Channeling represents a psychic’s capacity to paranormally gain abilities that he does not normally possess. Past-Life Channeling,allow accesses to the talents he possessed in a former life.

The psychic must successfully enter a trance before he can channel effectively to gain new Traits. Skills gained last until the psychic next sleeps or until he attempts to channel again.

The psychic has a preternatural awareness of his own prior incarnations. After entering a trance state, he can summon forth the collective life experiences of one of his prior selves, merging it with his own personality. Although each person conceivably has countless past lives, the more recent they are, the more progressively difficult to channel. Most past lives capable of being channeled are from primitive eras, so this Merit cannot be used to access abilities that require a modern education. Mechanically speaking, Past-Life Channeling cannot be used to gain Mental Skills.

Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Composure + Occult
Action: Instant; although the psychic must first enter a trance

Roll Results Dramatic Failure:
The psychic assumes a personality from a previous life. He manifests a new Storyteller-assigned personality and background for the duration of the scene, including a new Virtue and Vice. He may (or may not) retain the ability to speak his normal languages, and has no knowledge of any friends, his current situation or, indeed, anything about modern life, viewing everything through the lens of a Roman centurion, a courtesan from the era of Louis XIV, a Mississippi plantation owner on the eve of the Civil War or anything else of which the Storyteller can think.

Failure:
The past-life regression was unsuccessful.

Success:
Each success is converted into one dot of a single Physical or Social Skill selected by the player. The number of successes must exceed the character’s current Skill dots, if any, in order for him to gain any benefit from the power. The new rating lasts until the psychic next sleeps or until he next uses this power.

Exceptional Success:
In addition to the normal benefit of extra successes, the psychic can access the personal memories of the past life sharing his body. These new memories are lost when the power’s effect ends. If the successes exceed five, any more may be assigned to another single Physical or Social Skill of the character’s choosing.