Blood Magic on Warden's Vigil

In the lore of Dragon Age, blood magic is the most evil and corrupted of magics. The Tevinter magisters who wielded it thousands of years ago believed the power it gave them rivalled the Maker's, and they dared to set foot in the Fade's Golden City. In doing so, they instantly corrupted the Maker's home, and he banished them and their Old Gods to slumber below ground, tainted. They became the first darkspawn and the people of Thedas have battled them ever since.
It is with no wonder, then, that blood magic is such a reviled talent throughout Thedas. It provides great power, but also an enormous chance of corruption or possession for the mage who wields it.
This is intended as a brief guide for mages who wish to use blood magic during roleplay on Warden's Vigil.
==Becoming a Blood Mage==
*In Dragon Age II, Anders states that In order to become a maleficar, the mage must make a pact with a demon in the Fade. In return for payment at a later date, the demon will show the mage how to use the power contained in one's blood. However, this may not be the only way that blood magic can be learned. For roleplaying purposes, if a mage wishes to learn the secrets of blood magic quickly, they would have to make a pact with a demon. Learning the secrets without a demon’s intervention would take years of study. Please choose the option that makes the most sense for your character’s history.
*Because blood magic is such a powerful ability and can be abused, we have restricted the specialization to players with one or more active characters already on the board.
*If an existing mage character wishes to become a blood mage, this can be done through roleplay. Please contact the moderators.
==Using Blood Magic==
===Appearance===
*Unlike in-game, blood magic on Warden's Vigil is not accompanied by large spurts of blood-bubbles.
*The sheer amount of power wielded by the mage may be sensed by other characters, whether templars, mages, or normal people, depending on how sensitive they are.
===What the mage feels===
*Blood magic can be addictive, in the sense that it opens up power to the mage that they cannot otherwise access. This can be a very heady sensation that they wish to revisit as often as possible.
*Blood mages may feel invincible as they wield the magic, all-powerful and completely in control of everything around them—whether accurate or not.
*Depending on the mage’s personality, the surge of blood magic may increase the libido for a time.
===What the magic does===
*Blood magic, generally, allows the mage to access a person's thoughts, read their mind, and control their actions. This ability is one of the reasons why maleficarum are so feared.
*Blood mages can also create illusions and make their victims see what they wish (as Cullen states in the Broken Circle quest in Dragon Age: Origins).
===Spells===
*Although we've largely stayed with what is possible in-game with blood magic spells, there are some minor differences for blood magic on WV.
:: Blood Magic: This mode must be engaged through the letting of the mage's own blood before any other blood magic spells can be cast.
:: Blood Sacrifice: Though in-game this is restricted to party members, it is not so on WV. However, the person from whom the mage wishes to draw energy must be bleeding.
:: Blood Wound: This very powerful spell can be used on only one target.
:: Blood Control: In order to read someone's mind, this spell must be successfully cast. Mages may control more than one person at a time, if they are talented enough and if their victims do not resist. 
*Once a blood mage successfully casts Blood Control and gains access to a person's mind, they have complete control over the person's memories and thoughts. Blood mages can make their victims see what they wish, through the creation of illusions directly within the victim's mind.
*If a person survives a blood mage's Blood Control spell, the "paths" forged by the blood mage reside in that person's mind forever and make them more susceptible to future control. Another blood mage, or the same one, will recognize these paths on successful casting of the Blood Control spell and less effort will be required to access the victim’s mind.
===How to use blood magic on Warden's Vigil===
*Before you use blood magic against another player on Warden's Vigil, you must acquire permission from the player. This permission must be stated in an OOC comment in your post. If you use blood magic without permission against another player, it will be considered godmoding and treated accordingly.
*Blood magic is not a blanket ability to control other NPCs or PCs. People can resist the spells, depending on their personality, experience, etc. This possibility should be considered and/or discussed ahead of time.
*As with every character on Warden's Vigil, we always promote subtlety over flashiness. Keep this in mind before you plan your blood magic–fuelled assault on the Palace in Denerim.
==The Stigma of Blood Magic==
*One of the things to remember when playing a maleficar is that blood magic is almost universally reviled in Thedas. The only place where blood magic is accepted is the Tevinter Imperium.
*A blood mage outside of Tevinter who uses their power openly will be condemning themselves to death. Knowing this, maleficarum will be extremely secretive in using their abilities.
*Templars will not try to capture a maleficar. Blood mages, suspected or otherwise, will be killed on sight, without question.
*Other mages may or may not support a maleficar’s choice to use blood magic, since the corruption of blood magic is one of the reasons Towers exist and apostates are hunted.
*Players interacting with a blood mage character need to remember that most people in Thedas have been raised with the idea that blood magic is evil and responsible for the Maker turning his gaze from the world. Players should act accordingly. It will be a rare individual who accepts a blood mage’s abilities without question.
==Resources==
There have been a number of interesting discussions on blood magic in the Dragon age community. Some notable ones are:
*Thicker than Water: The Thedasology blog discusses the stigma of mages using blood magic, along with a follow-up post.
*Musings on the Nature of Blood Magic: By Katiebour on Tumblr. Another good essay on the power and stigma of blood magic.
Category:blood magic
Category:Characters
Category:Tips and Tricks