Hydromancer

[cgodfrey7]

I had some thoughts I would like input on regarding hydromancers.  Normally running water is supposed to ground out magic and make it hard for a wizard to cast any magic.  Will running water have the same effect on a hydromancer?  What effect does rain have on a normal wizard?  Will it have the same effect on a hydromancer?  From a game balance point of view it would make sense that they should have the same effects, but if they have a natural affinity towards water, I guess they could just use a fate point and invoke their main aspect.  Anyway, thoughts/comments/ideas/suggestions?

[BumblingBear]

I'm no expert, but I would think that on a GM's call, a hydromancer could roll to overcome (some) of the grounding effect of running water.

Also, a non lethal evocation of running water under the feet of another caster would be cool.

In fact, if you were a sneaky hydromancer, you could do a cheap running water effect for one shift over a large area, invest a few shifts into its duration, and then you would effectively be the only evocator who could lay down the magical hurt.

That would be nasty.

[sinker]

When you look at the thematic concept it gets easier to understand. Running water's effect on magic is all about water as a conduit for energy, sweeping energy away with it. If you are manipulating water, then the water that you're manipulating is not going to draw any extra energy with it (it's already suffused with that energy and is going with that energy). If there's another source of water (say rain) it's still going to be attacking your energy, as an unplanned and extra conduit for that energy.

Mechanically though it's all probably scene aspects that someone (anyone) could invoke/compel to make it harder for someone (even a hydromancer) to throw around magic.

[dlw32]

I really wish they had put rules in the system for the effect of running water. It's too much a part of the books to just hand-wave over.

Anyway, I would run this as a block against spellcasting. I don't think a normal rain would have any affect (Harry has cast spells in normal rain), but a hard rain might be block:3 or so. If you're casting the block then the block is based on how much umpf you put into it of course.

I would say that if you set an area effect to pour water over everything then it would affect you too if you're in the same Zone. You could have it affect only one target (or multiple specific targets with greater difficulty) and then be in the same zone.

I could see a Hyrdromancer tapping his aspect to get a +2 to cast in spite of the flowing water.

[Sanctaphrax]

There's a homebrew power that I developed for the Fomors that makes water a necessity for spellcasting instead of a hindrance. I think it's balanced, and it might well be appropriate to a hydromancer.