Can a Wizard's Powers be Stolen or Taken permanently?

[Mr. Death]

I will answer this stuff but before I do what are you talking about with regards to his wife?  I don't know anything about it.

There's a somewhat-recent WOJ that one of the events Ebenezer lists to Harry in Blood Rites was Ebenezer dishing out some wrath on people who tried to get to him by attacking his wife. It's not in the compilation yet, I don't think.

[groinkick]

There's a somewhat-recent WOJ that one of the events Ebenezer lists to Harry in Blood Rites was Ebenezer dishing out some wrath on people who tried to get to him by attacking his wife. It's not in the compilation yet, I don't think.

Oh ok.  I'm going to answer your questions in a new topic because the talk of the Blackstaff has kind of hijacked someone elses subject

[Zaphodess]

My guess is it would fall under necromancy.  The only time we have seen it done is when Harry's magic was stolen, and when he took it back.  So to actually take a wizards magic would probably require someone to leave their own body, consume the magic, and return to their body.  Harry didn't use necromancy but he didn't go after a person either, just a spirit.  To go after a person might require going further into the realm of death which can only happen if necromancy is involved I think.  At least that's how I think it could happen.

If it is possible for one wizard to do it to another wizard it would have to be pretty risk, and dark magic.  If it was easy to do someone like Kemmler would have just targeted wizards to consume their magic.  He would grow greatly in strength, and remove threats to himself all at the same time.  Cowl for example could just target all members of the Senior Council...  It hasn't happened though.  So either not possible for a mortal wizard to do, or highly risky stuff.

The risk would probably be my idea of leaving ones body...  While the spirit is out of the body it is probably at great risk of either being contained, resulting in permanent death, or while outside of the body, the body is defenseless, and open to attack.

Oh, I think that's exactly how Kemmler and his disciples got so powerful. They stole magic from other practitioners, spirits and creatures. You're right that it can't be easy or risk-free, but that's not saying it can't be done.

And I think that Harry actually did it in GP: He practised Necromancy and got Kravos power that way. He broke the fifth Law already.

[Rasins]

See, I'd suggest that stealing power from another Wizard, and leaving them alive would be more of invading the mind of another against their will, than Necromancy.

If you kill them, then it would be a violation of the first law AND maybe invading the mind, or necromancy.

[Quantus]

And I think that Harry actually did it in GP: He practised Necromancy and got Kravos power that way. He broke the fifth Law already.

Nah, in GP that was already a ghost he was battling so its not (legally) against the Law, and given that the actual mechanism used was Harry recovering his own Life Energy rather than tapping Necromantic energy, I think it's safe from that Law too (both legally and metaphysically), and it would presumably thus fall into the Ectomancy category. 

[Rasins]

Couldn't you say what Corpstaker did was like stealing a wizard's power.  Their power and their body. 

After all, Luccio didn't take her power with her.  Her knowledge for sure, but not her talents and power level.

[groinkick]

Couldn't you say what Corpstaker did was like stealing a wizard's power.  Their power and their body. 

After all, Luccio didn't take her power with her.  Her knowledge for sure, but not her talents and power level.

Stealing or replacing?  Do we know if she gained, or lost power by switching?  Lucio lost power so it could be the same for Corpsetaker.

[Rasins]

Stealing or replacing?  Do we know if she gained, or lost power by switching?  Lucio lost power so it could be the same for Corpsetaker.

Since Luccio has to use the potential that the body came with that she now possesses, I'd be willing to bet that CT can use the power of the body that she possesses.  That's why CT was able to take Butters without permission.  She'd eaten so many Really Crazy spirits, and that allowed her to circumvent the need for his permission.  Once she was in a physical body, her attempt to jump into Molly's body was an upgrade.  That was based on Molly's potential magical ability.  Butter's had basically none, Molly a great deal.  Had Harry been alive, she might have targeted him instead.

[Arjan]

Of course you can steal a wizards power, you steal (part of) the wizards spirit. With that you take part of the wizards nature into yourself. You will get urges, it can change you.

White court vampires do something similar and Justine uses the connection to manage Thomas's moods.

[groinkick]

Of course you can steal a wizards power, you steal (part of) the wizards spirit. With that you take part of the wizards nature into yourself. You will get urges, it can change you.

White court vampires do something similar and Justine uses the connection to manage Thomas's moods.

There is a difference between stealing someone's power, and it's effects on you.  We have seen it done once from a spirit.  Could a living wizard do it to a living wizard is the question. If so why don't we see more evidence of it, and why isn't it in the laws of magic?

[Snark Knight]

In reality, I suspect the Blackstaff is usually not super skilled in these dark magics as they lack the in depth practice in those arts that they have in other magical schools.  So any magic is going to be relatively inefficient compared to what else they can cast.

I don't think it gets more efficient that Ebenezar's life shutdown on the Red Court mercenaries. They just dropped without a mark on them, at no apparent cost of exertion to him.

[Quantus]

There is a difference between stealing someone's power, and it's effects on you.  We have seen it done once from a spirit.  Could a living wizard do it to a living wizard is the question. If so why don't we see more evidence of it, and why isn't it in the laws of magic?

The Answer per a WOJ that Im looking for is "Yes, and it's Horrible."  I suspect two things: 1) odds are however it is accomplished would fall under one of the existing Laws of Magic (Id say 5/7 of the Laws could possibly make sense).  And 2) I think we've seen, or at least repeatedly heard mention, of this several loads of times since the Fomor came on the scene, I think this is precisely why they are collecting "magical talents" with no particular regard or preference for power levels. 


Serack, do you recall that WOJ?

[Mr. Death]

The Answer per a WOJ that Im looking for is "Yes, and it's Horrible."  I suspect two things: 1) odds are however it is accomplished would fall under one of the existing Laws of Magic (Id say 5/7 of the Laws could possibly make sense).  And 2) I think we've seen, or at least repeatedly heard mention, of this several loads of times since the Fomor came on the scene, I think this is precisely why they are collecting "magical talents" with no particular regard or preference for power levels. 


Serack, do you recall that WOJ?

I dunno about WOJ, but the RPG's write-up of power-stealing abilities has a note from Billy that goes, "It's a bit of an "evil people eater" power, so it should be treated very strictly when in PC hands."

[LordDresden2]

The Answer per a WOJ that Im looking for is "Yes, and it's Horrible."  I suspect two things: 1) odds are however it is accomplished would fall under one of the existing Laws of Magic (Id say 5/7 of the Laws could possibly make sense).  And 2) I think we've seen, or at least repeatedly heard mention, of this several loads of times since the Fomor came on the scene, I think this is precisely why they are collecting "magical talents" with no particular regard or preference for power levels. 

The thing is that I suspect the powers are not separate from the Wizard, they're a part of body and soul, so to take them away rips away part of the Wizard's very self.  I don't think you can take the power away and leave everything else untouched.

[groinkick]

I dunno about WOJ, but the RPG's write-up of power-stealing abilities has a note from Billy that goes, "It's a bit of an "evil people eater" power, so it should be treated very strictly when in PC hands."

Interesting...  I want to see it in practice in the books.  If it's possible that should be one of the first things a bad guy does.  Like Sylar from heroes...  That kind of power starts to snowball if you actually steal the power from a few wizards.