Author Topic: Harry is about to learn new tricks!  (Read 3499 times)

Offline b4utoo

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Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« on: January 10, 2021, 02:52:07 AM »
I don't believe Jim Butcher is a lazy writer. I think he had dracul and Marcone perform that transporter spell for a reason. I think Harry's about the take another leap in ability and know how. Harry throws Down The Gauntlet to the council. Pretty much saying there's a new sheriff in town. He's got to step up his game now. Bringing new "friends" maybe even a few old ones... Kincaid...Goodman ...

Offline Dina

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2021, 09:34:59 AM »
Oh, I had not thought at that, but it would make sense. I would love to see it.
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Offline Regenbogen

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2021, 11:50:51 AM »
First he will learn how to shift shapes.

Offline grogleberry

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2021, 10:34:55 PM »
Harry still isn't particularly good at veils 10 years later (or however long it's been).

It sounds like some extremely finnicky magic.

Also, the way things were described was that Marcone did "translocation". Harry belaboured the point a bit, talking about how it was bordering on forbidden, and extremely dangerous. Drakul's teleportation, however, wasn't dwelled upon.

I don't think you can say it was a matter of urgency in the prose. They were both life and death situations, with the fight against the Titan certainly more crucial.

Another one mentioned was Mab's. When Corb tosses the head of the Gwynn ap Nudd to Mab, tantmount to a declaration of war on the Accorded Nations by itself, and insults her, Harry describes her movement. She sort of just appears in front of Corb without passing the space in between. This sounds more like Drakul's movement - sufficiently powerful beings sound like they can simply will themselves about the place. Just as Ferrovax or Odin smush Harry to the ground with pure will, they seem to have reality warping powers that allow them to teleport around the place.

I wonder if it'll be a bit like Harry's "Be" spell, where he manifests in Ghost Story. It won't be a new skill, so much as a set piece spell he uses to accomplish a particular goal. It will involve a huge amount of risk, or he won't be very good at it.

Him reappearing without his clothes on, or inside his wedding cake, would be very much on brand.

Offline Conspiracy Theorist

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2021, 12:34:57 AM »
It depends on what the magic for the transporter spell entails, if it is related to portals it might be right down his street. The problem is finding out how it was done. Bob doesn’t know as Harry tried the Edinburgh library and was banned. Cue Bonea. Bonea has Lash’s memory so she probably knows how Namshiel pulled it off.

Offline The_Sibelis

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2021, 06:15:49 AM »
Mwahahaha! I can see great potential in combining a teleportation spell with the knowledge of the ways Harry got from his mother. Imagine the terror his enemies would have when suddenly he can appear at will all across the globe and throughout the NN! And it would open up the wider world in the DF too.

Offline Dina

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2021, 06:33:49 AM »
Love that!
Missing you, Md 

There are many horrible sights in the multiverse. Somehow, though, to a soul attuned to the subtle rhythms of a library, there are few worse sights than a hole where a book ought to be. Someone has stolen a book (Terry Pratchett)

Offline KurtinStGeorge

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2021, 08:10:17 AM »
Mwahahaha! I can see great potential in combining a teleportation spell with the knowledge of the ways Harry got from his mother. Imagine the terror his enemies would have when suddenly he can appear at will all across the globe and throughout the NN! And it would open up the wider world in the DF too.

I was thinking the exact same thing.  We've only seen Harry use his mother's amulet that one time in Changes.  And even though Harry's use of the amulet was vital to gain clues and get to the Red Court's party in time to save his daughter, you could also say that Harry used the amulet in a rather straightforward or pedestrian way.  Combining the knowledge of the ways with something like the teleportation spell; even if it took a lot of energy to do so; meaning it would tax Harry to some degree, could be a real game changer in the right situation. 
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Offline Conspiracy Theorist

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2021, 10:55:19 PM »
The indication is that is line of sight teleportation, not unlike what Harry achieved in Ghost Form, so he has some experience of such a form of travel. Combine that with a bit of Earth magic,  and he could replicate his trick of jumping straight up, leaving him floating above a battle in a veil, and his opponent totally unaware where he is.

Offline Mira

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2021, 06:44:11 AM »
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Harry still isn't particularly good at veils 10 years later (or however long it's been).

Oh I think he is.  Why?  Because he uses them on a regular basis now.  In the early books he rarely used them and said he sucked at doing them.  Veils are not a natural skill for him like they are for Molly, Justin didn't seem to push them as a skill, Eb didn't seem interested or was under orders not
to hone sixteen year old Harry's skills in the three years he lived with him under the Doom as apprentice.  So he was never taught the skill beyond the basics and feel the need to practice it. Training Molly, he may have learned from her doing her thing naturally. Or more likely he worked harder at the skill because he had to keep on top of it to work with her.  No, he may never reach Molly's level, but he is decent at them now, and will get better as time goes on.  Face it, if you have a couple of hundred years to practice a skill, over time you will get rather good at it.

Offline TheCuriousFan

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2021, 12:34:30 PM »
Oh I think he is.  Why?  Because he uses them on a regular basis now.  In the early books he rarely used them and said he sucked at doing them.  Veils are not a natural skill for him like they are for Molly, Justin didn't seem to push them as a skill, Eb didn't seem interested or was under orders not
to hone sixteen year old Harry's skills in the three years he lived with him under the Doom as apprentice.  So he was never taught the skill beyond the basics and feel the need to practice it. Training Molly, he may have learned from her doing her thing naturally. Or more likely he worked harder at the skill because he had to keep on top of it to work with her.  No, he may never reach Molly's level, but he is decent at them now, and will get better as time goes on.  Face it, if you have a couple of hundred years to practice a skill, over time you will get rather good at it.
Eb focused on more important things, like teaching Harry not to be the killing machine he was raised to be.
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Offline Mira

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2021, 01:00:34 PM »
Eb focused on more important things, like teaching Harry not to be the killing machine he was raised to be.

  I know that, my point is he never pushed on or taught Harry anymore skills than he had already learned.  So when we first meet Harry, he is very powerful, but all his skills are crude and he cheats
to refine what he needs to refine to survive.  He has lots of KABOOM, but no control, so he uses a blasting rod instead of taking the time to learn how to refine. 

Offline grogleberry

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2021, 02:00:26 PM »
Oh I think he is.  Why?  Because he uses them on a regular basis now.  In the early books he rarely used them and said he sucked at doing them.  Veils are not a natural skill for him like they are for Molly, Justin didn't seem to push them as a skill, Eb didn't seem interested or was under orders not
to hone sixteen year old Harry's skills in the three years he lived with him under the Doom as apprentice.  So he was never taught the skill beyond the basics and feel the need to practice it. Training Molly, he may have learned from her doing her thing naturally. Or more likely he worked harder at the skill because he had to keep on top of it to work with her.  No, he may never reach Molly's level, but he is decent at them now, and will get better as time goes on.  Face it, if you have a couple of hundred years to practice a skill, over time you will get rather good at it.

"Good" is relative I suppose. He's not incompetent at them, and he has a tendency to underrate his abilities, or at least err on the side of caution with how he rates them.

But nevertheless, he's not a finesse-focused wizard, in the way he describes Molly or Carlos, or even Ebenezar, who's both finesse and power. Teleportation is presented as something that requires finesse, rather than power (as Marcone can do it despite himself not being magically inclined, via Namshiel). It doesn't sound like something that someone who's merely competent at other tricky magic, like glamour, veils, mind magic and such, would be particularly good at.

That doesn't mean he doesn't give it a go. If he does though, I doubt it'll be the sort of straightforward power up that he can make easy use of at all times, the way we see Marcone, Drakul or Mab use it as a massive tactical advantage. It sounds more like something he'll use at great risk to himself as an act of desperation - eg he's trapped in a location that he can't otherwise magic his way out of, or he needs to get somewhere he can't otherwise reach. And it'll give him a mild aneurysm, or ruptured internal organs or something, that requires him to recuperate for weeks (after he's saved the day), and decide never to use it again.

Offline Mira

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2021, 04:15:46 PM »
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But nevertheless, he's not a finesse-focused wizard, in the way he describes Molly or Carlos, or even Ebenezar, who's both finesse and power. Teleportation is presented as something that requires finesse, rather than power (as Marcone can do it despite himself not being magically inclined, via Namshiel). It doesn't sound like something that someone who's merely competent at other tricky magic, like glamour, veils, mind magic and such, would be particularly good at.

He is more focused than he used to be.  Marcone isn't doing it, Namshiel is..  We don't know if Harry lacks the finesse to learn teleportation, he was barred from even studying it wasn't he.  It could turn out that he has a very natural talent for it.  In fact it might turn out to be true, consider, Jim usually doesn't introduce such things just for the sake of it.  Harry mentions that he did have a passing interest but wasn't allowed near the books that contained the knowledge he needs.  Traveling back and forth from Demonreach to Chicago is a pain in the ass and he has lost the transport that he had. There doesn't seem to be a safe way through the Nevernever either.  So the most logical way and quickest way for him to do it, is teleportation.  So I wouldn't be shocked if Harry finds a way to study the art and becomes fairly good at it.

Offline morriswalters

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Re: Harry is about to learn new tricks!
« Reply #14 on: January 16, 2021, 05:15:50 PM »
Mwahahaha! I can see great potential in combining a teleportation spell with the knowledge of the ways Harry got from his mother. Imagine the terror his enemies would have when suddenly he can appear at will all across the globe and throughout the NN! And it would open up the wider world in the DF too.
Imagine the Wylie Coyote look he gets when he shows up just over the edge of a tall cliff and pokes around with his feet and can't find the ground.