Secondary AbilitiesFollowing are a number of new Abilities for use in any Storyteller game. These Secondary Abilities are often more specialized than the basic ones listed, thus enabling a player to define her character more exactly. Some of these Abilities may seem less significant and useful than many of the more general Abilities described itself. In fact, some Secondary Abilities are subcategories of other, more general Abilities. For instance, Sense Deception performs a function similar to that of Empathy; the former merely does so more directly.
This is why these Traits are known as Secondary Abilities. The Storyteller can deal with this discrepancy in one of two ways. First of all, the difficulty of a given feat can be lowered for a character using a more specialized Ability, making the Secondary Ability more selective but more powerful. Alternately, the Storyteller can decide to let players purchase Secondary Abilities at a lower cost. For instance, for every one point spent on a Secondary Ability during Step Three of the character creation process, two dots are gained. Likewise, using this system, Secondary Abilities only cost one freebie point to raise by one dot during Step Five.
Finally, Secondary Abilities purchased in this manner only cost the current rating in experience points to raise by one dot after the chronicle has begun. The Storyteller does not necessarily have to take either course, but the option is certainly there and would be appropriate in many chronicles. In our own games, we resolve Secondary Abilities on a case-by -case basis. The Storyteller may allow a certain Ability to be raised more cheaply than the others, for reasons based on the purchasing character instead of the Ability itself. In other cases she might decree lower difficulties. The Storyteller is always the final arbitrator. Remember: this is your game, these are your rules, and you may do with them as you see fit. What you find herein is only advice - nothing more, nothing less.