Fixing Recovery powers.

[Locnil]

I wouldn't say he never uses them. He Listens all the time, especially in the early books. He uses it in Skin Game.

As for First Lawbreaker, I'd have to read it again, but is the +1 bonus specific to breaking the law again, or to attacking with intent to kill? Because Harry does the latter all the time, and a loose interpretation would let him use that bonus frequently.

I can't speak for Skin Game (still trying to find a copy), but I once went through a list of all the times he actually used Listening throughout the entire series and got 4, maybe 5 occasions. Given the actual number of times he used it, he would have been much better off keeping one fate point in reserve to get it as a temporary power.

RAW, only specific to breaking the law again. Though IME this is frequently houseruled.

[Cadd]

I can't speak for Skin Game (still trying to find a copy), but I once went through a list of all the times he actually used Listening throughout the entire series and got 4, maybe 5 occasions. Given the actual number of times he used it, he would have been much better off keeping one fate point in reserve to get it as a temporary power.

RAW, only specific to breaking the law again. Though IME this is frequently houseruled.

4 or 5 times in the books total?!? I haven't counted, but I get the impression of it occurring in something like two thirds of the books...

[Locnil]

4 or 5 times in the books total?!? I haven't counted, but I get the impression of it occurring in something like two thirds of the books...

Yup. I suppose I might have missed one or two where he didn't explicitly state he was Listening but was using it, but basically he seldom uses that power - there are many books where it just doesn't come up. And when it does he just uses it for a not particularly important situation then it's never brought up again for the rest of the book.

[InFerrumVeritas]

I counted 6 (including Skin Game), but that's still less than half.  Hell, Harry generates enough compels to not even need to keep that FP in reserve.

[Cadd]

Using a quick word-search through the e-books of Storm Front to Changes the only books without explicit Listening among those are Grave Peril and Small Favor. Most of the books have multiple occasions, with Dead Beat in the lead so far with 6 separate scenes. (Of course not every time yields any results)
I'm fairly confident there's no Listening in Ghost Story, and unsure about Cold Days. Skin Game has one time.

That leaves at the most 4 out of 15 books without Listening, and at least 23 total uses. I though "4 or 5" times felt really low...

[narphoenix]

Cold Days has Listening when Harry was trying to track Fix on the island when the most was up, before he used intellectus.

[Cadd]

Cold Days has Listening when Harry was trying to track Fix on the island when the most was up, before he used intellectus.

Ah! Forgot that one! Haven't gotten to a word search of the last  three books yet.
That makes it 12/15 books featuring Listening.

[PatchR]

I applaud Cadd and narphoenix for their research

[Sanctaphrax]

Does anyone have a list? I don't remember him using it much, but honestly I don't remember the series half as well as I remember Your Story.

[Locnil]

Storm Front: IIRC, Listening was introduced here, though I;m not sure how.
Summer Knight: When he speaks to Rashid in the theatre where the Council assembled
Turn Coat: When he eavesdrops on the Merlin and Listens-to-Wind
Cold Days: As stated above.
Skin Game: Apparently he used it again here.

That's all I can remember for now.

[Cadd]

In doing the quick research I made a list, but it's in swedish so I'll have to translate it I'll get it up later today!

Edit: And here it is! Just the novels, and one or two of these might be debatable if he's Listening or just eavsdropping. Also note that some of these moments he essentially gets nothing from it.

SF: Before the meeting w Bianca, eavesdropping on the guards; (debatable if Listening or not) outside his office, when Murphy's been stung; (as above) at Sells lakehouse - 1-3 times
FM: In the warehouse when he first sees the Alphas; in the Full Moon Garage (first visit); On McFinn's grounds before he's arrested; Right after he's entered Marcones estate - 4 times
GP: - 0 times
SK: at Reuel's appartment; at Reuel's funeral; outside WalMart when he's getting the car - 3 times
DM: At the harbor (by the Etranger); the Carpenter house (before meeting Molly in the treehouse); at the auction ball - 3 times
BR: Inari on the phone w papa Raith; the attack on Mavra's Scurge - 2 times
DB: at Georgia's place after the "fight" with Cowl; at the Field Museum (Bartlesby's office); Li Xian & Corpsetaker at the Forensic Institute; Corpsetaker at Bock's; before leaving the appartment after the zombie attack; Field Museum when looking for the Word - 6 times
PG: at Pell's theatre - 1 time
WN: Thomas' appartment (the guard and the cop); Raith Deeps (Vitto/Madrigal) - 2 times
SmF: - 0 times
TC: in LaFortiers chambers (Merlin/LtW) - 1 time
C: after running in to the Rampire in the jungle - 1 time
GS: - 0 times
CD: just for a moment in the fight with Fix, before consulting Intellectus - 1 time

(click to show/hide)

Gate of Blood (Nick/Deirdre); fighting/fleeing from the Genoskwa

- 2 times

For a total of 27-29 times, spread over 12 of the 15 novels. Doing the short stories will be another time

[Locnil]

Only just saw it, sorry; edits don't show in the new replies function. 

Anyway, that list seems off to me. Did you count only those moments where it was explicitly shown that Dresden used Listening, as in his (probably supernatural) ability, or every instance that just said he was listening carefully?

[Cadd]

Apart from the second and third time in SF which are both unclear all of those are absolutely explicit occasions of Listening, either with capital letter in the middle of a sentence or the standard description of "tuning out the other senses", or often both.

[gojj]

Hey guys, this has strayed pretty far from what the topic of the discussion was supposed to be about, just saying.

[Locnil]

Ah. Alright, then.