[CousinX]

Originally Posted by Icelander

The Church regards ultraterrestials as physical beings and has at points durings its history viewed them as without souls or free will. The progressive view, espoused by Pope John Paul II, was that they were simply pagans who had the same opportunities as human beings for good and evil and with faith could also be saved.

That's cool ... that's similar to how Islam view(s/ed) the djinn, as I understand it.

Originally Posted by Icelander

The fey are conjectured to be the origin for Celtic magic as well as Nordic rune magic. Those who study Ogham or Rune magic are convinced that fey are beings entirely seperate from the ultraterrestials of Egypt, pointing to the very different magical traditions, but others claim that cultural differences among the fey account for these and that all 'human-like' ultraterrestials ultimately come from one place, which is Faerie, merely at different times in its history and with different attitudes towards humanity.

I like the ambiguity. Too many fantasy creation myths are given literally in the setting, "The Gods" objectively did this or that at the beginning of time, and "The Spirits" belong to well-defined and well-understood hierarchies.

Whereas a game that tries to mix magic with rationality needs to acknowledge the various uncertainties and disagreements about the nature of reality.

Originally Posted by Icelander

The precise start date of this conflict is hard to ascertain. The Catholic Church can trace Unseelie sentiment, in attacks against humans, back to the earliest records of interaction with the fey, but most scholars believe that large-scale warfare between fey didn't start under well after the year 1000 and probably not until after 1100.

Not too long before the formal beginning of the (Medieval) Inquisition, the Albigensian Crusade, and various efforts of the Church to root out "heresy and witchcraft..." (although I think the Witch Craze itself didn't take off until a few hundred years later).

Originally Posted by Icelander

The thing to take away from all this is that the closer a magical tradition is to the 'original' teachings, the more powerful it should be. Hermetic magic, as a syncretisised system of magic, is supposed to be versatile and comparatively easy to use. It is something that mere ordinary scholars have a chance to learn and it includes most of the useful rituals that are known. However, disciplines which are older and more esoteric should have some benefits over 'bastardised' systems like that.

That's an interesting take on it ... based on that, I see why you'd like Kabbalistic magic to eclipse Hermetic.

Originally Posted by Icelander

So the effect I want is that Hermetic magic is an excellent choice for all around magic use, but Kabbalah, while it has a much more narrow focus, is capable of more powerful effects within that field. Provided, of course, that the user has the requisite learning to make use of it.

Okay, that makes sense. A few thoughts...

Make the use of Mathematics (Gematria), Symbol Drawing (Kabbalistic), and other Kabbalistic support skills more effective than normal support skills, and usable only with true Kabbalistic magic. Maybe they add their full margin of success to the ritual roll.

Allow True Names to apply only to Kabbalistic magic, and make them worth a lot more than just +4.

Originally Posted by Icelander

[...] the Annunaki. [...] evil beings who live in secret among humans.

Arrgh, David Icke was right! :)

Originally Posted by Icelander

Symbol Drawing (Ogham) and Symbol Drawing (Futhark) might actually end up as being not adjuncts to a Path/Book Ritual Magic speciality, but a magic system of their own (Symbol Magic, GURPS Thaumatology p. 168).

I like the idea of different magical traditions functioning differently. As I understand it, Norse magic is heavy on sacrifice, especially personal sacrifice -- Odin One-Eye was the god of magic, and Norse magicians supposedly put out one eye to emulate him, as a sacrifice.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Zoroastrian magic does not have a Symbol Drawing speciality associated with it. It is unknown whether using Vedic Sanskrit would be effective or not. The Sumerian blood magus tradition has a form of Symbol Drawing incorporating proto-Sumerian cuneiforms.

I'm interested in hearing more about your take on Sumerian magic ... it's something I know virtually nothing about. Is this your own creation/interpolation, or based on real-world tradition?