Supernatural Ability

A Supernatural Ability is a type of Ability that governs the use of a supernatural power. It is associated with one of the supernatural Realms of Power, and often with a Supernatural Virtue of identical name that allows the use of the Ability and confers it with a score of 1. (Although characters with the Gift may also acquire one supernatural Ability without needing a virtue.)

Supernatural abilities are discussed at length in HoHS 103-105. The core description is at ArM5 ??.

Note that a supernatural ability is influenced by the Realm Interaction Chart just like any other supernatural power. This means that any Magical supernatural ability is heavily penalized within the Dominion, probably to the point of not being useful for non-specializing characters. Urban characters with such virtues would probably be unaware of their supernatural abilities unless they spend time outside the city, or in parts of the city where the dominion doesn't curtail the Ability's use.

Learning Supernatural Abilities

It is in principle possible for anyone with the Gift to learn a supernatural ability much like any other Ability. However, the source Quality is reduced substantially (see ArM5 ??). As a result, it is practically impossible for Hermetic magi or other powerful practitioners of magic to learn more supernatural abilities in this way, and they usually remain only with the supernatural abilities they acquired in character generation through Supernatural Virtues.

Certain mystical traditions treat some supernatural abilities as Favored Abilities, which allows their members to learn them in-play and in advanced age.

Another means to gain a supernatural ability is through initiation into Mysteries, thereby attaining the appropriate Virtue. This is rather rare in canon, however, as most initiations give rise to capabilities rather than Abilities. Certain mysteries, however, provide such abilities - including Enigmatic Wisdom, Divination and Augury, and more.

Canonic Abilities

Canon provides a wide array of supernatural abilities:

• Animal Ken (ArM5 62): Allows communication with animals as if they were human beings.
• Control Fertility (HoHS 105): The ability to control the "vegetative spirit" of things, presented as an example supernatural ability and used by the Scinfolk.
• Craft Automata: A supernatural ability granted by the Automata mystery.
• Dowsing (ArM5 64): The ability to find things nearby using dowsing rod.
• Enchanting Music (ArM5 65): Supernaturally influencing others with music.
• Entrancement (ArM5 65): Gaining control of other's will by staring into their eyes.
• Heartbeast (ArM5 ??): The ability to assume your heartbeast or human form, as posessed by Bjornaer magi.
• Magic Sensitivity (ArM5 67): The ability that allows to sense magic, but also makes user more susceptible to it.
• Mythic Herbalism: The ability used to create healing potions, poisons, and more.
• Persona: Supernatural ability allowing the character to perfectly adopt and create personas, in use within House Tytalus.
• Premonitions (ArM5 67): Danger sense.
• Second Sight (ArM5 67): The ablity to see through illusionary concealment and disguise, including invisibility.
• Sense Holiness and Unholiness (ArM 67): The ability to feel the presence of good and evil.
• Shapeshifter (ArM5 67): The ability to change shape into an animal form.
• Summon Animals (HoHS 105): The ability to summon animals, provided as an example supernatual ability and used by the Beast Masters.
• Whistle Up the Wind (HoHS 105): The ability to create wind, provided as an example supernatural ability and used by the Tempestaria.
• Wilderness Sense (ArM5 67): Mystical attunement to the ways of the wilderness, allows to acquire information related to nature, like presence of natural hazards.

Legacy Page

The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:supernatural_ability