A fistfight is, first and foremost, undignified for a wizard. So it may not be surprising that in our sagas we've never had a fistfight occur between Hermetic magi before, and we had never realized that under normal conditions ... it simply cannot happen!
The reason is that the Parma Magica is technically a supernatural effect affecting the magus (who avoids warping because of an explicit special rule). Also, no matter how powerful, it has no Penetration. Thus, any Magic Resistance stops a punch from a magus with his Parma Magica raised, just as it would stop him if "pink-dotted".
Or are we missing something crucial?
One important consequence of this is that making a melee weapon into one's talisman tends to preclude using it to pummel supernatural foes (one's Parma protects one's talisman, so an opponent's Magic Resistance blocks it). The trick of enchanting only part of the talisman, e.g. the shaft of a spear and not its point, does not work around this issue.
Well, Parma Magica is a supernatural effect that affects those protected by it. Otherwise, there would be no need to rule it does not warp them. This means that, unless an explicit exception is made for it (and I know of no such exception), by default it should be blocked just like any other mystical effect.
Actually, when read closely the exception seems to be that it isn't an active mystical effect. The non-warping is just a consequence of this.
Wards are active mystical effects as long
as they are protecting someone. Two notable
exceptions are Parma Magica and the Aegis of the
Hearth, which are based on the same break-
through by Bonisagus.
Also, a magus can share their Parma with another mage - which requires touching that other mage. Hard to touch them if their Form resistance would block the magus.
The way I read that passage in the larger context is "wards count as active mystical effects [in terms of the warping rules above] ... Two notable exceptions are Parma Magica and Aegis of the Hearth [which do not count as active mystical effects in terms of the warping rules above]." It's hard to argue that an Aegis of the Hearth is not an "active mystical effect" in the more general sense; it certainly has to Penetrate.
I'd assume the other magus must just suppress his own Form Resistance while his fellow shares the protection?
No, I don't think it does. Their spells, yes, but not the people themselves. Otherwise the Aegis should have to penetrate any MR to affect their spellcasting, and it doesn't have to do that.
Hmm, I actually re-read the new description of the Aegis and you appear to be correct.
I confess I had always read the original description differently though (i.e. beings of Might caught within the Aegis would be able to Magically Resist the dampening effect of the Aegis on their powers). Fair enough.
The main point of the thread still stands, though.
In the description of Hugh of Flambeau [MoH pp45] there is the following sentence: "His favored tactic is to strike a supernatural target in battle with a weapon then follow up with a spell, using the blood on the blade as an Arcane Connection to enhance Penetration."
And later [MoH p51] "Hugh has enchanted a long-hafted bearded axe as his talisman. (...) Only the haft has been enchanted, allowing the blade to be unimpeded by Magic Resistance."
It seems that the Parma does not need to penetrate (or has infinite penetration).
It is also suggested the Parma doesn't need to penetrate, since Bjornaer in Heartbeast don't need to penetrate MR. Their attacks count as natural weapons.
I tend to think more likely that the authors have not considered all possible ramifications of the RAW. For example, most Bjornaer are under the effects of a Longevity Rituals (because of simple demographics) meaning that, regardless of Parma, they cannot use their natural weapons to attack Magic Resistant targets.
This is probably the only thing in Ars that really sticks in my craw. MR blocking physical attacks makes sense in the mechanics but it brings a really lame tone with it.
A warding spell to protect against a magical beast is one thing but having every new magi effectively immune to being stepped on by a dragon is weak.
That is not true.
A creature with inherent, natural Magic Resistance is not resisted by Parma. Bc essential nature is not resisted by Parma.
All the mages can be stepped on by the dragon
I once played a corpus specialist who found a corpus mage pretending to be a monk and interfering with mundanes. I couldn't affect him with my spells, and he couldn't affect me with his - so I rushed him and did scuffling damage until he went unconscious from fatigue. Reasoning he wouldn't be warded against his favourite drink, I drowned him in a barrel of the monastery's ale. I felt this was a satisfying way of dealing with a magical rival, and our SG allowed it.
So all magic beasts, who have magic resistance can’t physically attack mages? That makes no sense. This is taking the pink dot problem to an extreme level.
No, no.
If you have Magic Resistance, then someone under a (low- or no-penetration) mystical effect cannot physically attack you, but you can attack him. The issue here is not that Hermetic magi have Magic Resistance. The issue is that Parma is a mystical effect affecting or at least surrounding a magus, so it (and the magus) should be physically stopped by Magic Resistance.
So what would it take for one Hermetic Mage to slap another, presuming both have Parma? Both can attack at will, but neither can successfully hit the other?
Can one temporarily drop his Parma in order to strike (and potentially be struck by) the other?
