Hi, there.


I was just wondering, does it matter where you get hit with a spell? I mean, would it affect the effectiveness of the spell?


For example, say you get hit with a Stunner on your little finger, for some reason. Would you still be Stunned? Or would the effect be altered?


And with spells like Conjunctivitis Curse, if you hit someone with it, say, on their leg, would the spell still work? Or does it have to hit the eyes, or general thereabouts?


Thanks in advance,


--Qwerty

 

It's Magic. Not bullets.

So I would say, in my opinion, yes. The effect is the same no matter where it hits. Unless it's a spell that causes area specific damage such as a blasting curse.

That's always how I've thought of it, but there could be canon examples I've missed.

 

Varies, probably.

Stunners, likely anywhere. However, I imagine a Conjunctivitis Curse would need to hit the eye. Ron or Hermione in GoF says that Cedric hit his dragon with some spell in its eye, I'm pretty sure. If you didn't need to, why would Cedric go to the trouble of aiming for the dragons eye?

 

Thinking back over canon I can't recall anyone actually "taking aim" at anything. It seems as if as long as you point in the general direction then you hit what you're aiming for. But then there is the problem as to why so many wizards and witches miss what they are aiming for in battle scenes. So it's another JKR inconsistency.

Thus it's all up to you as to how you want to deal with aiming issues.

 

I think that's because the dragons hide is resistant to magic and their eye is their weak spot.

Also I always thought that as long as it wasn't something like a cutting curse or blasting crap, it didn't matter where you hit.

 

It doesn't feel right if someone get hit with the Killing Curse on their little finger.

Maybe the spell needs to hit completely the person - otherwise only a fraction of the spell is effective. That's how I imagine it.

If you were hit by the Killing Curse on your hand, you'd lose the usage of the hand - the hand would be dead. If your torso is hit, it would be fatal then.

 

Magic is based on, to some extent, the caster's intent, no?

It's like synecdoche - using the part to refer to the whole.

If you're aiming at a specific person as a target, then regardless of where you hit the person, it still qualifies as that person.

 

I think the Killing Curse (as with most other spells) is a lot like like touching a live wire--you can get shocked no matter what part of you touches it--earlobe, pinky, tongue. Unlike a live wire, though, you probably don't get killed if it touches your pee stream.

This is why Flitwick was so badass a magical dueler. For his opponents, it was like pitching to Eddie Gaedel.

 

Well, what you have to answer here is this:

Do you imagine magic being a force that manipulates the physic laws and interrupt natures work or do you imagine it being more "magic", poof and it happens?

For example, does the killing curse just kill you instantly or does it manipulate your body so that all vital organs stop working?

Does the stunner actually lock you in place or does it just put a block between your brain and the nerves?

Assuming you believe magic just does it´s job and *poof* it happens it probably doesn´t matter where it hits.
Probably it´s a mixture of both. It does likely vary a little from spell to spell. Some persons must have been hit with the killing curse in the hand but Harry is the only person to have survived it. Sectusempra is a spell that we know kicks in where you point though.

 

I do. In GoF, when Harry's looking for a way to talk to Cedric Diggory on his own (about the First Task), he casts a spell that opens a big tear in Diggory's schoolbag. The contents fall to the floor and he stays behind to gather them etc.

My point is, before Harry says the incantation, it is specified that he takes the time to carefully aim at the bag. So apparently aim matters. In this specific case, at least.

 

There it is. Thanks Tinn.

GOF scene:
Pausing at a distance from them, he pulled out his wand, and took careful aim.



"Diffindo!"



Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor.


Even with this, there would be a decent case for playing it either way, depending on what kind of charm, curse, hex, or jinx you use.

 

I don't think you can make any hard and fast "rules" on magic or aiming. Some it matters, some it doesn't. Some can be blocked, some can't. Some are red, some are green, some are colorless.

That said, I can't stop fucking singing this thread title every time I see it.

Where the spell hits...
When the dog bites,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

See? Now the rest of you will be fucking singing this in your head when you read the thread title too.

Ha-hah!

 

Fuck. You.

Even I know this song. ~_~

 

^ Never heard of the song. : P

 

Musically deprived. Or at least you weren't forced to watch the Sound Of Music several hundred times. >_>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHTN4Jvi6lg

 

Nonjon you sonofabitch. Stop teasing us with awesome music and write more FF.

 

Hmmm I'm gonna have to agree with the over all consensus that it's more intent than aim.
Of course certain area specific spells you have to aim, like say a cutting curse wouldn't slit someone's throat if you hit them in the shin clearly. However spells or hexes or things of that nature, like the killing curse, i feel like even if it grazed your toe nail it should still be effective.

But Qwerty, if you haven't seen the sound of music, you should at least know the song "My Favorite Things" Especially seeing as how it has been covered by soooo many artists after the song became a jazz standard. Even Andre 3000 and Tupac have their own renditions of the song

 

Hey, I was born in a shit-hole of a country and my first priority when I came to Australia was to learn English, not go and listen to jazz music...unless it would have helped me learn English...

EDIT: Got that bloody song stuck in my head now...hope you're all happy.