Favored Ability - Revision history

Yair at 20:27, 14 May 2026

2026-05-14T20:27:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:27, 14 May 2026
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	* the Source Quality is reduced by the sum of all the character's supernatural ability scores and Arts (with 15 as a minimum for the Art total).		* the Source Quality is reduced by the sum of all the character's supernatural ability scores and Arts (with 15 as a minimum for the Art total).

	In practice, this makes it impossible for magi to learn a new Magical supernatural ability, but other characters with The Gift ~~can~~ learn ~~it if~~ they ~~have none with high scores~~.		In practice, this makes it impossible for magi to learn a new Magical supernatural ability, but other characters with The Gift may be able to learn a new Supernatural Ability, depending on whether they know others and to what level.

	These limitations only apply for ''acquiring'' the ability. Once acquired , the ability can be learned from any Source (e.g. a book), and without the penalty.		These limitations only apply for ''acquiring'' the ability. Once acquired , the ability can be learned from any Source (e.g. a book), and without the penalty.
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	characters may only ever receive this benefit from one tradition; there is no mechanical advantage to joining a second tradition after learning the favored Abilities of another. That is, they can still learn new Supernatural Abilities, but with the study penalty.		characters may only ever receive this benefit from one tradition; there is no mechanical advantage to joining a second tradition after learning the favored Abilities of another. That is, they can still learn new Supernatural Abilities, but with the study penalty.
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>
	While this text does not explicitly say so, this is understood to apply regardless of Realm. For example, if you ~~join~~ a Magical hedge magic tradition and thus gained its Favored Abilties, and later join a holy tradition, you do ''not'' gain the Favored Abilities of the holy tradition.		While this text does not explicitly say so, this is understood to apply regardless of Realm. For example, if you joined a Magical hedge magic tradition and thus gained its Favored Abilties, and later join a holy tradition, you do ''not'' gain the Favored Abilities of the holy tradition.


			The number of Favored Abilties that a tradition has may vary. In [https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/learning-supernatural-abilities-in-play/176964/3 a thread on the Atlas Forum], author Erik Dahl, who wrote most of the texts on Favored Abilities and related hedge traditions, stated that
			<blockquote>
			"I remember that I made some effort to limit the Favored Abilities of each tradition based on the numerical value of the virtues. For divine traditions, they got 10 points of virtues (3 Majors and a Minor), for infernal they got 12 points of virtues (4 Majors), and faerie wizards only get 6 (1 Major and 3 Minors). I think that all the hedge wizards and societates got 10 points– at least the ones I wrote."
			</blockquote>

	=== Ex Miscellanea ===		=== Ex Miscellanea ===
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	* A member of a hedge tradition '''does not count''' the scores of his tradition's Favored Abilities when learning a new Favored Abilitiy.		* A member of a hedge tradition '''does not count''' the scores of his tradition's Favored Abilities when learning a new Favored Abilitiy.
	* For most magi, the Hermetic Arts are the Favored Abilities; for magi Ex Miscellanea, the Supernatural Ability of their tradition is also a Favored Abilty. This is an academic distinction, however, as magi start the game knowing all of these and in practice cannot learn new ones.		* For most magi, the Hermetic Arts are the Favored Abilities; for magi Ex Miscellanea, the Supernatural Ability of their tradition is also a Favored Abilty. This is an academic distinction, however, as magi start the game knowing all of these and in practice cannot learn new ones.

			Note that the ''Societates'' text contradicts the texts below, and Richard Love's recommendations above. In particular, under these rules if you attempt to learn a new Favored supernatural ability you are penalized by all non-Favored scores, whereas in the recommendations above there is no penlaty at all.

	=== Hedge Magic Revised Edition ===		=== Hedge Magic Revised Edition ===
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	* Only characters with The Gift can learn a new Magical supernatural ability from a Source.		* Only characters with The Gift can learn a new Magical supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of a hedge tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Magical supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.		* A member of a hedge tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Magical supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.
	* To gain this benefit, the member must have undergone an Opening the Gift ritual. Just being a member of the traditions does not suffice.		* To gain this benefit, the member must have undergone an Opening the Gift ritual. Just being a member of the traditions does not suffice. This appears to be a unique feature of Magical supernatural abilities.

	The number of favored abilities varies by tradition. For example, Folk Witches have seven.		The number of favored abilities varies by tradition. For example, Folk Witches have seven.

	=== The Divine ===		=== The Divine ===
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	* Any character touched by the Infernal (by Warping, by a Virtue or Flaw, or through roleplaying) can learn a new Infernal supernatural ability from a Source.		* Any character touched by the Infernal (by Warping, by a Virtue or Flaw, or through roleplaying) can learn a new Infernal supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of an Infernal tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Infernal supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.		* A member of an Infernal tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Infernal supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.
	* '''if''' instead he tries to learn a new Infernal ability that isn't one of his tradition's favorite abilities, then he must subtract the total of his supernatural ability scores but '''does not count''' his tradition's favorite abilities towards this total.		* '''if''' instead he tries to learn a new Infernal ability that isn't one of his tradition's favorite abilities, then he must subtract the total of his supernatural ability scores but '''does not count''' his tradition's favorite abilities towards this total. This appears to be a unique feature of Infernal supernatural abilities.

	There is no equivalence to the need to Open the Gift to enjoy this benefit. Just being a member of the infernal tradition seems to be enough.		There is no equivalence to the need to Open the Gift to enjoy this benefit. Just being a member of the infernal tradition seems to be enough.

	The number of favored abilities is usually four.		The number of favored abilities is usually four.

			Apparently, author Erik Dahl did not intend the last bullet-point as a perk to encourage Infernal corruption (though it does), but rather "intended Favored Abilities to generally work the same for everyone". In a post on [https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/learning-supernatural-abilities-in-play/176964/5 Atlas Forum], he explained his rationle:
			<blockquote>
			"The reason for that clause about Favored Abilities not penalizing learning other Supernatural Abilities was to discourage the mechanical advantage of characters that are built with lots of non-Favored Abilities, either learned or as Virtues, with the intention to learn all the Favored Abilities after character creation in play. Without that clause, it makes a lot of sense to, say, make a member of the Priory of St. Nerius, whose Favored Abilities are Holy Magic, Intervention, Premonitions, and Purity, but take True Faith, Meditation, Transcendence, and Ceremony with their starting Virtues. The player can easily justify knowing someone to teach them the tradition’s abilities, and since they aren’t penalized it doesn’t matter that the character has a bunch of points in other powers. Adding this means you can do it either way, so you might as well design the character as you imagine them and develop as makes sense in the saga."
			</blockquote>

	=== Faerie ===		=== Faerie ===
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	* In addition to the usual penalty of the total supernatural ability scores to the Advancement Total, there is another limitation: the Advancement Total may not exceed the Faerie Rank. This means that in practice only characters with high Sympathy Traits, usually requiring Warping 5 or more, will be able to learn a new (non-Favored) Faerie supernatural ability from a Source.		* In addition to the usual penalty of the total supernatural ability scores to the Advancement Total, there is another limitation: the Advancement Total may not exceed the Faerie Rank. This means that in practice only characters with high Sympathy Traits, usually requiring Warping 5 or more, will be able to learn a new (non-Favored) Faerie supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of a faerie hedge wizardry tradition '''does not subtract the values of "the others"''' when learning a new Faerie supernatural Favored Ability from a Source. It isn't clear whether this means that he does not suffer the penalty at all, or that he need not count the favored abilities towards the total.		* A member of a faerie hedge wizardry tradition '''does not subtract the values of "the others"''' when learning a new Faerie supernatural Favored Ability from a Source. It isn't clear whether this means that he does not suffer the penalty at all, or that he need not count the favored abilities towards the total.
	* '''in addition''' in this case his Advancement Total is not limited by his Faerie Rank.		* '''in addition''' in this case his Advancement Total is not limited by his Faerie Rank. This is a unique feature of how Favored Abilities work for Faerie supernatural abilities.

	There is no equivalence to the need to Open the Gift to enjoy this benefit. Just being a member of the faerie hedge wizardry tradition seems to be enough.		There is no equivalence to the need to Open the Gift to enjoy this benefit. Just being a member of the faerie hedge wizardry tradition seems to be enough.

Yair at 17:44, 14 May 2026

2026-05-14T17:44:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:44, 14 May 2026
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	These limitations only apply for ''acquiring'' the ability. Once acquired , the ability can be learned from any Source (e.g. a book), and without the penalty.		These limitations only apply for ''acquiring'' the ability. Once acquired , the ability can be learned from any Source (e.g. a book), and without the penalty.

	Supplements introduced the idea of "Favored Abilities" to allow characters to learn certain new abilities (or Arts; in the following, the rules apply to both) ''without'' suffering the penalty. This allows members of ~~the~~ tradition to teach one another the supernatural abilities that underlie the tradition's magic.		Supplements introduced the idea of "Favored Abilities" to allow characters to learn certain new abilities (or Arts; in the following, the rules apply to both) ''without'' suffering the penalty. This allows members of a tradition to teach one another the supernatural abilities that underlie the tradition's magic. Each tradition has a list of Favored Supernatural Abilities/Arts, that its members may study without the penalty.

			As noted below, different supplements define the mechanics of how favored abilities work slightly differently. In [https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/rop-divine-questions/4852/29 a thread in the Atlas Forum], the author of the ''Hedge Magic Revised Edition'' text on the subject, Richard Love, noted that
			<blockquote>
			"the intention was for Favoured Abilities/Arts to work the same everywhere. If the rules are apparently different in different places it is (I think) merely a mistake and comes down to different authors writing different things and mis-understanding the others."
			</blockquote>
			He recommended using the following mechanics [with slight re-wording]:
			* When you learn a Favored Superantural Ability/Art for the first time, you suffer no penalty to your Source Quality due to other existing Supernatural Abilities/Arts.
			* When you learn a non-Favored Supernatural Ability/Art for the first time, you suffer the full penalty to your Source Quality based on all your other existing Supernatural Abilities/Arts (including Favored ones).
			* If you already have a score in the Supernatural Ability or access to the Art, your study total is not penalized at all by your scores in other Supernatural Abilities/Arts or by access to them.


			Note that a character can only gain this benefit from the ''one'' tradition. If he later joins another tradition, he does ''not'' gain the Favored Abilities/Arts of that tradition. This is stated in several places; for example, in [[Realms of Power: The Divine]]:
			<blockquote>
			characters may only ever receive this benefit from one tradition; there is no mechanical advantage to joining a second tradition after learning the favored Abilities of another. That is, they can still learn new Supernatural Abilities, but with the study penalty.
			</blockquote>
			While this text does not explicitly say so, this is understood to apply regardless of Realm. For example, if you join a Magical hedge magic tradition and thus gained its Favored Abilties, and later join a holy tradition, you do ''not'' gain the Favored Abilities of the holy tradition.

	=== Ex Miscellanea ===		=== Ex Miscellanea ===
	[[Houses of Hermes: Societates]] introduced the idea of ~~favored abilities~~. It says,		[[Houses of Hermes: Societates]] introduced the idea of Favored Abilities. It says,
	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	As a Gifted character learns Supernatural Abilities, it normally becomes more difficult to learn new ones (ArM5, page 166). However, many traditions have a group of Favored Abilities. Scores in these Abilities do not penalize the Source Quality for		As a Gifted character learns Supernatural Abilities, it normally becomes more difficult to learn new ones (ArM5, page 166). However, many traditions have a group of Favored Abilities. Scores in these Abilities do not penalize the Source Quality for learning other Favored Abilities. The Source Qualities to learn Favored Abilities are still penalized by scores in other Supernatural Abilities, and scores in Favored Abilities penalize the Source Quality to learn other Supernatural Abilities. For most magi, the Hermetic Arts are the Favored Abilities, although as they are all opened in one season this is largely an academic distinction. Magi Ex Miscellanea treat the Hermetic Arts and the Supernatural Ability of their tradition as Favored Abilities.
	learning other Favored Abilities. The Source Qualities to learn Favored Abilities are still penalized by scores in other Supernatural Abilities, and scores in Favored Abilities penalize the Source Quality to learn other Supernatural Abilities. For most magi, the Hermetic Arts are the Favored Abilities, although as they are all opened in one season this is largely an academic distinction. Magi Ex Miscellanea treat the Hermetic Arts and the Supernatural Ability of their tradition as Favored Abilities.
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>
	Thus,		Thus,

Yair at 19:55, 11 May 2026

2026-05-11T19:55:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 11 May 2026
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	If the student has had the Hermetic Arts opened […], he must subtract 15 or the sum of all his Art scores, whichever is higher, from the Source Quality.		If the student has had the Hermetic Arts opened […], he must subtract 15 or the sum of all his Art scores, whichever is higher, from the Source Quality.
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>
	Thus the ~~ackqusition~~ of a Supernatural Ability is set apart from its advancement. If acquired by learning from a Source,		Thus the acquisition of a Supernatural Ability is set apart from its advancement. If acquired by learning from a Source,
	* the first Season can only be by Teaching or Training (not a book or Practice, for example),		* the first Season can only be by Teaching or Training (not a book or Practice, for example),
	* the student must gather at least 5 XP, and		* the student must gather at least 5 XP, and
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	In practice, this makes it impossible for magi to learn a new Magical supernatural ability, but other characters with The Gift can learn it if they have none with high scores.		In practice, this makes it impossible for magi to learn a new Magical supernatural ability, but other characters with The Gift can learn it if they have none with high scores.

	These limitations only apply for ''acquiring'' the ability. Once ~~ackquired~~, the ability can be learned from any Source (e.g. a book), and without the penalty.		These limitations only apply for ''acquiring'' the ability. Once acquired , the ability can be learned from any Source (e.g. a book), and without the penalty.

	Supplements introduced the idea of "Favored Abilities" to allow characters to learn certain new abilities ''without'' suffering the penalty. This allows members of the tradition to teach one another the supernatural abilities that underlie the tradition's magic.		Supplements introduced the idea of "Favored Abilities" to allow characters to learn certain new abilities (or Arts; in the following, the rules apply to both) ''without'' suffering the penalty. This allows members of the tradition to teach one another the supernatural abilities that underlie the tradition's magic.

			=== Ex Miscellanea ===
			[[Houses of Hermes: Societates]] introduced the idea of favored abilities. It says,
			<blockquote>
			As a Gifted character learns Supernatural Abilities, it normally becomes more difficult to learn new ones (ArM5, page 166). However, many traditions have a group of Favored Abilities. Scores in these Abilities do not penalize the Source Quality for
			learning other Favored Abilities. The Source Qualities to learn Favored Abilities are still penalized by scores in other Supernatural Abilities, and scores in Favored Abilities penalize the Source Quality to learn other Supernatural Abilities. For most magi, the Hermetic Arts are the Favored Abilities, although as they are all opened in one season this is largely an academic distinction. Magi Ex Miscellanea treat the Hermetic Arts and the Supernatural Ability of their tradition as Favored Abilities.
			</blockquote>
			Thus,
			* Only characters with The Gift can learn a new Magical supernatural ability from a Source.
			* A member of a hedge tradition '''does not count''' the scores of his tradition's Favored Abilities when learning a new Favored Abilitiy.
			* For most magi, the Hermetic Arts are the Favored Abilities; for magi Ex Miscellanea, the Supernatural Ability of their tradition is also a Favored Abilty. This is an academic distinction, however, as magi start the game knowing all of these and in practice cannot learn new ones.

	=== Hedge Magic Revised Edition ===		=== Hedge Magic Revised Edition ===
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	Thus,		Thus,
	* Only characters with The Gift can learn a new Magical supernatural ability from a Source.		* Only characters with The Gift can learn a new Magical supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of a hedge tradition does not suffer the penalty of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Magical supernatural ~~ability~~ from a Source ~~'''if''' this ability is one of his tradition's Favored Abilities~~.		* A member of a hedge tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Magical supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.
	* To gain this benefit, the member must have undergone an Opening the Gift ritual. Just being a member of the traditions does not suffice.		* To gain this benefit, the member must have undergone an Opening the Gift ritual. Just being a member of the traditions does not suffice.

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	Thus,		Thus,
	* Only characters with True Faith can learn a new Divine supernatural ability from a Source.		* Only characters with True Faith can learn a new Divine supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of a holy tradition does not suffer the penalty of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Divine supernatural ~~ability~~ from a Source ~~'''if''' this ability is one of his tradition's Favored Abilities~~.		* A member of a holy tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Divine supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.

	There is no equivalence to the need to Open the Gift to enjoy this benefit. Just being a member of the holy tradition seems to be enough.		There is no equivalence to the need to Open the Gift to enjoy this benefit. Just being a member of the holy tradition seems to be enough.
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	Thus,		Thus,
	* Any character touched by the Infernal (by Warping, by a Virtue or Flaw, or through roleplaying) can learn a new Infernal supernatural ability from a Source.		* Any character touched by the Infernal (by Warping, by a Virtue or Flaw, or through roleplaying) can learn a new Infernal supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of an Infernal tradition does not suffer the penalty of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Infernal supernatural ~~ability~~ from a Source ~~'''if''' this ability is one of his tradition's Favored Abilities~~.		* A member of an Infernal tradition '''does not suffer the penalty''' of the total score in all supernatural abilities when learning a new Infernal supernatural Favored Ability from a Source.
	* '''if''' instead he tries to learn a new Infernal ability that isn't one of his tradition's favorite abilities, then he must subtract the total of his supernatural ability scores but '''does not count''' his tradition's favorite abilities towards this total.		* '''if''' instead he tries to learn a new Infernal ability that isn't one of his tradition's favorite abilities, then he must subtract the total of his supernatural ability scores but '''does not count''' his tradition's favorite abilities towards this total.

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	Thus,		Thus,
	* Any character strongly aligned to Faerie (i.e. having Sympathy Traits, such as by havinga Faerie-related virtue or flaw) can learn a new Faerie supernatural ability from a Source.		* Any character strongly aligned to Faerie (i.e. having Sympathy Traits, such as by havinga Faerie-related virtue or flaw) can learn a new Faerie supernatural ability from a Source.
	* In addition to the usual penalty of the total supernatural ability scores to the Advancement Total, there is another limitation: the Advancement Total may not exceed the Faerie Rank. This means that in practice only characters with high Sympathy Traits, usually requiring Warping 5 or more, will be able to learn a new Faerie supernatural ability from a Source.		* In addition to the usual penalty of the total supernatural ability scores to the Advancement Total, there is another limitation: the Advancement Total may not exceed the Faerie Rank. This means that in practice only characters with high Sympathy Traits, usually requiring Warping 5 or more, will be able to learn a new (non-Favored) Faerie supernatural ability from a Source.
	* A member of a faerie hedge wizardry tradition does not ~~suffer~~ the ~~penalty~~ of ~~the total score in~~ "the ~~other~~" ~~supernatural abilities~~ when learning a new Faerie supernatural ~~ability~~ from a Source ~~'''if''' this ability is one of his tradition's Favored Abilities~~. It isn't clear whether this means that he does not suffer the penalty at all, or that he need not count the favored abilities towards the total.		* A member of a faerie hedge wizardry tradition '''does not subtract the values of "the others"''' when learning a new Faerie supernatural Favored Ability from a Source. It isn't clear whether this means that he does not suffer the penalty at all, or that he need not count the favored abilities towards the total.
	* '''in addition''' in this case his Advancement Total is not limited by his Faerie Rank.		* '''in addition''' in this case his Advancement Total is not limited by his Faerie Rank.

Yair at 19:11, 11 May 2026

2026-05-11T19:11:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:11, 11 May 2026
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	~~{{stub}}~~
	Certain mystical [[tradition]]s hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability\|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.		Certain mystical [[tradition]]s hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability\|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.

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	Supernatural Ability Source Quality: Normal Source Quality – Total Score in Supernatural Abilities		Supernatural Ability Source Quality: Normal Source Quality – Total Score in Supernatural Abilities

	If the student has had the Hermetic Arts opened […], he must subtract 15 or the sum of all his Art scores, whichever is higher, from the Source Quality.		If the student has had the Hermetic Arts opened […], he must subtract 15 or the sum of all his Art scores, whichever is higher, from the Source Quality.
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

Yair at 19:10, 11 May 2026

2026-05-11T19:10:28Z

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 {{stub}}
 Certain mystical [[tradition]]s hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.
 == References ==

LuisDantas at 03:51, 13 September 2014

2014-09-13T03:51:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:51, 12 September 2014
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	{{stub}}		{{stub}}
	Certain mystical ~~traditions~~ hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability\|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.		Certain mystical [[tradition]]s hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability\|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.

	== References ==		== References ==

IMHO: Stub. Fixed spacing. Changed subsections to sections.

2013-01-22T03:11:17Z

Stub. Fixed spacing. Changed subsections to sections.

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			{{stub}}
	Certain mystical traditions hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability\|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.		Certain mystical traditions hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability\|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.

	==== References ====		== References ==

	* [[HoHS]] 106		* [[HoHS]] 106
	* See also [[Supernatural Ability]]		* See also [[Supernatural Ability]]
	=== Legacy Page ===
			== Legacy Page ==
	The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at [[Legacy:favored_ability]]		The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at [[Legacy:favored_ability]]

Redcap Automation: Importing text file

2012-08-12T22:21:24Z

Importing text file

New page

Certain mystical traditions hold a particular set of [[Supernatural Ability|Supernatural Abilities]] as '''Favored Abilities'''. This allows them to learn them without the Quality penalty usually associated with learning supernatural abilities.

==== References ====

* [[HoHS]] 106
* See also [[Supernatural Ability]]
=== Legacy Page ===
The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at [[Legacy:favored_ability]]