If course Harry is getting more powerful, he is the star child, by the BAT he has to be a real bad ass otherwise he won't have a chance against the Outsiders.He smashed them down in Cold Days. Because his power was not his magic, but his mind.
He smashed them down in Cold Days. Because his power was not his magic, but his mind.
So suggests to me his key powerup will be knowledge, as Odin alluded to.
A couple of subtler things:That's a good point. It's hard to quantify his increase in control. It's obvious and larger in CD, but it also happens in every book. If I was to quantify it by, for example, saying Harry gets plus 1 control in a typical book and plus 3 in CD, I know I'd be wrong, and I'd know people would miss the point and argue that not only was I most definitely wrong, but some different number is clearly and obviously right. In fact, I half expect it to happen based on that sentence.
Mab's magical workout training preceding Cold Days. Harry gets better physically but also magically learns to not needs his foci as much.
...
He occasionally invents or uses something new like the electrical chain...
Also something intangible over the series is how scary he becomes to his enemies. He isn't really very scary to anyone in book 1. But now he is really something to worry about, a destroyer of nations and demigods. That impression, that reputation is a very real weapon in his arsenal and armour against his foes.
I don't remember, does he beef up his duster in response to almost getting sniped in the Michael short story?The only thing I recall being mentioned about him improving the spells on his duster is how long they last. In Changes, he thinks about how they last 6 months, but he thinks he's figured out how to push that to a year.
I would when he becomes the custodian of the swords.Good points and I did think about those things, but they're really hard to quantify as a power up. For the swords, my thought was how is that a power-up for Harry? It's more of a potential for getting a new ally later. For necromancy, will Harry ever use necromancy again? If not, is it a power up?
Also his necromancy crash course :-)
Having the swords in custody means that he always have them on hand when needed, assuming that there is someone who can wield them. Given the nature of them I would expect that anytime they are meant to be used there will be someone on hand to use them. They, now it, can't even be tricked to deal with an emergency somewhere else. So they are at least really really handy ally power ups.Alternatively, the fact he needs them on hand is a clear sign he's totally going down unless he has specific supernatural aid ;)
Having the swords in custody means that he always have them on hand when needed, assuming that there is someone who can wield them. Given the nature of them I would expect that anytime they are meant to be used there will be someone on hand to use them...
... I remember seeing a word of Jim somewhere that the threat he makes to Mavra on having read the word of kemmler is because there is also something in there for dealing with black court vampires very efficiently ...
I remember seeing a word of Jim somewhere that the threat he makes to Mavra on having read the word of kemmler is because there is also something in there for dealing with black court vampires very efficiently. If nothing else knowing how to become a minor did must be some sort of power up.I doubt Harry was bluffing because it would have been a really stupid bluff. He gave Mavra the book, so she would know. I always assumed the it was some kind of necromancy, which is a forbidden magic. Thinking about it now, I think Mavra knew that was in the book, and that's why she wanted it. The Black Court were allies of Kemmler. It may have been because they didn't have a choice.
Jim has been pretty explicit about this when asked at conventions. Harry is getting the basic tools to deal with the increased threats he is facing as time goes on, but just so that he'll always be the underdog and have to use his wits to defeat them, instead of just overpowering them.Yeah. I took the term power creep from him. He often says that the way for an author to handle it is by having to know where your character is going. It's stated in conjunction with a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
I doubt Harry was bluffing because it would have been a really stupid bluff. He gave Mavra the book, so she would know. I always assumed the it was some kind of necromancy, which is a forbidden magic. Thinking about it now, I think Mavra knew that was in the book, and that's why she wanted it. The Black Court were allies of Kemmler. It may have been because they didn't have a choice.
There's even a WOJ that he wasn't bluffing.
That doesn't mean there aren't risks or consequences for him if he actually uses that easy way to wreck a blampire, though. It may risk him going dark, for one thing.
...Yeah. I took the term power creep from him. He often says that the way for an author to handle it is by having to know where your character is going. It's stated in conjunction with a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
But Harry learns (from Luccio?) how to FOCUS his fire into a laser like beam.He does see Luccio do it in Dead Beat and internal monologues about how there's a big difference between him and her. He does get closer to that level of precision with his blasting rod, where she didn't appear to use a focus, but Harry was already getting more focus and control of his fuego spell. I wouldn't say he learned it from Luccio. I'd just say Luccio is a bench mark for what a wizard can accomplish after a lifetime as a combat specialist.
To be fair I think the term "Power Creep" is usually taken to mean how characters slowly become to powerfull for the obstacles they are facing. Like in DnD at lvl 5 the world is full of deadly threats, but at lvl 15 a good party can really steamroll a lot of things. Jim then states that he is not going to have this problem in Dresden Files because he has planned out the books till the end. In this way Dresdens power will never creep too high relative to the things he is fighting, i.e. there will be no power creep.Yeah. That was my understanding of the term from general usage as well. A good example is in collectible card games where the cards slowly get better and better so that cards from early releases become useless garbage which undermines the supposed backwards compatibility of earlier releases. TV Tropes says:
I agree, but I really like the thread so I just took the thread to mean Power Increase, which I think was Bad Alias intent.
This trope is the Gameplay Mechanics counterpart to So Last Season, Overshadowed by Awesome, Sequel Escalation and Serial Escalation, which refers to narrative or thematic elements.So power creep isn't really applicable because 1) it's not a game, and 2) Jim does it too well for the pejorative connotation of power creep to be fitting, but it's what Jim says, so I went with it.
One thing I like related to power creep is the realization that comes from meeting something that used to be a threat, but is not (much of a threat) anymore. Like in a DnD game where we early in the story had a boss fight with a troll and somewhat later had to conquer a small castle manned by lots and lots of trolls. That made the progression of our characters very clear. I hope we will see that in Peace Talks, e.g. Dresden punching an Octokong in the face.One thing I like about how Jim handles power escalation, is that Harry, who was always way more powerful than "tiny fairies," to quote Bob, is still vulnerable to them after getting so much more powerful. And it's really enjoyable because it's not like Jim is just nerfing Harry to make them still a threat. Tiny fairies killed Aurora in book 4. Harry wouldn't have to worry much about a pixie, but a swarm is another matter entirely.
To be fair I think the term "Power Creep" is usually taken to mean how characters slowly become to powerfull for the obstacles they are facing. Like in DnD at lvl 5 the world is full of deadly threats, but at lvl 15 a good party can really steamroll a lot of things.
He does see Luccio do it in Dead Beat and internal monologues about how there's a big difference between him and her. He does get closer to that level of precision with his blasting rod, where she didn't appear to use a focus, but Harry was already getting more focus and control of his fuego spell. I wouldn't say he learned it from Luccio. I'd just say Luccio is a bench mark for what a wizard can accomplish after a lifetime as a combat specialist.
I don't think escalation of power is necessarily inevitable in serial fiction broadly or even serial fantasy fiction specifically. I do think it's almost necessarily inherent in the framing of the idea of the Dresden Files as Jim has talked about how he broadly conceived the idea. He's said things like it's about the young hot heads who haven't earned respect yet, he wanted a wizard who threw fireballs (I'm assuming that's a direct DnD reference), etc.
One thing I like about how Jim handles power escalation, is that Harry, who was always way more powerful than "tiny fairies," to quote Bob, is still vulnerable to them after getting so much more powerful. And it's really enjoyable because it's not like Jim is just nerfing Harry to make them still a threat. Tiny fairies killed Aurora in book 4. Harry wouldn't have to worry much about a pixie, but a swarm is another matter entirely.
The one spell that seems to be on the increase the most is Shield spell
1. Physical objects.
2. To being able to defend against fire.
3. Uses it effectively in the Raith Deeps duel in white night.
4. Uses it against the Denarians, noticebly goes up against Thorned Namshiels 6 or 7 'wave lengths attack.'
5. Naagloshi uses a similar 'wave length attack'only Harry defends against all of the different attacks.
6. Duel with Arianna, and the Battle of Chitzchen Itza.
7. Mab trains him so he doesn't even need the Shield Bracelet. Defends against the Summer Knight.
8. Redirects Hannah Aschers Fire Spell with ease.
Over in the "What do you look forward to in Peace Talks?" thread, the discussion has moved to Harry getting a power up. It made me think of what's often described as power creep in the Dresden Files. I think creep is very apropos for Harry's gaining of power because it mostly happens pretty slowly. It creeps on up in a way that's hard to point to.
While he doesn't get a power up every book, he's almost always more powerful in at least one way. Usually a noticeable way. He's often also less powerful in some way. Usually less notable. Occasionally, he's significantly more powerful or significantly less powerful in an obvious way.
It's generally subtle from book to book, but Harry seems more powerful each book. He gets more foci. He gets a bigger gun every four books or so. His fuego spell gets tighter and tighter. I think it's first described as "as big around as my hips" to eventually being "as big as my two fingers." Occasionally we get big steps forward like in BR, when Harry has enchanted his duster and gets Hellfire.
Outline of Harry's power progression that I can recall:What am I missing and when did it happen? Thoughts on "power creep" in the Dresden Files?(click to show/hide)
Yeah, I was only hitting the main novels, so I didn't mention his new shield bracelet. By PT,Making and maintaining foci also takes considerable time and effort. He has a child now and there is less time between books.I was really hoping for more. I feel like it will be a soft and quiet retcon if Harry doesn't end up with more and better gear now that he has a lot more wealth than it ever looked like he was going to get in the series.(click to show/hide)
Making and maintaining fooi also takes considerable time and effort. He has a child now and there is less time between books.
Making and maintaining foci also takes considerable time and effort.Yeah, Jim has said something like Harry spends 20 hours a week maintaining his magical gear. The reason I feel like it will be a retcon if Harry doesn't end up with more and better gear is that in one of the first books, Harry says he does partial enchantments that wear off because full enchantments are time consuming and expensive, with emphasis on expensive. In Changes, Harry thinks that he has figured out how to extend the life of the enchantments on his duster from 6 months to a year.
... But it feels like there is another reason as Harry could have gotten tools as they are not that expensive and he had plenty of time on the island before cold days ...
Harry will rebuild some of his gear over time. He may not need all of it. It's hard to say, but it seems like older wizards have less gear than Harry had. Harry may learn to live without the gear before he get a around to making new gear. While I'm disappointed that he doesn't have his full kit, it makes sense. Money alone isn't enough to rebuild all of the materials and tools that Harry had. He spent years collecting that stuff, and let's face it, he probably doesn't have that many opportunities to acquire stuff like depleted uranium.
In Grave Pearl when Harry eats Kravos to get his own power back, he also eats Kravos's power.I think that power went away. I think a big part of the darkhallow was that Kemmler found a way to keep the power. Pure speculation on my part.
Maybe it didn't fall off, but instead Mab took to make him less reliant on his gear. Maybe she'll give it back some time during Peace Talks.