Stephen Hawking: Wizard Professor?

[Tharios]

I've mentioned the prospect elsewhere, but I think maybe it deserves its own topic.

Would you ever consider making Stephen Hawking a wizard, or at least a wizard-level practitioner (after all, who on the Council would even consider the possibility...the old fuddy-duddys)?

Let's examine the potential.

His mind is easily the equal or more likely the better of anyone on the council.  After all, the man has to quickly perform calculations in his head of such complexity that individuals with computers still take much longer and much more effort.  Not only that, but he can visualize the results of such equations as they'd be represented in reality.  Frankly, to me that speaks of nothing less than being able to perform magics of any degree of complexity with no need at all for any stinking foci or archaic language.

Some might point out that his wheelchair and communication computer would never work for a wizard, but consider the level at which his mind operates and how likely it is that out of all people, he'd have the most intimate knowledge of how magic affects technology and why.  While it may not have been easy to establish, I don't consider it a stretch at all that one or more of his rote evocations or rituals is geared toward maintaining the function of his equipment.  Likely others would be for concealing his nature as a wizard (being british, I'm sure he loathes the thought of being some kind of crippled Harry Potter).

Others might point out that his body is too wasted to be that of a wizard who are generally healthy and can recover from anything short of death if given enough time.  But consider that the disorder that afflicts him should've killed him many years ago.  Yet, he seems to hang on.  It's not only reasonable, but likely that the disease is simply outrunning his wizardly capacity to heal.  He'll have an otherwise normal lifespan when compared to other wizards, making his work that much more important to him.  Perhaps his ultimate agenda is to answer certain questions once and for all about the universe so that "magic" becomes as reasonable as the gadgets people run around with.

Given all this does anyone else consider it reasonable, or at least sufficiently interesting enough, to utilize it in the grand scope of a Dresdenverse?  If not...then why not?

[Jeckel]

I hadn't thought of it in terms of Hawking, but since I first got into  Dresden Files I've like the idea of "quantum-mancer". It just seems to me that the whole hexing of technology stems from the fact that most people just don't understand and (more importantly to a wizard) can't visualize its internal workings and their effect on/from magic. If a person that knew micro-chips, circuit boards, and hardware/software like the back of his hand I don't see a reason that, as a wizard, they wouldn't have better luck with tech then a given PI or soldier wizard. Just seems to me that a Wizard's problem with tech has the same cause as a scientists problems with magic, neither understands the other enough to work it into their own world view.

[Tharios]

I hadn't thought of it in terms of Hawking, but since I first got into  Dresden Files I've like the idea of "quantum-mancer". It just seems to me that the whole hexing of technology stems from the fact that most people just don't understand and (more importantly to a wizard) can't visualize its internal workings and their effect on/from magic. If a person that knew micro-chips, circuit boards, and hardware/software like the back of his hand I don't see a reason that, as a wizard, they wouldn't have better luck with tech then a given PI or soldier wizard. Just seems to me that a Wizard's problem with tech has the same cause as a scientists problems with magic, neither understands the other enough to work it into their own world view.

Well, the RPG describes it as the seepage and reaction of undirected leftover energy from the working of magic.  And since practitioners are magical antennas, they're always seeping something and even more so when highly emotional.  The trick would be finding away to redirect all of that seepage in some other way.

Someone like Hawking would have not only more incentive, but potentially a greater understanding of how the energies of magic and science relate to one another, just as you said.

[Wordmaker]

That's a really cool concept.

There are a lot of ways to work Stephen Hawking into the Dresdenverse, and who's to say his condition is even entirely mundane? It's possible it's the result of a death curse, or that he worked out some way to supress the seeping of magical energy in order for him to continue his work, but at the expense of being able to recover in the long-term.

[JosephKell]

Imagine what hexing with do to his life.  His wheelchair and speaking board will stop working (if he is lucky) or go haywire (if he isn't).

How is "haywire" bad?  Power chair starts "driving" itself (not so bad in a hallway, but what about near a pool or road traffic).  Speaking board starts acting like it has Tourette syndrome, saying all sorts of awful things.

Hilarity ensues.  Because of the hexing implications of magic I was forced to make an NPC more ambulatory than I would've preferred.

[Tharios]

Imagine what hexing with do to his life.  His wheelchair and speaking board will stop working (if he is lucky) or go haywire (if he isn't).

How is "haywire" bad?  Power chair starts "driving" itself (not so bad in a hallway, but what about near a pool or road traffic).  Speaking board starts acting like it has Tourette syndrome, saying all sorts of awful things.

Hilarity ensues.  Because of the hexing implications of magic I was forced to make an NPC more ambulatory than I would've preferred.

Generally, I would imagine that Hawking has apparently found some kind of way around the issue of hexing.  Considering how experienced he'd have to be at doing ALL spellwork entirely in his head, and his degree of understanding of quantum mechanics, I'm pretty sure that by the time he got to using the computer well enough to communicate, he'd nailed down some formulas for preventing hexes.

But, it'd be amusing to see him get angry or something once in a while and have something malfunction in a humorous way.

[exploding_brain]

Any sufficiently advanced magic chair and speaking board are indistinguishable from technology.

[neko128]

When I was first playing around with setting creation, I started playing around with the NY Capital Region, and one of the things I did was introduce George Ferris (inventor of the Ferris Wheel and alumnus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, among other things) as a wizard as well as an engineer.  In that version of history, the early versions of Ferris Wheels were parts of his experimentation at channeling and focusing magic to avoid accidental hexing and the "technology-fuzzing" effect that wizards have.

[Wordmaker]

That rocks!

[neko128]

On a slightly more general note (but along the line of Ferris wheels...), we know magic can be grounded out, stored, collected, channeled and redirected.  We have any number of examples of it in the book.  If accidental hexing is the result of "loose" magic that's leaked through lack of concentration, I'd certainly be behind the idea of a "lightning rod" of sorts.  Maybe the wizard could tattoo himself with "channeling lines" running down to his feet...  And build his magic circle at home with two foot-prints such that radial lines match the tattoos.  This, when standing properly, could allow him to "shed" loose magic into the circle, reducing the effect of wizard hexing for some period of time...

The fact that noone's done this type of thing in the books could mean 1) it's impossible, or 2) the White Council (the only ones who would really need to do this on a large scale) are too hide-bound to bother.  There's certainly plenty of room for interpretation in your own games.

[FutureGameDesigner]

On a slightly more general note (but along the line of Ferris wheels...), we know magic can be grounded out, stored, collected, channeled and redirected.  We have any number of examples of it in the book.  If accidental hexing is the result of "loose" magic that's leaked through lack of concentration, I'd certainly be behind the idea of a "lightning rod" of sorts.  Maybe the wizard could tattoo himself with "channeling lines" running down to his feet...  And build his magic circle at home with two foot-prints such that radial lines match the tattoos.  This, when standing properly, could allow him to "shed" loose magic into the circle, reducing the effect of wizard hexing for some period of time...

The fact that noone's done this type of thing in the books could mean 1) it's impossible, or 2) the White Council (the only ones who would really need to do this on a large scale) are too hide-bound to bother.  There's certainly plenty of room for interpretation in your own games.

Not a bad idea, except that it wouldn't help much.  The leakage is a constant thing that gets worse during spellcasting.

Either the nature of the circle would require some continuing connection to the tattoos, or the tattoos would have to "store" magical leftovers to be discharged harmlessly every so often.

A potential consequence of this could be a variation on Harry's force rings.  A ring is an unbroken circle, and could potentially be used to store the leftovers channeled by the tattoos.  Instant bang-battery.

Such a set up though would be somewhat difficult under the best conditions though, I'd think.  But, it sounds interesting anyway.

[neko128]

Well, has it been established whether the "leaked hexing magic" is more like radiation (always-on, goes whether or not it's affecting something, etcetera) or more like static electricity (builds up until something grounds it out)?

In the former case, the tattoos would simply do nothing unless you were in a situation or had something that properly let you ground out the magic - and yes, I could see your building an enchanted item like a ring that you could clutch that would let you ground out a certain amount of magic.  In fact, that could be a good plot hook; you're agitated, trying to sneak through some high-tech thing, or in a harsh interview, clutching this ring which is grounding out your leaking magic...  How worked up are you?  Does it still have the capacity to get you through whatever you're doing?  Or is the GM about to compel "Oh noes, your magic charging ring is full, and you're about to give the hexing equivalent of a capacitor discharge to a huge room of computer equipment!"

In the latter case, it'd be more of a...  Surface charge, which tends to ground out in a large number of cases.  Running water would ground out your charge; spell-casting would probably ground you out; magical circles would ground you out; and technological devices would ground you out.  Then, you could just kindof periodically meditate for a few minutes in your circle to "neutralize" your "surface charge", and it'd at least reduce the effect.