WC & Focused Practitioners? *Updated Enchanted Item Question*

[Mal_Luck]

Are there any requirements for joining the White Council? For instance, could a powerful Focused Practitioner join?

Can a Focused Practitioner have a Wizard's Constitution or the Soulgaze ability?

Why can't a Focused Practitioner use Refinement to increase the power/control/complexity of their Channeling/Rituals?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*UPDATED* I'm attempting to make an enchanted defense item somewhat similar to Harry's coat.

I've got 4 Enchanted Items slots and Good(+3) Lore, I want to make a collar/necklace that creates an always-on Earth-based electromagnetic field to STOP incoming bullets of most handguns of at least all Weapon:2 (Which means I need Armor:2?)

I think I can do this by using 1 slot to make the item, and 1 slot to increase it's strength to 4. Then I halve that to make it always-on... so it has Armor:2, but only the character that made it can use it?

Would I need to do something special to make it so it only affects metal?

[Deadmanwalking]

1. No, I don't think so. There are a number of tests (probably spanning Evocation and Thaumaturgy), AND a minimum strength requirement.

2. Sure. Especially if they're young and "working their way up" to being a full Wizard.

3. Because having a specialty in something, when that's the only thing you can do, get's a bit unbalancing fairly quickly. Also, if they were good enough to get Refinement, they'd be good enough to have full Evocation and/or Thaumaturgy.

[Archmage_Cowl]

The requirement to joining the white council is being able to preform magic to a certain standard and variety. Largely focused practioners cant join simply because they lack versitility. A powerful focused practioner might have a wizard's constitution or a soulgaze ability though that would be more of a personal preference on wether or not the gm would allow it(i would). And my take on why they cant use refienment is because they are already refiened if you will, again though you might house rules to allow something like that.

Edit enchanted item: I think your basicly right on those accounts and maybe if you specificly only wanted it to affect metal i think that would be a more story line thing than actually costing more, like maybe if someone shoots a stone arrow at you no bonus or something like that.

[Mal_Luck]

If I'm doing the math right, IF a Focused Practitioner were able to use the Refinement Ability to increase power/control/complexity he could only use it a maximum of 3 times in that way. +1/+2 Power/Control(or vice versa) for the chosen type of elemental Channeling and +1/+2 for Complexity/Control(or vice versa) for chosen type of Ritual.

Even though I'm still learning rules for the Dresden RPG, that doesn't look to overpowered.

[Deadmanwalking]

Actually...you're right. Huh. I guess my second reason (if you're good enough to get Refinement you're good enough to have Evocation or Thaumaturgy already), though I can see arguments for the other side as well.

[Mal_Luck]

And if the Focused Practitioner only had Channeling (or only Ritual), he'd only be able to have 1 Refinement. +1/+1 Power(or Complexity)/Control, since he can't have +2/+2.

I might house-rule this. If your pigeon-holed into one specialty, you might as well be great at it.

[LCDarkwood]

From my research, it seemed clear that focused practitioners who don't open themselves up to the full spectrum of magic have a kind of glass ceiling on them - like, they can't amass the kind of ability the Council would take seriously, something Harry's often chided them for in the books. So you get a weird sort of tiering, where no focused practitioner can be as good as a full wizard with the same specialty. They're sort of like oWoD sorcerers and hedge wizards (shout out to all the people I just dated myself for), except we decided one damn magic system was enough.

So, that's why no other forms of refinement for focused practitioners. However, what you do at your table is between you and your peeps.

[EDIT: Harry chided the Council, not the practitioners. Oy.]


-L

[Korwin]

Hmm, I was impressed by how much Binder could do with his focused practice...

Btw. did anyone stat Binder?

[Deadmanwalking]

Hmm, I was impressed by how much Binder could do with his focused practice...

Btw. did anyone stat Binder?

No. Also bear in mind, that with a couple of Focus items, Binder Could easily have had something like 6 each in Control and Complexity for Summoning and Binding with Great Lore and Discipline and a couple of +2 Rings.

[Korwin]

Hmm, he can take Refinement for additional Items.
So one Refinement means +2 for an Focus. Maximum for his Foci is his Lore skill.
OK I see how he can get quite high...

[Deadmanwalking]

Hmm, he can take Refinement for additional Items.
So one Refinement means +2 for an Focus. Maximum for his Foci is his Lore skill.
OK I see how he can get quite high...

Yeah, if you assume he's got a dedicated ritual room somewhere with two +4 Items in it, one each for Complexity and Control, he only needs Great Lore and Great Discipline, plus, say, Good Conviction, to manage 8 Complexity and 8 Control on bindings casually and be able to do them at that level with perfect reliability in three rolls. Make that 4 or 5 rolls if he sticks a couple Aspects worth of prep on it and gets to Complexity 12 or 16. This only costs him 5 Refresh (2 for Ritual, 3 for Refinement), though it is handicapped by foci that powerful needing to be large, obvious, and obviously magical. On the other hand, it's thaumaturgy anyway, so he might not care about that.

[Sebastian]

You really really cannot generate a magnetic field strong enough to deflect bullets.
Mythbusters had an ep about it.

Well, in a magic universe I suppose you could, but it's going to screw over everything nearby.

[Deadmanwalking]

*UPDATED* I'm attempting to make an enchanted defense item somewhat similar to Harry's coat.

I've got 4 Enchanted Items slots and Good(+3) Lore, I want to make a collar/necklace that creates an always-on Earth-based electromagnetic field to STOP incoming bullets of most handguns of at least all Weapon:2 (Which means I need Armor:2?)

I think I can do this by using 1 slot to make the item, and 1 slot to increase it's strength to 4. Then I halve that to make it always-on... so it has Armor:2, but only the character that made it can use it?

Sadly, no. Armor is equal to half the shifts you get...so 1 in this case.

Would I need to do something special to make it so it only affects metal?

Hmm. There's no set precedent, but I'd allow it as a disadvantage upping the level of the item. Probably even allow it to double the protection (cancelling out the Always On factor) since it's so limiting. Making it the Armor 2 you wanted. 

That's obviously my opinion only, but metal only is actually a really bad downside, considering it doesn't apply to the hands and feet the vampires use to beat you to death.

[Korwin]

It would be an nice object for an Fairie...
but I would'nt double the end result, I woul use +1 to the end result (and in this case would be the same).

[Deadmanwalking]

It would be an nice object for an Fairie...
but I would'nt double the end result, I woul use +1 to the end result (and in this case would be the same).

I wasn't exactly doubling, so much as countering the normal halving for being always on. I'd say a one use item that can apply to whatever I want, and one that's on all the time but with an extremely narrow focus are about equivalent.