The Dresden Files > DFRPG
Law Talk
Cadd:
I agree completely with Mr Death.
Now, what might be a grey area is how the Wardens police magic, as opposed to the "natural law" aspect of the Laws of Magic.
Any mortal practitioner that routinely slings about magic harming mortals is running a very high risk of actually killing someone sooner or later, and thus showing something of a disregard for the laws. Wardens might take preemptive action if said practitioner doesn't calm down after a stern talking to.
It's easy to conflate, but the laws really have two components. One is the "human law" that the White Council, primarily through the Wardens, police. The other is the "natural law" aspect of warping the users psyche, this happens even if no one else alive knows the law was broken but only if the law was actually broken.
It's this second part that the Lawbreaker [-1] power/stunt actually represents.
Your magic has to result in a death for the First Law to be broken. It doesn't matter if it was unintended, it likewise doesn't matter if you meant for the target do die but they survived. Death = Lawbreaker, No death = Not lawbreaker.
Several of the other laws are a little bit less clear on when the metaphysical law has been broken and should result in the Lawbreaker power, but the first law is crystal clear.
blackstaff67:
--- Quote from: Hogeyhead on February 26, 2016, 10:05:20 PM ---Okay I haven't used these forums a lot and I know the first law is discussed a lot, and I know that my query has probably been dealt with in the past, but, and I haven't read the whole thread to look to see if it's in there, but it's hundreds of posts long or something, so excuse me.
So in my game I am the only one flinging around evocation at all, (well someone just took runic magic, but he won't be attacking with it, and it's not mortal magic anywho) and the ruling on how the first law is broken is pretty harsh.
--- End quote ---
If you are using Runic Magic (a version of Sponsored Magic) and you use it to kill, you will absolutely take Lawbreaker unless your Sponsor is willing to take the karmic hit for you, forcing you to take probably at least one point of Debt--I admit I forget how much Debt the Sponsor charges for absorbing the Lawbreaker hit. That's my understanding of it. I'm hoping heads mor erudite on the topic than mine will gently correct me if I am wrong.
dragoonbuster:
--- Quote from: blackstaff67 on February 27, 2016, 05:26:30 AM ---If you are using Runic Magic (a version of Sponsored Magic) and you use it to kill, you will absolutely take Lawbreaker unless your Sponsor is willing to take the karmic hit for you, forcing you to take probably at least one point of Debt--I admit I forget how much Debt the Sponsor charges for absorbing the Lawbreaker hit.
--- End quote ---
This is definitely a house-rule whatever it is. There's no RAW provision for this. And I don't think I'd allow it in my game...if you're breaking Laws, you're breaking Laws.
blackstaff67:
--- Quote from: dragoonbuster on February 27, 2016, 06:50:48 AM ---This is definitely a house-rule whatever it is. There's no RAW provision for this. And I don't think I'd allow it in my game...if you're breaking Laws, you're breaking Laws.
--- End quote ---
That would certainly put forward the case that some Sponsors (like Mab) may prefer their proxies to gradually lose Free Will, so long as they still remain effective and bound to them. The last line Michael speaks at the end of Skin Game comes to mind.
Mr. Death:
I will add, at several points in the series, Harry says that there is a precedent for leniency on breaking the first law if A. it was in defense of your life or B. it's against practitioners of the dark arts (which, one presumes, overlaps with A).
Note this applies to the White Council's enforcement, not to the 'universal law' part.
So if, for instance, while dueling a warlock who was trying to kill you, you killed him with magic, you'd get the Lawbreaker power, but the White Council might let you keep your head.
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