Ward breaker

[hcobb]

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.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

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."

[hcobb]

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.

[phiwum]

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.

[hcobb]

"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."

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

"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.

[zot]

Originally Posted by hcobb

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.

Depending on the GM/world, a lesser wish each day could reveal whether there would be an attack on a gate station during that day. I'm not sure if I put that in my writeups opionions gate stations here on the forums a few years ago but in my world, the Transport Guild would routinely use lesser wishes like this (my world would be much more JRPG than most people's here, I think :) ).

How available lesser wishes are, of course, also depends on the GM/world but lesser wish farming can be quite doable if you have two PCs who are very experienced (in the right way) and who have a few lesser wishes up their sleeves...

[hcobb]

Lesser wishes lose witches. Ward doesn't cost you precious spellcasters.

[zot]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Lesser wishes lose witches. Ward doesn't cost you precious spellcasters.

From my limited experimentation, it seems that two 38 point wizards can farm wishes pretty consistently without too much risk.

[Skarg]

What exactly Spell Shield prevents isn't entirely clear, and does start to get important in such situations. A GM who rules it prevents Ward detection might tend to rule it prevents Gate use.

Since the IQ 9 Reveal Magic spell will let a wizard "see" an active Spell Shield, I tend to think Spell Shield would not let you waltz through a Ward undetected.


Henry, what is the intruder scenario that you're thinking the Ward is so crucial for at a public gate station?