Circle of Magical Protection

[blackheart]

Please forgive me if this has been addressed anywhere else.

Did I miss in the rule books if you ever stated or ruled about drawing a circle around yourself and powering it so no magic can enter or leave?

Ex: In Dead Beat where Ramirez closes the circle around the Warden meeting at McNally's.
Also, Butters draws a circle and powers it with his blood to fend off zombies and spirits.

And outside the cut-off point for the RPG, in Turn Coat where Harry draws one to protect himself and Murphy from Binder's monsters.
Then a Molly makes one to "de-power" those same monsters.

Any ideas, rules-wise or other?

[snowbank]

 

[Rel Fexive]

There are no specific mechanics for scribing circles.  If you know how to do one (because you're a spellcaster or one told you how to do it) you can just do it.  I mean, it just stops pretty much anything not on The Heavyweight List.  Or at least anything wholly magical/summoned.  Trouble is, though, you're still at the mercy of mortals with film cannisters or guns, and the things can just wait till you get tired or break the circle yourself, so it's not much of a refuge.

[Papa Gruff]

If it comes up during play (which it hasn't in the way of magic protection with my group) especially during an exchange I'll probably handle it as an Action to draw and empower the circle. As the other posters said before, it's really not that big a deal. Anybody can do it if they know how ... even Butters manages to create a circle.

If you are dead set on using rules perhaps you could make contesting the circle into a mental conflict or something like that... I really wouldn't though. Just go with the canon. They are easy to create and even easier to break...

[KOFFEYKID]

It should take longer than one exchange to pull it off, otherwise it is heinously better than any sort of defensive rote vs magic.

[Papa Gruff]

It should take longer than one exchange to pull it off, otherwise it is heinously better than any sort of defensive rote vs magic.

Depends on how big the circle is I'd say. I think Shagnasty surely does it in one exchange in "Turn Coat" while the large one that Molly does to ground out Binders lads would take several.

I don't think it's better then defensive rotes, because they don't leave you auto blocked, and are much more difficult to get through.

[Deadmanwalking]

Yeah, I'd definitely allow a Wizard to throw a pebble through a circle as a supplemental action on his Evocation. They're supposed to be casually easy to break by default. At least, by anything that CAN break them.

[KOFFEYKID]

Not necessarily, we have precedent for Circles of Protection vs Spirit, Flesh, and something that is both spirit and flesh, right? Isn't that what Harley MacFinn's circles protected against? Technically, making a circle of protection vs flesh would be like making a force field that nothing could breach. Very very powerful. Though that might be more complex than your average circle and not doable without a thaumaturgical ritual. /shrug we just dont have enough information to make a good guess.

[Papa Gruff]

Not necessarily, we have precedent for Circles of Protection vs Spirit, Flesh, and something that is both spirit and flesh, right? Isn't that Harley MacFinn's circles protected against? Technically, making a circle of protection vs flesh would be like making a force field that nothing could breach. Very very powerful. Though that might be more complex than your average circle and not doable without a thaumaturgical ritual. /shrug we just dont have enough information to make a good guess.

But, as you said, that would have to be an really elaborate circle which takes lots and lots of preparation and energy. Perhaps I got it wrong, but I hadn't gotten the impression, that the OP was going for this.

On the elaborate circles I agree with you. They take a freaking long time... definitely more then a scene.

[Rel Fexive]

Not necessarily, we have precedent for Circles of Protection vs Spirit, Flesh, and something that is both spirit and flesh, right? Isn't that what Harley MacFinn's circles protected against? Technically, making a circle of protection vs flesh would be like making a force field that nothing could breach. Very very powerful. Though that might be more complex than your average circle and not doable without a thaumaturgical ritual. /shrug we just dont have enough information to make a good guess.

That thing was a major Working.  Serious Thaumaturgical mojo, big time ward.  Totally different to a quick circle scribed in chalk, sand or salt.

[GoldenH]

Harry talks about how it takes power to make a big circle.

It's not clear how big of a circle you can make with Blood, but I'd say big enough for one person (two in a pinch).

Any magician can make one big enough to fit a small house inside. (4 yard radius?)

But, it's beyond the reach of most wizards to do it to an entire city block.

So Conviction in yards radius sounds pretty good. Make a bigger one by tagging Aspects, like in Thaumaturgy, so maybe Lore instead for anything bigger.

Edit: How many angels can dance in a quarter-inch circle?

[Michael,HandofGod]

It seems to me that anyone could take an action (probably not supplemental, though, it would take a bit longer than that) to draw a circle if they have the appropriate materials.  They could either make a Conviction roll to determine the strength of the circle, to represent the strength of their will, or perhaps any magic or magical creature attempting to break the circle would make a Conviction check against the mortal's Conviction (or perhaps Discipline?) to represent the battle of wills.  This would be like the Erlking being trapped inside Harry's summoning circle, but attempting to batter down Harry's will with his own.