Special Abilities (Read Fourth)

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Special Abilities are a result of the magical power innate to the person's being. Magic comes from a person's soul, or life-force, and the soul is within, connected to the person's body. As such, the power of one's soul has a quantifiable effect on one's body, granting that person certain super-human or outright magical special abilities. Most of these abilities can be emulated or exceeded with magic, but special abilities function for any character, of any specialization - though one's specializations may have an impact on some of one's abilities.

A person starts with a single special ability at Tier 0, and gains another special ability at every tier. These choices can be from any category, but most special abilities cannot be taken more than once unless otherwise stated. Each racial category also has certain bonus special abilities. See the "Racial Categories" thread for more details.

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Physical Abilities include:

Enhanced Strength: the person stronger than they should be, including muscle strength, bone strength, and general durability to support this increased ability. This ability can be taken twice: once multiplies the person's strength two to three times, twice multiplies the person's strength four to six times.
Enhanced Speed: the person is faster than they should be, including running speed, reaction speed, and general agility. This ability can be taken twice: once multiplies the person's speed two to three times, twice multiplies the person's speed four to six times.
Enhanced Toughness: the person can withstand more bodily punishment. This ability can be taken twice: once allows the person to shrug off minor wounds, twice allows the person to shrug off major wounds and survive most other-wise fatal attacks. This ability does not require, but usually has a physical explanation, such as thick hide or scales.
Enhanced Recovery: the person can heal rapidly. This ability can be taken twice: once allows the person to heal minor wounds in combat and major wounds out of combat, twice allows the person to heal major wounds in combat and survive most other-wise fatal attacks. The total regeneration of lost limbs and organs is usually possible when taken twice, but still takes longer.
Enhanced Sense: the person has a single sense that is two or three times better than average. If this ability is taken by a Beastfolk, Were, or other animalistic creature, the sense is instead equal to their animal counterpart. This ability can be taken multiple times, for a different sense each time.

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Magical Abilities include:

Psychometry: the person can read the chemical and magical state of things touched, as well as sense images of things that occurred to or around the object. The more powerful or connected the latter was to the former, the easier it is to sense, to the point that direct contact may not even be necessary. Things that were passing or minor may be sensed only vaguely, or not at all.
Empathy: the person can sense the physical, mental and emotional state of living beings around them. The higher tier the person is, the farther the person can sense these details.
Telepathy*: the person can read the surface thoughts or images of beings around them.
Telekinesis*^: the person can mentally manipulate a certain amount of mass, including living or otherwise magical things, through force of will. This is usually limited to one or two other people or equivalent at most.
Hypnosis*^: the person can selectively influence the mind of beings around them. This ability does not require, but usually has a visual or auditory display, such as glowing eyes or a changed voice.

Alternate Sense: the person has the ability to receive and comprehend sensory data in a way that is not biologically possible. This can be used to take such things as thermal vision, night vision, echolocation, electroreception, detecting magic or something else entirely.
Insight*: the person has the ability to comprehend sensory data and make deductions from it with vastly superior efficiency. This ability usually, but does not have to, favor an Enhanced or Alternate Sense, if any.
Foresight*: the person has the ability to see a few seconds in the future of their immediate area, or further into the future with inferior accuracy, since the distant future is subject to so many changing variables.
Healing*: the person has the ability to accelerate the natural healing process of themselves, or of another person in close range. This ability allows the person to heal minor wounds in combat and major wounds out of combat. The total regeneration of lost limbs and organs is not possible.
Familiar: the person has an object or creature that the person shares part or all of their powers and abilities with. (See the "Familiars" thread for more details.)

* = The ability takes energy to perform and tires the user with prolonged or frequent use.
^ = Magic Pressure and PC rules apply.

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Travel Abilities are a specific sub-group and count as Magical Abilities. They include:

Levitation^: the person is able to fly and hover as easily as walking.
Teleportation*^: the person can move (nigh-)instantaneously from place to place. This ability does not require, but usually has a visual effect on the atmosphere when used, in accordance with the person's specialization(s) if any.
Discorporation*^: the person can disperse into and move as a magical amorphous mass guided by the person's consciousness. This form is in accordance with the person's specialization or specializations, if any. If the person does not have an applicable specialization at time of selection, he or she must choose what that form is. The person is not able to use magic in this form, and unlike other modes of travel, cannot take living things with them.

Phasing*^: the person is able to pass and swim through solid objects.
-Breathing: the person is able to process a substance that is not naturally breathable for their specie. They must choose what that substance is at time of selection.

* = The ability takes energy to perform and tires the user with prolonged or frequent use.
^ = The person can take a certain amount of additional mass, including living or otherwise magical things, with them. This is usually limited to one or two other people at most. Magical Pressure and PC rules apply.

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Immunities are a specific sub-group and can count as Physical or Magical Abilities. They include:

Heat: the person is immune to the damaging effects of heat, fire, and the like. This ability does not, however, make the person able to breathe in such substances or negate the pressure of such attacks.
Cold: the person is immune to the damaging effects of the cold, frostbite and the like. This ability does not, however, make the person immune to being pierced by ice or frozen in a solid block of ice.
Shock: the person is immune to the damaging effects of electricity, static and the like. This ability does not, however, make the person immune to the light or sound of thunder, or to emotional "shock."

Poison&Disease: the person is immune to the damaging effects of natural poisons and diseases. This ability does not, however, make the person immune to the magical poisons of a mage with equal or greater magic pressure, though they can try to resist them.
Fear: the person is immune to fear, for better or worse.
Telepathy: the person is immune to telepathy and other means of mental attack or manipulation, for better or worse.

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Shapeshifting is a specific sub-group and counts as Physical or Magical Abilities. They include:

Humanoid: the person is able to shapeshift into whatever humanoid (human, beastfolk, fey, and the like) form they can imagine. This ability can be taken twice: once allows the person to take only one form, twice allows the person to take multiple, or even an unlimited amount of forms. Accurate imitations are possible, but require experience.

General: the person's body is able to get larger or smaller than their normal size, for better or worse, and return to their normal size as well. This ability can be taken twice: once allows the person to get either larger or smaller than their normal size, twice allows the person to get both larger or smaller than their normal size.

Animal: the person is able to shapeshift into whatever animal, were, magical or monstrous beast they have seen. This ability can be taken twice: once allows the person to take only one form, twice allows the person to take multiple, or even an unlimited amount of forms. Accurate imitations are possible, but require experience. Due to the bodily limitations of such forms, the person is not able to speak or use magic in such forms, except for Mental magic, but they gain the animal's natural abilities while transformed.

Elemental: the person's body is able to take on the consistency and density of an element (natural, classical, chemical, or otherwise), for better or worse. This form is in accordance with the person's specialization or specializations, if any. If the person does not have an applicable specialization at time of selection, he or she must choose what that form is. This ability can be taken twice: once allows the person to take only one form, twice allows the person to take multiple forms, provided they have an applicable specialization for them.

Chimerical: the person is able to shapeshift parts of their body selectively and support such alterations for a certain amount of time. This ability changes depending on what other shapeshifting abilities the person has.
- If the person has not taken any other shapeshifting abilities, then the person can shapeshift one part about themselves, and only one part about themselves from the time of selection. Usually the person chooses to shapeshift either wings, claws, or an elemental limb.
- If the person has taken any other shapeshifting ability, or abilities, then the person can selectively use those abilities with only parts of their body, even using multiple shapeshifting abilities at the same time.