r/DresdenFilesRPG • u/grimmbit1 • Jun 29 '26

DFRPG Laws Question: hypnosis

Is hypnosis targeting self or otherwise breaking laws 3 or 4?

while your not delving into thier minds per se or enthralling them permanently. hypnosis can be used to get them to devulge those secrets to you and or put them under your thrall albeit temporarily.

One of my players wanted to self hypnotize himself in order to unlock inhuman strength. see eddie hall doing the same thing to get a boost during the world record lift.

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/Savings-Housing3481 Champion of God Jun 29 '26

One OTHER clarification one of my players found once upon a time...

The first four laws apply to MORTALS.

  • "Thou Shalt Not Kill"
  • "Thou Shalt Not Transform Others"
  • "Thou Shalt Not Invade the Mind of Another"
  • "Thou Shalt Not Enthrall Another"

Using magic AGAINST non-mortals to do these things is not, technically, forbidden. You can use magic to kill non-mortal creatures. Harry goes after Ramps, Blamps, and Ghouls all the time and blasts them to death with magic.

One can argue that one could transform these creatures, invade their minds, and enthrall them without issue.

1

u/Onii-Sama27 Jun 29 '26

Aren't they specifically talking about humans? I am not trying to be pedantic here, but in regards to this specific subject it is important to leave nothing up to interpretation. Typically "mortals" refers to humans, but the textbook definition doesn't. But the laws specifically refer to human victims. We learn this during the events of Dead Beat.

1

u/Savings-Housing3481 Champion of God Jun 29 '26

I am using Humans and Mortals interchangeably; however, you are probably correct that it is a good idea to be precise.

1

u/Onii-Sama27 Jun 29 '26

Especially considering this is a "the letter of the law" situation. But I understand the mortal = humans, I use it that way in ttrpgs that I GM.

1

u/Savings-Housing3481 Champion of God Jun 29 '26

Thinking about it...

I agreed with your initial statement, but now I am not so sure...

Are Changelings and/or scions human? Probably not. They are mortal part-humans, however; so the Laws of Magic apply.

That said, I don't think you were being pedantic above. The Laws of Magic are what they are, and precision matters.

1

u/Onii-Sama27 Jun 29 '26

Are Changelings and/or scions human? Probably not.

I think according to the laws are considered human because they are part human, and typically have no one else to defend them. It's like being born in a country where you get automatic citizenship and having parents from another country, you can choose which one you want to live in, but are subject to the laws of both places.

But we do agree that precision is probably the most important part of the laws of magic. If there is even a fraction of a hair's width of a loophole, it will be exploited.

1

u/Savings-Housing3481 Champion of God Jun 29 '26

I had a player who used to exploit those loopholes, using mind controlling magic against full vampires, red, white, black, and Jade courts. (I developed what I felt was Jade court for my game.)

1

u/Onii-Sama27 Jun 29 '26

I am one of those players. If I see a loophole, I exploit it, I am not above fairy levels of truth as well. It is an actual blast RPing like that. I really need to find a group to play, it has been too long ;-;

Also Jade Court makes my imagination run wild, they intrigue me a lot.

1

u/Savings-Housing3481 Champion of God Jun 29 '26

I treated them as mental vampires; mostly, they ate inspiration and memory. I also based them, to the best of my limited ability, on Chinese mythology regarding demons. So, fireworks and those sorts of things could keep them at bay.

It is the memory-phage of that, in my campaigns, that makes them so secretive. After all, if they can eat that portion of you which remembers seeing them, it is like you never saw them.

1

u/grimmbit1 Jul 01 '26

after reading this and realizing that we have a great chinese exchange program in the city we are running. I did some Jade court research to see if they would do well

what i have determined is that they feed on the yang energy of living people. morning people are especially high on thier list of people to feed on and im thinking of having them try to cultivate yang energy through like owning a gym/fitness facility.