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Old 11-06-2020, 11:25 AM   #1
hcobb
 
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Default Ward breaker

Gate station security hinges on the "unbeatable" Ward spell, so how do you beat it?

First assume that gates give no visible clue in use.

Next use the following spells: Silent Movement, Invisibility, Unnoticeability, and Spell Shield.

Finally step through the gate and pray that the Ward caster isn't looking in the direction of the gate with Mage Sight when you step through.
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Old 11-06-2020, 12:06 PM   #2
phiwum
 
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Default Re: Ward breaker

Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Gate station security hinges on the "unbeatable" Ward spell, so how do you beat it?

First assume that gates give no visible clue in use.

Next use the following spells: Silent Movement, Invisibility, Unnoticeability, and Spell Shield.

Finally step through the gate and pray that the Ward caster isn't looking in the direction of the gate with Mage Sight when you step through.
I suppose sending someone through who has no hostile intentions but will unwittingly cause some sort of chaos is a pretty good ruse. The classical trope I have in mind is a person who has been hypnotized (in the Hollywood sense) to do some evil when a certain trigger occurs. Bend that concept to the ITL rules (say, control person might work) and ward would be useless. The person's presence will be known, but if he has no hostile intentions at the moment he passes through the ward, he may be mistaken for harmless.

Do silent movement, invisibility or unnoticeability prevent the ward from working? Silent movement seems most unlikely. The others are doubtful to me too. "Anything that comes through the warded doorway or area of floor will be known to the casting wizard."
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Old 11-06-2020, 12:09 PM   #3
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Default Re: Ward breaker

You need to cover up the non-detection of the Spell Shield user, as the Warder detects both passage and intent.

This assumes that Spell Shield doesn't block Gate. If it does then Ward is unbeatable for the role.

By RAW wording Spell Shield offers no defense against Ward and your only hope is a lucky roll on Unnoticeability.
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Last edited by hcobb; 11-06-2020 at 12:22 PM.
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Old 11-06-2020, 12:21 PM   #4
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Default Re: Ward breaker

Oh, I see. I wasn't getting the crucial role of Spell Shield. It prevents detection from a Ward. That does sound right to me.

But, as you suggest, it would probably prevent the Gate from working too. However, if the Ward is adjacent to the Gate, you step on the Ward, turn off the Shield and step through the Gate all in one "turn". The Ward would detect the miscreant too late.

I still think a miscreant who don't know he's a miscreant is a solution.
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Old 11-06-2020, 12:24 PM   #5
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Default Re: Ward breaker

"I'm terribly sorry," Smith shouted as he tossed the hand grenade, "I've got nothing personal against wizards, but I'm under a geas."
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Old 11-06-2020, 01:00 PM   #6
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"I'm terribly sorry," Smith shouted as he tossed the hand grenade, "I've got nothing personal against wizards, but I'm under a geas."
Ah, but in that case, Smith intends to do what he's doing, he just wishes he didn't intend to do it. I think the ward has to show his hostile intention in this case.[1]

This is different from a person who unwittingly presents a threat. This could be because of something like fanciful hypnosis or the fact that he's carrying something like a bomb that will be triggered at an opportune time, but he doesn't even know he has the bomb.

[1] Forgive me. I've read some philosophy from Harry Frankfurt that describes the difference between wanting to do something and wanting to want to do it. Bringing up abstruse topics like that is an occupational hazard for me, I'm afraid.
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Old 11-06-2020, 03:33 PM   #7
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Default Re: Ward breaker

The WARD spell hardly seem practical as long-term security. The casting wizard has to stay within 15 hexes to keep it active which puts a bit of a crimp in his social life.
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Old 11-06-2020, 03:50 PM   #8
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Default Re: Ward breaker

sort of reminds me of that old cartoon with the sheepdog and the wolf, where there was a shift change and the new sheepdog picks up exactly where the old sheepdog leaves off.
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Old 11-06-2020, 04:16 PM   #9
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Default Re: Ward breaker

The ward spell only notifies the wizard if someone passes through the ward, thus the case could be argued that being teleported into a ward would not set it off until you step out of it. Kinda like a landmine. Once you step through the gate you have a couple options;
A) Use the teleport spell to blink a few mega-hexes away.
B) Go back through the gate, and now that you have visited the area which means you can use either long-distance teleport or astral projection to return without setting off the ward.

If you can't convince your GM that the ward only works once you pass through and not when you step into it, there is still a couple option you can take.
A) Use control gate to find out where the other end is. Travel there and enter by another means.
B) Summon a demon and have him transport you to the other end of the gate outside of the ward spell.
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Old 11-06-2020, 04:20 PM   #10
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Default Re: Ward breaker

I've written up two kinds of Gate Station that depend on the Ward at both door and gate. (See Hexagram for the other.)
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