Evocations and Enviromental Power-Ups

[blackheart]

OK, I'm asking for Help.

Where does it say in the Spellcasting rules about sucking up energy around you for aiding evocation spells?

My best example is... dammit what was her name, Harry's ex girlfr.. Elaine?  Yeah, in White Night, when the WCV has the psychic whammie on her; Harry gives her a wake-up call and she sucks up the electricity in the room to blast the vamp right out through the wall.

Clearly not thamaturgy on account of the short time and no ritual prep.
There is probably half a dozen more examples I could quote, but this is the best I could think of.

Any ideas for the near-sighted slightly clueless blackheart?

[iago]

Aspect on the scene; tagged.

[blackheart]

Aspect on the scene; tagged.

So damned simple, it hurts.

OK I feel kinda silly now.
Thanks Fred.
EDIT: But wouldn't that require a Fate Point to make a declaration?

[iago]

Neatly, this logic can also be used to "draw power out of" plenty of other things, too.

[SaintAndSinner]

So damned simple, it hurts.

OK I feel kinda silly now.
Thanks Fred.
EDIT: But wouldn't that require a Fate Point to make a declaration?

Lore ---> Declaration ---> Free Tag

[srl51676]

this leads me to another question I am working on a Hydromancer. How does one reconcile use of the water element to power ones magic and the natural tendency of water to ground out magical energy. It seems to me that a Hydromancer standing near a water fall should be a dangerous force not fizzled out dud.

[iago]

this leads me to another question I am working on a Hydromancer. How does one reconcile use of the water element to power ones magic and the natural tendency of water to ground out magical energy. It seems to me that a Hydromancer standing near a water fall should be a dangerous force not fizzled out dud.

Ask Carlos Ramirez. He is one.

Personally I haven't entirely figured this one out myself, but consider: Harry's a fire mage, but he still got burned. So I'd bet that water mages spend a lot of time practicing how to work *with* flows of energy and water and suchlike, but that doesn't make them immune to its effects any more than working with fire protected Harry's hand.

[ClarkValentine]

Here's one way to look at it.

A hydromancer doesn't necessarily get power from water - he knows how to push water around. Large quantities of it will overwhelm him just like it will any other spellcaster. Analogy: a computer engineer knows how to manipulate electrical energy to achieve amazing effects. That doesn't mean his computer is even better when hooked up to a lightning rod and shoved into a thunderstorm.

[srl51676]

Ask Carlos Ramirez. He is one.

Personally I haven't entirely figured this one out myself, but consider: Harry's a fire mage, but he still got burned. So I'd bet that water mages spend a lot of time practicing how to work *with* flows of energy and water and suchlike, but that doesn't make them immune to its effects any more than working with fire protected Harry's hand.

So in game terms I invoke my Hydromancer aspect to give a bonus that mitigates the effects of running water, an advantage that the wizard I am facing does not have. Perhaps one could also capture and use the magic as it is drawn away by the water, like sticking a paddle wheel in a river as it flows by.

A hydromancer doesn't necessarily get power from water - he knows how to push water around. Large quantities of it will overwhelm him just like it will any other spellcaster. Analogy: a computer engineer knows how to manipulate electrical energy to achieve amazing effects. That doesn't mean his computer is even better when hooked up to a lightning rod and shoved into a thunderstorm.

This is a good point However if I did want to channel that storm or gain protection from it I would talk to an electrical engineer

[Cajun Guy]

I think water only grounds out magic under certain circumstances. You can cast next to running water but maybe not across. I think the main issue with water grounding out magic would be like in real estate, location..location.. location..

PLus it would be up to the Gm to see how this works and exactly how powerful. It would seem for example that pipes with running water wouldn't do much because of the pipe surrounding it whereas you'd be lucky to blow your nose under a waterfall.

The rules are kind of vague, then again it is the same way in the books. Sometimes the same amount of water completely shorts Harry out where othertiomes a similar situation only inconvieninces him.

It also may have to do with what kind of magic you are throwing around. Fire is in opposition to water and would probably be harder than say air.

Just a thought,

Cajun Guy

[Madmacabre]

Mmmm...

So the only effect you can get out of the environment is in the form of an aspect that you can tag?

If I recall correctly, in Storm Front the evil sorcerer made a BIG deal to gather the energy of the Storm. Would he spent all that time and energy for only a +2? It was quite a significant plot device.

Just wondering if the Storm, followed by an appropriate declaration, could not be considered as "Using Help", absorbing backlash, which is the equivalent as draining the energy of the storm into the spell (or make it wilder and out of control). Or the Storm could actually be "sacrificed" and suffer consequences!

PS: This is an amazing system/setting...I can't wait to try it with friends

[Belmonte]

For one thing, he probably did multiple declarations for multiple assessments.  I think this is in the book though.

'By channeling lightning into the matrix, I strengthen the magic!'  +2 for the Thaumaturgy shifts.
'By transmuting the thunderous energy into heat, I burn the sigils into the earth...'  +2 for the Thaumaturgy shfits.

But yeah, I'm pretty sure (don't have the book on me) there's an example in the books.

[iago]

Yep. The Darkhallow was a HUGE pile of aspects that Cowl was able to tap into, and probably had a bit of Sponsor influence going on in it as well. It was a BIG DEAL.

[JosephKell]

You can tag multiple aspects.

He spooned (and I don't mean cuddled) a rabbit for +2.
He tagged the storm. (+2)
He created and tagged a dark mood aspect. (+2)
His Lawbreaker gave him another +2. (but that is just because he is killing)
Not to mention that I think each scene you devote to the ritual spell is another shift?

He did all that to make sure that he could reach Dresden even behind a threshold/ward from far away (and because his Discipline is only Fair).

According to the book this is a 32 complexity spell.  Wow, reading what he did makes this spell ridiculous.  He took an extreme consequence?!  Taking more than a mild consequence seems a bit of a stretch (since higher ones take so long to recover from).

[iago]

According to the book this is a 32 complexity spell.  Wow, reading what he did makes this spell ridiculous.  He took an extreme consequence?!  Taking more than a mild consequence seems a bit of a stretch (since higher ones take so long to recover from).

Vengeance and crushing grief over the loss of a loved one makes you do funny things ... like not care who you are when or if you come out the other side of it all. (And extreme consequences and lawbreaking change who you are.)