[Lore] Can we see Aether ?

[Anova]

An alternative if someone really is hell-bent on seeing aether as a central ability for their character, is to simply make them a non-PC race. Maybe the character is actually a Padjal with their horns cut off, or a fiend (au'ra or a suitably emo full armor set can pull this off decently well).

It still smacks a little of a gary stu/mary sue and takes clever writing to pull off; but everything in the lore suggests those races have better aetherial senses than the PCs.

[Yata7]

snip

I meant that it seems like something Matoya has seen before. A natural ability being used in an extreme manner. Like I said, there are other npcs that are shown sensing aether through meditation/concentration. I just don't think it is a mutation, or gift, or whatnot from her little swim in the lifestream.

[ExKage]

My takeaway from that scene between her and Matoya is that either Flow or the trip in the lifestream is what caused Y'shtola to lose her eyesight. Matoya sees that Y'shtola is exerting considerable strain on her life by seeing with aether.

[Yata7]

Okay so, we watching the scene in question casting Flow is likely what blinded her Matoya even references this as to why they're called "forbidden spells." The casual way in which they mention sensing aether in order to see that leads me to believe that just sensing it is not something that is unique to Y'stola, however using it to compensate for c get blindness is eating away at her life force.

[Shirobi]

I meant that it seems like something Matoya has seen before. A natural ability being used in an extreme manner. Like I said, there are other npcs that are shown sensing aether through meditation/concentration. I just don't think it is a mutation, or gift, or whatnot from her little swim in the lifestream.

Where are any characters shown seeing either without the use of magic (And hence concentration.) or machinery or some other contrivance? Aether isnt the Force. We arent Jedi.

Im sure Matoya has seen similar spells before, but its pretty clear Tola aint using one. She isnt concentrating on using the ability, and there have been plenty of times when others, if they had such an ability, would have used it in an emergency if they could have did so.