffer defformity typical of witches, iron nails and twisted memebers.

Cap problema, i a catala si vols.
A ver... brevemente.
En el HoH: MC:
Los Criamon cuentan que hay unas tradiciones Sufíes con la virtud sobrenatural de Healing Dance, que va parecida a una parte de una de los secretos internos Criamon.
Dos cosas sobre tradiciones extrañas en el capítulo de los Bjornaer; su tradición original que lanzaban maldiciones, cambaban de forma y atrapaban espíritus con técnicas según Birna de infernales, pero que se asemejan mucho a las de los Gruagach. Las Cazadoras del Bosque son un Culto Mistérico que combinan miembros de distintas Casas ¡E incluso de otras Tradiciones! Sus poderes son Teúrgicos y Naturales.
Los Merinita están repletos de Linajes con vínculos con Tradiciones Feéricas: Los Seguidores de Pendule, capaces de usar Glamour y Engaño; los Herederos de Merlín, capaces de adivinación y de usar encantamientos y amuletos para dar fuerza a su magia, y los auténticos Merinita, con una Magia Natural muy útil. También unas sacerdotisas de Vesta.

En Sundered Eagle:
Tradiciones Mágicas: Bueno están todas las Tradiciones, pero señalan (lo olvidé) que hay poderes superiores de vinculación de espíritus "Epanankai" (incluyendo titanes y gigantes atados al terreno) consistentes en Diabolai (como humillar a los santos pero a seres mágicos o incluso feéricos) y los poderes Goéticos, además de Magia espiritual y Téurgica. Los Gruagachan están representados por unos de origen Pellasgic, gente pre helénica, que no hacen tatuajes pero sí tienen poderes goéticos. Learned Magicians, son pocos, pero hay bastantes de sus primos de los Alquimistas y Cunning Fok, y estos a veces comparten poderes con los Nightwalkers. Elementalistas son comunes, sobre todo los Apóstoles de Apolonio. Además están los Makhai, gente que sirve a Tifón y Equidna, y quiere alzar a los Titanes; parecidos a los Gruagachan y a los Muspelli de Rival Mgics. Luego está la Magia Campesina, una virtud menor que permite usar una Cultura (del reino) para realizar ritos menores.
No hay Feéricas.
Divinas: La Sociedad de Cipriano y Justina (que poco mítico parece en castellano), una unión de Magos con Holy Magic, Invocation, Wonders y Sentir el Bien y el Mal; que provienen de San Cipriano y San Justina, que le convirtió a él al Cristianismo siendo él un hechicero pagano que fue contratado para maldecir la. Los Hesychasts son unos eremitas y monjes con poderes divinos cuyo origen data de los primeros hombres santos de la región, cambian

Cap problema, i a catala si vols.
A ver... brevemente.
En el HoH: MC:
Los Criamon cuentan que hay unas tradiciones Sufíes con la virtud sobrenatural de Healing Dance, que va parecida a una parte de una de los secretos internos Criamon.
Dos cosas sobre tradiciones extrañas en el capítulo de los Bjornaer; su tradición original que lanzaban maldiciones, cambaban de forma y atrapaban espíritus con técnicas según Birna de infernales, pero que se asemejan mucho a las de los Gruagach. Las Cazadoras del Bosque son un Culto Mistérico que combinan miembros de distintas Casas ¡E incluso de otras Tradiciones! Sus poderes son Teúrgicos y Naturales.
Los Merinita están repletos de Linajes con vínculos con Tradiciones Feéricas: Los Seguidores de Pendule, capaces de usar Glamour y Engaño; los Herederos de Merlín, capaces de adivinación y de usar encantamientos y amuletos para dar fuerza a su magia, y los auténticos Merinita, con una Magia Natural muy útil. También unas sacerdotisas de Vesta.

En Sundered Eagle:
Tradiciones Mágicas: Bueno están todas las Tradiciones, pero señalan (lo olvidé) que hay poderes superiores de vinculación de espíritus "Epanankai" (incluyendo titanes y gigantes atados al terreno) consistentes en Diabolai (como humillar a los santos pero a seres mágicos o incluso feéricos) y los poderes Goéticos, además de Magia espiritual y Téurgica. Los Gruagachan están representados por unos de origen Pellasgic, gente pre helénica, que no hacen tatuajes pero sí tienen poderes goéticos. Learned Magicians, son pocos, pero hay bastantes de sus primos de los Alquimistas y Cunning Fok, y estos a veces comparten poderes con los Nightwalkers. Elementalistas son comunes, sobre todo los Apóstoles de Apolonio. Además están los Makhai, gente que sirve a Tifón y Equidna, y quiere alzar a los Titanes; parecidos a los Gruagachan y a los Muspelli de Rival Mgics. Luego está la Magia Campesina, una virtud menor que permite usar una Cultura (del reino) para realizar ritos menores.
No hay Feéricas.
Divinas: La Sociedad de Cipriano y Justina (que poco mítico parece en castellano), una unión de Magos con Holy Magic, Invocation, Wonders y Sentir el Bien y el Mal; que provienen de San Cipriano y San Justina, que le convirtió a él al Cristianismo siendo él un hechicero pagano que fue contratado para maldecir la. Los Hesychasts son unos eremitas y monjes con poderes divinos cuyo origen data de los primeros hombres santos de la región, cambian