Holding Back the Hexing

[Drachasor]

So I was thinking about how to stop hexing, and was wondering what the thoughts of others were.  The purposes of this could range from taking a plane ride to using a computer (when not in use, you turn off, unplug, and seal the computer in a magic circle to block energies).

Thematically, one would think a small 2 or 3 shift block would stop normal hexing while it was up (e.g. allow the use of technology), since random leakings aren't high-powered.  Obviously that wouldn't stop the effects if you get really emotional about something.  Rules-wise though, that's a bit less clear since hexing (the non-helpful kind) is done by compels.

Only way to stop compels, I think, would be a magic maneuver on yourself.  Say something like "My Magic is Sealed" and then you Invoke for Effect that so that for the duration of the maneuver you can't use magic (which might count as a compel depending on what comes up*).  Bit more pricey** to go that way, though doing "I can't Hex!" as a maneuver seems like dirty pool.

In either case, probably the best way to do this for a long trip would be to have a magical item do the effect since extending the duration longer than a scene means you can keep it up indefinitely (though it costs you 1 mental stress each "scene"...though I guess some might think THAT is cheap too).

So does this sound reasonable to anyone or should stopping accidental hexing be strictly a matter of fate points spent to resist compels?

*Interesting question here.  If something starts simply as an Invocation for Effect.  You are going on a plane, so you make it so you can't use magic.  No compel there inherently since you might not need any magic.  While on the plane, some monster attacks, like a Vampire of some sort.  Seems like the compel is already there, so at that point you could choose to accept a Fate Point from the self-compel or, somewhat amusingly, buy out of your self-compel by spending a Fate Point at which point the magic block would be broken.  Thoughts?

**Not in shifts, but in loss of ability.

[EldritchFire]

In one of the books, Harry was being interviewed on TV, and had built a "ward" around himself to contain his magics. However, he had to constantly concentrate on it, and even then, when surprised he accidently dropped the ward long enough to fry a camera or two.

So in the Dresdenverse it is possible...Heck, when Harry takes on an apprentice they ward themselves when watching TV with the family...and a lot of preventative maintenance on the rest of the house.

Possible? Totally. Difficult? As hell! I can't imagine a wizard putting that many lives at risk just to ride an airplane. One slip of the mind, and the entire plane could come falling out of the sky. After one or two accidents like that, your wizard is now on the no-fly list and a suspected terrorist. How else do you explain how s/he survived that many plane crashes? What about their other sordid activities? Secret meetings with cloaked figures, superstitious doodads in their house/apartment, etc?

tl; dr version:

For small things like computers, it's possible, but bigger things like airplanes are a "no-fly zone."

-EF

[deathwombat]

Using magic to avoid hexing caused by magic
Hrrmmmmmmm

[BumblingBear]

I think the more refined the wizard the easier it would be.

For a wizard who has sponsored magic, it would be substantially easier.

First, sponsored magic does not affect electronics.

Second, a hold-the-magic-in-bubble could be cast on the spot.

[toturi]

Only way to stop compels, I think, would be a magic maneuver on yourself.  Say something like "My Magic is Sealed" and then you Invoke for Effect that so that for the duration of the maneuver you can't use magic (which might count as a compel depending on what comes up*).  Bit more pricey** to go that way, though doing "I can't Hex!" as a maneuver seems like dirty pool.

So does this sound reasonable to anyone or should stopping accidental hexing be strictly a matter of fate points spent to resist compels?

I think that such maneuvers would at best be temporary. The aspect the maneuver places on the character compels him NOT to hex and then he uses that Fate Point to pay off the compel to hex. But the point here is that it is temporary, he needs to keep at it, constantly maneuvering to place that Aspect on himself. The GM could escalate the compel to hex though, perhaps if he loses his calm or something similar.
I think it is better if the GM and player work it out. Maybe the player wants to play a wizard but doesn't want to deal with the hassles of being compelled to accidentally hex, so he has an Aspect like "tech friendly". Which in effect he sacrifices an Aspect slot to counter the hexing compel. Or maybe he can have an Aspect that is self-contradictory "tech friendly wizard" - he is compelled to be tech friendly as well as being compelled to hex both from the same Aspect. I think the main drawback to note (which has been pointed out) is that he is likely to have trouble hexing deliberately.

[deathwombat]

Sponsored magic alone is not a wizard
Wizard plus sponsored magic. Scary.

[Drachasor]

Using magic to avoid hexing caused by magic
Hrrmmmmmmm

Going by the theory in the book, it is basically uncontrolled magical energies that cause hexing.  A careful ritual or the like would be highly controlled magic designed to stop the uncontrolled leakage in one way or another.  Either going with a highly selective route if allowed "I can't hex" or something like "My magic is sealed" if one was using aspects.  The latter method would make the character unable to access any magic if invoked for effect (which might eventually become a compel).  In gaming terms if the GM is ok with the concept of making oneself tech-safe, then they'd just need to decide how hard it was.

In the books, Harry has great difficulty doing this, but he's trying to control his magic impulses with an evocation-like spell it seems.  He has a lot of trouble doing that, but it also isn't something completely sealing away his magic like one of the methods I proposed.  Harry probably wouldn't ever do that given how many things are out to kill him and how vulnerable he is without magic.  Though, there are ways to look at what Harry does.  One, his magic ward was just him spending fate points to not Hex and a nice GM (or not fate points and the GM just decides to make it a prolonged compel for funsies).  Eventually the GM upped the stakes and Harry decided to grab 2 or more fate points by letting his anger loose.  Alternatively, one could look at it as a small ward/block against him doing magic, stopping excess energies from flowing (and him paying many exchanges for it...though social exchanges last a lot longer than combat ones, I'd think).  Eventually the GM offers a compel for him to stop doing it, and he takes it.  I think those are the best ways in-game to view it.

Edit:  I like testing the forums out before talking to my GM about something.  Conversations are more focused and there's less bugging that way.  This does relate to my character who's an archaeologist so I am sort of seeing what the forum thoughts are avoiding hexing.

[devonapple]

Another option is that Harry was going to "lose" the Social Conflict that was going on, and this was part of his Concession. Or he took Consequences during the Social Conflict which targeted his calming ritual.

[Drachasor]

Another option is that Harry was going to "lose" the Social Conflict that was going on, and this was part of his Concession. Or he took Consequences during the Social Conflict which targeted his calming ritual.

Oh yes, quite right.  Harry is not very adept at social conflicts.  (Speaking of which, neither is my archaeologist.  Having a bit of magic, higher education, and being the Son of Thor take up a lot of skills).  For what it is worth, good people, my character only current has access to Thaumaturgy.  Eventually (e.g. theoretically) I think he'll get full wizard abilities, but that's a long, long way off.  He's kind of a warrior-scholar.  Anyhow, he has dig sites to go to (not during game time, typically), so it's planes or the Nevernever, pretty much.  (Though, I don't think my particular character is supremely relevant to the discussion...I like my conversations as abstract as possible).

I thought totally binding one's magic would certainly be fair (on the extreme end of things).  You could easily make a ritual that bound it for a day (or even have a magic item devoted to this purpose) if you accept an invoke for effect lasting until the maneuver ended.  I mean, that's a pretty significant penalty and we could easily see why Harry would never even try something like that.  Hmm, people don't seem like that though.

[Drachasor]

I think the more refined the wizard the easier it would be.

For a wizard who has sponsored magic, it would be substantially easier.

First, sponsored magic does not affect electronics.

Second, a hold-the-magic-in-bubble could be cast on the spot.

Imho, sponsored magic would affect Electronics.  It's still driven by the will of the person using the magic and it is conflicted will that causes accidental hexing.  That said, it's up to each gaming group, of course.

[BumblingBear]

Imho, sponsored magic would affect Electronics.  It's still driven by the will of the person using the magic and it is conflicted will that causes accidental hexing.  That said, it's up to each gaming group, of course.

It's canon that sponsored magic does not affect electronics.  Both the SK and the WK both can and do use modern electronics.

[Drachasor]

It's canon that sponsored magic does not affect electronics.  Both the SK and the WK both can and do use modern electronics.

Ahh, yeah, I guess you got a point there.  Lucky sods.

[bibliophile20]

One thing my wizard and photomancer had designed early one were "hex-orption bracelets", minor enchanted items that acted as a block against random hexing; I basically treated it as a reduction of the strength of their normal "hex-aura" by a factor of the Strength of the item.  Past a certain point for the wizard, it stopped making a practical difference for most cutting edge tech, and he ditched his a while back.

[Drachasor]

One thing my wizard and photomancer had designed early one were "hex-orption bracelets", minor enchanted items that acted as a block against random hexing; I basically treated it as a reduction of the strength of their normal "hex-aura" by a factor of the Strength of the item.  Past a certain point for the wizard, it stopped making a practical difference for most cutting edge tech, and he ditched his a while back.

Hmm, do you mean that you used the Deliberate Hexing table for this?  Would a Strength 4 item stop hexing for things that are 5+ on the chart (e.g. counting up from the bottom)?  Or did you do it some other way?

[bibliophile20]

Hmm, do you mean that you used the Deliberate Hexing table for this?  Would a Strength 4 item stop hexing for things that are 5+ on the chart (e.g. counting up from the bottom)?  Or did you do it some other way?

Basically, it was almost a plot device item that allowed them to safely be in the same area as working mortal technology for a longer period of time before the fiddly-bits started to fry.  More or less an excuse so they wouldn't walk down the street and kill all of the smartphones, iPods and laptops that they walked past, and could give someone enough time to shut down the electronics in question. 

To be honest, that was something from early on, when we were all still learning out way around the system; I don't know if I'd allow it these days.