Characters: The Focused Practitioner
Today in our character type series we have the focused practitioner, arguably the most common type of spellcaster in the Dresdenverse.
Focused Practitioner
Focused practitioners are the relatively minor talents of the spell-slinging set. They have one fairly narrowly defined aptitude at spellcraft which they practice to the exclusion of all else-usually because they’re completely hopeless at anything else, just not “getting” the basics of things outside of their focus. Sometimes this is due to the practitioner having an intuitive understanding of what they do rather than a trained understanding, or simply resulting from a mystical blind spot. Depending on the causes of the focus, some focused practitioners might be able to train into broader spellcasting capabilities, but few do.
HARRY: Don’t make these guys sound like they’re featherweights, Billy. They’re specialists rather than generalists, and their power levels can be all over the map. Mortimer Lindquist, an ectomancer I know, is incredibly capable at what he does. Some of his tricks are stuff I’m not sure I could easily figure out, myself.
Each focused practitioner is different, with spellcasting abilities centered on a single theme. Kinetomancers have access to spell abilities that focus on the use of force (and, untrained, can lead to reports of poltergeists-due to their subconscious mind flinging around power accidentally). Pyromancers are the fiery version of the same. Ectomancers can summon and speak with spirits and ghosts, sometimes getting those spirits to do their bidding. Alchemists brew potions subtle and strange. Open up your handy Latin dictionary and peruse the prefixes-there are tons of -mancers out there, and if you can come up with one by playing prefix mash-up, at least one probably exists.
Of course, by being spellcasters, focused practitioners are subject to the White Council’s enforcement of the Laws of Magic, like any other spellcaster is. Just because they have a narrow focus doesn’t mean they can’t violate someone’s mind or swim against the currents of time like the darkest sorcerers can. Players should beware the appeal of something like an enchantress or chronomancer given that it can quickly lead to the Wardens deciding your neck needs an appointment with a sword.
HARRY: If chronomancers exist, I haven’t heard of them.
BOB: You wouldn’t.
Musts: A focused practitioner must have a high concept aspect that names or implies their spellcasting abilities and focus (e.g., HAUNTED ECTOMANCER or KINETOMANCER FOR HIRE). Additionally, a focused practitioner must take at least one or both of:
- Channeling
- Ritual
The appropriate focus for each ability must be defined at the time the abilities are taken. Please see the power descriptions for more details. Players of spellcasting characters should take some time to work out their most often used, practiced spells before play.
Options: Focused practitioners may take The Sight, but if they do, its use will be colored and narrowed by the focus of their abilities. For example, an ectomancer with The Sight might see the world in terms of its ghostly spiritual presences, and may find himself seeing dead people all the time; a pyromancer might perceive supernatural power and presences in the form of flames of various colors and intensity.
Tune in next time as we focus on the knights of the faerie courts.
WHEN can I buy this?!?
What would sound fall under in the Dresdenverse? Also to bad you can’t be a necromancer without being a bad guy. Well unless you used none human corpses but then were is you army of undead zombies wanting your enemies brains.
Very interesting thou the thought of being restricted due to the white council’s rules would be a bit troublesome.
@Kyle
Sonomancer is my guess
I’m pretty sure necromancy would be a bad idea, Dresden got in trouble for using it on the dino and that was for a good reason.
Sonomancer or Sonicmancer sound right. Also, sound in Latin is “sanus” so Sanumancer could work too. It could change if its set in Europe or Latin America as well.
Nice, I’m getting really excited about this! Also, does anyone know what light-mancer would actually be? I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
yeah, Dead Beat was a fun book. Also, he didn’t get in trouble but a few people weren’t to happy about it(Morgan).
@Patrick
@Jack
Light would be a photomancer, as in photons. But not the torpedo variety.
@Rel Fexive
But, I wanted some boom motherfucker boom D:
light would also be lumomancer or some such
This character has a potential to add a whole lot of flavor NPS’s to a mix in a game. I like where it is heading. As for player character I can see it developing into very rich story.
Also for people who don’t know latin, english to latin dictionary is your friend quit a few of them online.
Its to bad chronomancy is such a no no with the council. I meen you could use it for a bunch of different things without messing with the time stream. Although it would be tempting to switch a few things here or there….
@Thraine
Its not chronomancy that is such a no no, but the fact that going against the flow of time means you will turn roughly a foot shorter the next time you meet a Warden. Which would probably be every five minutes, as Wardens don’t like to take their eyes off of people who are exceedingly likely to break the laws.
By their law, you can go ahead and speed up time but not slow, stop, reverse time. Now…how to use that other then making aged wines?
Hmm… there might not be any problem with a “simple” slowing spell. Y’know, slow the monster down or “freeze” an enemy in stasis. Especially if someone did that long ago and now is the time a ‘frozen’ enemy from long ago is freed. Hmmm….
@thraine & @robert lie
its not such a no no as it is a safty precossion… i mean if you don’t use your powers what does it matter if your one or not the white council can’t kill you till you actually mess with the past (and in some cases the present)… also you could speed up time around you (like a bubble) so everything around you wrinkles and dies, but im sure that would be a one hit kind of thing, you’d just have to be extremely careful not to break the white council rules.
Anthony you are pretty well read but if someone was a chronomancer the wardens wouldn’t be able to catch them, think about it if the wardens are coming then you would just stop time or go back in time and no one would catch you because you are a chronomancer master of time
@Victor That’s what folks like the Gatekeeper (who can see across timelines, at least as has been hinted) and the Blackstaff are around for. Instead of getting crushed by a squad of tanks (the Wardens), a Chronomancer would get some personal attention from a pair of atom bombs.
I see well I guess chronomancy would be out of the question then, thanks for clearing that up; Where would we be without you Fred
@fred
wow not one person mentioned the biggest thing a cronomancer could do. Traping an enemy in a pocket of space time or in one instant. The Langoliers is a pefect example. Also, there are ways to break the rules without getting attention. Like telling Bob to make a potion that takes a week or something like that speed up time so your a week from then then pop back with the potion. Thing is you never broke the time line as long as Bob still makes the potion and you now can use the potion.
Like telling Bob to make a potion that takes a week or something like that. Speed up time so your a week from. Then then pop back with the potion. Sorry.
@
Rel Fexive
Or to put a material object in stasis in such a way that it was impervious to any physical effect. Look up Philip Jose Farmer’s “Dayworld” series for a few excellent examples. Alternately, chronomancy could be used to interact with creatures from some part of the NeverNever that operate on a different understanding of time.
Crossover alert: how does anyone think the Wardens would react to a certain English-sounding fellow who travels in a police-box?
@Thausgt
I think that they would kill him immediately and take his box, firstly because he came from another dimension/time (and thus Either broke one of the laws or is an Outsider himself), and secondly because he’s stupid and would probably piss them off.
Teleporting! A chronomancer could just fold space-time in on itself and displace his person (magically) from one point to another. It would be a matter of (magically) moving through physical-space while simultaneously (and magically) going back in time to when the initial movement began. It’s not like actually going back in time, your just (magically) subtracting the “time” it takes to move to a different location, while retaining the “space” or distance.
You’d probably have to use some technical, wizardly, jargonish explination to keep from teleporting your self into some wonky paradox of unending cliched doom though.
**All are of Bythos**
I really, really wanna play something that I’ve never heard of before in any game line, comic book, anime, or anything (except maybe Avatar), a Hydromancer/Aquamancer. I think the power to manipulate water would be freakin awesome, and I’ve actually never seen it applied to any RPG.
@Zack, that’s effectively what Warden Carlos Ramirez is.
Will Focused Practitioners be able to take the refinement ability?
@Dan from Chicago, In general, no. Their ability is already refine-focused by nature. That said, I might allow it specifically for increasing their item slots if they’re playing an alchemist style focused practitioner, etc.
I wonder if you can play a pornomancer?
@Jo, only if you’re running an Unknown Armies hack.
Just to prod this one back to life a bit, what is the difference between ‘Thaumaturgy’ and ‘Ritual’? Is it just that ‘Ritual’ can only do one kind of magic (e.g. divination) while ‘Thaumaturgy’ can do them all?
@Rel Fexive, you pretty much nailed it.
Ah, excellent
Thanks!