Have a question about intential Hexing

[JediDresden]

When a wizard hexes something on purpose, does it follow the same rules as regular evocation minus the stress.  It sounds really easy to hex stuff on purpose, so I am assuming yes. 

The rules also make it sound like that, but the hexing table in YS does not go very high if it works like a evocation spell causing damage.  If a wizard has a Conviction of 5 can call up 5 shifts of hexing power then rolls a good discipline to target, how does the computer/equipment/gun get to defend?  Does machinery get a defense?

Or is it rather that a powerful wizard with a Conviction of 5 can hex everything up 5 on the table in YS, with a kind of maximum damage limit.  This makes a little more sense to me, because a less powerful wizard of minor practitioner would not be so dangerous to machinery/electronics.

This is in preparation for a question about a spell I found somewhere on the boards that is an evocation to boost intentional hexing.  I used this a lot in our last game night we had and the comment was made that it was a little to powerful.  So I just want to know if I am do it right.

Here is the spell I found:

Electro-Magnetic Magical Pulse
Type: Earth Evocation, Attack (Deliberate Hexing, Stress-free)
Shifts: 6
Duration:  1 Exchange
Control:  Discipline
Target: Zone
Opposed By:
Effect: +4 Tech Damage disables electronics, cars and modern guns.

That is the only description / information I found on it.  Would something like this be possible?  If not what could be tweaked? 

Thanks to all for being such a good sounding board for ideas on the forum.

[Mr. Death]

Machines and inanimate objects don't get a defense roll--the difficulty to hex (amount of shifts needed) is essentially their only defense. Just like how a sturdy door doesn't have a defense roll against being broken down aside from its difficulty.

[sinker]

You really ought to stop thinking of it like an attack, and start thinking of it like a maneuver. It doesn't really do "damage" it simply has an effect that works if it's high enough and doesn't (or at least works less well) if it isn't.

But yeah, as far as I understand it works exactly like an unopposed evocation maneuver but without the initial 1 stress. Though the spell seems off by a shift (4 shifts of effect and 1 for duration does not equal 6 shifts total) and I'm confused why you would add duration in the first place when hexing is usually a permanent effect (perhaps to hex new tech that walked into the area of effect?).

[Mr. Death]

I think it's 4 shifts of effect, 2 shifts to make it apply to the zone.

[JediDresden]

I think whoever wrote the spell up meant that that was the initial exchange when it was cast - not adding any extra durations.  The other spells I found have extra shifts for duration figured in. 

So I guess I need to change this 'attack' into a 'maneuver'.  But will this add 4 to my initial hex of 5 for my conviction for a total of 9 - letting me hex anything on the Hex Chart?  And does the 'defense' or difficulty of the item get subtracted from my Discipline targeting roll for extra hexing ability/ damage. 

Sorry if I still seem to be thinking of this as an attack, I just need to wrap my head around it.

[Mr. Death]

Hexing isn't an attack, so a targeting roll plays no part in it whatsoever. A machine doesn't have a stress track and consequence, it's either working or not working--hexed or not.

Yes, if you're willing to put that much power into it, you could potentially hex anything; you'd still have to make the control roll, however, just as you would for any 9 shift spell.

[devonapple]

Also, you don't pay Mental Stress for the first X shifts of effect (where X is your Conviction). After that, you do pay Mental stress.

So if a Conviction 5 wizard wanted to hex something on the chart that only required 5 or less, no mental stress. If that same wizard wanted to hex something which was old enough to require 9 shifts of effect, then that would cost 4 Mental stress.

I think the spell you posted was written to record something that the writer and his table ended up codifying into an acceptable spell, or just to remind himself that he could do that, and its not a bad idea, but Hexing is not generally written up as a spell of any sort: it is detailed in a section of Your Story. You should study that section first before worrying about writing it as a spell.

[JediDresden]

Makes sense, thanks Devonapple!