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To be frank--Psychic Powers are just limited forms of Magic with the numbers filled off.

Elemental Abilities I handled as a Magical Philosophy for Ghosts of Albion (As I was doing an Avatar the Last Airbender conversion).

So, because of that, I went with the GoA Limit Breaker method.

To differentiate the three, if you want (I wouldn't), I'd have the elemental abilities be a per-level quality and have them be able to cast one elemental form per level of the quality without penalty before putting them in.

krj1168 wrote:

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While I agree that some psychic abilites may be linked to magic. However - there are also psychic abilites that aren't linked to magic or magical powers.

Case in point - in the BtVS/Angel 'verse - of Gwen . While she clearly possess the psychokinetic power fo Electrokinesis (all be it in an uncontrollable form), she however has never shown any inclination to magic or sorcery. Also in the Angel season 2 episode "Untouched" - the character of Bethany Chaulk is a Telekinetic in the same fashion as "Carrie White"- and yet she also has absolutely no inclination toward the magic in any form.

So while psychic abilities can be used by witches & warlocks, they can also be used by relatively normal humans with out any sign of other mystical or supernatural abilities. Although in these "relatively normal" humans with these powers are usually have limited control over their powers.

While - Sorcery and Psychic abilities are both considered to be mental based power groups. I tend to see Elemental abilities as being more of blend of the mental and the physical.

Look at these things from the perspective of Science.

I know, Blasphemy! But give it a shot.

First off, discard the very word Supernatural. If it is a part of the 11 Dimensional Universe we inhabit, it is a natural phenomena. If it can be observed and reproduced regularly, then it falls under the realm of Science to study it.

Insert Bill Nye screaming "SCIENCE!" here.

Now, Science to be properly explained requires a Mechanism. IE: The mechanism of Gravity is the curvature of Space/Time due to mass or the Chemical Processes that cells use to convert "Food" into "Energy". So, ask yourself, what is the Mechanism behind these things?

Hell, one of the reasons I enjoyed Witchcraft so much was that it would lay out mechanisms for supernatural functions on occasion.

Observation of these various abilities that they all apparently operate in a similar manner, possible through the effecting of similar material. When Gwen generates Electricity, it does not behave like eletricity produced by known methods either biological, chemical or mechanical. Instead of arcing to the nearest conductor, it follows a path that the generator intends it. Willow similarly guides it. It's one of the things that keeps tesla coils from being used as weapons effectivly. Strangely enough, SCIENCE in the Buffyverse has managed either to replicate this process or produce similar results in the form of the Initiative Taser.

Telekinetics show a similar disregard for known laws of physics. Ask yourself, what is it that is causing the object to move at the "Psychic's" behest. The Anime Elfin Leid worked around this by giving their apparent telekinetics (who like severing parts of their victims) Dicloni etheric "arms" with which they attack enemies (and innocent bystandars). Since Buffyverse mages and Telekinetics do not operate their abilities remotely, these "Ether Tentacles" might be a good mechanism for Telekinesis.

The only way to differentiate Magic from Psionics, since evidence points to shared mechanism, is to change the source of the abilities. IE: Any Organ or Soul Nodule that allows them to accesss the physical processes that undertake when they cast or generate.

I don't see how her bending light lasers has to be magical at all.

You mean aside from "LASERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!"? Especially when effected upon by Electricity alone?

It's a new and interesting way to use her powers on a device (which is what those lasers were), nothing more, nothing less. What she can do is totally different than when Willow hit Glory with a lightning attack that was obviously some form of spell.

List of How Gwen's Absorbed and Reflected Lightning Blast Differ:
1) Source: Willow guided her bolt from her hands. Gwen let it loose from somewhere in her torso.
2) Control: Willow guided it to a single target, Gwen let loose an area of effect bolt. Electricity does not work in Area of Effect unless there are multiple sources of generation are in effect (which they may in well be, but also shows the differentiation of control).
3)...
4)PROFIT!

Aside from Source (which, arguably, could be moved), very little differentiates the two. Willows "Handwavium Magicum" could be no different from a stage magician enacing some mumbo-jumbo before turning on an engine with a hidden switch.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I ask again, what is being defined as Elemental Abilities. Is it Bending? Is itKi? Give an example of an Elemental Effect so we can see what (if anything) differentiates it from a form of "-Kinesis" or Magic or someone lighting a match.

3. Anyone could theoretically do what Willow did (though they may not be as talented), so long as they learned the requisite spells. Gwen could do it without any training, any learning, and we've never seen anyone else be capable of that; and her innate talents extended only to electromagnetic phenomena.

The fact that anyone could do it with traning and that she could do it insticntively doesn't really mean jack.

ANYONE can throw a punch, but people study for years on how to throw a punch well (often within the rules of a sport). By assuming that a person can learn how to do it, it assumes that they have the natural capaicty to perform it without any specialized organs or other differences that lets her do it. To continue the punch analogy, she may have harder bones that makes her better at punching than others, but it's not outside the realm of a normal human.

It means there was something inherent to her that gave her an ability no one else could match without accessing external forces.

Rather than punching, a better analogy might be perfect pitch. Sure someone with enough musical training could duplicate it, but it still wouldn't make perfect pitch and musical training the same thing.