Do you need to penetrate the magic resistance of a subject to give them a ward? Example, you cast an Individual target Ward Against Beasts on a person rather than a circle. While the ward has to penetrate the MR of any beast that tries to touch the warded person, does the spell granting the ward also have to penetrate the target's MR to bestow upon them the effect?
Technically, yes. In practice you are usually trying to ward people or your familiar - normal humans can take off a relic before you cast it, hermetic magi can suppress their parma, and hedge mage magical defences are weak enough you should easily make enough penetration total. Trying to ward someone with True Faith - well, they should be trusting in the Lord rather than your magic. Trying to ward a Faerie Friend or Magical Animal Companion (to use story flaws you may have) can be difficult.
I'd say they can suppress their magic resistance unless otherwise stated.
Why would they be able to do so? I haven't seen anything that suggests MR from a Faith Score or a Might Score can be suppressed.
The Contested Isle has the general level spell (and an accompanying guideline) Revoke the Protection of (Realm) on page 62/63 in the boxes for that purpose.
Because its awfully silly for powerful magical creatures and faeries to be unable to voluntarily benefit from beneficial magic. Ditto for Form Resistance - Magi are supposed to have more control over magic as they progress, not less.
Yeah, I understand that thematically it makes sense. Feels sensible for me as well.
But I don't think it's stated anywhere, though I invoke serf's parma.
You may well be right. The question has come up before and I don't recall a definitive RAW answer. To me at least, the overall theme of the game is more important than the minutia of the rules.
Fully agree with that.
But it would be nice to find some RAW mention to it.
I re-read the core rulebook looking for RAW clues regarding this, and found this:
You could interpret the part where it says Might MR "functions like Hermetic resistance" as meaning all rules for Hermetic MR apply, including the ability to suppress MR. It's kinda tenuous, but I think that's the interpretation I'll use myself, and will feel sufficiently justified by RAW. 