These files detail some "house rules" regarding certain spells. This ensures that their effects are roleplayed consistently from one scene to the next.
Available topics are: Apparation, Disillusionment, Imperio, and Protego.Apparation
Convenient as Apparation is, it is not always practical.
1. Apparation will not carry you halfway around the world. London to Hogsmeade is reasonable for an adult character; London to New York City is definitely not. Consider alternatives such as the Floo network for long journeys.
2. Splinching occurs when a Wizard tries to Apparate and leaves a bit of himself behind. Splinching is also the reason why Apparation during combat is a very bad idea. If it's possible to splinch oneself just making the trip from home to work, the chances of splinching increase exponentially while Apparating under fire or duress. For this reason, it is unreasonable to pose Apparating around in combat as if you are teleporting. If you plan to Disapparate in order to escape, you should pose running a safe distance away first.
Disillusionment
According to the HP Lexicon, the Disillusionment charm is "a charm which hides the true, magical nature of something." When Harry used this charm, he started taking on the appearance of whatever was behind him, like a human chameleon. At 8,000 feet or so via broom at night, he would have been impossible to see by Muggle eye. However, others could see Harry despite the charm's effect; in addition, it is possible to pick out a chameleon if you go looking for one.
Disillusionment charms do make you harder to see and hit. It can explain help why your characters don't get hit with a spell or the like. However, disillusionment charms do not grant not true invisibility. There is still a very real chance of being spotted and hit while using this charm.
Imperio
As one of the three Unforgivables, the Imperius curse is mainly used by the dark faction to control the actions of another person. Though many witches and wizards are unable to fight the curse, some may fight and break its hold on them. The use of this curse against another human being may earn the caster a life sentence in Azkaban.
Below are some notes to help you understand the nature of the Imperius Curse.
1. One does not have to continually stand behind an Imperiused victim with a wand to get them to carry out commands, though it will be harder to break an actively maintained Imperius curse (where a Wizard is doing little else but standing behind his target and issuing commands). When a command is given, the victim will carry it out at her next available opportunity. If a command is given to punch John Doe in the face, the next time the victim sees John Doe, she will punch John in the face. During the time the victim is not actively obeying the curse, she may become more generally pleasant, amiable, etc. She will not walk around like a zombie.
2. Each time a victim is successfuly Imperiused, the curse becomes a little harder to resist. Therefore a DE could go the route of issuing a single command, leaving, coming back to you again, and casting the curse a second time in the hopes of getting an easier victim to contend with.
3. If the victim breaks the Imperius curse and is not fully trained in its resistance, she is more likely to have a severe headache. Granted, depending on where and when you break the curse (most likely while performing the commands), this might lead the victim to follow the back trail and conclude that she has been Imperiused.
4. Those fully trained in Imperio resistance who take on an imperious without being softened up by torture, a blow to the head, etc, will probably recognize the signs of an Imperio. Furthermore, a truly strong will can, in retrospect, eventually drag up the fuzzy memory of someone whispering Imperio before drawing a blank. They might also be able to dredge up fuzzy, dream-like memories of what they did, at the price of a severe headache and a dizzy head. However, if the victim has not broken the curse, he will not be able to dredge up any memories.
5. It is harder to Imperio people to do something they desperately do not want to or know they should not do. The more desperate a victim gets, the harder the Imperio. In fact, it's easier to Imperio people to do something that they would want to do, anyways. Therefore, "Go home to your wife and kids and don't think about this anymore" is a far easier imperio than "go kill that man."
6. If the victim does not know how to carry out the command given, she will do their best to either substitute something or stand there in confusion. This gives her a better chance of breaking the spell. If a victim is given a command to cast an Unforgivable, she will not be able to if she does not know how to cast the spell or possess the amount of hate and fury necessary to cast the spell. Most people's brains work hard to justify and deal with inconsistencies; 'Why do I desperately want to do something which I have no knowledge of how to do' counts as a very large one.
7. Consenting to have the Imperius curse placed on you is consenting to surrendering your character's will. If you submit to "whatever happens" then that is what you're going to get. A suggestion is to work out in advanced exactly what is going to be done to your character and discuss any breakage, memory fuzzes, and whatnot with your RP partner before the scene goes onwards. You should discuss what you're willing to be Imperiused to do, how long you're willing to make it last, whether you're willing to have a repeat performance, etc.
8. If there are any disagreements regarding Imperio between the victim and the caster, a helper may step in and figure out what went on ICly through logs. When this happens, their judgment will be final, and you may not like it. So make sure you discuss what you are and are not willing to do thoroughly.
Protego
Known as the Shield Charm, Protego creates a magical shield to protect its caster from spells and jinxes casted by others. Below are some guidelines to ensure combat remains within the boundaries of theme.
1. Protego lasts for 3 pose rounds before it goes down or until it is knocked down by a spell. After that, you will have to cast a new one.
2. Protego does not stack. You cannot cast four Protegos on yourself and have it build and build and build into these layers of shield that someone has to plow through. One Protego cast one at a time. You can cast a second one, quickly, if the first one is knocked down.
3. Protego is not necessarily an easy spell. According to the books, many adult wizards as of Harry's sixth year cannot cast this spell properly. A really powerful one can deflect just like a deflection spell, but most people's Protego simply defends its caster from another spell. Obviously, if you're no good at casting Protego, a spell can go right through it.
4. There is a deflection spell which specifically target the other caster known as Deflectero. This spell is more difficult to cast and longer to say than Protego, resulting in the need for a strategic mix between the two if you choose to use it at all.