Power Creep

[SerScot]

Over in the "What do you look forward to in Peace Talks?" thread, the discussion has moved to Harry getting a power up. It made me think of what's often described as power creep in the Dresden Files. I think creep is very apropos for Harry's gaining of power because it mostly happens pretty slowly. It creeps on up in a way that's hard to point to.

While he doesn't get a power up every book, he's almost always more powerful in at least one way. Usually a noticeable way. He's often also less powerful in some way. Usually less notable. Occasionally, he's significantly more powerful or significantly less powerful in an obvious way.

It's generally subtle from book to book, but Harry seems more powerful each book. He gets more foci. He gets a bigger gun every four books or so. His fuego spell gets tighter and tighter. I think it's first described as "as big around as my hips" to eventually being "as big as my two fingers." Occasionally we get big steps forward like in BR, when Harry has enchanted his duster and gets Hellfire.

Outline of Harry's power progression that I can recall:

(click to show/hide)

SF: Harry gets out from under the Doom of Damocles. Harry starts bribing the Za Guard.
FM: Harry has his force ring. Harry meets the Alphas. Harry losses his .38.
GP: Harry "gets" Michael. (According to Charity, they last saw each other 5 years ago). Harry meets his brother. Harry has gotten a .357.
SK: Harry gets out from under Lea. This kind of opens up the possibility of using the Nevernever. He uses the Za Guard very effectively. Harry reads Murphy in basically solidifying her as an ally instead of an obstacle.
DM: Harry touches the coin. Loses Michael until he's forced to speak to him in PG.
BR: Harry has enchanted his duster. Harry first uses Hellfire. He learns about Thomas. He gets insight from his mother (this may only have been useful in BR). Mouse wins Harry. Harry loses fire magic and the use of his hand. Thomas moves in and will be readily available back up until he moves out.
DB: Mouse is a helpful ally. Harry gets a doctor. Harry learns his hand will come back. Harry has access to Hellfire. Harry gains access to Lash. Harry becomes a warden.
PG: Harry gains an apprentice. Mouse is now a tank. Little Chicago. Harry gets fire magic back. Harry is under the doom again. Thomas moves out. Harry gains the sliver oak leaf.
WN: Harry has his upgraded shield bracelet. Harry frees the fairies. Harry losses Lash and Hellfire. Harry's force ring is now three rings fused together. Harry founds the Paranet.
SmF: Harry gains Soulfire. Harry learns of Demonreach. Harry losses Michael as an ally. Harry loses the silver leaf.
TC: Harry now has 24 force rings instead or 3. They are now basically brass knuckles. Harry claims Demonreach. Kirby dies.
C: Harry gets his mom's knowledge of the ways. Harry becomes the Winter Knight. Loses all possessions except his pentacle and ruby. Harry loses Mouse and Bob for the most part. Harry dies.
GS: Harry learns an important lesson and un-dies. The Paranet starts to pay dividends.
CD: The WK mantle's side effects kick in. Harry learns about Demonreach's purpose. Harry is bound by Winter Law. Harry gains Lacuna as a defacto vassal because Ace isn't going to be able to ransom her back now as he's dead. Molly becomes Winter Lady presumably freeing Harry from the Doom.
SG: Demonreach is now a mighty stronghold. The WK mantle seems much less effective. Parkour skillz. Harry has a new staff and enchanted duster. Harry gets a 1/2 inch hole puncher (S&W .500). Harry gets a new Knight ally. Harry gives birth to a powerful spirit. No more headaches. Harry gets a bunch of powerful artifacts that will presumably be helpful in some way. Harry gets a pile of diamonds.

What am I missing and when did it happen? Thoughts on "power creep" in the Dresden Files?

He lost most of his “foci” in Changes and has been slowly replacing them.

[Bad Alias]

Yeah, I was only hitting the main novels, so I didn't mention his new shield bracelet. By PT,

(click to show/hide)

he also has a new blasting rod.

I was really hoping for more. I feel like it will be a soft and quiet retcon if Harry doesn't end up with more and better gear now that he has a lot more wealth than it ever looked like he was going to get in the series.

[Arjan]

Yeah, I was only hitting the main novels, so I didn't mention his new shield bracelet. By PT,

(click to show/hide)

he also has a new blasting rod.

I was really hoping for more. I feel like it will be a soft and quiet retcon if Harry doesn't end up with more and better gear now that he has a lot more wealth than it ever looked like he was going to get in the series.

Making and maintaining foci also takes considerable time and effort. He has a child now and there is less time between books.

[g33k]

Making and maintaining fooi also takes considerable time and effort. He has a child now and there is less time between books.

Yeah.

He was limited by tools and materials in the time between Cold Days & Skin Game.  Sometime since then, he has taken custody of Maggie.  I think that eats up most of his spare time.

I don't see him having time to do much more than replace the old items, rather than go all Klaus-the-Toymaker mode.

Also, Mab was explicitly training him to do without even his basic tools...  I think Jim will lean-in on that for a book or two more, at least.
 

[dspringer1]

Certainly since the events in Changes destroyed or lost so many of his foci, Harry's foci in later books have been clearly inferior in number and quality.  Many reasons - time, resources, being a ghost, etc -- have explained the gap.   But it feels like there is another reason as Harry could have gotten tools as they are not that expensive and he had plenty of time on the island before cold days. 

Part of me thinks the author has just been deliberately handicapping Harry, perhaps to make the contrast more dramatic when Harry is fully back on his game.    Part of me thinks the author has been shifting the focus away from foci and towards Harry's ability as a wizard.  Similar to how Harry's reliance on potions in book 1-2 mostly fell by the wayside in later books as his spells and foci became more effective.   There have been a lot of improvements in Harry's spellcasting after all in the last few books. 

[Bad Alias]

Making and maintaining foci also takes considerable time and effort.

Yeah, Jim has said something like Harry spends 20 hours a week maintaining his magical gear. The reason I feel like it will be a retcon if Harry doesn't end up with more and better gear is that in one of the first books, Harry says he does partial enchantments that wear off because full enchantments are time consuming and expensive, with emphasis on expensive. In Changes, Harry thinks that he has figured out how to extend the life of the enchantments on his duster from 6 months to a year.

With better equipment and materials, Harry should be able to do full enchantments that last longer and require less maintenance because he's rich now. I'm not saying he needs to have his full arsenal back by PT or BG. I am saying he needs to have it back a hell of a lot sooner than it took him to build in the first place. I'm also saying it should be better.

[TrueMonk]

Also because I think someone mentioned that he has a gift for creating magical items. I cannot remember who said it though.

[Bad Alias]

Bob was impressed Harry was able to build Little Chicago.

[g33k]

...   But it feels like there is another reason as Harry could have gotten tools as they are not that expensive and he had plenty of time on the island before cold days ...

Uhhhh... What time?

Changes was where Harry lost his staff, the most versatile & powerful of his foci.  And then he died.
Then Ghost Story.
Then Cold Days.
Not seeing his free time.

That mini-trilogy was back-to-back (as Harry experienced them; there was a period of many months post-Changes before GS, but Harry wasn't aware of them).

It's pretty explicit that the time between CD/SG was Harry being a hermit... Which is to say, NOT free to go buy a bunch of tools & gear to rebuild a laboratory... or even a construction-shop...

He was living in terror...  Terror of himself, and of "the M mob" -- Mab, Molly, Michael, Maggie.  Especially Maggie.

[Walter the skull]

Harry will rebuild some of his gear over time.  He may not need all  of it.  It's hard to say, but it seems like older wizards have less gear than Harry had.  Harry may learn to live without the gear before he get a around to making new gear.  While I'm disappointed that he doesn't have his full kit, it makes sense.  Money alone isn't enough to rebuild all of the materials and tools that Harry had.  He spent years collecting that stuff, and let's face it, he probably doesn't have that many opportunities to acquire stuff like depleted uranium.

I also think we missed a minor power up.  In Grave Pearl when Harry eats Kravos to get his own power back, he also eats Kravos's power.  I may be wrong about this, but it seems like he started using more fire magic after that. 

[forumghost]

Harry will rebuild some of his gear over time.  He may not need all  of it.  It's hard to say, but it seems like older wizards have less gear than Harry had.  Harry may learn to live without the gear before he get a around to making new gear.  While I'm disappointed that he doesn't have his full kit, it makes sense.  Money alone isn't enough to rebuild all of the materials and tools that Harry had.  He spent years collecting that stuff, and let's face it, he probably doesn't have that many opportunities to acquire stuff like depleted uranium.

The Merlin literally had an entire utility belt in Changes.

[Bad Alias]

In Grave Pearl when Harry eats Kravos to get his own power back, he also eats Kravos's power.

I think that power went away. I think a big part of the darkhallow was that Kemmler found a way to keep the power. Pure speculation on my part.

[Walter the skull]

Forum Ghost: True, but it doesn't seems like Injun Joe, Ebenezer, Luccio, and Morgan carried many focus items.  Like I said, its hard to tell, they may have them, but they may be more subtle ones than Harry's.

Bad Alias:  That could be.

I'm re-listening to Skin Game now.  In it Harry says that his shield bracelet wasn't found with him when he awoke from his coma in Ghost Story.  Maybe it didn't fall off, but instead Mab took to make him less reliant on his gear.  Maybe she'll give it back some time during Peace Talks.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Harry gains new knowledge in each book, and that is the true power, for goodness sake he even keeps the knowledge of Eb and Thomas’s relationship from them.

The one thing which would be a true power up for Harry would be to be able to use modern technology and to ‘fix’ the Murphy field. To be able to use a smartphone and the internet would give him a major edge over other Wizards.

[vultur]

Maybe it didn't fall off, but instead Mab took to make him less reliant on his gear.  Maybe she'll give it back some time during Peace Talks.

In the PT sample chapters

(click to show/hide)

Harry has made a new shield bracelet, but describes it as "makeshift". His new shield is yellow-green, and Mab attributes that to Demonreach's power.