Magic with Necessary Items

[SunlessNick]

Over in the thread on Rune Magic, it was mentioned that for the most part, the props in Dresdenverse magic are just props - they make it easier, but if you're good enough, you don't need them.

But what if you do?  Not psychologically, but metaphysically, your magic won't work without a particular aid - either part of a sponsorship deal, or just a quirk (the specific idea I'm thinking of is someone with a severed left hand whose bones she still has and uses in her magic).

In such a case, would it be worth giving the Item of Power discount to the magic (it almost certainly wouldn't have the normal trappings of a real Item of Power, though).  Or charging Ritualism's prices for Thaumaturgy's effects - the restriction not being the effect you can do or what you can do it on, but when and how you can do anything at all?

What if it was a type of item?  Say, you categorically need a set of runestones, but any set will do?

[Tedronai]

Absolutely require a specific item to perform any working at all?  It might be reasonable to represent with an Item of Power.
What trappings are you considering not including?

Require only a specific kind of item?  Represent it with an aspect.  Not having access to a suitable item would then be a compel.

[InFerrumVeritas]

We have a wizard in our group who has an IoP staff.  It allows him to cast evocation spells, but without it he is limited to his thaumaturgy.  For flavor, it's described as him needing the staff to quickly channel power as he is a bit of a "magic nerd" and has a much higher lore than any other casting stat.  For him, magic is very mental, very academic.  The staff opens up channels in his mind that bypass these mental blocks he has.  We gave it a discount (only -1 even though a staff would normally be -2 because our GM felt -2 would be cheesey for magic).

[SunlessNick]

What trappings are you considering not including?  -  Tedronai

The specific idea I had was someone whose left had had been severed, but she still has the bones in a bag, and needs them to access her magic.  Unlike an Item of Power, they wouldn't be unbreakable, and they couldn't be loaned out - they wouldn't give anyone else magic, only her* - which is why I'm dubious about calling them an Item, thus implying they're the source rather than a catalyst.

* They would of course be one hell of a sympathetic link, against which she couldn't even attempt any wards.


The Aspect idea for a type is a cool one though, thanks.

[devonapple]

The specific idea I had was someone whose left had had been severed, but she still has the bones in a bag, and needs them to access her magic.  Unlike an Item of Power, they wouldn't be unbreakable, and they couldn't be loaned out - they wouldn't give anyone else magic, only her* - which is why I'm dubious about calling them an Item, thus implying they're the source rather than a catalyst.

* They would of course be one hell of a sympathetic link, against which she couldn't even attempt any wards.

The Aspect idea for a type is a cool one though, thanks.

That sounds like an Aspect would be the best option. It sounds like a potential Fate Point farm.

Though it is plausible the caster kept the remains on general principle, one wonders how the caster would have come around to the knowledge that the hand - the bones in particular - was/were going to be necessary for spellcasting going forward.

[Drachasor]

There's no reason this can't work as an IoP.  That's a pretty perfect rules system to implement this.  It is ALSO a Fate Point Farm in that it gives you an extra Fate Point every session.  If it is essentially a massive crutch for using magic, there's no reason why a GM wouldn't let you spend a Fate Point to emulate the IoP for a scene.  All that seems like a good way to have it work.  This would stretch the IoP rules slightly only in two respects.  One, you couldn't lone it out (by that's an easy agreement for everyone at the table to make).  Two, an IoP like that is probably going to be worth something like 5 Refresh (3 Thaum, 3 Evoc, -1 Size).  So as a temporary power one Fate Point might seem a bit light, but I don't think this is the case since that's actually most of the character tied up into that one item (and an item that just gives say Ritual, with all other powers part of the character, would only cost 1 FP).  Hmm, as far as Temporary Powers like this go, I would say that if you lose an IoP that is a crutch like this, just paying the discount of the IoP in Fate Points makes sense to activate the power for a scene.

An aspect is another way to go, to about the same effect.  Then again, you might be able to find a more interesting aspect instead -- I am not sure how much this one would come up.

[sinker]

I was just re-reading the chapter on aspects and I think that could be very well represented by an aspect with compel potential. One of the primary purposes of compels is to limit your options, or restrict you from doing something. Seems perfect to me.

The only reason why I wouldn't go with the IoP is, as you said they aren't the source of power, merely a necessary crutch. By definition (look at the first paragraph describing IoPs) an IoP is an external source of power. Additionally an IoP has four abilities (if you count the refresh refund as an ability) and by your own description this would not have two of them (unbreakable and imparted abilities though the second it kinda has... sort of). The concept would probably work just as well with an IoP, but it would require a little tweaking, and since the aspect works so well I'd just go that way.

[Drachasor]

Not all IoPs need to be unbreakable; hexenwolf belts are an example of one that isn't.  There's certainly no reason to be bound to some relatively minor details like that or even the more minor one that the IoP has the power inside it.

My only concern with an aspect is that while yes, you can take compels to not be able to use magic, overall I just don't see that coming up that much.  So it might not make for a very interesting aspect since it isn't a very fun compel since it shuts down all of your magic.  I'd think GM and player both would tire very quickly of the idea of the bones getting taken away.  I'm just saying another aspect might be more fun.

[sinker]

I wasn't saying that IoP wouldn't work, just that it seems a poor fit to me, while the compel seems a better fit.

You're right though, if that's the only dimension to the aspect then it would get boring really fast. Which is why I would suggest an aspect that includes this but is not limited to it. Perhaps an aspect based on how they lost the hand, or how their magic works as a whole. Those could be great aspects.

[devonapple]

My only concern with an aspect is that while yes, you can take compels to not be able to use magic, overall I just don't see that coming up that much.  So it might not make for a very interesting aspect since it isn't a very fun compel since it shuts down all of your magic.  I'd think GM and player both would tire very quickly of the idea of the bones getting taken away.  I'm just saying another aspect might be more fun.

An IoP requires an Aspect connection, first of all, so being able to Compel situations related to that item is already built into the RAW. Moreover, having said IoP taken away from time to time is one of the classic IoP/Focus item tropes, and one of the reasons one *gets* a discount, in addition to being tied into whatever politics/history is part of the IoP's heritage.

[Haru]

The specific idea I had was someone whose left had had been severed, but she still has the bones in a bag, and needs them to access her magic.  Unlike an Item of Power, they wouldn't be unbreakable, and they couldn't be loaned out - they wouldn't give anyone else magic, only her* - which is why I'm dubious about calling them an Item, thus implying they're the source rather than a catalyst.

I love that idea. You could put a nice spin on it, if the character is from a family of wizards that is focused on bones (which does not necessarily have to be black magic, though possibly not spotless white either), and over the generations a magical item has been kept in the family, created from the bones of their ancestors and added to whenever a wizard in the family dies. Now that the wielder of the item has added a bone himself might sort of overcharge the item and make it even more powerful (and/or weirder), than the accumulated power of the late wizards combined.

Another idea would be a magical prosthesis made from its gold (or another metal) coated rune carved bones. In that case it should definitely be an IoP and could also include the claws power (or even the "breath weapon" power, so the character can throw around the bones and have them reattach into his bonehand afterwards) . That claws thing might come from the fact, that I just saw the wolverine movie last night

If you don't want to make too big a deal of it, an aspect would be the way to go. It would be the aspect that best defines the use of your magic. Any time you have the item with you, you can (but don't have to) invoke it or have it compelled if for some reason you get separated from it.

[sinker]

My only concern with an aspect is that while yes, you can take compels to not be able to use magic, overall I just don't see that coming up that much.  So it might not make for a very interesting aspect since it isn't a very fun compel since it shuts down all of your magic.  I'd think GM and player both would tire very quickly of the idea of the bones getting taken away.  I'm just saying another aspect might be more fun.

Additionally this is the very thing that the OP is asking for. How can I represent a situation under which all of my magic is shut down? Seems odd to rail against the goal of the post itself.

[SunlessNick]

Though it is plausible the caster kept the remains on general principle, one wonders how the caster would have come around to the knowledge that the hand - the bones in particular - was/were going to be necessary for spellcasting going forward.  -  devonapple

There's a "mystic royalty" thing going there - the way folklore attributes certain magical qualifications to be a "true king" (or queen in this case), a common one of which is being whole in body* - essentially, her magic depends on being whole, and the loss of her hand was supposed to take away her talent.  However, it turned out to be a little less strict than that - she still had to have her hand, or at least what was left of it (I might mummify it rather than skeletonise it, come to think of it), but it doesn't have to be attached.

* Although the right mutilation - like a missing hand - is a common too.

An IoP requires an Aspect connection, first of all, so being able to Compel situations related to that item is already built into the RAW. Moreover, having said IoP taken away from time to time is one of the classic IoP/Focus item tropes

Mm, there's no point in setting up a character this way if loss of the bones wasn't going to be something she'd have to worry about.  (Although as my first paragraph might imply, I'm trying to leave a wider range of hand-related hooks open than just that).

You could put a nice spin on it, if the character is from a family of wizards that is focused on bones (which does not necessarily have to be black magic, though possibly not spotless white either), and over the generations a magical item has been kept in the family, created from the bones of their ancestors and added to whenever a wizard in the family dies.  -  Haru

I like that, thanks.  And it fits with the royalty angle in a morbid sort of way.

Thankyou for the advice everyone.

[Haru]

There's a "mystic royalty" thing going there - the way folklore attributes certain magical qualifications to be a "true king" (or queen in this case), a common one of which is being whole in body* - essentially, her magic depends on being whole, and the loss of her hand was supposed to take away her talent.  However, it turned out to be a little less strict than that - she still had to have her hand, or at least what was left of it (I might mummify it rather than skeletonise it, come to think of it), but it doesn't have to be attached.

You could go with a skeleton hand that is attached like a hook onto the stump. Just to "flesh it out" (parden the pun) a bit, when the IoP-hand is used to cast a spell, it gathers around it some ectoplasm and creates the appearance of an intact hand. And maybe when the ectohand dissolves, it might actually hurt again. Like the pain some people feel in a limb that has been amputated, only this happens when the magic from the hand fades away.

[Sanctaphrax]

You know, it seems to me that the entire Item Of Power power could be rewritten to work entirely through aspects. It wouldn't have to give a refresh rebate.