Inherited Affinity
Although it's possible to learn Thaumaturgy with long and difficult study, experienced Tremere can help a student to "attune" his blood more closely to the twisted form of the Curse necessary for thaumaturgical practice. Students who are sluggish in mastering the basics of Thaumaturgy often suffer through this ritual once, which seems to "open the door," so to speak. Non-Tremere Kindred have a rougher time - should they find a willing tutor, this ritual can help in learning Thaumaturgy, but it's still a slow and painful process.
To awaken the Inherited Affinity, the caster must have uninterrupted access to the subject for an entire night. Typically, the subject is chained to a wall, so as to avoid having her break loose and cause havoc. The caster feeds the subject a nauseating concoction of rendered fat, various herbs and powdered garnet all steeped in blood. then the thaumaturge inserts six heated, gold-plated needles into various points of a subject's anatomy - points of bodily power, generally, though the exact locations vary from caster to caster. Over the next three hours, the caster instructs the subject to infuse her body with the power of her vitae. The needles block off usual sources of blood circulation and alter the results (often quite painfully), complete with bloody splotches on the skin, profoundly distended veins and bleeding from various pores. Once complete, the subject may practice the new vistas of Thaumaturgy. This, of course, requires that the subject ingest yet more vitae to replace that lost through the ritual.
Many regents know how to use the Inherited Affinity, and it's common to put a newly Embraced neonate through this process to help awaken the power of blood magic. The subject must remember the feelings of the blood flow from the course of the rite; for most Tremere, this comes naturally after one application.
System: Surviving the Inherited Affinity ritual does not guarantee that a subject can learn Thaumaturgy, but it helps. The end result is up to the Storyteller - if the Storyteller requires players to make various study rolls to unearth thaumaturgical knowledge or rituals, going through the Inherited Affinity ritual may lower the difficulty. The ritual itself takes three nights of time and requires the subject to suffer through five levels of lethal damage and to expend all but one blood point; it's most helpful if the subject then imbibes additional blood and contemplates the feelings evoked. Obviously, a Kindred is subject to the usual chances of frenzy from hunger and injury due to this ritual.
