So having played a couple of wizard characters now, I'm still struggling when writing up my evocation rotes.  I'm never really confident that I've designed them "right", not so much as reagrds to the rules as to what makes a good rote.

So I'm asking folks with actual play experience using rotes.  What have you found most useful in game?  When have you broken something out and said, "Boy, I'm glad I had that as a rote?,"?  Do they really matter at all?  Is there a trick where maneuver rotes or protection rotes are more useful?

So the DF game I am playing in, we are doing a reboot and making some new characters.  I came up with the concept of a spellcaster who had spent years selling his services in conflicts all over the world, but recently decided that this was no way to live.  He is attempting to retire and "go straight".  During his "Bloodsoaked mercenary past" (his Trouble Aspect), he has always been careful not to break the laws of magic.  If he did a divination to tell the artillery where a rebel encampment was, wasn't on him when they shelled the rebels to fine red mist.  Or if he cursed a guy until until he couldn't walk straight then shot him in the face, it's not like he killed the guy with magic.

Another of his Aspects is "Magical Elitist".  Basically, think Draco Malfoy.  He thinks that since he can control the fundamental forces of the universe, walk through the spirit realm, and may live for hundreds of years, this makes him better than other human beings.  Go figure.  He used to think this meant the lives of regular humans didn't matter.  Now how still thinks he's better than non-magic mortals; he just doesn't think that justifies killing them anymore.

Now my question is, should this guy be a Sorcerer or a Wizard?  He's supposed to be powerful and infamous.  The whole Mercenary thing seems a little more Sorcerer (they're supposed to have a longer leash), but the magical elitism thing works better if he's an actual Wizard at the top of the heap.  Maybe he's just a 'black sheep' WC Member whom many of the other WC members think is a jerk, but who was all, "What business is it of yours?"

I'm going back and forth on this.  It doesn't matter too much for the 'How many times can he take Refinements?," (the only actual mechanical distinction), since we're starting at 'Chest Deep' anyway.  And whatever, if we ever get that much refresh and I really want those Refinements, maybe I'll ignore the rules for the Sorcerer template and take them anyway.  No,  the only question is, will this character work better if he's formally a part of the White Council or not?

During city creation for a camapign I'm going to be running, the players decided that necromancers and necromancy-related stuff should be a big Aspect (literally) of the campaign.  In fact, a City Theme is, "Necromancers' Playground".[1]  So to accomodate, I want to come up with a lot of interesting variants on necromancy and how it might be used.  Non-obvious stuff, neat tricks, goals for necromancers, and that sort of anything.  Anything to stretch beyond the basic raising of human zombies.  Ideas are welcome!

Other things going on the city (Pittsburgh) are a major (and successful) war campaign by the Winter Court to crush Summer.  Also, the White Court has deep roots in the city and are known to be in an uneasy alliance with the necromancers.  Red Court doesn't seem to be around.  Character aspects that should also be played into:

1) One PC is a priest with True Faith and an Aspect, "My Mother is a Necromancer".  Obviously I can have fun with that.

2) One PC is a White Court Virgin (despair), so ideas on how the White Court and the necromancers cooperate would be good.

3) One PC is the illegitimate son of Hermes, and the player is interested in Hermes' role as 'guide for the dead' and has taken the Ghost Speaker power.

4) One PC is an aging (or rather non-aging) ex-rock star who sold his soul to Hermes years ago and is now assigned to watch over Hermes' son and do whatever else he's ordered to.  (His Trouble is 'My Debt is Due'.)

One idea I already had is to build off the idea of zombies requiring a beat to make music potentially very important in necromancy.  Like, if you build music beyond a basic drumbeat into your necromantic spells, you can get some amazing effects.  This would play into the former rock star's character concept.  (I am not particularly concerned with following Dresdenverse canon here.  I prefer cool over Harry's idea of what necromancy can do.)

(1) If you're asking where the Wardens are in all this, they're around but operating under some hindrances.  The Wardens (and the White Council) is highly distrusted in this city, and they get completely stonewalled in attempts to track down necromancers.  Nobody will talk to them voluntarily.  Again, please no setting arguments about how the White Council wouldn't allow that or anything.  This is the city the players built, so that's how it works.

I had been wondering if Enchanted Items didn't kind of suck compared to potions, which are much more flexible.  Then when reading the Enchanted Item rules for about the third time, I _finally_ noticed that last sentence.

When a practitoner has already used all the 'uses per day' for an item, they can continue to use it by taking one mental stress for each extra use.  Gah!  That makes enchanted items about fifty times more useful.  This is especially nice if you're someone with Ritual or Thaumaturgy but not Evocation and aren't using that mental stress for anything else when not doing ritual casting.  Get yourself a nice Enhanted Item weapon and go to town.  Even for a full wizard, I can see a lot of situations where it would come in handy.

Am I the only one to have not noticed that rule on the first read-through?  Right now I'm feeling kind of dumb for having dismissed enchanted items.

I'm a little confused on what it takes to get into the Nevernever.  As far as I can tell:

1. Any supernatural creature can do it, but it usually takes them them a scene (or being absent from a scene) so they can go find a place that "resonates" with their power.

2. Anyone with Worldwalker can do it at any time, so they can use it for quick escapes and such.

3. Anyone with Thaumaturgy can do it?  Not quite sure I got this one.  Harry seems able to rip open portals to the Nevernever on the spot.  Is that because the complexity of the ritual is below his Lore, so it's not a problem?

Also, what about humans who have more limited powers?  Like, can a focused practicioner find their way to the Nevernever?  Do we treat them as "a supernatural creature" for this purpose?

Could Evocation be used to attack a vampire's hunger stress track directly?  It seems to me that Water ought to be able to do it for Red Court and Black Court (as they use physical blood) and Spirit ought to be able to do it for White Court (as they use emotion).  In narrative terms it seems simple enough to describe what you're trying to do, which is to destroy the 'fuel' the vampire is using to power their supernatural abilities.

Do you think it would be defended against with Discipline, or would Endurance or something else be more appropriate?