Spirit Magic Brain Storming

[bestial warlust]

I'd like to steal Vars idea  from http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,24720.0.html

But would like to focus on Spirit magic. Besides Veils what else can we use? Yes it covers mental magics but since that violates one of the laws I'd like too see what else can be done with it. I have a player thats interested in it but we're stumped as to what can be done with it besides veiling and law breaking mind magic.

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use spirit magic?

2. What is a single target interesting way to use spirit magic?

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use spirit magic?

4. What is an interesting way to block using spirit magic?

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with sprit magic?

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for spirit magic?

[sinker]

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use spirit magic?

The simplest thing I can think of is light. Handy wizard flashlight. Spirit is also direct kinetic force so you could move things around. Bump stuff, make people think the place is haunted or something (oh hey, social attack/maneuver). You could also justify a wizard using raw ectoplasm with spirit. Can't for the life of me think of something to do with it that you couldn't do better with other methods. Also Ghosts. Things with ghosts.

2. What is a single target interesting way to use spirit magic?

Wizard's Punch! Also throw things into people, smash things, etc. Flares for maneuvering. And I suppose you could, again throw raw ectoplasm at people but that seems weird.

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use spirit magic?

You could summon the vengeful ghosts of the many people slain in the house to destroy your foes!  Oh wait, it's been done.

4. What is an interesting way to block using spirit magic?

Hold them in place with YOUR MIND! Sorry. Light flashes work great here too.

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with sprit magic?

As above with the holding them in place, or a really interesting way of describing it would be (and I'm no physicist but) dampening or draining the kinetic force applied. Ghosts work here too.

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for spirit magic?

Nothing's coming to mind at the moment and I have to go to work. Maybe thoughts later.

[ways and means]

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use spirit magic?
Illusions you could make it so that the light all ways favours your good side and also magical fireworks and laser shows.

2. What is a single target interesting way to use spirit magic?
Severing the base of the spinal cord or other controlled and dangerous uses of force

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use spirit magic?
Mass Light Field and Mass Dark Field, one for blinding your enemies and the others for those with night sight

4. What is an interesting way to block using spirit magic?
Light and darkness effects again

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with sprit magic?

Refracting the light in an area so you can't tell what your walking into 

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for spirit magic?
Compulsions and soul effects (attacking someones soul directly)

[Quantus]

If you primary concern is the Laws regarding mental magic there are several grey areas you could camp in.  Sleep spells are allowed.  Certain low level manipulation, like what harry used to make people steer clear of his storage locker.  Messing with the five senses, including veils, sense/awareness augmentation (like elaine's defenses), illusions and phantasms all seem more or less ok as long as they are not too invasive. 


Beyond that I think you best bet is focusing Spirit on the Spirit World (NN). This could be a few flavors:

-Summoning. Could be Ghosts, Loa, fae, Random beings of smoke and fire, etc. Basically give em a big notebook of NN contacts like harry has, for the social spiritualist.  You could spin it more to things like those NN sex fleas that the alpha's got that time.   

-NN travel and/or manipulation.  Portals for shields, like when Harry opened one to keep the cave-in off him.  A portal over somebody's head to that crystal Giza where sunbeams are like lasers.   Thinning the boundary in an area to make selective changes to the field, like making gunpowder not work, or gravity act different, or air to be as thick as water to move through. 

Ectoplasm specialist, a Shaper of sorts, who is able to pull any basic thing he can imagine out of the proverbial hat.  Or a literal hat if you want

The possibilities are almost literally limitless, just as limitless as the NN itself 

[Haru]

I think anything along the lines of kinetic force, light, audio is fair game. Thus:

1. Maneuvers like "soundless steps" or a whole bubble that eliminates sound. Molly's one woman rave is probably also a spirit spell (and it has been used more in a non combat style). You could also try things like hearing someone talk that is too far away to hear or transmit your voice to a location of your choosing.

2. Any kind of veil to the senses, like blocking out sound, blinding someone, making them not smell the poison in their coffee, that kind of stuff. You could create illusions, but as a single target spell, that is probably not that far from breaking the law. Or, if you are operating in a team, take out the light in the room first and then illuminate your enemies for your friends to take out.

3. Well, anything that can be done to one person can be done to a zone. Light up/darken a zone, take away the zones ability to transmit sound or have any sound that enters the zone increased by a whole lot, so that it practically is a sonic weapon.

4. You can block sight, so nobody will even be able to attack you. Sound, so nobody will hear you sneak around. Instead of a standard "Forcefield" spell, you could create a poltergeist "shield": things around you will just jump up, fall off shelves, topple over, etc. to intercept attacks made at you. Especially strong if you have a scene aspect representing some stuff that's lying around (think of a fight inside a library, endless supply or armor-books). Or you could create some holographic duplicates of yourself that run around and distract the enemy for the same purpose.

5. On a kind of silly note: if you have a practitioner that is more along the line of subtle magic, tie their shoelaces. Or limit the friction of their shoes, they won't be able to walk anywhere without hitting the floor every single step (I experienced that first hand a couple weeks ago. No magic, of course, but the whole street was one large sheet of ice.). A Poltergeist-spell comes to mind again, throwing obstacles in the way of everyone moving in a zone.

Hope that helps a bit

[ways and means]

Audio is air magic not spirit.

[Haru]

The book says some things can fall into more than one category, to me audio fits more into spirit than air, but air would work just as well, of course.

[bestial warlust]

What about the application of spirit magic manipulating "raw" magical energy as an aspect of force. such a as spell that "burns" a target but not with fire but magic energy.

[UmbraLux]

But would like to focus on Spirit magic. Besides Veils what else can we use? Yes it covers mental magics but since that violates one of the laws I'd like too see what else can be done with it.

Here are a few ideas...not necessarily Law abiding.

• Blocks
  • Light or 'mental awareness' based invisibility
  • Walls of pure force
  • Mental aversions
  • Bright / blinding lights
  • Illusions (both visual and mental)
  • Ghost, spirit, and undead specific blocks
• Maneuvers
  • Make someone easier to see or target:  Glowing / Lit by Faerie Lights
    
  • Make someone harder to see:  Blurred / Faded / Distant
    
  • Make someone harder to target:  Flickering Illusions / Illusory Double / Blinding Strobe/i]
  • Cross zone borders: Stepping Stones of Force / Force Leap
    
  • Sensory boosts:  I See Dead People / I Feel Life Force
• Attacks
  • Pure force
  • Coherent light (laser)
  • Depression, Fear, Insanity, and other emotional / mental effects
  • Disrupt spirit
• Probably Thaumaturgy only
  • Any of the blocks or maneuvers above over longer periods, but also...
  • Invisible bridge of force
  • Astral / spirit walking
  • Divination

[sinker]

have any sound that enters the zone increased by a whole lot, so that it practically is a sonic weapon.

Oooh, now I have this idea for a ninja-like character who wears bells/similar for the whole silent moving training sort of thing and then amplifies them for attacks.

[bestial warlust]

"◦Depression, Fear, Insanity, and other emotional / mental effects"

Would this not violate the law of magic? or since this is more of a gentle nudge and not complete mental manipulation be more of a "gray" area?

[Tedronai]

"◦Depression, Fear, Insanity, and other emotional / mental effects"

Would this not violate the law of magic? or since this is more of a gentle nudge and not complete mental manipulation be more of a "gray" area?

See the note at the top of that list?

Here are a few ideas...not necessarily Law abiding.

emphasis added

[ways and means]

Would soul/spirit disrupting magic break any of the laws of magic if it is not fatal? I was wondering because I usually model the nastier spirit magic as necromancy that does mental damage.

[Quantus]

Would soul/spirit disrupting magic break any of the laws of magic if it is not fatal? I was wondering because I usually model the nastier spirit magic as necromancy that does mental damage.

Sure.  Most of the laws don't need killing (except the one against killing of course).  Mind-reading, Thralling, and forceful shapeshifting could all be done without killing the target.  Time travel (which I think would be firmly spirit) and Outer Gates knowledge aren't really targeted things.  And loopholes notwithstanding, the necromancy law is more about the fact that it is a whole different energy type than normal magic. 

Question:  Are you concerned about the Laws in the legal sense of council enforcement etc, or the twist your mind and tainting your soul effect it has on the user.  Because the former allows far more in terms of what a caster could get away with.

[ways and means]

I meant that there was no direct law against interacting with other peoples souls/spirit only thier minds This leaves a whole bunch of options for very dark evil spells that are not tecniqually against the laws.