Abilities enable characters to do amazing things by drawing on one of three sources of power.
Most abilities can use any power source, as chosen by the character when they acquire the ability. Some abilities are restricted to the arcane power source: the use of those abilities is often regulated or prohibited by legal authorities.
Using an ability typically takes time, appropriate items, skill and power.
Time: Using an ability takes at least fifteen minutes, and can take significantly longer. Characters can attempt to use an ability more quickly, such as during a conflict. Doing so increases the ability's Difficulty by 5, +5 each time the character fails the skill check to use the ability.
Items: Each source of power requires different items to use an ability.
In addition, abilities are more effective if used in an appropriate place of power, if the user has an item that belongs to the target or a part of the target (including the target's True Name), and if the user has appropriate tools.
Skill: Each source of power uses a different skill for skill checks and damage: Arcana for arcane, Religion for divine, and Nature for innate. Unless otherwise specified, using an ability is a difficult challenge (Difficulty 20). Modifiers include:
| Circumstance |
Skill
|
| appropriate arcane tools (wand, magic circle) |
+2
|
| appropriate divine tools (holy symbol, prayer book) |
+2
|
| place of innate power (circle of standing stones) |
+2
|
| place of arcane power (unconsecrated graveyard) |
+2
|
| place of great arcane power (pagan temple) |
+4
|
| place of divine power (blessed field) |
+2
|
| place of great divine power (church with saint's relic) |
+4
|
| user has a possession of the target creature |
+2
|
| user has part of the target creature (fingernail clippings, True Name) |
+4
|
Some abilities have effects that can only be used by characters in the paragon tier. Using a paragon effect increases the Difficulty by 5.
Up to four other characters can make an aid other attempt to help a character use an ability. If the attempt is successful, each character provides the user with a +2 bonus on their ability skill check.
Finally, characters who use an ability at less than full power take a penalty to the ability skill check equal to the difference between their level and the power chosen.
Power: Once an ability has been initiated, it requires an investment of power by the user to sustain the ability's effect. This investment makes it harder to use other abilities until the character ends the ability's effect.
When attempting to use an ability, characters can invest power of equal to or less than their level. If successful, they take a penalty equal to the power invested to all skill checks for other abilities that use the same source of power until they end the ability's effect. Other characters can voluntarily contribute up to their level in power: the total power invested is still limited by the level of the character with the ability. It is also possible to obtain power from an object or another source. Once power has been contributed, it is controlled by the user of the ability, not by the character making the contribution.
Characters can choose to make the effect permanent at any time before ending the effect: doing so means the penalty to their skill check applies until the permanent effect is suppressed or ended in another way. This is how magic items are created.
Once the effect ends, the invested power gradually returns to the character. It usually takes about as long as the power was invested for all the power to return, with a minimum of one minute and a maximum of one month.
Dead creatures cannot invest power in new effects, end existing effects, or regain power when effects end.
Prerequisite: Abilities with this descriptor have a prerequisite that must be met to obtain the ability. If the prerequisite is Sorcery, it must be an arcane ability, and cannot be a divine or innate ability.
Category: Abilities with this descriptor affect one type of target, chosen from the following categories
In addition, these abilities can be taken multiple times. The second time an ability is taken for the same category, characters can choose either an additional type or to broaden their first choice to one of the following subcategories (note that Element has no subcategories).
The third time an ability is taken for the same category, characters can use the ability for the entire category.
Challenge: Abilities with this descriptor are more difficult to use than a typical ability. Sometimes, only a particular use of the ability is more difficult.
Resist: Abilities with this descriptor can be used as an attack in a conflict following a successful Aim or Melee check, and negated by a successful resist check using the specified skill.
Effect: This describes what the ability does.
Paragon Effect: Abilities with this descriptor have an expanded use available to paragon tier characters. Using a paragon effect increases the Difficulty by 5.
Restriction: Abilities with this descriptor have a built-in limitation.