Working out a new Spirit Rote for attacking discorporate beings

[Orladdin]

Having just re-read Grave Peril, I am now in agreement that this should be Thaumaturgy.  Only Evocable with ThamAtEvoSpeed from sponsored or something similar.

[sinker]

What specifically are you referring to Orladdin?

[Orladdin]

What specifically are you referring to Orladdin?

How difficult Dresden finds it to

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remove Leo Kravos from Lydia in his apartment, even with Michael and Thomas to help him.

He still has to draw the circle with salt and use candles (additional focus items).  It also takes him more than one exchange.

This is essentially the exact situation the OP gives.

[Tedronai]

Problem 1: Kravos' ghost wasn't a mook.  The fact that 'it took more than one exhange' to exorcise him is thus moot.  It would take more than one exchange to burn through his stress and consequence tracks with effective attacks.
Problem 2: Harry's 'Not So Subtle...' aspect makes it incredibly difficult for him to use any but the most blunt applications of Spirit, the element proposed for this effect.

[Orladdin]

Problem 1: Kravos' ghost wasn't a mook.  The fact that 'it took more than one exhange' to exorcise him is thus moot.  It would take more than one exchange to burn through his stress and consequence tracks with effective attacks.
Problem 2: Harry's 'Not So Subtle...' aspect makes it incredibly difficult for him to use any but the most blunt applications of Spirit, the element proposed for this effect.

Both good points.  I guess we should be discussing whether or not it makes sense for Morty to just flick a wrist and pop a posessing ghost out of the posessee... and if he can, did he take an extra ability (worth refresh) to do so?

[Sanctaphrax]

Could care less about novel examples. The game is not an extension of the stories. What works mechanics-wise should trump what simulates the books.

[GryMor]

There are three parts to this:
1. Is it something that reasonably shouldn't harm your unintended victims?
2. Does it satisfy the catch of your intended victim?
3. Does it fit cleanly into one of your evocation elements?

A Dawn attack likely satisfies 1 and 2 but will often fail on 3 if you don't have SM: Summer Court or something equivalent.

That said, there are a few examples in the book, Ghost Dust and Sunburst pg 304. If you can fit their effects into your evocation elements, then go ahead, otherwise you are stuck doing Thaum (either directly or with potions).

[sinker]

I think that there's one thing that bugs me about not allowing this kind of thing. Because it penalizes a player for a specific thematic choice. The player is still attacking, they are still dealing stress. How that stress is dealt is fairly irrelevant.

3. Does it fit cleanly into one of your evocation elements?

Fire is supposed to have a purifying aspect (just like water is entropy, and air is movement, etc).

[Mr. Death]

Fire is supposed to have a purifying aspect (just like water is entropy, and air is movement, etc).

It'd be tricky to bathe a target body in fire and not harm the body itself, though.

[sinker]

Except it seems that one can use water's entropy aspect without directly using water. It follows that one can purify without directly using fire.

Additionally that was really a tangential point. My main point (that you're penalizing someone for a thematic choice) is the more important.