What Are the Magic Resistance Ploys?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
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The thread about MR got me thinking - what are the various ploys used to evaluate loopholes in the MR rules? Whether they work or don't in the new edition.

Here are a few I could think of -

Pebble of Crushing - send a boulder diminished to pebble-size to hit a magus. If the diminishing effect is dispelled, the magus would be crushed by it.

Tree in Sheep's Clothing - transform a tree into a sheep and let the dragon swallow it. When the spell ends, the tree bursts him from inside. Glass of Betrayal is the magus variant - poison turned to wine.

Pink Dotted Sword - wizard casts spell to paint dots on sword, if MR stops item (as it does in the RAW) he is now immune to it.

Magi's Fist - a wizard under an ongoing magical effect (e.g. a longevity ritual, or a MuCo(An) spell) punches another. Is the fellow immune to the hit? RAW says not, but pretty arbitrarily.

Excalibur - is a magical sword more penetrating than a plain one? Not according to the RAW.

Pilum of Fire - nearly any parma variant resists this, of course.

The Pit - make the ground below the target go "poof". Does he resist?

Pit & Cover - make the deep pit below the target, watch the target fall, then immediately create or move a ton of earth above the pit and laugh maniacally as it naturally falls down on top of your enemy. Does the magus get to resist, at any point, and how does that appear?

The Anvil - levitate an anvil above the target, then let the magic lapse. When the anvil falls on the target, does it resist?

Engulfing Rock - create a rock just around the target, immobilizing it. Does it resist? And how does that manifest if it does?

Treacherous Prize - give a gift of a magical item to a magus. If MR needs to be suppressed when he picks it up to accept it, the secret effect goes off without any resistance.

Sling - you throw a nearby boulder at your opponent magically, does he resist?

Fall on Bridge - magus falls on magical bridge, does the bridge dissipate?

Bridge Falls Down - magical bridge falls on magus, does the magus resist being squashed?

Fall on Spikes - magus falls on magical spikes, does he resist getting damage? Just damage from the magic?

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. :slight_smile:

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Id say the effect is resisted, but so is its movement, as a side effect from resisting active magic effect.

Lol, those really are nasty ones! Active magic effects should always(? ) be resisted.

Dot is resisted, rest of the sword isnt.

Troublesome but i agree that its not resisted.

Treat as a normal sword unless the sword is held together by magic or similar active magic effect.

Only if the effect is so close to the target that its MR "aura" interferes.

Need active defense instead.

No.

Ouch. Good question.

Thats PLENTY more than enough!!!

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Smothering

Change the air around someone to sand, or stone, or water, or lava, or steel, or wood. The target will not be hurt by ensconsement in red hot iron, yet will still have no air to breathe and still cannot move. Canonically.

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Hi,

Fun! I'll have a go at this. You probably know all these, but...

Canonically, yes. My variant, MR would prevent "sending" the boulder with magic.

In both cases, MR is never triggered. It's less clear, however, what actually happens when the spell ends, especially if the spell has a Duration of Sun or Moon.

Canonically, MR applies. My variant, it does not.

Hmm. I'll exclude Longevity Rituals for now, as well as Parma. But I think that a magus who uses MuCo(An) to become a bear can be resisted using MR, canonically (but not my variant). Am I missing some weird rule exception?

Canonically, MR applies to a Hermetic version of Excalibur. My variant, no MR.

Of course. :>

Canonically, no. My variant, yes.

Canonically, the only resistance might occur if the ton of earth were created magically. Even so, the magus is now buried beneath a ton of earth, suffocating, perhaps being weighed down (if the heat of a resisted magical flame does not burn a magus, does the weight of a ton of magical earth not crush him?) Under my variant, resistance will occur when the pit is made, and such resistance will cause no pit to be made.... Lots of special effects, but nothing happens.

Canonically, no resistance. My variant, attempting to levitate the anvil above the target will trigger potential resistance.

Canonically, not resisted. My variant, resistance causes nothing to happen (except perhaps nifty cinematic effects).

So the magus has willingly suppressed his MR? Then it naturally does not apply...

I could see a Qik+Parma roll to resume MR before an effect of this kind triggers. Hey, wow! Finally, a use for Parma as an Ability!

Canonically, yes. My variant, yes.

Canonically, no. My variant, no... unless the bridge were created beneath the magus as he was falling.

Canonically, yes (magical medium) but then enjoys some secondary consequences. My variant no, unless magic was used to make the bridge fall.

Canonically, resists. My rules, no MR, unless someone attempted to create the spikes or move them beneath the magus as he was falling.

:slight_smile:

Anyway,

Ken