Soul-Sense/Death-Sense
Merit: 2/3 pts
Description: Animals are remarkably perceptive; it's hard to trick them, even if you happen to be a magical creature. Dogs can sense the vampire; cats bristle as the dragon walks by; horses shy away from the cockatrice, even if he appears to be a normal man. This Advantage reflects that sensitivity. A Perception + Awareness (or Occult, if you're an exceptionally intelligent beast) reveals the presence of a mystical creature, even if she happens to be hidden or disguised.
Soul-Sense is not limited to sniffing out night-folk, however. Blind as they are, most humans miss powerful spirit-traces. You, however, do not. People and places that are deeply attuned to a particular Resonance, passion or spiritual affiliation give off sensations that a perceptive beast like you can notice. A deeply evil man smells like death; a holy man radiates waves of light; a murder-site sets your skin crawling. While you might not realize what it is that's setting your hackles on end, Soul-Sense allows you to feel the presence of spiritual power or corruption.
A three-point variant, Death-Sense, allows you to see the blazing aura of a powerful life-force or the impending shadow of death. Either vision grants you a momentary prescience: While you cannot see the future, exactly, you can tell when someone is ready to die, or possesses a will strong enough to beat death. This sense is a component of normal sight (or possibly smell) and does not need to be triggered before it works. Chances are, it makes you a rather melancholy companion —
This talent is not an information source, that is, a successful roll betrays the presence of good or evil energies, but not their exact nature. Nor does Soul-Sense "speak" to you. Rather, it sends shivers through you, makes you feel warm and happy, sets your hair bristling, or gives you other distinct sensations. If someone uses magic (Disciplines, Gifts, spells, etc.) to hide his true nature, you may have to roll your Perception Dice Pool in a resisted contest with the creature's Wits + Subterfuge. If you win, the creature's true identity is clear to you. You might not know what it is, but if it isn't human, you can tell.
