I dont recall anywhere where it was said he was killed with what you just mentioned. He was taken out by wizards i assume magic. He had a horde of things serving him so i assume they brought all their resources to bear, but to make sure he was dead and stayed that way..a spell would be my guess.
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,1879.msg37967.html#msg37967Straight from the author himself. It also goes on to mention that the consequences from breaking the Laws of Magic aren't just people in gray cloaks, and it doesn't have anything to do with Right or Wrong.
many people have argued the laws are more then mortal. I just don't see any real evidence that they are. Harry thinks they are; his enemies don't. Sometimes mortals are monsters too and they deserve the same treatment any monster gets.
See above quote. The great and mighty author specifically mentions that there's the Laws of Magic, the mortal construct, and the metaphysical 'Laws' of Magic. Also, read the books. It's explicitly shown that breaking the Laws changes you in pretty bad ways.
I think Harry had problems before he killed Justin, I don't think it was the fact that he killed Justin. Harry is probably unstable from his upbrining and from what Justin did to him. Not the magic but the base betrayal it represented. Harry has never been in a good place. Fortunatly hes a good person. Its like Urial told him its his choice. he can choose to be a monster servant to mab or a human servant to mab. Humans are allowed almost universally the right of self defense in all ethical systems, it is considered moral to do so. Why would the laws of magic(if they are the wizards version of an ethical code) not be the same as all the other ethical systems out there. Essentillly you have a right to self defense unless your a wizard then you have to fight the mortals on their own ground with their best weapons. I dont think so. Buttttttt.
Your World, close to page 134, has Harry Dresden's stats. He has the First Lawbreaker power. He got his problem with dark desires and violence right there.
The aforementioned links strikes again; Right and Wrong don't come into the Laws. Whether or not it's Right to kill a person with magic is irrelevant. The White Council's enforcement of the Laws does allow for Right and Wrong to affect them; when the metaphysical ones come into play, you're still tainted.
The real reason(my conjecture here) the laws are the way they are is when you violate them you strengthen the outsiders. That is reason enough to not violate the laws of magic and it is different from the "given" reason for violating the rules of magic. Somewhere along the way Merlin wrote the laws down because it was he who figured out what happened when you do. I bet prior to Merlin writing down the laws and enforcing them( and he could because his power was or is equal to that of one of the queens)(wiki) i bet people broke them whenever it suited them and it didnt do anything to them, except break down the walls between reality.Most wizards don't even know about the war with the outsiders. Wizards are human they get choice and free agency and that includes choice to use good things for bad. Execpt when wizards do it there are bigger consequences. I bet if enough wizards misuse magic things just slip in, no one notices it. Even the wizard who kills in self defense weakens the barrior. His individual act, one that he may only have had to do once in his entire life (not all live dresdens life) but its chink. Nothing happens to the wizard he was a good person doing a good act, but using the only tool he really has in a manner that does harm to boundries. He doesnt know it he will probably never know it.
That's your theory, I've seen ones like it before, and there's both merits and flaws in it. Of course, it could have that effect because twisting the forces of Life and tainting yourself is what gives the power to Outsiders. It's still irrelevant in regards to the Laws.
I don't remember anything in the books suggesting that Merlin had the power of an archangel (which is rated as equivalent in the 'who could take Mab on in a fight' thread).
The Laws, as previously stated by Jim and in the books,
do things to you. Self-defense or no, good reasons or no, taint occurs. The true 'why' of this is unknown. Your theory might be a part of it, it might be something else. It still happens.
'You bet' isn't really relevant to the discussion. They're assumptions; with the lack of even circumstantial evidence, they don't come up to the level of assessments.
Also, you keep mentioning a wiki. Wikis aren't a reliable source of information. I suggest checking out the sources for said page and referencing them.
I think merlin figured this out. I think its one of the reasons he built the prison wrote the laws, formed the council, its all a part of the war against the outsiders. And if he had to lie to make people follow it so what. The stakes are to high, at least he thought so.
Seeing as the RPG only goes up to Small Favor, I suggest spoiler-tags on things referenced after that book. See previous points.
You may say this is a quibble but its not, the given reason for breaking the laws of magic is it changes you into a monster more likely to get worse with each infraction. In story we have no real evidence of this. What we see is bad people using magic i n a way bad people would use it or any tool. In a self centered way theat benefits them.
In story we have multiple examples. The Korean kid, Harry's darker urges, the Disciples of Kemmler, the porn-star sorceresses, Victor Sells, etc.
i have bee n arguing from evidence in the book that it isn't so using that to justify the change in the game.Wardens willingness to obey the law doesnt change the fact that using magic in a way the law forbids doesn't change you at least there is no evidence of this only what people say who already believe the law is correct. In all the books we have evil people using magic to work evil ends, we don't know that the magic did this to them we only know the wardens believe this, that dresden believes this. Dresdans intenral stuggle has more to do with his issues then the fact he killed justin with magic. So in my game based on what i have seen in book, ones intent and action is what makes a lawbreaker.Not the action on its own.
Victor Sells is a very good example of someone going bad. His wife spelled out what went wrong with him over time. And again, read Harry's stat-block in Your World. Lawbreaker is his main issue.
