Although it is not considered a “taboo” path, Biothaumaturgy is nonetheless strange and unsettling to those who observe its results. Biothaumaturgy does not require the expenditure of blood points to create its magic. Rather, the powers of this path take one week per level to complete at Levels One and Two, and one month per level to complete at Levels Three through Five. Biothaumaturgy also requires the thaumaturge to have a laboratory where he may conduct his experiments. This need be nothing more complex than a doctor’s table and a few sharp knives, but it may be as complex as the “mad scientist” affairs of pulp fiction, with steaming alembics and crackling generators.
1 • Thaumaturgical Forensics
The thaumaturge may take a tissue sample from a living, dead or undead creature and ascertain its distinguishing characteristics. A wealth of information may be gleaned from this sample, including information that “normal” forensics and genetics would not yield, such as age, generation, clan, etc.
2 • Thaumaturgical Surgery
The thaumaturge uses his knowledge of magic and physiology to aid a body in its regenerative capacity. Even the most grievous wounds may heal more quickly if aided by this sorcerous art. Aggravated damage becomes lethal, lethal damage becomes bashing and bashing damage becomes easily slept-off fatigue (and vanishes completely). Note that the actual surgery does not take the above-mentioned two weeks to finish, but recuperation times account for that period.
3 • Lesser Animation
The thaumaturge mystically endows a dead lifeform with magical energy and imparts to it a rudimentary set of instructions. The resultant creations carry out their orders to the letter; biothaumaturges use this power to populate their havens with deathless guard dogs and other, quirkier “pets.”
This power affects plants and simple animals — nothing more than a single tree or dog per use. If the effect is successful, the animated creation may be given a one-sentence command, which it will fulfill until destroyed. Minor variations on the subject may even be made — a thorn thicket could be animated to move slowly toward intruders to entangle them, or an animate cat could be given a set of larger, permanently extended claws that do additional damage. Creatures animated in this fashion immediately crumble to dust if stricken by sunlight, and suffer double damage from fire.
4 • Greater Animation
At this level, the thaumaturge has refined her knowledge to allow her to animate more complex creatures. Even human corpses and large animals may be given the “spark of life” with this power. Certain lifeforms are probably beyond the capacity of this power — zombie whales sound fairly foolish. This power also allows minor changes to be made to the subjects, or allows major changes to be made to lesser subjects. For example, an animate human corpse may wield a bone-hook instead of a hand, or a rat might be able to fly with a pair of leathery gargoyle-wings made from the bones and skin of birds and infants.
A human animated in this manner retains none of his original “self.” This power merely animates the corpse; it does not reunite the spirit with the body.
5 • Cognizant Construction
The pinnacle of Biothaumaturgy, this power bestows a dead creature animated through one of the lesser powers of this path with a semblance of the intelligence it had in life. Animated animals possess a malicious cunning while higher lifeforms gain a shrewd ability to reason deductively rather than satisfy rote commands.
Although this power gives an animation a base intelligence, the creature nonetheless still serves the orders it is given by its creator. A creature animated via Cognizant Creation has Mental Attributes of one less than it possessed in life (but never below 1). This won’t be creating any undead geniuses, but the story effect is that it creates an animated monster capable of reasoning. A Cognizant Construction won’t mindlessly fight to its second death if it sees a better or cleverer way of routing foes, and it will be capable of other deductive tasks as well.
(BMTS pg 69-70)