ParanetOnline
The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Erica_Rache on May 17, 2013, 03:31:09 AM
-
I do apologize if these questions have already been asked, but if they have I did not find them during my search.
Due to things that have come up in game I have three very important questions:
1: If two WCVs are in True Love does it hurt them like having intimate contact with a human would?
I ask because Thomas and Justine are very much in True Love and this causes them problems, but that relationship is between a WCV and a mortal/human. Are the rules different depending on the specie of the partner to a WCV? I would imagine that Fae are incapable of what humans/WCVs define as True Love, not to say that they do not feel love in some other way, so they wouldn't kick the True Love.
2: Can a WCV couple (as in both are full WCVs) have a child?
It's never been addressed, but we do know the "gene" for WC Vampirism is a dominant trait, if the Wraiths are any example, and will breed true when bred with humans. I treat WCV like apex predators (since that really does seem to be what they are) and being such already have a small deck stacked against them. Does the mixing of two WCVs act as some sort of inbreeding causing "defects" (like certain traits, glowing skin, pink blood, white eyes) to be constantly "on?" Does it do nothing and the child grows as normal?Is the child a fragile creature with a weak constitution? Or is he or she born a full WCV with the need, even as an infant, to feed off the emotions of others?
3: If a WCV and a Wizard have a child is it possible that the child will inherit both "traits" from his or her parents?
We know that BCVs are capable of sorcery, but they are also vastly different from WCV. As WCS (White Court Scions) seem to act/are human until their first kill does the Magic manifest as it would in a Wizard, or is it also stoppered until the "final" maturation just like the WC abilities? Is it a one or the other with no mixing to be had? Does the Magic bolster the already present abilities to unheard of heights because there are "natural" avenues in place?
These are the things that, quite literally, keep me up at night people. I would love to come to some sort of resolution.
-
My personal answers would be...
1. Yes, because being a vampire is angst-inducing.
2. No, because vampires are parasites without the creative potential that mortals have.
3. Yes, because it sounds cool.
But I'm not saying those answers are definitely correct. I don't think there are correct answers to those questions, unless Jim wants to drop into this thread.
-
About #3:
Thomas does have some magical talent. Very small, but enought to pull off a weaker version Harry's Tracking spell with some work. This would indicate that it is possible, but I would think extremely rare to have a WCV with full Evocation and Thaumaturgy.
-
About #3:
Thomas does have some magical talent. Very small, but enought to pull off a weaker version Harry's Tracking spell with some work. This would indicate that it is possible, but I would think extremely rare to have a WCV with full Evocation and Thaumaturgy.
Oh wow, I don't remember this at all. Could you point me in the right direction?
-
It was in one of the short stories....I forget which one...it's been a long time since I read them.
-
The short story is called Backup.
-
I don't think Thomas actually can use magic, any more than Murphy.
The way I thought it worked was that technically anyone can use magic, but vanilla mortals can't feel the magic, so them casting is like a blind man trying to paint.
What I thought Thomas had done was memorize a few basic spells from Harry, and he just knew exactly how to work those.
-
I don't think Thomas actually can use magic, any more than Murphy.
The way I thought it worked was that technically anyone can use magic, but vanilla mortals can't feel the magic, so them casting is like a blind man trying to paint.
What I thought Thomas had done was memorize a few basic spells from Harry, and he just knew exactly how to work those.
As far as I can tell, a succsesscfull casting requires three things:
1. A working spell, it takes a practitioner that can feel magic to put it together, a non practitioner can follow detailed, directions
2. Power, it takes a practitioner to call it up, a non practitioner can still get it from an external source
3. Control the power... good luck not blowing yourself up, unless that external source of power is already tied into the spell
There are a few common rituals that can get the power they need from a blood sacrifice, most well known is the ubiquitous circle.
-
On Question 2, do we actually know that female WCVs are fertile? We know that males are because Lord Raith bore children, but we don't have any examples of Lara or Madeline bearing children (If we ever hear of Inari getting pregnant, that may or may not count, since the interactions with the phage are complex).
-
My personal answers would be...
1. Yes, because being a vampire is angst-inducing.
2. No, because vampires are parasites without the creative potential that mortals have.
3. Yes, because it sounds cool.
But I'm not saying those answers are definitely correct. I don't think there are correct answers to those questions, unless Jim wants to drop into this thread.
1: agreed.
2: I disagree here. The parasitic part of a WCV is more of a ride along. I would say that when a white court is born there parent's "Hunger" essentially put it's own little hellspawn into it's hosts child. On the matter of whether a White court female can carry, I'd say yes but the odds of something like a miscarriage are much higher since a slip in control could result in her feeding off of her unborn child. And the old cliche of "eating for two" might just apply to her vampirism as well. I think the result of two White courts feeding would be one of three things: The demons fight and one kills the other, coming out bigger and stronger for it, they kill or cripple each other, leaving a normal human or very weak White Court, Or they co-exist and after the child turns has all the white court pros and cons turned up to eleven.
3: Don't see why not. Red and Blacks like Bianca and Marva are rare due to the fact that they no longer have a mortal's internal magic working for them and have to find work arounds, a white court wouldn't have that issue, or at least not as bad, Momma Dresden is the only one we know of to ever have the bad luck and/or judgement to try it though so the sample size is far too small to say for sure.
-
On Question 2, do we actually know that female WCVs are fertile? We know that males are because Lord Raith bore children, but we don't have any examples of Lara or Madeline bearing children (If we ever hear of Inari getting pregnant, that may or may not count, since the interactions with the phage are complex).
Cesarina Malvora is referred to as Vittorio's mother, therefore I assume that WC women are fertile.
-
I'd go yes to all three, because that makes for the most potential story options. :)
-
Cesarina is also referred to as Vittorio's aunt. Grain of salt.
-
In the books, it´s said that people with enough time can discover their magical talent.
-
I don't think Thomas actually can use magic, any more than Murphy.
The way I thought it worked was that technically anyone can use magic, but vanilla mortals can't feel the magic, so them casting is like a blind man trying to paint.
What I thought Thomas had done was memorize a few basic spells from Harry, and he just knew exactly how to work those.
If I'm remembering Backup correctly, Thomas pulled off a bit of ritual magic to do the tracking spell. Although with my understanding of rituals, you have to have some kind of a sponsor, which is why the White Council and other organizations go to such lengths to widely publish books of rituals (if everybody knows about them, then the being providing the energy won't be able to power *all* of the rituals, thus making the results very spotty at best). Kind of like the Magic Vending Machine concept discussed in Blood Rites, but I don't remember Backup going into much detail of how Thomas pulled it off.
-
On vampires and magic, I point first at Vitto Malvora. Then I point at Papa Raith. Also, not all rituals need a sponser, a person can power them themselves. Of course, the vampires can always draw on their Hunger demon. I don't know if Thomas has full Thau or not, but he would likely have Ritual Divination.
On vampire/vampire babies, its probably uber rare. Wampire/human couples rarely produce offspring at all.
-
If I'm remembering Backup correctly, Thomas pulled off a bit of ritual magic to do the tracking spell.
Thaumaturgy kind of ritual, like what Harry does for bigger spells, not "Cosmic Vending Machine"-from-BR kind of ritual. Thomas has genuine magical talent, though less than Harry, and way less training and practice (he compares it to six months at a vocational school vs. Harry having a doctorate).
There's an "unverified" WoJ that:
'Are there White Court vampire wizards?'
Yes, there are. Thomas is middle-of-the-road in power and [ed: think I'm remembering this correctly] the strongest don't get as strong as mortal wizards [/ed], but they can pull off some strong tricks with their Hunger.
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,21772.msg947683.html#msg947683
My guess as to why is that the White Court Hunger and their "magic" (feeding/emotion powers/super-strength, speed and healing) interferes somehow with the regular magic. Plus (and maybe more importantly) they tend not to practice as much since they can rely on their other powers, and they may not have other wizards to learn from either.
EDIT:
On vampires and magic, I point first at Vitto Malvora. Then I point at Papa Raith.
Yes, Vitto also used spells, though he had an "external sponsor" (an Outsider). He probably had spellcasting ability "on his own" but it's not 100% confirmed like Thomas, IMO.
I don't remember Papa Raith ever casting a spell? He had knowledge about the HWWB-ritual, but that's not a self-powered "spell" as such. He had that instant-death "Kiss of Death" thing before Maggie Sr., but that was over-powered WCV powers, not spellcasting. His immunity may be a spell, but could be one cast by Maggie Sr. when they were working together rather than by him -- or it could be an Outsider thing.
-
My take on this stuff:
1. Yeah they burn each other. True Love is True Love.
2. I treat all magical creatures like the American Shorthair Cat. Yes, they breed, yes they inbreed. No it doesn't hurt them. I think this is especially appropriate for WCV and Fae. I mean elves do it in D&D.
As a sidenote: Not sure where I heard this whether it was Word of Jim or not (I am inclined to think so however)...so do not quote this for truth. It does sound good though.
Feeding works like birth control. You want kids you hold back and don't feed. This works for both genders. It also explains why there are not 80 billion WCV's running around from all the sex induced feedings.
3. Yes. They can haz magics.