Wizards and technology

[ChewyGranola]

So even wizards can't avoid the huge impact modern technology has on everyone's lives. And I can't imagine the White Council doesn't have people working on ways to mitigate the problem. Also, am I the only one who thought Harry was over reacting to the tech problem? So what is everyone else's take on this? Do you think other wizards have as much of a problems Harry? Any cool custom powers to help lessen the problem?

[Mr. Ghostbuster]

No, most wizards don't have as big of a problem with technology as Harry.

1. The more raw power you have, the bigger of an effect you have on technology. Harry has already rated himself as among the top twenty wizards or so in power. Molly can't hex things like Harry does, for example. And its been shown that practitioners from the Paranet can use and keep cell phones without much difficulty.
2. Its been suggested that the reason mortal practitioners effect technology the way that they do is because mortals are constantly in conflict about their own self identity and this conflict creates "turbulence" in their magical aura. I think Harry is more conflicted than most.

[Sanctaphrax]

There's no need for custom Powers. Accidental hexing is an Aspect thing.

[Tallyrand]

I would say if you want to make a character who is working on preventing accidental hexing you should do two things.  First is make sure that your GM throws out accidental hexes regularly, being the 'guy in control' doesn't matter if it doesn't cause a problem for anyone else.  Then you should work with your GM to allow your character to set aspects on himself to prevent it.  Spend a little time before a scene and use appropriate skills to place aspects that you can Tag to avoid an accidental hex.  You could use Discipline to create "Focused and Under Control"; Lore for "Dissipated Magical Energies"; or Craft for "13 Point Aberrant Energy Disruptor". 

[g33k]

I had envisioned a wizard who came up with a "solution" based on:

• an old mechanical typewriter
• lots of pulleys & levers
• fishing-line connecting the above stuff to another room (around at least 2-3 corners, and likely an antimagic ward), probably *BEHIND* where the wizard is working
• all the above connecting to a real, live, computer-keyboard
• a Big-screen TV in place of the "computer-monitor"
• several mirrors, conveying the image on the screen (from 2-3 corners away, and behind the wizard) to a silver mirror in front of him

Of course, it will eventually succumb to the hexing, but even a Harry-Dresden-esque tech-hexer might be able to get several days of computer-use out of this... before needing to replace some expensive component(s)...


Steve, the g33k
 

[toturi]

Svartalven electronic products. With a permanent localised scene Aspect that acts in opposition to any Compels causing it to malfunction.

[ejs4th]

One of the players in my group wanted to play a techno mage type character.  I liked the idea of having him be an antisocial Hackee whose powers manifested late, so I gave him a 0 refresh supernatural power swapping out tech destruction for pure white eyes as being part of the package that comes with being a wizard. Makes some sense in context with the books also. Practitioners used to get warts (then dermatology got big I'd guess) and it shifted to breaking tech. Now tech is so pervasive and reliable that I could see another shift coming. 

[Quantus]

Harry mentioned in Turn Coat that different wizards affected Technology to different degree's (and that he is one of the worst out there).  I always assumed that there were a number of factors, but that the different flavor's of magical abilities affect different technologies to varying degrees, in addition to raw strength being a factor.  Harry says his fundamental power set in all about moving base energies, and he can move more energy at greater range than most (owing to his extensive tracking experience), though with less subtly and minute control than many in his tier.  There probably isnt much more of a set that would innately futz with what we call "Modern" technologies than that.  Molly still hexes things, though of course doesnt have the raw muscle to do it as broadly or well as harry, but has been shown unable to use electronics (Warrior) or be in the room with life-support equipment (SmF).  However she was educated by harry, and so has a similar base mode of magic as him.  Somebody who learned a different skill-set from a different school of magic might affect certain technologies differently.  For example, a specialized Air wizard might affect a combustion engine or an aircraft worse than even harry, but have less effect on power electronics (vs the uber-fragile nature of cell phone level electronics that will fry regardless).  The Alpha's are not Council level but are still considered significant talents as compared to Paranetters, but apparently dont have a problem with MMO's; but they have a much more internalized and 'natural' view on magic.  I could easily see an advanced Neuromancer or healer translating their talents to manipulating electronics.  I could see an Earth Mage managing enough electromagnetic control to shield them with some level of success, or on the flip side could see such a wizard able to Hex mechanical systems like guns better than even harry by hexing the metal shapes into warping directly. 

Just my 0.02

 

[Mr. Death]

Age is a factor, too--at least according to the game books, older wizards will hex older and less complex tech than younger ones.

Solutions my group has come up with have included mostly using fountains and footbaths and other types of running water to ground themselves out to use electronics.

That or cribbing off one of the Valkyrie NPCs for Monoc tech.

[Blk4ce]

Age is a factor, too--at least according to the game books, older wizards will hex older and less complex tech than younger ones.

Solutions my group has come up with have included mostly using fountains and footbaths and other types of running water to ground themselves out to use electronics.

That or cribbing off one of the Valkyrie NPCs for Monoc tech.

Then again, there's the contradiction somewhere in the book that older wizards tend to hex less due to them having better control over their magic.
Plus, while I understand electronics, it seems silly that machines based on ignition and friction would be affected.

[PirateJack]

Then again, there's the contradiction somewhere in the book that older wizards tend to hex less due to them having better control over their magic.
Plus, while I understand electronics, it seems silly that machines based on ignition and friction would be affected.

It doesn't take much to hex a piece of modern technology and the majority of the oldest Wizards have a metaphorical ton of magic at their disposal. Even just the slightest slip in concentration would be enough to hex everything in the room. Plus, what kind of life would it be where you had to constantly watch yourself in your own home just so that you don't wreck your things.

That's not even mentioning that any decent ward will keep magic in the property, which would be more than enough to fry electronics just as a passive effect.

[blackstaff67]

It doesn't take much to hex a piece of modern technology and the majority of the oldest Wizards have a metaphorical ton of magic at their disposal. Even just the slightest slip in concentration would be enough to hex everything in the room. Plus, what kind of life would it be where you had to constantly watch yourself in your own home just so that you don't wreck your things.

That's not even mentioning that any decent ward will keep magic in the property, which would be more than enough to fry electronics just as a passive effect.

...and this is why Harry keeps a closet full of light bulbs, uses an actual ice-box, and either eats out or cooks with his fireplace (when he's not washing down dry cereal with Coke).  It also makes his appreciate live music (though while his tape deck might not work, I'd argue a record player would function in his presence).

[g33k]

Older tech is more reliable... but not perfectly reliable.  So one of those hand-cranked Victrola (q.v. "His Masters Voice") units would be VERY reliable vs. accidental hexing (being fundamentally mechanical & hand-driven / non-automated), but most modern record-players have loads of modern components that are VERY Tech-Hex-suceptible...  Not to mention that most of them need (electronic!) amps and speakers these days...

Regarding the hexing of non-electronic tech:  recall that this is *magic* and probably based in large part on some fundamentally-unconscious elements in the psyche of the wizards.  Electronic things are just the *most* delicate, they aren't the ONLY delicate things, and magic can affect a wide variety of things in a wide variety of ways.

[Mr. Death]

I think it's about how complicated it is, how many moving parts, and how small those moving parts are, I think. The Murphy field manifests by making it slightly more likely that something tiny will go wrong.

If you're talking about a simple machine, like a combustion engine or a revolver, where it takes significant physical trauma to cause real damage, they'll work for the most part. Slightly more complex, like a fully-automatic rifle, are more prone to jamming because it doesn't take much for it to go wrong (a screw coming slightly loose, the action clocking with just a little too much soot, etc.)

And then you have electronics and computers where a handful of electrons in the wrong place can cause catastrophic failures, and the average kitchen magnet can turn your expensive tablet into a thin and fragile brick..

[potestas]

or just down play it. I find it annoying and dont care much for it, in the game or the books.