[CousinX]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

For Kabbalah you might consider allowing Symbol Drawing and to give a bonus.

Most magical traditions have some form of Symbol Drawing (and other ritual preparations) that could give similar bonuses.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Unfortunately, that only results in +1 or +2, a far cry from the +15 that decanic correspondances and suchlike can amass. I'm also considering a Mathematics (Gematria) skill that would give the same bonus as Symbol Drawing and could be combined with it.

Do you know if sacrifices are inappropriate for Kabbalah?

Math (Gematria) could definitely be a suitable prep skill for Kabbalah, as well as Hermetic magic. As for sacrifices, I know of fairly few traditions that use live sacrifices (Santeria and a few similar traditions do animal sacrifice, and persistent rumors insist that many Left-Hand traditions do that and more), but sacrifices of goods (incense, food, etc) are appropriate to most. I don't know if it's something that orthodox Kabbalists do, but as sir_pudding pointed out, sacrifice is/has been a feature of exoteric Judaism, so it's not a stretch to suspect it might be a feature of esoteric practice as well.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Mathematics is easier than Ritual Magic; if you make that the base skill for Kabbalah it gets an effective +1 over other traditions.

I think he meant using it as a "support skill" to give a bonus to casting spells, rather than basing casting rolls themselves off the Math skill.

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Also Kabbalah is a meditative tradition. You could give Meditation a significant roll, or even make it an energy gathering tradition instead of effect shaping and allow Kabbalists to gather energy by mediation. The Sephiroth are really more like mystical mental states achieved by devotional mediation than anything else. A successful Meditation roll could allow a Kabbalist a huge bonus to specific effects by entering into the correct Sephiroth.

Yes and no. I've heard dedicated Kabbalists heap contempt on the Tree of Life and Sephirot, claiming that they're little more than a logo for Kabbalism. They're fairly important in Hermetic magic (most Hermetic initiatory societies have grade structures based on the Sephirot), but orthodox Kabbalists tend to ignore them IME.

That said, most mystical traditions use Meditation (or some sort of altered state of consciousness), like most traditions have some form of Symbol Drawing. I could totally see a Meditation roll acting as a support skill for ritual magic. Breath Control too ... Hermetic tradition incorporates a lot of yogic breathing techniques, more as a means of entering the afformentioned altered states than to recover FP.