[ArM5] The magic spoon thingy (was: intro & a couple of questions)

[Erik Dahl]

Hajo Meier (>) and I (>>) wrote: 

>> 3. Suppose you enchant a rock and throw it. It will
>> be stopped by the Parma unless the Muto (or whatever)
>> spell penetrates, right?

> I think you are misinterpreting the medieval paradigm.
> The rock should go through while the effect on the
> rock is suppressed, not dispelled, nor the actual
> NATURAL force suppressed or countered. 

I can see where you're coming from, but I think it's clear in the new
edition that if the force acting on a magical rock is resisted, the rock
itself is resisted. We can't separate the two effects.

> Parma magica protects from magical forces. Personally
> that's the way I view the sword issue. If the sword
> attack is carried through by natural means, the sword
> will connect while magical effects to enhance damage
> on the sword, for instance, may be resisted. If the
> attack is enhanced by magic, that enhancement may be
> countered by PM negating the boosting effect leaving
> only the natural attack.

Suppose I transformed a huge boulder into a pebble and threw it at you? If
magic worked this way, the boulder would connect while the magic to change
its size would be resisted. You'd be squished!

ArM5 does seem to specifically address this (in the chapter on Hermetic
Magic, under The Functioning of Magic Resistance):

"A magical rock thrown at the maga bounces off her resistance, and the maga
feels nothing beyond the warning that something has been successfully
resisted.

"A normal rock turned into a large boulder by a Muto spell bounces off her
resistance, as above.

"A large boulder turned into a pebble by a Muto spell bounces off her
resistance, as above."

The problem is that according to the first citation, any rock created or
changed by a spell is considered magical, leading to cheap spells to change
an incoming rock blue, which most magi can fast-cast.

Erik