Author Topic: How to give a wizard some amenites.  (Read 10020 times)

Offline JediDresden

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 206
    • View Profile
How to give a wizard some amenites.
« on: September 24, 2011, 06:32:35 PM »
I believe that not all wizards take cold showers and such.  A water Mage, or even a fire mage,could figure out a way to heat up water with out modern technology.  A air Mage could probably figure out a way to harness lightning for power even.  Anyone done things like this before.  The whole candlelight thing is ok, but I just cannot imagine not having a hot shower.  Any ideas on how to do this?  I am looking for more background stuff for my wizard in an upcoming game.  I just need to exlain how he can take hot showers.

Offline Haru

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 5520
  • Mentally unstable like a fox.
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2011, 06:45:16 PM »
Well, a simple boiler would do. A water tank that is preheated and then you can mix hot and cold water in the shower, no big deal. You could heat it simply with a wood fire, or maybe a modern gas oven or some kind of magical heat transfer system. For example some copper rings embedded in the back of the fireplace linked to copies of them on the water tank, so they transfer excess heat from the fireplace to the water heater.

I kind of see Harry not doing so more as a form of self punishment than him actually not being able to get a hot shower. Despite an electrical water heater, there should be no problem whatsoever for other wizards.
“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?”
― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Offline sinker

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2115
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2011, 06:46:45 PM »
Damn, someone got there first. Same thoughts (coal would work better than wood), I figure Dresden's just lazy.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2011, 06:51:32 PM »
Or you could just replace the water heater every so often. A wizard with more control than power and a bit of disposable income should have no problem with that.

Harry is exceptionally hex-prone and poor to boot. His situation is worse than what I would expect of an average young wizard.

So I wouldn't require any special justification.

Offline UmbraLux

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1685
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2011, 07:10:16 PM »
Use gas.  Gas water heaters, gas lighting, gas stove, etc.  It's technology that's been around for centuries and is still used today. 
--
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”  - Albert Einstein

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."  - Eric Hoffer

Offline computerking

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 390
    • View Profile
    • Into the Dark
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2011, 07:43:04 PM »
Or maybe live somewhere that the water heater is far away from you? 3rd Floor walk-up sounds like adequate distance, if the heater's in the basement...
I'm the ComputerKing, I can Do Anything...
Into the Dark, A Podcast dedicated to Villainy
www.savethevillain.com

PS: %^#@ Orbius. This may or may not be relevant to the discussion, but whatever.

Offline TheMouse

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 733
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2011, 08:00:38 PM »
The technology necessary to get hot running water is pretty minimal. You could go with some sort of raised cistern with a way to heat it and some sort of valve to regulate the flow. The rest is gravity. The sort of stuff you need has been around for centuries.

If you're in a warm and sunny enough environment, you can rely on the fact that sun light will heat up a metal cistern coloured black. You'll be restricted to using warm water at certain times of day, and it's not exactly going to spray out near boiling, but you can use this to take warm showers.

Or boil water in a pot over a fire and put it into a tub. The technology to do that has been around for a very, very long time. You don't even need moving parts to do this. If you can hex a pot or a tub, more power to you.

As for convenience, there are a number of options. The least convenient is to just do it yourself. If you're wealthy, hire someone. Or since you're a wizard, make a bargain with some wee faeries.

If you're comfortable using a wood stove for heat and boiling your hot water, you should be able to live a relatively modern life, even as a wizard. It's just going to look a little odd to normal people.

Offline JediDresden

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 206
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2011, 08:03:36 PM »
Yeah he has a small bungalow on a beach in hawaii.  Maybe a utility shed away from the house.

Offline Radijs

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 160
  • Fhtagn-Didley!
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2011, 08:29:12 PM »
This is where NatGeo is your friend :)

I saw a show a few years back about some kind of 'green housing' thing for students.
There they put together 3 shipping containers and insulated them all quite thoroughly. From that point on they heated the whole unit with a simple wood burning stove. And the pipes for the boiler also went through the stove heating the water without moving an electron (So to speak).

So yeah, hot water, definately possible even without using spells.

I'd not trust a modern boiler, even a gas one. There's quite a few nifty electronical bits in there that would muck things up pretty badly if they failed. Almost all that where made in the last 2 decades that I know of have a sort of thermal cutoff switch, which turns off the gas flow when the pilot light goes out. Jam that up and the next time you try to take a hot shower your house blows up.
What part of "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" don't you understand?

Offline The Mighty Buzzard

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1041
  • Unemployed in Greenland
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2011, 03:25:35 AM »
Take a bath instead.

Either heat the water on the stove or knock the chill off with evo.

Or thaum a rock to heat any water it comes into contact with to your preferred bath temperature, give it a reasonable duration, and renew it every so often.  Just wait till the tub's full so you don't have to constantly deal with running water issues and store it either in a sealed box or outside so it doesn't heat the air by heating the water vapor in it.
Violence is like duct tape.  If it doesn't solve the problem, you didn't use enough.

My web based NPC formatter, output suitable for copy/paste to boards and wiki, can be found here.

Offline UmbraLux

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1685
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2011, 03:35:01 AM »
For that matter, a bit of thaumaturgy can go a long way if you're not worried about keeping your solution mundane.  That heated rock could last years.  So could a block of 'elemental' ice or a glowing crystal. 

It may be emphasizing the fantasy more than many groups want...but it is a viable solution within the rules.
--
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”  - Albert Einstein

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."  - Eric Hoffer

Offline The Mighty Buzzard

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1041
  • Unemployed in Greenland
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2011, 03:44:51 AM »
If all else fails, raise your Resources way up and live in a swank hotel where you don't have to worry about it.  You're far enough from the water heater it'll probably be fine for ages and anything that blows out in your suite will get replaced by the hotel.  Well, maybe not multiple 50+" TVs but lightbulbs shouldn't be an issue.
Violence is like duct tape.  If it doesn't solve the problem, you didn't use enough.

My web based NPC formatter, output suitable for copy/paste to boards and wiki, can be found here.

Offline Richard_Chilton

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2400
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #12 on: September 25, 2011, 06:17:50 PM »
In most books Harry admits that he could live a much more comfortable lifestyle - but he won't use magic for little things or to get rich.

How could a wizard have amenities? A series of Thaumaturgy rituals to make life better.  Of course, if you're spending your time doing that then you're not working on killer wards or potions or getting the practice in for your next "got to save the world" fight.  You're just slacking off and enjoying yourself.  I can't see Harry enjoying living life that way - if I had magical powers I might do that, but not Harry.

So, as tangent, what Thaumaturgy spells could do you? I'm thinking:
- illusions spells that fool you into thinking that food you're eating is much better quality.  Actually, illusions are good for many things - like the one Lash did so Harry's shower felt just right.
- conjuring up some good furniture (with durations to last a week - so if I have 14 pieces of nice furniture I'm only conjuring two a day).
- do a few of those "get rich quick" things so you can buy creature comforts.
- Thaumaturgy powered water heater.  Maybe an enchanted item?
- Thaumaturgy to clean house.
- conjuring something to clean your house.
- conjuring your wardrobe; while buy a $10, 000 suit when you can conjure an epic one.

If Harry didn't work for a living (i.e. put himself out there so people needing help could get it) then Harry could devote his time and powers to giving him the good life - but that wouldn't make a good story, would it?

Richard
(who's now thinking of doing up a PC like that)

Offline razorsmile

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 113
    • View Profile
    • red like smoke
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2011, 07:25:49 PM »
Harry is a self-flagellating martyr. He seems to think that "having hot showers" is the top of a slippery slope that terminates with "AND NOW TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!!!!"
They rose amid the crag as lightning blasted the mountains black against the sky and lashed blue fire over their saddles and along the guns.

Offline sinker

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2115
    • View Profile
Re: How to give a wizard some amenites.
« Reply #14 on: September 25, 2011, 08:26:59 PM »
Harry's a magic nerd. How many of you would spend time and money on the latest fashion trends rather than the newest book/piece of tech/game? Harry takes that to an extreme.