Through a combination of concentration and skill, you can scan and retain large amounts of information in very short periods of time. Speed reading utilizes a number of tricks that help you process things you read quickly. Although complex works demand more time and focus than simple ones do, this skill comes in handy when you’ve got research to do and not much time with which to do it.

Although this is a valuable talent for Technocrats, Hermetic mages, Virtual Adepts, and other folks who need to absorb huge chunks of data, it’s a hazardous trick to employ when you’re reading about advanced magickal or scientific matters. Both advanced science and ritual magick, after all, depend upon precise reading in order to get the proper results. Speed-reading techniques depend upon mnemonic shortcuts, and “shortcuts” and “magick” tend to make poor bedfellows. The Storyteller might inflict a penalty upon rites or procedures whose details have been learned through speed-reading, with potentially horrific results if the attempt fails. The moral behind this principle: Don’t try summoning Elder Gods with a ritual you skimmed in your hurry to get through the book!

• Novice: Twilight in an hour.

•• Practiced: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in two or three hours.

••• Skillful: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows in two or three hours.

•••• Expert: A Game of Thrones in two or three hours.

••••• Master: War and Peace in two or three hours.

Possessed by

Students, Authors, Research Assistants, Programmers, Engineers, Book-Lovers, Field Agents, Hermetic Mages

Specialties

Research, Fiction, Periodicals, Internet, Ebooks, Cramming, Retention

Ratings