Beneficent Death Curses

[KOFFEYKID]

I was thinking, Death Curses have such a bad rep, nothing says that a Death Curse has to be a curse. All a Death Curse is a huge thaumaturgic ritual that uses all of somebodies life force.

Now, the question is, what Beneficent uses of the death curses can you imagine?

[Archmage_Cowl]

i have some like that in my campaign. They're called death blessings(at least to me lol). The only one we've seen so far was the father of one of the characters bound a powerful water elemental into his service As a tattoo on his back to aid him whenever he is in trouble. Other than that ive had idea's for people getting powers like that being protected from certain entity's for a time and other such things.

[KOFFEYKID]

Ive got the idea of a wedded pair of wizards captured by the reds and infected for fun, to see who would eat the other first, and the husband uses his death curse to say "Keep Your Soul" as she kills him in bloodlust.

[Archmage_Cowl]

Ive got the idea of a wedded pair of wizards captured by the reds and infected for fun, to see who would eat the other first, and the husband uses his death curse to say "Keep Your Soul" as she kills him in bloodlust.

Thats an awesome idea i actually have something like that in my campaign. We have a mortal who was turned into a black court vamp through a ritual and something went wrong and he ended up a soulfull black court vamp. As in he actually still has a soul. lol

[mrsleep]

Bummer. I had a mental image of Bella Lugosi playing at a blues club.

[drnuncheon]

I was thinking, Death Curses have such a bad rep, nothing says that a Death Curse has to be a curse. All a Death Curse is a huge thaumaturgic ritual that uses all of somebodies life force.

Very true, but as Harry often says, when you work magic you have to mean it, so I would definitely be taking a very close look at the character of the dying wizard before allowing it.  (there's also the possibility that magic powered by death might have an unpleasant edge to it that you might not want attached to your blessing)

In game terms, I'd at a minimum expect a character to be tagging one or more aspects relating to the target of his blessing, and I would certainly be looking for any compellable aspects that would interfere with his selfless act. Someone who has aspects relating to self-sacrifice and love for another character who is in immediate danger? A death blessing seems appropriate.  Someone with aspects like "vengeful" and "quick-tempered" who tries to cast a death blessing on someone is going to have a much harder time.

[KOFFEYKID]

Well, yes, it is powered by death, but in the case of a blessing one could say it is instead powered by self sacrifice. It just depends on your perspective. Certainly you have to agree that there are things worth dying for.

[Cajun Guy]

It could work. For example, in changes if harry would have gotten capped he might have used the last of his magic to do something to protect  or hide his his daughter. It probably would have been destructive or somthing like her touch kills vampires or whatnot. Depends on when he would die. If you die trying to save someone or something then I think it wouldn't have to be a curse, but you would have to have a really good reason I'd imagine.

[mroehler]

A death blessing? That sounds suspiciously like what happens in Harry Potter (the "magic of love"); is that REALLY what you want to have in your game?

[Deadmanwalking]

A death blessing? That sounds suspiciously like what happens in Harry Potter (the "magic of love"); is that REALLY what you want to have in your game?

Why not? Love and sacrifice are important thematic and mystical elements of the Dresden Files. Look at Amorrachius, just for example.

[KOFFEYKID]

Hell, Emotions are basically raw magical power. Harry says so multiple times throughout the series, and he commonly draws on his anger to get an extra boost in power. I also remember Harry saying that there is more magic in a baby's first laugh than in any wizard, or some such.

[surarrin]

Love killed the Dinosaurs!

[SaintAndSinner]

A death blessing? That sounds suspiciously like what happens in Harry Potter (the "magic of love"); is that REALLY what you want to have in your game?

i'd allow it if it fit the situation

[Tsunami]

Actually, we do have a precedent for a positive Death Curse. Ok, it's atheoretical one, since Harry never threw it, but in Fool Moon he contemplates:

Maybe I could counter MacFinn's curse with it, take the horrid transformation off of him that Saint Patrick had allegedly laid on him.

[neko128]

Can I point out that a blessing and a curse are frequently (not necessarily always - I haven't thought it through that far - but often) two sides of the same coin?

A blessing of protection from Harry Potter's dieing mother *functioned* as a curse against anyone who acted against him.  Eric's death curse against the Courts of Chaos acted as a blessing and guide on Corwin's actions (this is speculated on later in the books by Corwin, briefly).

They don't have to be mutually exclusive.