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Humans, Magic, And Who Gets It

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by Hashasheen, Dec 30, 2015.

  1. Hashasheen

    Hashasheen Half-Blood Prince

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    See above. Are we talking bloodlines for how wizards get around, or can anyone get into the whole magic business and start running around with a stave?
     
  2. Agayek

    Agayek Dimensional Trunk DLP Supporter

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    There seems to be some innate potential you have to have before you can bend the forces of the universe to your will. It's not made clear anywhere in canon what the requirements for having that potential when you're born is, but from the evidence in canon, it's very likely an exposure thing. It's firmly established that the children of wizards (especially female wizards) are significantly more likely to be wizards themselves, but at the same time, it can't be entirely genetic. Otherwise it's unlikely that Molly would be the only magic user out of 7+ children. Hell, Charity all but explicitly says that she metaphorically choked the magic out of herself and that's why all her other children are mundanes.

    Most likely, it's an environmental factor. The more magic a child is exposed to while developing, before and after birth, the more likely they are to actually have magic.
     
  3. CosmosGravitation

    CosmosGravitation Professor

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    People who become wizards are instinctively much, much better at magic then most people, but given enough time anyone could learn a little magic. The potential does seem to be inherited to a large degree.

    Here is a quote from Butcher on magical bloodlines.

     
  4. Heosphoros

    Heosphoros Fourth Year

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    As Cosmos said, anybody can do some magic, but for most regular people is like going in blind, without a magical sense to give feedback on top of having little to no magical power. Something simple, like a magical circle, can be universally learned. Said power also seem to be incredibly hard to raise, Dresden's--through the series--may very well not grown at all (outside of power ups granted by magical beings). His considerable jump in ability being due his growing skill and experience.

    To be a proper wizard you have to be in the upper class of magical power and talent and receive some quality training on top of that. Unless I'm missing a WoG, we don't have the exact standard for classifying someone as a Wizard. It seems to involve, aside for a certain amount of power, being at least capable on a wide variety of magical disciplines(such as evocation, veils, thaumaturgy and probably others), being able to cast a Death Curse, having The Sight and being able to initiate a Soulgaze (if the Wizard has a soul).
     
  5. DarthBill

    DarthBill The Chosen One

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    It seems like the kind of thing that would be hard to document, since wizards live so long and the rules of magic change periodically.
     
  6. Longsword

    Longsword Banned

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    In Proven Guilty Dresden does mention to Charity that children get their abilities often through the female line. Whether this is a rule has not been cleared in the books though.
     
  7. Chengar Qordath

    Chengar Qordath The Final Pony ~ Prestige ~

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    As I recall, at one point Harry/Butcher makes the comparison to professional athletes. Anyone can run in a 100 meter dash, but most folks can't do it in less than ten seconds. White Council Wizards are basically like Olympic-level athletes: people who have substantial natural gifts honed through a lifetime of training.

    From what we've seen of canon, theoretically anyone can learn magic. However, magic is such a difficult and complicated discipline that unless someone has natural talents, a really good teacher, or a ton of determination they'll probably never get far enough to accomplish much.
     
  8. Aekiel

    Aekiel Angle of Mispeling ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    I recall a Word of Jim a while back saying that children exposed to large concentrations magic in the womb are more likely to have a greater talent in it when they're born. That's why it's generally regarded as following the female line; a Wizard mother is constantly dosing their child with magic from the moment they're conceived, so they're more likely to give birth to a magically talented child.
     
  9. Agayek

    Agayek Dimensional Trunk DLP Supporter

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    Kinda. He said that's one of several possible factors that heavily influence the possibility. He also said that there's no one thing that guarantees any given child will, or will not, have the gift. It's only degrees of probability.
     
  10. Aekiel

    Aekiel Angle of Mispeling ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    That's why I said more likely.
     
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