So... as an avid gamer and BIG fan of everything Jim Butcher I was compelled to look into this thread and on the sites of the RPG... And something came to mind.
Can you Violate someone's mind if they ask you in? At least as the laws put it? I know that SOME Wardens would say that entering anothers mind, willing or no, puts you on that path... but consider if someone has a habit or something that they know is hurting/killing them and ASKS the wizard for help.
Would it be a violation if they knew this was something you were capable of and asked for your assistance? I know intent is a major thing and from the description of certain things in Dead Beat it would still have major problems. On the other hand, Molly did force her will on 2 people when she did it
And if the invitation thing applies... it would suggest the possibility of a means of training mental defenses. Seeing as critters from the Nevernever can and will violate ones mind... and pushing/fighting them till they're out seems to be the primary means of defense.
Take the previous example of a cabal of younger wizards learning the tricks of the trade hearing about someone who's will was co-opted til a warden came to deal with the warlock/sorcerer. Taking a look at the laws they say "Hey... if we practice with each other on pushing or keeping each other out for a very specific purpose... we might be able to develop techniques to help against that." And, if we say they all agree to the terms they set out and stick by them for the purpose of this training they've come up with...
One could ARGUE that they held up the terms of the law while practicing a defense against it. Granted... discovery that they'd done so would likely get them killed by the old guard Wardens... but most kids are convinced of their immortality anyway.
Just some thoughts to ponder and argue. :)
The voluntarily aspect is interesting. I could see other advantages to it as well. If a wizard made a living as a head shrinker, there might be some clients who would be willing to submit to a mind-probe so that the witch-doctor could find something to help them.
There's witness applications too. I see something and you don't. I try to describe it to you, but there might be a detail that I gloss over because I don't recognize the significance of it. If you read my mind, you might catch some of those details.
Or a wizard is in a coma after some kind of attack. A mind probe might tell you what attacked him and why.
Another thought:
WN spoiler:
What about Harry's comm-link with Elaine? That had some elements that would apply to this Law, but it sure seemed to be handy.
When Harry sent a mental message to Elaine, he needed to use her True Name.
When Harry sent a mental message to Elaine, he needed to use her True Name.
No he used her true name to snap her outta the funk she was in cause
of the white court vamp that was trying to kill her
the rest of the time they simply willed and viola insta comlink short range though.
I don't know about the "without really trying". Learning how someone *else* says a name, precisely, isn't exactly easy. The one guy we've seen do it with casual ease in the books was Mister Ferro -- Ferrovax, one of the very few True Dragons in the world. And he did it with a fragment. Getting someone's *full* name, spoken from their lips, pronounced accurately, with every nuance correct -- that, to me, isn't something any human could pick up "without really trying". IMO. :)
Hmm maybe its just cause I'm polylingual but names are pretty easy,say it wrong on purpose a couple of times and you'll have more than enough to go on as people tend to repeat their name tow to three times before they say yeah sure thats it.The only names I have trouble pronouncing are middle eastern names. Too many syllables too close together. But anyways a even a linguistically challenged human could gather plenty of true names even just with a mini recorder and hand them off to a wizard.
No he used her true name to snap her outta the funk she was in cause
the rest of the time they simply willed and viola insta comlink short range though.
Good point.
Thinking about this some more, I figure it can be spun in one of two ways.
WN Spoilers
1. It seemed to me that Harry didn't cast a spell to create the link when he wanted to talk to Elaine. He just called on a pre-existing link. Perhaps they both needed to be actively participating in order to create such a link in the first place. Once the link was built, either could initiate contact. Since they are each voluntarily giving the other the key to their brain, it could be argued that it is not an "invasion". This line of reasoning could lead to comm-links between PCs, as well as using volunteers to practice mental defense (as discussed earlier in the thread).
Alternatively,
2. The link was created when Harry and Elaine were studying under Justin. It is entirely possible that he suggested the idea of the link (either subtly or overtly), maybe even helping out in construction, in order to draw them into working with Black Magic.
It really boils down to deciding if we (as individual GMs) think it is more fun to allow telepathic communication between PCs, or to discourage such communication.
With regards to the WN spoiler, I answer with another spoiler:
When Harry tried to contact Elaine while she was in the bathtub, he actually got both an image of her surroundings, and the thoughts going through her head (even the ones that weren't hers). So it's not just a mental sending; Harry was reading her mind, and her will was not the cause (although it could be argued that circumstances allowed this, due to other stuff I'm not willing to write even inside spoilers). So either the law allows voluntary telepathy, or they broke it.
-wyl