Counterspells and Enchanted Items

[PirateJack]

So I've been wondering whether counterspells would be able to affect enchanted items or not, and how they would do so if they are.

I'm inclined to say yes, since enchanted items recharge between sessions, so the effects wouldn't be too prolonged. It would also make it easier for my NPC spellcasters to break through player defences (Crafting heavy builds tend towards being very difficult to break without hilariously overpowering spells). That said, there are a few problems I'm looking at.

• Would the difficulty be the Crafting Strength or Strength + Frequency?
• Would Wizards still be able to pay one mental stress to use the item again?

Also, could someone tell me why the mental stress thing is a rule? I can't recall a single instance of it in the books and it just seems to me that it makes Crafting specialists tougher than things with Mythic Toughness and the likes, which is not something I generally allow for my PCs.

[narphoenix]

The strength of the item, I think, would determine the strength of the counterspell needed to break it.

And if you're finding that enchanted items are OP in your game, I suggest reminding the players that powerful people tend to dislike it when you bring nuke level explosives into their establishments, magic based or otherwise. Use it complicate things. Make (compel) them get rid of their most powerful possessions in the story.

If it continues to be a problem, houserule against the mental stress.

[Sanctaphrax]

So I've been wondering whether counterspells would be able to affect enchanted items or not, and how they would do so if they are.

I'm inclined to say yes, since enchanted items recharge between sessions, so the effects wouldn't be too prolonged. It would also make it easier for my NPC spellcasters to break through player defences (Crafting heavy builds tend towards being very difficult to break without hilariously overpowering spells). That said, there are a few problems I'm looking at.

• Would the difficulty be the Crafting Strength or Strength + Frequency?
• Would Wizards still be able to pay one mental stress to use the item again?

I don't think it's ever explicitly stated that you can do it, but counterspelling an item sounds reasonable enough to me.

I'd say that the difficulty would have to be more than Strength, though, because dispelling an item should be harder than dispelling the effect of an item's activation. So Strength + Frequency sounds like a better bet.

And I'd say no, no spending mental stress on a counterspelled item. But the countering might wear off in a scene or two.

Also, could someone tell me why the mental stress thing is a rule?

No idea.

PS: You might be able to have a clever enemy devise attacks to get around enchanted item defences. If your player uses something like Harry's duster, a bit of poison gas or something like that will go right through their defences.

[vultur]

Why is the mental stress a rule?

Becuase in the books, Harry's duster doesn't really have a limit on number of uses -- it just acts as if it were armor, it doesn't seem to deplete stored energy like his force rings or Elaine's plug-in-to-recharge lightning item. But infinite use enchanted items with no cost would just be way too overpowering.

Harry's duster, in the books, is a REALLY powerful thing -- Jim's said it's on par with the best modern body armors, and I doubt it weighs as much -- to the point that I don't know why every Warden isn't issued something like it.

[narphoenix]

-- to the point that I don't know why every Warden isn't issued something like it.

Probably because it's magic that needs to be tailored to the wizard.

[vultur]

Probably because it's magic that needs to be tailored to the wizard.

Maybe, but Luccio can make Swords tailored to each of the Wardens, and I'd think that at least during the Red Court war, a defensive armor would be more important than the Warden Swords (which are mostly anti-warlock).

Now, maybe Luccio pre-bodyswap is the only wizard who could craft items for other people...

[Sanctaphrax]

Harry's duster, in the books, is a REALLY powerful thing -- Jim's said it's on par with the best modern body armors, and I doubt it weighs as much -- to the point that I don't know why every Warden isn't issued something like it.

Why would you issue everyone a magic item that's on par with the best modern body armour when you could just issue everyone the best modern body armour?

Money's cheap, compared to magic.

[toturi]

Why would you issue everyone a magic item that's on par with the best modern body armour when you could just issue everyone the best modern body armour?

Money's cheap, compared to magic.

Because the author is wary of power creep. Enchantment with duster = modern body armor. Enchantment with modern body armor = ?

[vultur]

Why would you issue everyone a magic item that's on par with the best modern body armour when you could just issue everyone the best modern body armour?

Money's cheap, compared to magic.

I misspoke... protection equivalent to the best body armor. It's better overall because it isn't obviously armor, so you can wear it in public without getting the police after you, and the White Council doesn't want to be publicly known. I think it's also significantly lighter, though I'm not 100% sure on that.

(I do think the White Council would significantly benefit from having people trained with whatever modern gear they could use without hexing problems, e.g. body armor, though.)

[Sanctaphrax]

Because the author is wary of power creep. Enchantment with duster = modern body armor. Enchantment with modern body armor = ?

Shouldn't be a problem. Armour doesn't stack.

I misspoke... protection equivalent to the best body armor. It's better overall because it isn't obviously armor, so you can wear it in public without getting the police after you, and the White Council doesn't want to be publicly known. I think it's also significantly lighter, though I'm not 100% sure on that.

Meh. Wardens carry full-sized swords and throw fireballs, once they gear up for battle subtlety is a lost cause.

Unless, of course, they choose to turn invisible. But armour wouldn't affect that.

So the armour is about as effective as the duster, and it costs nothing where the duster costs a great deal of effort. (Okay, not actually nothing. But money shouldn't be a real issue for the Council.)

Harry's duster works well for him, since he's a detective and he has to fear assassination attempts, but I think I'd prefer something else for my soldiers.

[PirateJack]

Because the author is wary of power creep. Enchantment with duster = modern body armor. Enchantment with modern body armor = ?

Huh. I'd honestly never thought about it that way. So an armour enchantment would simply replace the body armour rating?