Hermetic Qlippoth

N.H.Alicia · 01-07-2018, 04:42 PM

In Kabbalistic and Hermetic tradition, the Qlippoth/Kelipot are evil/impure Sephirot, forming the "Tree of Death".

Has anyone used them in GURPS? I saw mention of "qlippothic cults" in RPM, but that had little to do with the original Qlippoth. Given the Path they were centred around, they seemed more Lovecraftian. (On a tangent, Wikipedia says that Daath is a Sephirot.)

I'm toying with the idea of a Qlippoth-based magical style. It would revolve around "corrupting" spells in various ways.

johndallman · 01-07-2018, 05:11 PM

GURPS Cabal has material on Qlippoth, which is likely the source of the ideas in RPM. The reaction of Cabalists to the practice of Qlippothic magic is likely to be extremely unfriendly.

Flyndaran · 01-07-2018, 05:59 PM

It's not at all that they're pure evil. The Cabal is comprised mostly of the evil controlling and making deals with evil.
It's that qlippoth are antithetical to existence itself corrupting and consuming any and all regardless of strength of will or purpose.

Sadistic demonologists would nuke a qlippothic wizard from orbit just to be sure.

Railstar · 01-07-2018, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Sadistic demonologists would nuke a qlippothic wizard from orbit just to be sure.

That statement helped me realise the qlippoths are essentially spirit-xenomorphs, which helps to establish why the Cabal are so hostile to them, because Cabalists have more sense than Weyland-Yutani.

sir_pudding · 01-07-2018, 10:12 PM

In my campaign Desolation Road the qlippothic universe predated the sepriothic universe. Relics of that universe were all over the campaign, in the mysterious tunnels dug by the cthonian (called "tunnelers" by the archeologists who discovered their ruins) empire that once existed all over our galaxy (and like the human empire that followed in the sepriothic era linked worlds by evocation of their planetary spirits: angels in sepriothic universe but these were the reflections of their demonic selves in the qlippothic), the Shan who had fled the end by telepathically projecting into the Insects of Shaggai, and the former engineered slave races of the tunnelers.

The PC's were unknowingly working for Samael (the devil more or less) who had recruited them into a conspiracy to restore the interstellar connections through Yesod that had been severed when the Imperium Ratio collapsed. The reason the gates were closed was because in the fall of the qlippothic universe the Tunnelers had sent key members of their government, religion, and military into the hyperspace of Gamaliel, and were about to break through back into the sepriothic universe (although nobody in the PC's civilization knew this; the fall of the Imperium was a mystery).

Having written this like this, it seems a bit incoherent, but in the campaign it held together very well, there were a lot of supportimg details that aren't in this summary.

JoelSammallahti · 01-08-2018, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

In my campaign Desolation Road the qlippothic universe predated the sepriothic universe. Relics of that universe were all over the campaign, in the mysterious tunnels dug by the cthonian (called "tunnelers" by the archeologists who discovered their ruins) empire that once existed all over our galaxy (and like the human empire that followed in the sepriothic era linked worlds by evocation of their planetary spirits: angels in sepriothic universe but these were the reflections of their demonic selves in the qlippothic), the Shan who had fled the end by telepathically projecting into the Insects of Shaggai, and the former engineered slave races of the tunnelers.

The PC's were unknowingly working for Samael (the devil more or less) who had recruited them into a conspiracy to restore the interstellar connections through Yesod that had been severed when the Imperium Ratio collapsed. The reason the gates were closed was because in the fall of the qlippothic universe the Tunnelers had sent key members of their government, religion, and military into the hyperspace of Gamaliel, and were about to break through back into the sepriothic universe (although nobody in the PC's civilization knew this; the fall of the Imperium was a mystery).

Having written this like this, it seems a bit incoherent, but in the campaign it held together very well, there were a lot of supportimg details that aren't in this summary.

That sounds very cool. (And just the right level of incomprehensible, like a Jack Kirby setting.)

William · 01-08-2018, 10:02 AM

I don't often post just to agree, but yeah, that setting/plot sounds frickin' awesome.

I suppose I can add a datum by mentioning that whether Daath is a sephira is a disputed claim in GURPS Cabal, with the distinct impression that looking for it is either a deadly qlippothic trap, or completely vital to ascension, or both.

N.H.Alicia · 01-08-2018, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Railstar

That statement helped me realise the qlippoths are essentially spirit-xenomorphs, which helps to establish why the Cabal are so hostile to them, because Cabalists have more sense than Weyland-Yutani.

That isn't a high bar...

N.H.Alicia · 01-08-2018, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William

I don't often post just to agree, but yeah, that setting/plot sounds frickin' awesome.
.

Seconded. I would read that book/watch that movie/series/play that game etc.

Flyndaran · 01-09-2018, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N.H.Alicia

That isn't a high bar...

I sometimes imagine them on par with Umbrella corp. They're a doomsday cult pretending to be a legitimate business.

01-07-2018, 04:42 PM	#1
N.H.Alicia Join Date: May 2017	Hermetic Qlippoth In Kabbalistic and Hermetic tradition, the Qlippoth/Kelipot are evil/impure Sephirot, forming the "Tree of Death". Has anyone used them in GURPS? I saw mention of "qlippothic cults" in RPM, but that had little to do with the original Qlippoth. Given the Path they were centred around, they seemed more Lovecraftian. (On a tangent, Wikipedia says that Daath is a Sephirot.) I'm toying with the idea of a Qlippoth-based magical style. It would revolve around "corrupting" spells in various ways.

01-07-2018, 05:11 PM	#2
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	Re: Hermetic Qlippoth *GURPS Cabal* has material on Qlippoth, which is likely the source of the ideas in RPM. The reaction of Cabalists to the practice of Qlippothic magic is likely to be extremely unfriendly. __________________ The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques.

01-07-2018, 05:59 PM	#3
Flyndaran Untagged Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon	Re: Hermetic Qlippoth It's not at all that they're pure evil. The Cabal is comprised mostly of the evil controlling and making deals with evil. It's that qlippoth are antithetical to existence itself corrupting and consuming any and all regardless of strength of will or purpose. Sadistic demonologists would nuke a qlippothic wizard from orbit just to be sure. __________________ Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.

01-07-2018, 10:12 PM	#5
sir_pudding Wielder of Smart Pants Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ventura CA	Re: Hermetic Qlippoth In my campaign Desolation Road the qlippothic universe predated the sepriothic universe. Relics of that universe were all over the campaign, in the mysterious tunnels dug by the cthonian (called "tunnelers" by the archeologists who discovered their ruins) empire that once existed all over our galaxy (and like the human empire that followed in the sepriothic era linked worlds by evocation of their planetary spirits: angels in sepriothic universe but these were the reflections of their demonic selves in the qlippothic), the Shan who had fled the end by telepathically projecting into the Insects of Shaggai, and the former engineered slave races of the tunnelers. The PC's were unknowingly working for Samael (the devil more or less) who had recruited them into a conspiracy to restore the interstellar connections through Yesod that had been severed when the Imperium Ratio collapsed. The reason the gates were closed was because in the fall of the qlippothic universe the Tunnelers had sent key members of their government, religion, and military into the hyperspace of Gamaliel, and were about to break through back into the sepriothic universe (although nobody in the PC's civilization knew this; the fall of the Imperium was a mystery). Having written this like this, it seems a bit incoherent, but in the campaign it held together very well, there were a lot of supportimg details that aren't in this summary.

01-08-2018, 10:02 AM	#7
William Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Upper Peninsula of Michigan	Re: Hermetic Qlippoth I don't often post just to agree, but yeah, that setting/plot sounds frickin' awesome. I suppose I can add a datum by mentioning that whether Daath is a sephira is a disputed claim in *GURPS Cabal*, with the distinct impression that looking for it is either a deadly qlippothic trap, or completely vital to ascension, or both.