If my NPC does legal consulting work for politicians, can she cast Magick that undermines her client? The idea is that she uses this job to get to know various people in the political scene. The mundane work she does is necessary for her to make this contact. If she thinks the person will change things for the better, at the very least, she won't use Magick against them and might cast Magick that benefits them. Her main duty that she carries out on behalf of her Cabal is to weed out the worst actors. Are there any consequences to her if she uses Magick to expose the hidden relationships the aspiring leader has to other bad actors?
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Who would hold her accountable? If she uses Coincidental Magick to reveal her clients' secrets, the mundane political system won't even know what happened. If her Cabal agrees with her decision, they won't stand in her way; and if they don't agree, then she's not upholding her duty to her Cabal.
That leaves only the possibility that the politician she's seeking to uncover has the backing of some other Awakened faction, such as the Technocracy or the Nephandi. In which case, the consequences would be the opposing faction seeking revenge.
There's one other consideration: the STV product Ascension's Landscape suggests the possibility of the being some broad ongoing Magickal Effect that grants countermagick to people with tremendous social or legal influence, to explain why heads of state aren't routinely mind-controlled or otherwise puppeted by the mystical world. If you decide to implement something like that in your setting, you could say that Backgrounds such as Wealth or Influence act as countermagick — which would at the very least complicate her attempt to use her Magick to ruin the politician's career.Last edited by Dataweaver; 11-24-2020, 08:50 AM.
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Originally posted by Dataweaver View PostWho would hold her accountable? If she uses Coincidental Magick to reveal her clients' secrets, the mundane political system won't even know what happened. If her Cabal agrees with her decision, they won't stand in her way; and if they don't agree, them she's not upholding her duty to her Cabal.
Originally posted by Dataweaver View PostThere's one other consideration: the STV product Ascension's Landscape suggests the possibility of the being some broad ongoing Magickal Effect that grants countermagick to people with tremendous social or legal influence, to explain why heads of state aren't routinely mind-controlled or otherwise puppeted by the mystical world.
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I'd go with there are two major considerations:
1. How much plot immunity should major public figures have? In some games, just being in power means the divine have your back. That's one of the rules in the Kalamar Player's Guide and Player's Guide to the Sovereign Lands for the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting in D&D. It's a lot harder for some minor mage or other supernatural to cause trouble for major figures in the world if they get automatic magic resistance and are harder to clone, for example.
2. If you do have bad actor supernaturals in the background, then they certainly are going to be protecting their important pawns and themselves. They protect themselves and their pawns by knowing how to prevent magical undermining and other undermining. In this case, it's how much of a cutout those politicians are. If it's pretty easy for a group such as say, Pentex, to replace a member of a state legislature, then they probably will just focus on keeping their interests protected if faced with heavy opposition. After all, there's already a party system to create more state legislators and so there's a few on the 'promote if our current pawn bites it list.
As Dataweaver has noted, you also want to consider that people with Influence and Resources and other backgrounds can use those in their defense. So, that state legislator is revealed to support toxic waste dumping where they shouldn't. Well, they have a lot of Resources and can hire a good lawyer and public relations specialist to make the statements seem fabricated or minimize the damage.
And pretty much think of all the shenanigans that Wolfram & Hart does in the Angel TV show for their clients and you get an idea that most powerful people are going to have some protection from the good guys if they're at all connected.
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Originally posted by baakyocalder View Post2. If you do have bad actor supernaturals in the background, then they certainly are going to be protecting their important pawns and themselves. They protect themselves and their pawns by knowing how to prevent magical undermining and other undermining. In this case, it's how much of a cutout those politicians are.
Originally posted by baakyocalder View PostIf it's pretty easy for a group such as say, Pentex, to replace a member of a state legislature, then they probably will just focus on keeping their interests protected if faced with heavy opposition. After all, there's already a party system to create more state legislators and so there's a few on the 'promote if our current pawn bites it list.
Originally posted by baakyocalder View PostAs Dataweaver has noted, you also want to consider that people with Influence and Resources and other backgrounds can use those in their defense. So, that state legislator is revealed to support toxic waste dumping where they shouldn't. Well, they have a lot of Resources and can hire a good lawyer and public relations specialist to make the statements seem fabricated or minimize the damage.
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Originally posted by HorizonParty2021 View PostIf my NPC does legal consulting work for politicians, can she cast Magick that undermines her client? The idea is that she uses this job to get to know various people in the political scene. The mundane work she does is necessary for her to make this contact. If she thinks the person will change things for the better, at the very least, she won't use Magick against them and might cast Magick that benefits them. Her main duty that she carries out on behalf of her Cabal is to weed out the worst actors. Are there any consequences to her if she uses Magick to expose the hidden relationships the aspiring leader has to other bad actors?
As I am from Austria I need to clarify two things.
First my native language is german and so please point out if the english I write is broken so I can improve.
Second I do not own VTMV nor any line after M20 because it is not out there and I wait for the translation.
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Originally posted by HorizonParty2021 View PostIf my NPC does legal consulting work for politicians, can she cast Magick that undermines her client? The idea is that she uses this job to get to know various people in the political scene. The mundane work she does is necessary for her to make this contact. If she thinks the person will change things for the better, at the very least, she won't use Magick against them and might cast Magick that benefits them. Her main duty that she carries out on behalf of her Cabal is to weed out the worst actors. Are there any consequences to her if she uses Magick to expose the hidden relationships the aspiring leader has to other bad actors?
One of the conceits of Mage is that there is no one to authoritatively tell your characters if they are right or wrong. Might may make right. It may not. Either way your character has might, so what does she choose to do with it.
Which is to say, there are lots of consequences. None of them are inherent to magic itself.
Mage: The Ice-ension: An Epic Game of Reality on the Rink
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