Ability

From Project: Redcap

An Ability is a character trait that has a level or score, from 0[1] to infinity.[2] Characters increase the ability's level by acquiring experience in it, represented as a total of Experience Points required to reach a particular level of ability.[3]

Abilities in Fifth Edition are divided into several types:[4][5][6]

It is generally possible for character to learn an Ability after character generation without any requisite virtue. They would simply need the resources (such as time, teachers, books, and so on) to do so.[9]

Supernatural abilities, however, require some specific virtue to learn in this way, like The Gift, and even then are more difficult to learn - to the point where Hermetic Magi find it practically impossible to learn new supernatural abilities past character generation.[7] Certain Arcane abilities, such as Penetration, may be of little use to characters not otherwise endowed with supernatural powers, while others (such as Parma Magica) might be impossible to learn at all.

Abilities are generally hard to increase, requiring many experience points to reach a given level as compared with the Hermetic Arts.[3][9] An Accelerated Ability is an Ability that is increased as if it was an Hermetic Art in terms of the experience required to raise it to a certain level. These are generally Supernatural Abilities.

Most Abilities allow for a specialization which, when applicable, makes its results sensibly better.[10]

Abilities may sometimes be used without an actual score, but it is considerably riskier when they are. It is also possible (and advantageous) to have Abilities with a score of zero, although it does cost experience points.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Five: Abilities - Abilities With No Score", p. 62
  2. Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Three: Characters - Detailed Character Creation - Abilities ", p. 31
  3. 3.0 3.1 Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Three: Characters - Detailed Character Creation", Insert "Advancement Table", p. 31
  4. Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Three: Characters - Character Basics - Abilities", p. 18
  5. Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Five: Abilities - Ability Types", p. 63
  6. Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Five: Abilities", pp. 62; 64-67
  7. 7.0 7.1 Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Ten: Long-Term Events - Experience and Advancement - Learning Supernatural Abilities", p. 166
  8. Apprentices, "IV. Pueritia: Ages 8 to 14 - Hermetic Apprenticeship - Opening the Arts - Supernatural Abilities", p. 35
  9. 9.0 9.1 Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Ten: Long-Term Events - Experience and Advancement", pp. 163-165, including "Advancement Table" insert from p. 164
  10. Ars Magica Fifth Edition, "Chapter Five: Abilities - Specializations", p. 62

Legacy Page

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