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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: cetra02 on July 17, 2010, 03:37:42 AM
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I had the idea that adding EMP hardening to tech might make it more difficult to hex. Thoughts?
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Its a theory. What you do with it is up to your local group.
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Depends what you mean by EMP hardening. How do you think people go about EMP hardening?
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I would tend to agree, a hexing (a tleast as derived from Butter's theories), is the result of a wizard's natural generation of a strong electromagnetic pulse, and electromagnetic pulse hardening, is the process of making a computer stronger against an electromagnetic pulse.
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Or maybe Butters' interpretation is a matter of a person trying to apply a logical explanation to a magical situation?
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Butter's theory doesn't really explain why internal combustion engines can be hexed. There's no way an emp could take out something like the beetle, but magic can. So I'm going to say that emp hardening wouldn't really be of much use against hexing.
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Butter's theory doesn't really explain why internal combustion engines can be hexed. There's no way an emp could take out something like the beetle, but magic can. So I'm going to say that emp hardening wouldn't really be of much use against hexing.
This. There is a bunch of technology that can be hexed that is not affected by EMP. People obsess over the EMP concept, but Butters was, first and foremost, guessing without hard evidence when he formulated his theory. Furthermore, when he came up with the concept in Dead Beat, he had only seen hexing affect electrical objects, and so he was already operating from faulty assumptions--something that is makes any scientific inquiry suspect, even if the fact that hexing is magic doesn't!
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Actually, there is something mentioned in Turn Coat which suggests that some forms of EMP hardening could provide some protection vs. Hexing.
One of the methods utilized to provide EMP protection is with Faraday cages. In Turn Coat, Harry had a location setup with a Faraday cage configured to act as a Ward, given that there was basically no Threshold to work with.
Another reason why EMP hardening could potentially help make an item resistant to Hexing is that something which has been hardened to protect against EMP is generally more robust than a normal item of similar function. For example, an EMP-resistant portable data terminal which can be dropped, stepped on, etc vs. a normal laptop computer.
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Seeing as how any metal structure (eg a shed) works as a faraday cage, the note was quite superfluous. The cage might act as an anchor of a ward, and block any mundane tracking beacons, without him having to Hex everything (including things that he might not want hexed). But you can very clearly hex things that aren't vulnerable to EMP, so it doesn't work that way. Butter's statement holds more ground as an anology than scientific investigation.
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With regards to hexing, there is also the question on what form of hexing one is talking about.
There is the deliberate act of hexing something, either through the use of Supernatural Powers like Evocation or Mana Static, or as a side effect or complication from the use of Supernatural Powers.
It is of course up to the GM's discretion, but it would seem reasonable that something which has been specifically made robustly or protected vs. interference in some way to be somewhat resistant. In the case of attempts to deliberately hex an item, then a hardened item might have a slightly greater difficulty in being damaged. The hardened item would likely not function while the hexing attempt is being made, but not nessarily be damaged/destroyed. A good example would be a Milspec GPS system being hexed would likely suddenly display ones location as being in Helsinki, Finland when under the influence of mojo, but then return to normal operation once no longer being hexed. In the case of a regular GPS unit, it would likely need replacement.
An area where some discussion and agreement from a GM would definately be needed, would be to setup a hardened/Faraday caged (and properly grounded) area where a wizard could store/use items which they did not want to get burned out. Common household items like hot water heaters and/or refrigerators come to mind here...
Incidentally, the Wizard screwing with technology thing is not restricted to electronic items, though them do seem the some sensitive. The novels routinely show Dresden's poor VW Bug breaking down, as well as less complicated devices like automatic weapons like submachine guns. In fact, one of the novels (which one currently escapes me) has a discussion between Harry and Murphy about firearms. Harry was explaining to Murphy that he preferred using a revolver since a (semi) automatic pistol could jam.
Ultimately though, it is entirely up to ones group, how they want to handle it.
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*I had some musings about a relatively similar concept on a different subject:
I think all we can actually agree on is the fact that around wizards (and actively power using supernaturals) things that can go wrong, go wrong. (The rest of the stuff borderlines theory to wag. The speculations of in-universe characters and ours.)
However I think we can also agree on the fact that things go wrong in the right way, ie a combustion engine will have combustion chamber troubles or starter plugs can go bad but if it has a weaker component, that usually goes bad first (like the electronics in modern engines).
If the hexing follows the real world pattern (path of least resistance so to speak) then I do think would be feasible to build an Emp hardened (rugged) electronics unit with other normal precations (voltage regulator, ups, extra grounding). Especially if you build an unshielded / easyly replacable part to capture the "bad mojo" and go bad.
You can't stop a determined hex attack but you can make every other part resistant and "fake" the system being destroyed. Could be handy one of these days.
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I created a character that relied on steampunk technology to avoid getting hexed. Basically he had a custom stunt that added +4 to the value of his home-made items when they're deliberately hexed.
For emp protection you could either take a similar stunt, or just take an aspect you can use to protect your equipment. It shouldn't be possible to get complete hex protection, it's a key part of the dresden story and one of the few negatives that help to balance mortal magic users.
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I created a character that relied on steampunk technology to avoid getting hexed. Basically he had a custom stunt that added +4 to the value of his home-made items when they're deliberately hexed.
For emp protection you could either take a similar stunt, or just take an aspect you can use to protect your equipment. It shouldn't be possible to get complete hex protection, it's a key part of the dresden story and one of the few negatives that help to balance mortal magic users.
Really we were thinking of ways to make things harder to deliberately Hex, say adding one or two to the difficulty.
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Really we were thinking of ways to make things harder to deliberately Hex, say adding one or two to the difficulty.
Exactly! My character was a pure mortal entirely designed around it with numerous aspects, skills and stunts devoted to it and even he wasn't entirely immune.
It shouldn't be something a character can do without investing either refresh, skills or aspects to justify it. A high enough skill in resources or contacts could justify that sort of hex protection, as could a relevant aspect.
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I would think if you choose to take advantage of the crafting rules, and started Crafting things with many shifts of durability you could cook up something that was very resistant to hexing, particularly if you were using something with fairly old and accepted design. In white knight they discuss that with the light fixtures I think, and those hung in there for rather a lot spell casting.
At the very least you could put a viable mechanic to it. IE The disrupting effect must have X number of shifts before the item will go out, given the nebulous nature of hexing it would be helpful.
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Well for deliberate hexing the +4 makes it pretty hard (and it matches that era of technology nicely).
For accidental hexing as a compel, well that's up to the GM so there's probably an appropriate level of magic flying around to justify a compel and I can always spend a fate point to counter it.
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Actually, there is something mentioned in Turn Coat which suggests that some forms of EMP hardening could provide some protection vs. Hexing.
One of the methods utilized to provide EMP protection is with Faraday cages. In Turn Coat, Harry had a location setup with a Faraday cage configured to act as a Ward, given that there was basically no Threshold to work with.
Huh bwuh?!?!??
It wasn't a literal Faraday cage, dude! It was a metaphor, explaining the magic in terms that would take less time to detail--unless I have read Turn Coat wrong three times in a row, which I suppose, is possible. Pretty sure that its a metaphor though.
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Huh bwuh?!?!??
It wasn't a literal Faraday cage, dude! It was a metaphor, explaining the magic in terms that would take less time to detail--unless I have read Turn Coat wrong three times in a row, which I suppose, is possible. Pretty sure that its a metaphor though.
I would need to re-read that particular portion of Turn Coat again, but as I recall, it was an actual Faraday cage to which Harry used as a framework to construct a ward on/around. The premise as discussed between Harry and another member of the White Council who was there* was that the Faraday cage would act as a 'buffer' of sorts, absorbing and grounding out some incoming magic. As I recall, it was primarily expected to block/absorb scrying and divination spells as opposed to more energetic Evocation castings.
As an aside, it might be possible to construct a magic circle and have a technological item located within the circle prior to it being 'closed' and have the circle provide protection vs. accidental or deliberate hexing attempts.
*Please note, I have not mentioned who else was there as I do not wish to spoil Turn Coat for someone who has yet to read it.
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Butter's theory doesn't really explain why internal combustion engines can be hexed. There's no way an emp could take out something like the beetle, but magic can. So I'm going to say that emp hardening wouldn't really be of much use against hexing.
The Battery.
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Everyone knows that the ratio of working hardware to nonworking hardware is constant. So you just have to have some sacrificals and a sympathy spell set up.
If the battery went out, it's hard to explain why nerves wouldn't have gone out much earlier.
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I would need to re-read that particular portion of Turn Coat again, but as I recall, it was an actual Faraday cage to which Harry used as a framework to construct a ward on/around. The premise as discussed between Harry and another member of the White Council who was there* was that the Faraday cage would act as a 'buffer' of sorts, absorbing and grounding out some incoming magic.
I just checked, and the wording is infuriatingly vague. It is definitely something that is actually referred to as a Faraday Cage, but there is language that implies (to me, at least) that it just uses the same principles, but with mystical grounding structures rather than electrical ones.
You could be right though, so I apologize for my earlier extreme reaction. It was out of line to act like that without checking the book first. Hope I haven't put you off!
...It still does absolutely nothing to prove that "Wizards are electromagnets" fanon theory.
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I just checked, and the wording is infuriatingly vague. It is definitely something that is actually referred to as a Faraday Cage, but there is language that implies (to me, at least) that it just uses the same principles, but with mystical grounding structures rather than electrical ones.
You could be right though, so I apologize for my earlier extreme reaction. It was out of line to act like that without checking the book first. Hope I haven't put you off!
...It still does absolutely nothing to prove that "Wizards are electromagnets" fanon theory.
Well it's more than Fanon. We have a main character say they are and no other characters have said they arn't so... :-\
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Well it's more than Fanon. We have a main character say they are and no other characters have said they arn't so... :-\
And that makes it canon? A character with limited (at best) understanding of magical principles and faulty data premises makes an off-the-cuff guess, and Jim doesn't waste word count pointing the nature of the comment out. That is all that has happened. What Butters says is not Word of God Jim canon. People need to stop treating it as such.
On a different note, would you mind explaining your post in more detail, Slife? I can't figure out what you're trying to say, other than that it sounds relevant and possibly important.
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And that makes it canon? A character with limited (at best) understanding of magical principles and faulty data premises makes an off-the-cuff guess, and Jim doesn't waste word count pointing the nature of the comment out. That is all that has happened. What Butters says is not Word of God Jim canon. People need to stop treating it as such.
On a different note, would you mind explaining your post in more detail, Slife? I can't figure out what you're trying to say, other than that it sounds relevant and possibly important.
Fanon is something the fans pull out of their asses. It's more than fanon.
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I was not aware Webster's put out a standardized definition of the word "fanon."
If the best you can do to defend your argument is that it is not 100% make-believe, I believe by most debate standards I would be considered on the right side of this one.
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I was not aware Webster's put out a standardized definition of the word "fanon."
If the best you can do to defend your argument is that it is not 100% make-believe, I believe by most debate standards I would be considered on the right side of this debate.
Sorry...BUT I have a character who says it is. You on the other hand, have NOTHING. That is 1-0 my favor. 15-love. I have the freaking golden snitch. Now since it is 2:30 AM I bid you GOODNIGHT SIR.
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I just checked, and the wording is infuriatingly vague. It is definitely something that is actually referred to as a Faraday Cage, but there is language that implies (to me, at least) that it just uses the same principles, but with mystical grounding structures rather than electrical ones.
You could be right though, so I apologize for my earlier extreme reaction. It was out of line to act like that without checking the book first. Hope I haven't put you off!
...It still does absolutely nothing to prove that "Wizards are electromagnets" fanon theory.
Not a problem. Incidentally, since Harry did use the structure to 'hang' spells off of, one way to interpret it is that the structure was indeed a Faraday cage, and the effect of the spells was to convert any inbound spell energy into EM/electrical energy which a Faraday cage would disperse in a normal fashion. Hence my comment from before that absent more from Jim, it is dependent on how one's own group wishes to handle the issue.
Incidentally, two things. Towards the end of Grave Peril, Harry was being shot at by people using automatic weapons (submachine guns if I can remember) and the they fired with Harry pumping energy into his Shield Charm/Shield spell, the guns themselves began to jam and misfire. This is a clear indication that Wizards mess with more than just things operating on the EM spectrum, which Harry confirms in a conversation with Murph when he states his preference for a revolver instead of a (semi) automatic pistol which he could cause to jam.
Secondly, the hexing rules from the playtest itself also had clear indications that at the upper levels of effect, Industrial Revolution technological items and late pre-Industrial Revolution technological (read: firearms and steam engines) items could be impacted, even unconsciously.
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Sorry...BUT I have a character who says it is. You on the other hand, have NOTHING. That is 1-0 my favor. 15-love. I have the freaking golden snitch. Now since it is 2:30 AM I bid you GOODNIGHT SIR.
I'm sorry if I struck a sore spot, but as I have pointed out earlier in the thread, and as Todjaeger just backed me up on, there is proof Butters is wrong, above and beyond the point that Butters is not a reliable source regarding magic. So, I would say that I have proof you are wrong, and you have a stubborn disbelief in facts, which makes it not 1-0 my favor, but one to negative one my favor.
And while I am normally hesitant to directly comment on another's posting quality, I'm going to have to say that if you don't work harder on a halfway decent argument, I'm going to be searching for this forums ignore function.
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If someone deliberately built an actual Faraday Cage - meant to protect against energy spikes, one could argue that at some level it works as a magic circle (i.e. "Ferromancy"). Since we know that circles can protect against a wizard's murphyonic field (that's how Molly watches T.V after all), I wouldn't be surprised if it could stop a hexing spell (at least to some extent).
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I noticed that the only things that are actively hexed are electronic based. You never see harry hexus the guns of the people shooting at him. It seems that the willful hexing of something only effects electronics and an ambiant " murphy's law" effect hits the mechanical systems when a lot of magic is flying.
So looking at it like that, it could be plausible that emp hardening could help stop a direct hex.
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I noticed that the only things that are actively hexed are electronic based. You never see harry hexus the guns of the people shooting at him. It seems that the willful hexing of something only effects electronics and an ambiant " murphy's law" effect hits the mechanical systems when a lot of magic is flying.
So looking at it like that, it could be plausible that emp hardening could help stop a direct hex.
Hmm. Based on circumstantial evidence, but in lieu of anything contradicting it, entirely plausible. I could see going with this.
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I noticed that the only things that are actively hexed are electronic based. You never see harry hexus the guns of the people shooting at him. It seems that the willful hexing of something only effects electronics and an ambiant " murphy's law" effect hits the mechanical systems when a lot of magic is flying.
So looking at it like that, it could be plausible that emp hardening could help stop a direct hex.
True, but realistically if someone was busy firing a gun at Harry, would he be trying to hex it or shield from it and run away from the shooter?
Most of the time what someone has been deliberately hexing things, it is to restrict the ability of someone to communicate (cell phones & radios), knock out sensors and security systems (remote cameras, electronic eyes), or make it more difficult to be aware of ones surroundings (electrical grids/lighting systems). As a rule, a hex is not really used in combat because the effect itself it not particularly relevant to a fire fight.
Incidentally, another classic example of accidental hexing is Harry's rather negative effect on elevators.
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just a suggestion about the whole Faraday cage issue. it's been said many times that thaumaturgy is sympathetic magic... so if a real Faraday cage was there as an enforcement of the IDEA (foci) of making a semi-magic proof box it's entirely possible. basically the cage itself might not have mattered other than as a prop of the application of the ward.
Also as far as I've read in the series it repeatedly suggests that Hexing is a massive murphy's law effect and it's easiest against electronics because they're the most vulnerable to things going wrong... all it takes is a few binary 1's and 0's reorganized to stop working.
Last thought. butters suggested warp space.... who knows what effect things warping may cause other than improbability :P and suddenly we enter the land of hitch-hiking across galaxies.
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I'm sorry if I struck a sore spot, but as I have pointed out earlier in the thread, and as Todjaeger just backed me up on, there is proof Butters is wrong, above and beyond the point that Butters is not a reliable source regarding magic. So, I would say that I have proof you are wrong, and you have a stubborn disbelief in facts, which makes it not 1-0 my favor, but one to negative one my favor.
And while I am normally hesitant to directly comment on another's posting quality, I'm going to have to say that if you don't work harder on a halfway decent argument, I'm going to be searching for this forums ignore function.
Your upturned nose hurts more than you can imagine. I'm going to go ahead and assume you were homeschooled :)(or the fact that text is a very very bad medium for humor), because that is the only explanation for the fact that I wasjoking when WAAAAAY the hell over your head. So to be clear, I was joking.
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Your upturned nose hurts more than you can imagine. I'm going to go ahead and assume you were homeschooled :)(or the fact that text is a very very bad medium for humor), because that is the only explanation for the fact that I wasjoking when WAAAAAY the hell over your head. So to be clear, I was joking.
I'm also joking here BTW.
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This forum does have an ignore function, right? Would someone inform me as to where to find it?
Thanks.
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How much actual mechanical hexing (as opposed to electronic hexing) is seen in the books? There were quite a few instances where Harry was mojo-ing and the guns still work.
What can a wizard hex either deliberately or accidently? This needs to be answered, no matter what the actual mechanics of hexing. Can a magician cause a wardrobe malfunction? Can he accidentally hex a pencil to break? Is accidental hexing more likely the more powerful the wizard?
Can pre-emptive maintanence (as stated by Michael) actually work to lessen the instances where a magician cause things to break around the house? Or is it a workaround only due to his status as a Knight/ex-Knight?
The guns that were firing at Harry may have jammed and misfired in the first place. Any automatic weapon runs the risk of jamming and misfiring. A revolver can also misfire but less likely. Kincaid has a Glock as a personal firearm, why would he be using a weapon that is more likely to fail around his principal? Or is Ivy's magic non-mortal magic?
Edit: I was wondering if (playing from the bad guys' perspective) it was difficult to use sarin against the White Council hospital. The gas itself could have been hexed inert accidentally.
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1. harry's car is fairly constantly out and as a vw beetle the electrical is minimal. some guns jam. elevator has issues. that's all i can remember off the cuff.
it definately seems to be a more gradual thing for passive hexing.
2. according to the game book anything mechanical with moving parts. so no, no, and yes, the older he is and the more foreign the technology thingies are the more he passive hexes.
3. since passive hexing seems to be more of a item decay bonus yes. regular maintence (such as harry's car) appears to help.
4. yep. yep. yep. because it's not likely BUT possible it can jam. That's open to debate but technically she's very mortal and therefore yes, using mortal magic.
5. how could sarin be hexed? it's a binary chemical compound... no mechanical moving parts there.
almost all these answers come from pages 228 and 258 of the game book and having read the whole novel series.
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On Ivy, while she is mortal you could definitely argue that it's sponsored magic, or that the magic is innate to her and flows out naturally and unconflicted rather than the wizards conflicted brute-force approach. Or it could just be that her knowledge of magic is so advanced that she doesn't suffer from the hex effect, either because it just doesn't happen, or because she's learnt to ground that extra energy instead of allowing it to cause havoc with the laws of reality.
I think the obvious rule is, no matter how it happens, it is possible to take steps against hexing equipment but that it can always happen no matter how old or uncomplicated the technology is. For accidental hexing, the longer the technology is around magic the more likely it is to break down (with more advanced technology needing less time to break). For deliberate hexing, any complicated piece of equipment can be hexed but the simpler and more reliable the technology is, the more power it takes. With enough power you could probably hex an abacus, but it'd take hell of a lot!
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5. how could sarin be hexed? it's a binary chemical compound... no mechanical moving parts there.
How can electronics be hexed since they have no mechanical moving parts there? If anything it is more technologically sophisticated than a handgun. It makes use of active chemical processes, it could be hexed because either the precursors did not react properly and hence did not produce the gas or it could enhance the reactive processes and degrade it so that it becomes quickly inert before it can reach the intended victims.
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How can electronics be hexed since they have no mechanical moving parts there? If anything it is more technologically sophisticated than a handgun. It makes use of active chemical processes, it could be hexed because either the precursors did not react properly and hence did not produce the gas or it could enhance the reactive processes and degrade it so that it becomes quickly inert before it can reach the intended victims.
ok, from your perspective electronic things have binary/electrical "moving parts".... so chemical "moving parts" are theoretically fair game as well.
interesting, i stand corrected.
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How can electronics be hexed since they have no mechanical moving parts there? If anything it is more technologically sophisticated than a handgun. It makes use of active chemical processes, it could be hexed because either the precursors did not react properly and hence did not produce the gas or it could enhance the reactive processes and degrade it so that it becomes quickly inert before it can reach the intended victims.
People can't be hexed even though we are biological machines, full of chemical processes and a fair few moving parts too. I'd argue that anything biological can't be hexed. A pacemaker could be though.
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EMP Hardening might work...but not for the obvious reasons.
When someone goes to the trouble of protecting delicate electronics from electromagnetic pulses/discharges, they are creating a (very weak) Threshold. Part of their will is being dedicated to the hardening, the idea that 'this device is NOT going to fail under stress'. Even Pure Mortals can generate a Threshold, so this is just an extension of that concept.
It's a weak Threshold in game terms; not enough to thwart a wizards' deliberate efforts to hex a device, but enough to provide a little bit of shielding against the casual effects of a wizard's influence.
This same idea can be extended to any dedicated effort to keep things working around a wizard. If the person has a real desire and will to repair and protect the items, they gain a bit more longevity and resistance against the hexxing effects. (Calling in a home repairman won't do it; the person has to have an emotional investment in keeping things working.) So, a government-protected work station with EMP-hardening has no additional protection; a home hacker's personal system, lovingly built and maintained by that hacker, does.
And unlike a true Threshold, it only exists if the CRAFTER wants to see things keep working; not the operator.
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EMP Hardening might work...but not for the obvious reasons.
When someone goes to the trouble of protecting delicate electronics from electromagnetic pulses/discharges, they are creating a (very weak) Threshold. Part of their will is being dedicated to the hardening, the idea that 'this device is NOT going to fail under stress'. Even Pure Mortals can generate a Threshold, so this is just an extension of that concept.
It's a weak Threshold in game terms; not enough to thwart a wizards' deliberate efforts to hex a device, but enough to provide a little bit of shielding against the casual effects of a wizard's influence.
This same idea can be extended to any dedicated effort to keep things working around a wizard. If the person has a real desire and will to repair and protect the items, they gain a bit more longevity and resistance against the hexxing effects. (Calling in a home repairman won't do it; the person has to have an emotional investment in keeping things working.) So, a government-protected work station with EMP-hardening has no additional protection; a home hacker's personal system, lovingly built and maintained by that hacker, does.
And unlike a true Threshold, it only exists if the CRAFTER wants to see things keep working; not the operator.
I like it! This is the best approach to the concept I've seen so far.
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Also, EMP hardening often happens by just using older technology, which is more resistant to EMPs (like say, vacuum tubes). Still, not too much better - Harry still likes to burn out lightbulbs, apparently.
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according to the rulebook it's dependent on the age of the tech vs the age of the wizard. so if you have a 600 yr old wizard vacuum tubes WILL explode frequently.
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Butter's theory doesn't really explain why internal combustion engines can be hexed. There's no way an emp could take out something like the beetle, but magic can.
??? If I recall correctly the Blue Beetle has lots of problems with misfiring, etc, and Harry speculates it only keeps running because his mechanic is a genius IIRC. If hexing creates electronic sparking it could cause cylinders to fire at inappropriate times causing a LOT of extra wear & tear on the engine.
As for vehicles & EMPs, as I recall they are as vulnerable as other electronic devices as a strong enough EMP can melt the wires, etc. Just like solid state tube computers were less "vulnerable" because they could stand higher surge levels than transistors, and transistors can handle more current than integrated circuits, older vehicles can stand more current than newer ones, but can be affected to some degree. ;D
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True, but realistically if someone was busy firing a gun at Harry, would he be trying to hex it or shield from it and run away from the shooter?
I will throw this in the mix ... do you really want to be downrange of a gun that is misfiring or, worse yet, downrange of a gun that has all the ammo go off at once?
A gun the fires too early would be at least as serious (if not more so) than a jam, but does not entirely explain Harry's preference for revolvers (chain fire of revolvers was not that rare during the days of cap & ball revolvers, thus the use of gun grease to minimize the chance).
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Revolver 'technology' is MUCH older than automatics for guns. Pre-Civil War. So, from a hex pov, more reliable. (This does conjure up the image of a cunning hitman using a civil-war replica Gatling Gun with .22 ammo to gun down wizards...but I digress.)
Also, revolvers are easier to maintain. Going with my 'micro-threshold' idea, it takes less time to keep them functioning around a wizard. (They also don't leave shell casings around for pesky police forensics.)
re hexxing armed opponents; it's rare that we see ONE gunman sent after Harry, or anyone else. So, while you're hexxing a gun, the other people are shooting at you...or you could run, get behind cover, throw up a shield, etc. and protect yourself from ALL the shooters.
'micro-thresholds' also explain why Michael has ANY spare time, given that Molly is living at home...
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Aloha, and hello. Back from my sabatical. As a person who knows a metric ton about EMPs and EMP (due to personal interest and study) as well as some working knowledge of fire arms I would like to add some points to go along with Bruce's. I promise I will not be too wordy.
1. Reasons a Glock would work under magical stress or why Kincaid uses it. Glocks are mechanically designed to not fail under circumstances that would prove otherwise and are probably the closest thing to artisan guns these days (Yes desert eagles are prettier but there is a good reason why a glock won't jam, and if maintained properly can be fired after situations that are normally reserved for showing off the reliability of an AK-47, it's how they are designed.) Another issue is the people who work for Glock have pride in their work, and make great strives in innovation. Much the same ways that several revolver manufactures did back in the day. Sounds like a bunch of mortals putting a loving threshold onto a gun to me. However a weakness Glocks would have is most models are made out of plastic. So if a hex doesn't work some spells at the gun would easily end it due to the nature of the material. Then again when someone is shooting at you I am pretty sure the last thought in going through your mind would be "Wait a second that is a glock! If I freeze it the gun will break into a million tiny peices when the guy drops it!" This makes me ask Bruce about other reliable guns like the AK47 or the thompson Sub-machine gun which use low tech and are highly reliable (one of my squad leaders found a Tommy gun from WWII that was still friring and got to use because he was the only one who knew how to.)
2. On actual EMPs. The most common thing that causes an EMP is explosions-- well besides angy hexing wizards. That being said there is lots of actual technology for making EMP Generation that could theoretically be toted by a wizard due to it's nature. That being said most devices would not be easy to hand carry. Most of this goes along with Bruce's previous statement (IE weapon was designed to CREATE AN EMP for one use or multi use therefore it should be able to at least withstand some minor hexing etc.) Additionally some EMP technology that was non nuclear explosion type was made in 1951, while after WWII most of it was indeed WWII tech. Hilariously though, an EMP works in real life how Jim portrays the wizards magic field. You have unaimed dome/explosion/Radial EMP (Via Nuke or Wizards Field) Or an Aimed EMP (Via EMP Bomb or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosively_pumped_flux_compression_generator or Hex Spell.) An Aimed EMP works like this you have the Power source which is conditioned via modulation, which goes through an electron source, which is then accelerated through a microwave source and then aimed using something. Which is basically how Harry aims his Hex spell. A wizard could likely use the second method I suggested earlier make some huge explody spell on the EPFCG and basically do a conical hex on an area. That being said most EMP's require explosion, the portable that doesn't a Wizard maybe could use, but I wouldn't be surprised if it went off early.
I hope I have not infuriated anyone.
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Low-tech guns (i.e revolvers) are more resistant due to low tech. (We've never seen someone go after a wizard with black-powder weaponry, but there's no reason to assume it wouldn't work. Of course, the huge clouds of blue smoke and the big noises might attract more mortal (police) attention...)
Military-grade weaponry is designed to work despite being used by the lowest common denominator (infantry soldier) under harsh conditions without regular maintenence, often in ways never intended by the designer. I think "shooting at wizards with hexxing fields" qualifies. Thompsons are pre-WW II. AK-47s are more modern, but also have a certain mystique among people that might also protect them...briefly.
I wasn't aware of the intricacies of Glock manufacture. That certainly does sound like mortal craftsmen making a product that will work at all times, and thus a 'micro-threshold'. Or maybe Kincaid just appreciates good quality work in instruments of death.
I only have a basic knowledge of EMPs, so I will accept your obviously superior expertise there.
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Having friends who work for Glock and actually seeing them work helps with the knowledge. By the way, my friend who works there read the books too and suprisingly enough, is a fan of Kincaid. That being said Glocks are not cheap. I can tell you one military gun that would fail the second a wizard looked at it though, M-16 A1-4 or an M4. Just trust me on this.
As for no black powder yet, well Black Powder Rifle hunting is a popular sport in the Midwest and the Rifles do have slugs that are 50 cal. Actually they are the easiest guns to purchase legally due some being also considered collectors items.
Oh and another note on EMP's hexing an actual item can cause one to occur! An example would be like a microwave or a vacum as both produce minor emps already. If a wizard strayed near a transformer and needed to kill all electronics within a certain radius he could cause one there as well, though most people forget EMP = Permanent Death of electronics. Also EMPs while most people don't think they cause any pain or do anything within a short enough radius and a well aimed shot can actually cause serious pain and even lead to cancer down the road if it is high powered enough. But if your using such an EMP I am sure that is the last thing on your mind. If you wanted to just get redonkulous with EMP fun you could somehow manage to get a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device). Which would be also probably the best way to take down some eldritch horror.
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With respect to wizards and technology, I realised something else while taking my kid cousin to school this morning. She had to bring a lot of electronics for school. Everyone in her class had a tablet PC, they do their homework on the PCs and email their teachers when they have finished. She MSNs her teachers if she doesn't understand any of the subjects. She had a watch and a handphone as well. So are young Harriet Potters unable to go to normal schools?
I think there's a new project coming up so that students can take the national exams electronically too. I am not sure how Molly's going to pass math. Slide rules and tables are a lot slower than an electronic calculator and exams have a time factor too.
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Mac's Pub is designed to diffuse magical energies from large groups of grumpy wizards. One would assume, something could be done, faroday style, to allow a wizard to use advanced technology. Maybe, create a device that discharges magic pulses the way a computer technician can wear a static wire?
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Dupe
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The design of McAnally's has very little to do with Faraday Cages other than intent, and certainly it has absolutely no commonality with a technologically created one. The "grounding" effect is derived entirely through mystic symbolism and correspondences. Furthermore, it is not a purely "anti-hex" utility. During the pre-Darkhallow events, the pub was mostly clear of the bad vibes that blanketed the city.
Mechanically, I'd represent this by a specialized Threshold effect, that insulates rather than suppressing.
EDIT: It's worth noting, that no one has ever been explicitly invited inside. If there is a threshold or threshold-like effect capable of attaching to a place of business (which, considering the homey atmosphere, does not seem unlikely), it seems like that would be a useful way to play it.
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Is there anything stopping a wizard from just putting down a circle around some tech? It seems very possible to put a circle around a water heater at least...(Cold showers are AWFUL)
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The implication is that eventually, technology WILL fail around a wizard if the item rmeains in his/her vicinity long enough. All you can do slow the process down a little bit.
But fear not! There are a LOT of 'modern' conveniences available through low-tech. Check out your local camping stores. I've been told that even hot showers are possible thanks to solar-powered (as in letting sunlight in and storing heat) devices; they're used at Pennsic and other SCA events all the time.
Also, if the wizard is far enough away from the technology, it will hold up. With enough money, you could store 'off-site' certain items (e.g. water heaters) since all you need is the hot water from them.
There's also boiling the water, putting it in a gravity-feed basin, and showering that way.
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Or just use those environ-friendly solar water heaters. Get a tax break, even.