Universe Mechanics - Hexing, Soul Gazing, Magic Talent and the FedGov

[THE_ANGRY_GAMER]

Exactly what I was referring to. 

One of the most tantalising tidbits Jim has ever dropped on the Forums (Fora? Forae?)

[Mr. Death]

I was thinking more like Wizards who are born now. If you're born during the current decade in the 'first world' you're growing up around plethora of computers of all descriptions. Even supposed third world nations are more apt to see smart cellphones than analogue telephone lines these days because the infrastructure required for analogue is a hell of a lot more extensive than just putting up a few cellphone towers.

So would wizards growing up these days not be able to play an Xbox without a RRD?

Indeed not. Molly has to sit in a salt circle just to watch TV with her family, and in The Warrior she can only pretend to listen to an iPod--the earbuds aren't connected to anything.

[InFerrumVeritas]

I also look at someone like Mort though. 

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Really damn powerful now, but he has a cell phone.  I'm sure some of that is that his power isn't coming directly from himself, so there's less conflict and thus less static.

  But that can't be all of it.  Control seems to be a very important aspect too. 

The idea of "Yeah, you can use technology, but it will never be durable and you'll never be on the cutting edge."  So you settle for cheaper prepaid phones because you know they're going to fizzle.  It's just a question of when.  You don't bother with a computer and try to use an old tv for as long as you can.  You prioritize wired connections over wireless because you're less likely to interfere. 

Harry's a terrible example.  He's the pot that's always boiling over a bit.  He's also broke as hell.  A wizard with resources could buy technology that's relatively cheap, never be an "early adopter," and set up controlled environments where he can use technology if he's very calm or specially prepares himself.  Like, for instance, cutting himself off completely from his magic.

It's a matter of investment.  Harry was raised old school, then out in the Ozarks.  Magic was something special that he hid from others under Justin.  Then he was raised in the middle of nowhere with an old guy who's crazy powerful.  Technology was never something he valued, so he never saw the point of working really hard to have it.  He also never had the money to waste trying.  Pile that on top of "I've got very little control over myself" and there's no way he would have access to all of it.

But Molly probably could have learned to work around it and have a more normal life. 

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Until Harry died and she went off the deep end.

  Mort's life seems more normal, in regards to technology, than Harry's.  Maybe Ramirez's is too?  Or some of the other younger wizards?

Granted, none of this should completely remove Hexing.  The wizard's lab is probably hell on technology (I'd set up very strong protections to contain any magic there).  Anytime you're actively casting, especially evocation, then all hell'll break loose.  But if you live a quite life, maybe not so much?

[admiralducksauce]

That reminds me of a question I had about the hexing mechanics and compels.

If Alice is a wizard and hexes Bob's smartphone through accepting a Compel, who gets offered the FP?

It's Alice's aspect, but it's not her smartphone.
Bob's inconvenienced by not having a smartphone, and has no Aspects relating to hexing or smartphones.
For purposes of this example, Alice is unaffected by the state of Bob's phone.

Addendum: If Bob's phone being broken inconveniences BOTH Bob and Alice, should they BOTH get FP?

[THE_ANGRY_GAMER]

That reminds me of a question I had about the hexing mechanics and compels.

If Alice is a wizard and hexes Bob's smartphone through accepting a Compel, who gets offered the FP?

It's Alice's aspect, but it's not her smartphone.
Bob's inconvenienced by not having a smartphone, and has no Aspects relating to hexing or smartphones.
For purposes of this example, Alice is unaffected by the state of Bob's phone.

Addendum: If Bob's phone being broken inconveniences BOTH Bob and Alice, should they BOTH get FP?

Whoever gets inconvenienced gets FP. If Alice is accepting a Compel to hex, she gets FP. If the Hex inconveniences Bob as well, he gets FP as well. If it's something he can replace pretty easily and won't affect the plot, then he shouldn't get FP, IMO. If he needs to make a plot-critical call, but his smartphone is fried because Alice hexed it, he should get a FP. If it doesn;t become apparent that he needs the phone until later, he should get the FP when it becomes inconvenient.

So like:

Bob's player: "I need to call an ambulance to get this casualty out of here!"
GM: "You can;t do that, since Alice hexed your phone earlier. You'll have to find a payphone, or move them yourself. Here's a Fate Point for your trouble."

[Mr. Death]

Yeah, fate points go to whoever's getting bitten on the ass. I've given fate points to one character by compelling an aspect they didn't know another character had. And they have to come with a significant inconvenience of some kind or it's a weak compel--as The Angry Gamer said, if the cell phone shorting out is just flavor, no fate point, but if it becomes critical, then it is.

[admiralducksauce]

OK, cool. Thanks.

Also, pretend I wrote "endangers" instead of "inconveniences". 

[Shiniba]

And keep in mind, all those

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rampires who weren't at chicken pizza

Would have had autopsies. Butters "these skeletons aren't quite right" autopsies are a lot different from

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"holy crap this guy is full of bat monster"

. Most of them were close to their center of power but there still had to be a considerable number in the USA and other major powers, potentially in the US Gov't itself.

[eiredrake]

Its a economic crisis out there and we don't have the funds to frivolously spend on whatever your doing down there. No I wont come and look at what it is, I'm a rational man who doesn't believe in magic and besides no good Christian would allow such things, god forbid. 

You don't really believe they spend $50,000 on a hammer and $30,000 on a toilet seat do you?  =)

[eiredrake]

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"holy crap this guy is full of bat monster"

.

This made me lol.

[Lamech]

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"holy crap this guy is full of bat monster"

.

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"Did someone let the Bio-nano combat drones escape again?" But in all seriousness, I really suspect there is a large segment of the population that knows about the supernatural, but doesn't know that everyone knows. So they all act like they do not know, and send people who say the truth to the funny farm.

[LordDraqo]

I also look at someone like Mort though. 

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Really damn powerful now, but he has a cell phone.  I'm sure some of that is that his power isn't coming directly from himself, so there's less conflict and thus less static.

 

Keep in mind that Mort is NOT a Wizard. He's a wonderful ectomancer, however he doesn't have quite the oomph that Harry does. Or Molly for that matter.

[Mr. Death]

And I'm pretty sure Mort, when he mentions having a cell phone, also mentions having to replace them pretty often.

[InFerrumVeritas]

And I'm pretty sure Mort, when he mentions having a cell phone, also mentions having to replace them pretty often.

Which I talked about in my post.  Since always having to buy a new phone (or a pretty awesome warranty on whatever phone you buy), you'd be spending quite a bit to have access to technology.  Wizards aren't going to go for this too often.