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Book 15 (Minor Plot Spoilers)

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by fuubar, Jan 28, 2013.

  1. Datakim

    Datakim Chief Warlock

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    While most wizards probably have some forms of protection, the types Harry atleast uses arent all that foolproof.

    For example, the shield Harry can create can stop bullets. And its very likely that whatever shield he has in the next book (since he has to construct a new shield focus) will be even better than the last one. So it would not surprise me if the next shield actually could stop a bullet such as the one in Michaels short-story.

    However this type of shield has a serious flaw in that it has to be activated consciously. If a sniper shoots at a wizard from long range, by the time the wizard realises someting is wrong, they are already dead. And the whole future insight thing is not sufficient to prevent this. In White Night we actually saw a magic user who did have this kind of ability, and Harry made clear that this kind of talent for being able to see even a few seconds into the future was not just very rare, but also left the practitioner vulnerable to all sorts of mental illnesses. So a shield won't stop a bullet and (except for very rare exceptions) the wizard won't foresee it coming.

    Harrys duster is a pretty good defense, and again its likely that the next one will be much tougher than the previous one. We even had this lampshaded in Changes when Harry thinks that when he next enchants his duster, he will be able to do a better job at it due to increased experience. But a duster does not cover every bit of Harry. Incase of Harry atleast, the head is a fatal(literally) flaw. Harry was lucky that Kincaid went for a shot to the torso, when most snipers, and especially someone with supernatural abilities like Kincaid could easily have put that bullet straight to the forehead. I doubt Mab could have stiched Harry together if his brain had been totally destroyed.

    Butcher likes to joke that Harry will never wear a hat, because the cover artist always has him wearing one. However realistically thats foolish of Harry. He should wear a hat of some sort with enchantments similar to the duster in order to protect his head. Even so however, unless he wears a helmet that totally covers his head, there will always be some place where a skilled sniper could shoot to kill.

    However it does occur to me that there might be a way for a wizard to protect himself from bullets. Harry had those rings that stored kinetic energy. He could unleash the stored energy on an enemy and send out a powerfull blow as a result. But whats interesting is that those rings were designed to recharge by absorbing kinetic energy from Harry as he moved around. and they did so totally automatically.

    If its possible to create a magical item that can take away kinetic energy from a moving object without the wizard having to nothing, why would it not be possible to create a stronger and more advanced version designed to "steal" the kinetic energy of any object approaching the wizard at high speed. Basically automatically absorbing all the power behind the incoming bullet, so it becomes harmless.

    Now granted, an item like that would likely be an extremely complex thing to create, and Harry probably is not skilled enough to create one. However given the concept of Harrys rings, I see no reason why someone far more skilled such as a member of the senior council could not create this kind of anti-bullet/anti-force defense.

    Oh, and as a sidenote. Wanna bet that the bullet that hit Harry has been recovered by someone (maybe even Marcone himself). It strictly speaking did "kill" Harry, and then Harry did something unique and actually managed to come back. I would bet that would give said bullet (reforged into something else maybe?) lots of magical oomph against Harry (or even in general).
     
  2. T3t

    T3t Purple Beast of DLP ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Err... as I said, extended-range duster.

    But even beyond that, supernatural abilities only give you "perfect" aim, they don't guarantee that you'll hit your target. Up to a certain point, you can eliminate a lot of variation in cartridges/powder by self-loading, but you can't necessarily account for wind/humidity/air pressure, which at longer ranges can easily move a bullet a few inches to the side/down.
     
  3. fuubar

    fuubar Headmaster

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    I'd have to double check but IIRC in Changes Eb has a bunch of bullets that get stopped just short of his robes, without him being noted as putting up a shield or anything.
     
  4. Aekiel

    Aekiel Angle of Mispeling ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    As I recall they either disappear or just drop to the ground when they get within a few inches of him, no shield required.
     
  5. Datakim

    Datakim Chief Warlock

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    To be fair, he might have had a shield active and since the books are from Harrys POV, we just did not know.

    Eb is basically one of the most powerfull wizards on the planet afterall. He is confirmed to be responsible for the tunguska explosion in the book. He pulled a satellite from orbit and managed to hit a mansion with it (pretty good marksmanship). I think he might have been responsible for a volcano. We saw him instantly kill a hundred people with no link such as blood or Name and do so with absolutely no sign of attack (the people just drop dead).

    It is quite possible that he is just good enough that unlike Harry, he does not need any shield bracelets, and that his shield is so efficient that there is no wasted energy on glowing bubble like Harrys shield. Heck, I seem to recall that we saw Carlos (who is a younger wizard than Harry) use somekind of entropic magic to protect himself by destroying attacks (bullets would disintegrate) rather than just blocking them with a barrier. Eb could have done something like that, just with far greater skill.

    We don't know for certain if whatever he was doing there would work if he was caught totally offguard by a long-range sniper shot to the head. Most combat oriented wizards have ways to defend themselves, and in the worst case they can take the opponent with them via a death curse. Thats why Harry was so freaked out by the possibility of Kincaid just shooting him from a kilometer away on some peacefull day with absolutely no warning whatsoever.

    In that kind of case, survival would depend entirely on more passive defenses that would have to be constantly active, and that seems to be a lot more difficult for a wizard to do. I am sure Eb could, but Eb is centuries old and on the senior council. Your average warden (let alone an ordinary wizard) would probably almost always die if shot by a sniper.
     
  6. Celestin

    Celestin Dimensional Trunk

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    I think Dresden could create a passive defense that would protect him from a single sniper shot or even few shots. The biggest challenge would be in creating a constant detection spell around him that would notice an incoming bullet before releasing a barrier and while it may be a little tricky to make with DF magic, it shouldn't be too hard.
     
  7. KaelMyec

    KaelMyec Second Year

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    The problem becomes longevity though. Could Dresden create a bullet shield spell that covers his entire body? Almost certainly given that we have seen such a spell enchanted into his duster. But we know that spells degrade everyday with the sunrise. Enchantments can last longer with how they are worked out but they are tied to something. So unless Dresden was wearing a body suit, whatever spell he comes up with would have to be reapplied daily, which is paranoid but good preparation and in Dresdens words Wizards can do awesome things if they have time to prepare.
     
  8. Zeelthor

    Zeelthor Scissor Me Timbers

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    It's also worth mentioning that it'd be pretty awkward moving around with a solid kinetic shield. He'd bump into things and people with it. Messy, messy. I'd say get a hat. :D
     
  9. Aekiel

    Aekiel Angle of Mispeling ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Makes more sense that it's a passive defence. You can't rely on a shield all the time, otherwise you'd get worn down way too quickly to be of much use, especially if all you're defending against are bullets. Better to use a passive defence that you don't have to concentrate on (like how Lea's armour saved Harry a bunch of times without him even noticing) and use the magic you've got for offensive spells. Best defence is a good offence and all that.

    Besides, even the Merlin uses props. His combat vest had a potions bandolier, if I'm remembering it correctly. It would be stupid to give up a potential advantage like that just because you're older and more powerful than those who rely on them.
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2013
  10. Agayek

    Agayek Dimensional Trunk DLP Supporter

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    What blasphemy is this?!

    Everyone but the cover artists know that Dresden would never wear a hat.
     
  11. syed

    syed Supermod

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    Nicodemus should be more afraid of Harry than ever once he realizes he is now the actual Warden.
    | Demon reach is the ultimate super max prison in the supernatural world. Harry knows his weakness is his magical necktie and has come close to killing him before with it. That island was built to contain immortals, it could potentially be the best place to contain Denarian coins. So not only could his body get killed, the coin could be sealed in a place that was built to contain the worst of the worst.
    Lash never mentioned that Dresden had a problem either she kept quiet or she did not detect it. We know the black circle is involved with some Denarians, could they have been influenced by the adversary? We know Nic knew nothing about Arctis Tor being attacked by denarians, so it is possible that some of those fallen knights have been co opted.
     
  12. Doctor Nero

    Doctor Nero First Year

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  13. Striker

    Striker What's up demons?

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    You are very, very late to the party, friend.

    Edit: Though apparently not this one, since the link to that was only in the Word of God thread. Huh.
     
  14. Zeelthor

    Zeelthor Scissor Me Timbers

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    I think I made a separate thread for it.
     
  15. Uncle Stojil

    Uncle Stojil Auror

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  16. Celestin

    Celestin Dimensional Trunk

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    Was it already revealed that they will try to steal
    Holy Grail
    or is that a new bit of information?
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2013
  17. Zeelthor

    Zeelthor Scissor Me Timbers

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    Yeah... I came.
     
  18. Riley

    Riley Alchemist DLP Supporter

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    Love it. I love Harry when he goes about gun blazing.
     
  19. Stalin's Pipe Organs

    Stalin's Pipe Organs Auror

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    I hope Nicodemus wont die in this one.
     
  20. Zeelthor

    Zeelthor Scissor Me Timbers

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    Mm. He's awesome.
     
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