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2026.03.04.

Gameable Grimoires #1: Merkavah Mystics

Directly inspired by Tree Climber's post on using some spells from the Papyri Graecae Magicae in TTRPGs, I'm starting a new blog series entitled "Gameable Grimoires". In which, I will examine historical esoteric/occult/magical traditions and try adapting them for role-playing games. Although most of the time, taking these rites wholesale wouldn't work well at the table, borrowing some ideas or only specific bits and pieces can certainly enrich your gaming experience. For this first post, we'll be taking a look at Merkavah mysticism.

Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism

Merkavah mysticism draws on ancient Jewish apocalypticism and apocalyptic texts, specifically 1 Enoch, and the closely related tradition of hekhalot literature. There, shamanic mystics are described descending into the astonishing heavenly palaces of God. Along the way, they encounter various hostile angels, bypassing them by reciting elaborate magical codes and true names (nomina barbara).

And at the end of this perilous journey, they might learn forbidden knowledge, measure the vastness of the divine body, gain angelic abilities, or even be transformed into fiery celestial beings themselves by taking a seat on the very chariot throne. Most importantly though, the shaman-like rabbinic descenders want to join in the divine liturgy.

In their own words:

The world of the hekhalot is very dangerous. Traversing the multi-layered heavens of fire and ice and entering the seven palaces requires extraordinary effort. In accordance with premodern traditions (and especially enochic literature), the mythscape is described both as the dwelling place of celestial powers and meteorological phenomena. Roads cross rivers of hail, fire and darkness, and the descenders pass by storehouses of lighting and snow.

Practitioners were required to maintain a gruellingly ascetic lifestyle. They had to fast for weeks on end, retain ritual purity at all times, and generally uphold a virtuous character. However, in other texts, the practice is described as highly mechanical and requiring close to no prerequisites from the user. This contradiction is highly puzzling, particularly when considering that the literature tells us repeatedly that those who aren't ready for entering the heavens die an agonizing death of assorted horrors at the mere sight of God's holy beauty such as being poured out like a ladle, burning from the inside out, having their soul escape through the nose, and various other unfortunate fates.

How Merkavah Might Work at the Table

Turning this complex and often contradictory tradition into something gameable is probably best done as a whole new game. The merkavah praxis just isn't a thing you can drop into an existing setting or campaign. Lex Arcana, Cohors Cthulhu or Mythras might lend themselves best for such an adventure, but I think most fantasy systems could be adapted to fit the theme with some work. For example, it'd be very interesting to see how a ruleset like Cthulhu Dark could handle this.

Such a game must first address the duality of the hekhalot praxis. The otherworldly trips made by practitioners are harshly contrasted by the earthly preparations for such ventures by maintaining ritual purity and gaining as much intel as possible before embarking. So much so, that the way merkavah was practiced historically almost resembles a west marches campaign. Descenders regularly shared their knowledge and experiences (routes, angel names, precautions to be made, etc.), navigating the palaces as a shared, group effort.

This disparity between our world and the celestial world has to feature in the game. Of course, an open table campaign isn't feasible for most gaming groups, but several other approaches may work just as well. Most obviously, the story's earthly half can be played out during downtime or between sessions, sidestepping the need for a developed procedure to deal with such scenes. Similarly, the rest separating descents may be handled like any other base of operations is in dungeon adventures such as that in B2: Keep on the Borderlands.

After entering through the firmament and trekking their way through the heavenly "wilderness", the party will encounter a walled garden around the divine palaces, the Pardes. Once inside they will face around 2-8 angels every hekhal, who will attack unless descenders show the correct seals or recite their secret names. Upon granting permission, some of them (e.g. Metatron, Suriah or Anaphiel) will even join to accompany the characters until the next level.

The various celestial beings the players meet are a great opportunity to add some diversity to the otherwise somewhat stale gameplay loop. Names with the "-el" suffix mean "X of God", so this already provides some guidance. From there, figuring out how that actually translates to a playable enemy is a very interesting and creative exercise for the GM, which can add much needed flavour to the campaign.

Trickery is also frequent in the divine palaces. Illusions and delusions abound and established patterns may be broken. In the 6th hekhal for example the wrathful Qatzpiel and Dumiel, the angel of silence are especially aggressive assaulting intruders who don't perform the "Great Seal" and "Fearsome Crown" incantations. Other times they might experience hallucinations (such as a large alabaster slab being disguised as water) prompting them to flee or be punished. These ordeals and deceptive tricks remind me of the cruel traps found in the notorious S1: Tomb of Horrors. Populating the adventure with similar trials can also change up the monotony of angel encounters.

After leaving the 6th palace, the descenders are escorted by wagons, and their arrival is announced by the sound of shofars. When the descenders reach the 7th and final hekhal, they are awaited by an army of angels. Their eyes sparking lighting, and their mouths glowing with fiery stones. They ride on steeds of darkness, of fire, of blood, of iron, of hail and of misty clouds. Their bows and swords are drawn. Meanwhile blood is raining from the clouds above. But one last challenge is still before them. The being they see sitting on the throne isn't God himself. It's an angel trying to deceive them trying and prove their dishonourableness. If they are successful, they complete their descent and the epic campaign comes to a close.

Conclusion

The divine palaces, as described in the hekhalot literature, are one of the most unique conceptions of heaven out there in that they are presented as a dangerous, but at the same time also an accessible place. The ordeals are there for a reason. God expects people to try and enter his palaces, and he won't let them in unless they prove their worthiness.

I first formulated the idea of a hekhalot game back when I read the Lex Arcana core rulebook, and it has stuck with me ever since. This is also the reason why the first post in this new series is dedicated to merkavah. It's almost begging to be made into a campaign of biblical proportions I hope to GM at some point. Until then, this writeup will have to suffice, but maybe, just maybe, I might get the chance to realize it at some point.

tabletop occult grimoire