Hexing! We got a problem

[fantazero]

Okay
As a GM my Wizard PC is driving his car away from the scene of a battle when *Tag High Concept of Wizard* his car dies.
In all the panic his emotions caused the car to get hexed.

Cool, fine.
NOW ONTO THE PROBLEM!

Now. I have a PC who is just a Regular joe, he is using a Fancy Gun against a Wizard NPC, the Wizard under duress causes an unintended Hexing of Regular Joe's Fancy Gun.
Should Regular Joe get a Fate Point?
I'd argue, yes
The Wizard is basically putting a unintended temporary aspect of "Gun Not working" on that character. I also say he should be compelled because he should be able to pay it off if he wanted to.

[Tedronai]

Not only should Regular Joe receive a FP (if the compel is accepted), but WizardNPC should spend one.

[Mr. Death]

Agreed with Tedronai. If the Wizard's aspect is helping him out, that's an Invoke.

[Belial666]

The wizard doesn't need to wait for an unintentional hex. He can immediately call as much power as his conviction, without needing to roll or spend stress, and unload it on the gun. A typical Dresdenverse wizard that was born in the last thirty years or so can automatically destroy any technology more complex that pre-WWII guns with 5 shifts of power. And you don't get a fate point because intentional hexing is part of the rules of mortal magic, not anyone's high concept. If the wizard was 200 years old OTOH, a power 6 intentional hex could disable everything up to steam engines and old West revolvers in 2-3 entire zones as the basic hexing begins to scale from the type of technology the wizard had back in his day...

[Orladdin]

The wizard doesn't need to wait for an unintentional hex. He can immediately call as much power as his conviction, without needing to roll or spend stress, and unload it on the gun. A typical Dresdenverse wizard that was born in the last thirty years or so can automatically destroy any technology more complex that pre-WWII guns with 5 shifts of power. And you don't get a fate point because intentional hexing is part of the rules of mortal magic, not anyone's high concept. If the wizard was 200 years old OTOH, a power 6 intentional hex could disable everything up to steam engines and old West revolvers in 2-3 entire zones as the basic hexing begins to scale from the type of technology the wizard had back in his day...

Yeah, the intentional hexing rules are hella broken.  I insist on charging stress for those kind of shenanigans at my table. 

A wizard having his own toys fail = compel on the wizard.
A wizard trying to destroy something offensively = a spell as normal.  (When this occurs, I may also compel a bunch of other stuff/people nearby for other, unintentional hexes, but I consider it like compelling a scene aspect at that point.)

[ways and means]

Intentional Hexing still takes up a turn and power beyond your conviction still has to be payed for as usual.

[JDK002]

Yeah, the intentional hexing rules are hella broken.  I insist on charging stress for those kind of shenanigans at my table. 

A wizard having his own toys fail = compel on the wizard.
A wizard trying to destroy something offensively = a spell as normal.  (When this occurs, I may also compel a bunch of other stuff/people nearby for other, unintentional hexes, but I consider it like compelling a scene aspect at that point.)

Me too, if it's during a conflict at any rate.  Intentional by RAW is basically a stress free magical maneuver that you don't have to roll for.

Outside of combat I don't really see a reason to do so though.

[Sanctaphrax]

I haven't had much trouble with the power of hexing. It's a full action to use against a supplemental action to draw another gun, after all. And most of the characters I use don't even use guns.

[Belial666]

I insist on charging stress for those kind of shenanigans at my table.

Then why would a wizard with Conviction 5 but Power 10 would ever use intentional hexing if it costs stress? They could cast an offensive spell with that stress cost and blast the enemy to bits - or still use the energy for hexing, just a much bigger hexing.


Intentional hexing is not a drawback of human magic - its a legitimate use of it, much like one can do minor effects like opening doors, moving around objects, throwing some wind - also without paying stress.

[fantazero]

Hexing an ipod, no Stress. Hexing a Semi-Automatic Handgun, Stress
Lighting a Candle, No Stress. Super Fireball, Stress.

We've kinda gone off topic.

So, I'm happy with NPC Wizard controlled by GM having to spend a fate point to accidentally hex Regular Joe's Item.
And having Regular Joe receive the Fate point, or being able to pay it off.

[Belial666]

The wizard already paid refresh for being able to hex as part of his powers and gets the significant drawback of not being able to use technology, which no other character type gets in the world. Intentional hexing without both being mortal and having a lot of refresh on magic costs 1 refresh as a stand-alone power, similar cost to possessing some of the rarer catches like "Holy".


Essentially, it is not that the wizard is hexing technology. It is that technology has the "catch" of mortal magic. Just like everyone in this world has a significant weakness, so does technology have the weakness of hexing. By removing that factor, you change the balance of power significantly.

[Tedronai]

It's not a significant drawback for a wizard to be unable to use technology.  That restriction is enforced wholly through compels.  Compels are not a bad thing.

[Belial666]

A mortal having his tech hexed by a wizard would also be a compel and, as you say, compels are not a bad thing.


Unless the plane you're flying in gets hexed.

[Tedronai]

A mortal having his tech hexed by a wizard would also be a compel and, as you say, compels are not a bad thing.

So long as the mortal gets paid for it.

Unless the plane you're flying in gets hexed.

I suggest either buying out of that compel or demanding escalation.
If you meant that to amount to 'you die', then that's another issue, and such a compel should be refused entirely (not bought off).

[nick012000]

The wizard already paid refresh for being able to hex as part of his powers and gets the significant drawback of not being able to use technology, which no other character type gets in the world. Intentional hexing without both being mortal and having a lot of refresh on magic costs 1 refresh as a stand-alone power, similar cost to possessing some of the rarer catches like "Holy".

You don't need to spend a lot of Refresh on magic to be able to Hex. Any practitioner can do it, so all you need is Channelling or Ritual to do it, and they only cost 2 refresh.