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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Rubycon on November 04, 2011, 10:45:59 AM

Title: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: Rubycon on November 04, 2011, 10:45:59 AM
Hi,
I have just began to read DEATH MASKS where Harry at the beginning is suppressing his technology hex. So we all know it is possible to do it, although it is describesd as difficult and straining.
But, coming to rules, how can a wizard do it? And if he does it, could it be less straining with thaumaturgy?
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: zenten on November 04, 2011, 10:55:55 AM
Easiest way to do it is to have this be considered how you buy off the hex compel.
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: DFJunkie on November 04, 2011, 05:06:13 PM
Well yes, but he wants to do it with magic.

One way to handle this would be to just hand-wave it away.  The hex suppression wasn't really the focus of the scene, and it isn't like it actually lasts that long.  It really does seem more like a negotiated compel.

On the other hand, if it becomes important I'd price it at three shifts for a scene, or three shifts plus duration if handled via Thamaturgy, and it would collapse if the wizard casts another spell, but then I never really thought of hexing as a major issue with wizards. 
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: NicholasQuinn on November 04, 2011, 05:28:23 PM
A discipline based block against your own hexing could work. Although I'm still pro-compel buy-off.
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: sinker on November 04, 2011, 06:19:56 PM
It's probably a maneuver with the shift requirement being whatever the GM wants to set it at. Then you treat the contradictory aspects as if they cancel each other out. I think there's rules for this somewhere but I can't for the life of me find them (which may mean that they don't exist or that I just can't find them), anyway it's not a bad idea regardless.
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: Tedronai on November 04, 2011, 07:00:59 PM
I think there's rules for this somewhere but I can't for the life of me find them (which may mean that they doesn't exist or that I just can't find them)

They're in a sidebar somewhere, possibly OW, but they exist.
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: EdgeOfDreams on November 04, 2011, 09:46:26 PM
My group runs Hexing two different ways depending on the scenario.

Sometimes, the GM just offers a compel, which you can buy off as usual.  Harry might have bought off the first compel, but accepted a second one later or something like that.

Other times, the GM asks the player to roll discipline against a difficulty determined by the power of the character and the level of tech involved.  In this case, a potion, spell, maneuver, etc. could be used to boost or substitute for the roll just like for any other skill check.

So, for that model, Harry might have placed a discipline maneuver before going to the show, "Trying to Stay Calm", and set up a spell that applied an aspect "Power Under Control".  He tagged those when it looked like he might fail a discipline roll, but eventually ran out of tags as the scene got more and more stressful.
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: Tedronai on November 04, 2011, 09:49:47 PM
As per the contradictory aspects sidebar referenced above, a maneuver placed beforehand can assist even in the case of a straight compel.
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: Silverblaze on November 05, 2011, 03:32:54 AM
Few ways to do it with magic:

Put yourself in a circle vs magic when around technology?
Ward vs hexing with enough shifts to beat your own conviction + 4?
Ward vs your own magic overall with the same strength?
Hope the threshold is so strong magic is all but impossible thereby supressing the hex to some extent?
Title: Re: Harry suppresses his hex
Post by: Rubycon on November 05, 2011, 03:24:05 PM
In "Death Masks" Harry states: "I'd worked ot a spell to supress the magic i carried with me, at least temporarely (...)"
So I would assume there is a way to suppress this thing. This would make wizards far less vulnerable to hexing (one of their main weaknesses). Additionally, this would be far more important for medevial wizards than for modern wizards.
That being said, I just like the idea that the wizard can aktivly suppress his own magic. Like some of you said, he couldn't cast other spells and maybe would be untracable for "magic hunters".
I personally would consider it as spirit magic with a number of shifts as the wizards conviction plus additional shifts for duration. That is a high price, making it difficult to cast and to maintain - as in the book.