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I'm looking for opinions and (preferably) official info on the following:
1. Are psychic powers supernatural?
2. What does the term "Supernatural" mean?
3. What does the term "Paranormal" mean?
4. What does the term "mytic" mean?
5. What does the term "magic" mean?

My uses, not necissary dictionary

1. Are psychic powers supernatural?

I would say paranormal (see below)

2. What does the term "Supernatural" mean?

Beyond the realm of the natural world and our current understanding of the laws of physics and definition of life. (ie Demons, Devils, Angels)

3. What does the term "Paranormal" mean?

Strange and unusual, probably can't be defined by our current understanding of the laws of physics and definition of life, but is close enough we can relate to it (ie the strange feeling that soemthign isn't right, or strange lights)

4. What does the term "mytic" mean?

It describes anything or any person ascoiated with magic or paranormal occurances

5. What does the term "magic" mean?

the use of mystic formula (focused either as spells, rituals, alchemy or other means) to acheive results that do not necissarily corespond wth our understanding of the laws of phsyics

Yeah, a lot of it overlaps, like *psychic* is considered by some to be both supernatural and paranormal. Magic is the control of forces that seem beyond explanation, for example: if you went back to the middle ages with a solar powered laptop computer, you just might be hired on as a wizard or hung as a consorter of demons. They wouldn't be able to to understand how a box could produce music and visuals. It would be *magic.* Take that analogy to modern times. Say you saw some guy create a stairway of light and ascend into the clouds... Wow! Magic! Mystic is more legend, myth, arcane, obscure... and psychic. It's the magic based on ancient culture and trace memory.

If you put them all into a single stew, you're going to have a great meal. --They blend together easily. They cross over into each others' areas. This is why I LOVE BTS: because real world mysticism... real world stories can become background material for roleplaying. It's like watching an episode of a well written show like Kolchak: The Nightstalker, or The X-Files.

Can anybody find official Palladium definitions of these terms?

Killer Cyborg wrote:I'm looking for opinions and (preferably) official info on the following:
1. Are psychic powers supernatural?
2. What does the term "Supernatural" mean?
3. What does the term "Paranormal" mean?
4. What does the term "mytic" mean?
5. What does the term "magic" mean?

I didn't vote in the poll KC (sorry), but I will share my feelings on the use of these terms.

I use "supernatural" to describe magic, psionics, Chi, and things related to the occult and mysticism.

Paranormal usually describes anything (including super powers) that can't be explained by science right away. It may not be mystical, or magical, but paranormal.
Thusly, a super character can possess Supernatural PS, and not need to be a Supernatural Creature.
"Mystic" I use as a synonym for magic.
"Magic" describes a force outside the realm of physical science. One that has it's own rules, it's own set of constants, it's own variables, etc. Magic simply does not adhere to the laws of science, and therein lay the greatest portion of it's power.

hmmmm

In my psychics unlimited campaign psychic abilities could be broken down into two types.

The purely natural, stemming from the preparahippocampal gyrus, a mutation that has become more frequent in the latter half of the 20th century and it is a brain formation that can be manipulated, prodded and enhanced.

The supernatural: psychic powers in this instances comes from an ill defined mind over matter/willpower technique which involves supernatural infusion.

Quite often a target's definition altered the parameters of a mission. white thought generators were not as effective against the purley supernatural, and there was no conscise way to disable the supernaturally empowered. on the other hand, It was very rare for a kill order to be executed in the case of a natural Psi (the 'X-Factory' considers these to be evolved humans and therefore under the charter of protection, as opposed to the supernatural which were not intrinsicly contributing to the human evolution)

Batts