New to the game with a couple of questions

[yrtalien]

Hi, Im new to the Fate / Dresden system and am hoping that you all might be able to clariify a couple of things for me.

Can an NPC make a declaration of "You have a bad knee" and then make a fists roll  to make it true?  So that next exchange it can be tagged?

Can a wizard cast without benefit of his hands or gestures?

Can a wizard cast without speaking?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Oscar

[devonapple]

Can an NPC make a declaration of "You have a bad knee" and then make a fists roll  to make it true?  So that next exchange it can be tagged?

The simple answer is no.

An NPC can perform a Fists Maneuver to place an Aspect on a PC, but the PC usually gets to resist with an appropriate skill check. More likely, though, "Bad Knee" is a Consequence a PC voluntarily takes to reduce the Stress of an attack. So your NPC would want to place something like "Knee Lock" rather than an actual "damage" sort of Aspect. And any Maneuver needs to be able to be undone with an appropriate skill check anyway, so "Bad Knee" isn't really appropriate. "Battered Knee," maybe. It all depends how it gets phrased. The PC will still be able to "shake it off" with, say, an Endurance check. If, however, the PCS took that Consequence, the NPC could tag it in a followup attack.

Can a wizard cast without benefit of his hands or gestures?
Can a wizard cast without speaking?

Sort of? These are not really a consistent requirement.

Generally, when you want to inhibit a spellcaster, you perform a Maneuver, place an Aspect like "Tied Up" or "Distracted" or "Gagged" and then Invoke for Effect to interfere with the spellcasting.

[sinker]

Can an NPC make a declaration of "You have a bad knee" and then make a fists roll  to make it true?  So that next exchange it can be tagged?

I would ask the same questions I would ask of all declarations. Is there a skill that would help that "happen"? Maybe Alertness or fists to notice him favoring it. Does it add to the story in a fun and meaningful way? Probably not, but maybe. Is the aspect inflicted a temporary effect? Not really, but you could get around it by giving the aspect of "twisted knee" or something minor. Same mechanical effect. These are all things I ask of any declaration or maneuver. Short answer yes, but see above.

Can a wizard cast without benefit of his hands or gestures?

Yes. One's hands do not necesarily play any role in casting, though it might make it a little harder if someone's used to directing their energies with their hands (Mechanically I'd rule that they can't use Rotes, if that's the case).

Can a wizard cast without speaking?

Mechanically there's nothing saying that they can't. The novels do however make a point of stating that a wizard usually needs a somatic construct to form the magic around (look at how Harry casts against someone, sans words in Fool Moon). I figure that a wizard could probably learn to cast through a different kind of construct, but it would have to be part of his character concept (I.E. from the beginning) and there would have to be a decent reason. If he was taught by a wizard of the white council (with all their traditions and set notions) then I'd say flat out no.

[noclue]

Things often depend on context. If a wizard was tied up because someone wanted to prevent the use of their magic, like from a block or a grapple, it wouldn't be kosher to say "ha ha, i can cast without my hands. your move was worthless!" The game builds a narrative, and there are mechanics here to be used in creating the shared fiction. The wizard needs to remove the block or get through it somehow (like a discipline roll to concentrate and maintain focus without their hand gestures).

[UmbraLux]

Hi, Im new to the Fate / Dresden system and am hoping that you all might be able to clariify a couple of things for me.

Can an NPC make a declaration of "You have a bad knee" and then make a fists roll  to make it true?  So that next exchange it can be tagged?

In general, no.  However, it might be possible if there was a in-story reason to believe he had a bad knee.  Without that, it sounds more like a consequence.

For an easy rule of thumb, think of declarations as indirect aspects (Off Hand Looks Weak), consequences as direct (Gashed Leg), and maneuvers as indirect or situation directed (Marbles Underfoot).  Exceptions are possible but generally negotiated.

Can a wizard cast without benefit of his hands or gestures?

Can a wizard cast without speaking?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Oscar

I think Harry says both help but neither is necessary.  Of course Harry has been wrong...

[devonapple]

Can an NPC make a declaration of "You have a bad knee" and then make a fists roll  to make it true?  So that next exchange it can be tagged?

Declarations are ideally used as Player tools to help flesh out the game world. They add new Aspects to the world, and most NPCs have plenty of room for new Aspects.When used against PCs, Declarations tend to sidestep player choice and agency. And if nothing else, the player already has a full set of Aspects, and can't really be inflicted with new ones - except through Consequences (long term, but still temporary) and Maneuvers (very temporary).

But there *is* a PC/NPC double standard, and it is a perfectly acceptable double standard.

You can have a situation in which a PC Declares that something is wrong with an NPC, within reason. Obviously making a Declaration that "Thug's Heart Rigged To Explode At Slightest Touch" is pretty cheesy, and narratively uninteresting. But Declarations like "Susceptible to a Bribe" *can* end up adding to the narrative. And hell, if an NPC is a retired fighter of some sort, then yes, having a PC Declare that the NPC has some sort of hidden but discoverable handicap like "Blown Out Knee" can add to the game. The GM sets the difficulty for such a Declaration.

[falcon4196]

Can a wizard cast without benefit of his hands or gestures?

Can a wizard cast without speaking?

If you're going by the most recent books it seems that much if what a wizard does for a spell (props, sigils and such) are not necessary in the literal sense. Wizards need to be able to concentrate and have access to some sort of power source.  The words and the gestures serve more to get them in the right frame of mind.  So I would say a pair handcuffs and a gag wouldn't stop a wizard outright but it would most certainly add another degree of difficulty to what ever task they were trying to accomplish

[Haru]

Can an NPC make a declaration of "You have a bad knee" and then make a fists roll  to make it true?  So that next exchange it can be tagged?

There is an important difference between a maneuver and a declaration. A declaration doesn't change anything, it just puts a spotlight on an aspect that might have already been there but has not been of any interest to the story so far. By declaring it, you make it part of the story. A maneuver on the other hand does indicate a change that is brought on by a character (player or nonplayer alike).

In your case, there are a number of ways this could play out:
If the character really has a bad knee (either as part of his concept or as a consequence) the npc can try an assessment. The difference to a declaration is, that the aspect really does exist, the npc just doesn't know about it, so he can't use it in any way. through an assessment action he can uncover the aspect and use it against the character.

Or he can make a fists/weapon maneuver to put the aspect "Bad Knee" on the character to tag it later in the fight against that character.

Can a wizard cast without benefit of his hands or gestures?

Can a wizard cast without speaking?

First of I would say definitely yes, BUT:

Usually a wizard is not used to casting a spell without a gesture and at least one word. If that is the case, I would place aspects like "hands tied" and "gagged" on him and compel them for -2 shifts on the discipline roll. A wizard that does not use gestures and speech for his evocations would have to have a very good reason not to do so, other then to eliminate the possibility of being compelled on it.