Magic is everywhere. From the fairytale books we read as children to the movies we watch as adults, the concept of magic has the power to captivate our imaginations and transport us to a world of endless possibilities. But have you ever wondered what it would be like to possess your own magical talents? The ability to cast spells, manipulate objects with a wave of your hand, or communicate with mythical creatures? A roster of magical talents is a comprehensive listing of all the different types of magical abilities that exist in the world. It documents the wide range of skills and powers that individuals can possess and showcases the diversity of the magical community. Some of the most common magical talents include spellcasting, potion making, and divination. These abilities allow practitioners to harness the power of the mystical arts to bring about desired outcomes or gain insight into the future.
The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
Representation: PTSD + trauma, extremely minor M/M and F/F
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There are a few kinds of magic in the world Saffron finds herself in, but one is the jahudemet, which, among other things, allows those with a strong enough gift to make portals which can move you around your own world, or open to another world entirely. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan s surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan s gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule.
These abilities allow practitioners to harness the power of the mystical arts to bring about desired outcomes or gain insight into the future. Other talents focus on elemental manipulation, such as the ability to control fire, water, earth, or air. These individuals possess an affinity for a specific element and can manipulate it to their will.
100 Minor Powers
I'm trying to think of a list of minor powers that players could get through various means. Ones that, while neat, either can't short-circuit a story arc or would have to be selected with foreknowledge to affect gameplay negatively.
I admit, I'm having a really hard time with this since my mind seems oriented towards mechanics, and this is almost exactly the opposite direction I want it to go!
The best example I have is something I rolled once for an NPC on a random table of mutations long ago- the ability to predict the local weather one day in advance with perfect accuracy. Magical manipulation of the weather would foil it, but otherwise it worked well as a practical power to have.
What are some others people can think of?
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber Parka wrote:I'm trying to think of a list of minor powers that players could get through various means. Ones that, while neat, either can't short-circuit a story arc or would have to be selected with foreknowledge to affect gameplay negatively.
I admit, I'm having a really hard time with this since my mind seems oriented towards mechanics, and this is almost exactly the opposite direction I want it to go!
The best example I have is something I rolled once for an NPC on a random table of mutations long ago- the ability to predict the local weather one day in advance with perfect accuracy. Magical manipulation of the weather would foil it, but otherwise it worked well as a practical power to have.
What are some others people can think of?
Prestidigitation at will. Say goodbye to potty breaks.
Wild empathy, but only for a specific species. A horse whisperer, for example.
Ability to automatically cure a specific disease (ex filth fever) or poison (ex greenblood oil).
+1 bonus on Diplomacy checks against a specific race. A dwarf whisperer, for example.
An NPC with a low Intelligence who can, once per day, take 20 on a single Knowledge check. An idiot savant, in other words.
Darkvision 5 ft.
Dimension door 1/day, but only when no one's at the origin point or destination point. You know those people in movies who show up unexpectadly at impossible places? Like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies? That.
Various sub-features of the prestidigitation spell could even be options. One person might always be clean, even after being dunked into a mud-puddle, he'll get up and his clothing will be clean and dry within moments. Another might have the ability to alter the color of their hair and eyes, or be able to animate tattoos on their skin (or, if they have some scripted text on their skin, say a religious aphorism or poem, rearrange the letters to form different messages).
Arduin Grimoire had charts of random powers or special traits that a character could have. The M&M adaptation of Wild Cards introduces 'deuce' powers, which are little 1 pt. powers that don't have much of a game effect, like the ability to play a snippet of music, or to point at a single (non-magical, non-monstrous) insect within 10 ft. mutter 'Zot' and strike it dead.
The 1000 Tiefling / Aasimar appearance quirks threads and the 1000 Resurrection effects thread might also have some useful notions.
You can flip through the Bestiary and find a bunch of monster abilities that might serve as inspiration. One grey-skinned character might have the ability to freeze in place and be easily mistaken for a statue, while another might have damp-looking skin and 'soft' bones, allowing them a bonus to escape artist checks and the ability to squeeze as if they were one size class smaller, as long as they have a minute to 'limber up.' The 'hold breath' ability of a crocodile is a pretty minor ability, as would be the ability to ignore spider webs (but not web spells!) and climb up spider webs as if they had a climb speed equal to half their ground move, or a green-skinned / flowering plant-haired lass with photosynthetic abilities allowing her to eat only one meal a day on sunny days, as long as she spends four hours / meal skipped out in the sunlight.
Perhaps someone is 'addicted' to positive energy, and regains only half (minimum 1) the normal hit points overnight through natural rest, but gain an additional hit point / die from positive energy curing spells or effects. Useful if they travel with a healer (as adventurers typically do. ), but when they are on their own, it takes them twice as long to recover from an injury.
Some elemental accident has resulted in your body being a strange receptacle / conduit for magical energy of a certain type (electricity or fire, perhaps). You take normal damage from that energy type, but when you take at least 10 points of that energy type in a round, your next melee attack within the next round inflicts +1d6 of that energy type, as the energy conducts from you to your next target. Perhaps this can even conduct through a spell, to a single target, so that if you naturally conduct electrical damage, and a blue dragon breaths on you, the next round, you can throw a spell that inflicts +1d6 electrical damage to a single target that it affects.
Assuming you play PFRPG, check out traits. A lot of traits are like 1/2 feats, and make for good "minor" benefits.
Those are nice, but I guess what I was hoping for was something that was useful, but couldn't readily be reflected through game mechanics (i. e. didn't involve dice rolls or numerical bonuses). My girlfriend suggested being able to identify each separate ingredient in something the character tastes (not necessarily knowing its name, but would know it again if they were exposed to it). This obviously applies to dishes, but would be a powerful asset to an alchemist. It would be amusing to apply to a crafter of magic items. picture a witch licking a magic sword. "Yup. That's Kusanagi's work all right, iron sands from the mystic river, scales from Cinderwind Salamanders. everything's in there."
The only problem with that is that it could potentially shortcut some mystery adventure types if used cleverly, though it would be difficult.
Maybe "Minor" powers was a misleading title. I'm less concerned about the apparent power of the ability and more concerned about the ability to shortcut an entire adventure through its usage (like divination spells do for mysteries and Paladin's Fear Immunity does for horror).
If it doesn't have game mechanics, it's pretty much a matter of roleplaying. Therefore, I'd look at the extraordinary things people can do in real life:
Memorize a huge sequence of objects/numbers and have perfect recall.
Subsonic hearing (ie, those who claim to hear weird stuff prior to earthquakes).
Ever watch "Stan Lee's Superhumans"? All of those folks.
Medium and Ghost Wisperer are like that.
Nobody else can see the ghosts and they can't control them at all.
They seldom get the ghost they want and the spirit can demand things before they will offer any help.
Here's all the suggestions so far.
01: the ability to predict the local weather one day in advance with perfect accuracy. Magical manipulation of the weather would foil it, but otherwise it worked well as a practical power to have.
02: Prestidigitation at will. Say goodbye to potty breaks.
03: Wild empathy, but only for a specific species. A horse whisperer, for example.
04: Ability to automatically cure a specific disease (ex filth fever) or poison (ex greenblood oil).
05: +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks against a specific race. A dwarf whisperer, for example.
06: An NPC with a low Intelligence who can, once per day, take 20 on a single Knowledge check. An idiot savant, in other words.
07: Darkvision 5 ft.
08: Dimension door 1/day, but only when no one's at the origin point or destination point. You know those people in movies who show up unexpectedly at impossible places? Like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies? That.
09: One person might always be clean, even after being dunked into a mud-puddle, he'll get up and his clothing will be clean and dry within moments
10: have the ability to alter the color of their hair and eyes
11: be able to animate tattoos on their skin (or, if they have some scripted text on their skin, say a religious aphorism or poem, rearrange the letters to form different messages).
12: like the ability to play a snippet of music.
13: to point at a single (non-magical, non-monstrous) insect within 10 ft. mutter 'Zot' and strike it dead.
14: One grey-skinned character might have the ability to freeze in place and be easily mistaken for a statue
15: damp-looking skin and 'soft' bones, allowing them a bonus to escape artist checks and the ability to squeeze as if they were one size class smaller, as long as they have a minute to 'limber up
16: The 'hold breath' ability of a crocodile
17: the ability to ignore spider webs (but not web spells!) and climb up spider webs as if they had a climb speed equal to half their ground move
18: a green-skinned / flowering plant-haired lass with photosynthetic abilities allowing her to eat only one meal a day on sunny days, as long as she spends four hours / meal skipped out in the sunlight.
19: Perhaps someone is 'addicted' to positive energy, and regains only half (minimum 1) the normal hit points overnight through natural rest, but gain an additional hit point / die from positive energy curing spells or effects. Useful if they travel with a healer (as adventurers typically do. ), but when they are on their own, it takes them twice as long to recover from an injury.
20: Some elemental accident has resulted in your body being a strange receptacle / conduit for magical energy of a certain type (electricity or fire, perhaps). You take normal damage from that energy type, but when you take at least 10 points of that energy type in a round, your next melee attack within the next round inflicts +1d6 of that energy type, as the energy conducts from you to your next target. Perhaps this can even conduct through a spell, to a single target, so that if you naturally conduct electrical damage, and a blue dragon breaths on you, the next round, you can throw a spell that inflicts +1d6 electrical damage to a single target that it affects.
21: able to identify each separate ingredient in something the character tastes (not necessarily knowing its name, but would know it again if they were exposed to it). This obviously applies to dishes, but would be a powerful asset to an alchemist. It would be amusing to apply to a crafter of magic items. picture a witch licking a magic sword. "Yup. That's Kusanagi's work all right, iron sands from the mystic river, scales from Cinderwind Salamanders. everything's in there."
22: Memorize a huge sequence of objects/numbers and have perfect recall.
23: Perfect pitch.
24: Subsonic hearing (ie, those who claim to hear weird stuff prior to earthquakes).
25: Lucid dreaming.
26: Photographic memory.
27: Medium and Ghost Whisperer are like that.
Nobody else can see the ghosts and they can't control them at all.
They seldom get the ghost they want and the spirit can demand things before they will offer any help.
28: Skin glows like a candle, noticeable only in the dark.
29: Melter who can turn into a puddle.
30: Can turn into a guinea pig, or something else cute like a squirrel.
31: Can turn invisible only when no living thing is looking at them.
32: Can eat garbage and anything else without harm. No special ability to bite through things.
"Things that are and are not, she thinks, and the dog is a snake." In this fantastic and fantastical debut, C.J. Lavigne concocts a wondrous realm overlaying a city that brims with civic workers and pigeons. Led by her synesthesia, Verity Richards discovers a hidden world inside an old Ottawa theatre. Within the timeworn walls live people who should not exist--people whose very survival is threatened by science, technology, and natural law. Verity must submerge herself in this impossible reality to help save the last traces of their broken community. Her guides: a magician, his shadow-dog, a dying angel, and a knife-edged woman who is more than half ghost. With great empathy and imagination, In Veritas explores the nature of truth and the complexities of human communication.
Telepathy and telekinesis are also popular magical talents, allowing individuals to communicate with others through their minds or move objects with the power of thought. Shape-shifting is another fascinating talent that gives individuals the ability to change their physical form into that of another creature or object. This talent is often associated with mythical beings, such as werewolves or vampires. Healing and protection magic are also highly valued talents, as they allow individuals to mend injuries or shield themselves and others from harm. These abilities are often sought after in times of crisis or danger. The roster of magical talents is constantly expanding as new abilities are discovered or developed. Light manipulation, time manipulation, and astral projection are just a few examples of the innovative talents that have emerged in recent years. Each magical talent is unique and comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. Some individuals may choose to specialize in a particular talent, honing their skills to become experts in their chosen field. Others may possess multiple talents, adding to their versatility and adaptability. Ultimately, the roster of magical talents serves as a reminder of the vast and enchanting world of magic. It showcases the incredible potential that lies within each individual and inspires us to embrace our own magical abilities, whatever they may be. So, whether you have the power to cast spells, communicate with animals, or see into the future, remember that magic is real and exists within us all. So embrace your own magical talents and let the enchantment begin!.
Reviews for "The Secrets of Divination: Delving into the Mystic Arts of Foretelling"
- Sarah - 2/5 stars - I really wanted to like "Roster of magical talents" because I typically enjoy books in the fantasy genre. However, I found this book to be quite underwhelming. The characters were poorly developed and lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with them. Additionally, the plot was predictable and didn't offer any surprises or twists. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
- Mark - 1/5 stars - "Roster of magical talents" was a complete letdown for me. The writing style was dull and lacked any sort of creativity. The author failed to provide a compelling narrative, as the story felt disjointed and uninteresting. Furthermore, the dialogue between the characters felt forced and unnatural. I struggled to finish this book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating fantasy read.
- Lisa - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Roster of magical talents" as the concept seemed intriguing. However, I was sorely disappointed. The pacing of the story was incredibly slow, making it difficult to stay engaged. The world-building was lacking, leaving many unanswered questions. Additionally, the romance subplot felt forced and unnecessary. Unfortunately, this book did not meet my expectations and I would not recommend it to others looking for an exciting fantasy adventure.