There is a standard set of abilities held by all of the warriors who are called Claymores. This rather wide-reaching set includes superhuman physical abilities, energy sensing abilities and the ability to increase their own power through the use of yoki. However, while all warriors possess the entire set, the degree to which they have them varies wildly depending on inherent ability, experience, etc.
The (rather lengthy!) treatise below will explain both the abilities in their generic form and the abilities as they apply to Priscilla herself.
Physical Abilities:General enhancements: Any Claymore possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility and flexibility. All of this applies to Priscilla, of course. However, while all Claymores possess these things, Priscilla in particular has "freakish" physical powers.
An estimation of her speed and physical strength can be reached this way: On these two pages (
one,
two) Clare cuts an entire building into rubble, seen
here. This is done before the superhumanly fast warriors (including a Number Eight known as the fastest warrior of her generation) and awakened being present can even react. This was done
with one half the power and speed possessed by Irene, who was deposed from her Number Two ranking when Priscilla finished training, and was so outmatched by Priscilla's power that she not only chose not to challenge Priscilla for the ranking, but
actually shook from terror just from the sight of her. Later, Priscilla's battle with Teresa (the Number One of her generation - Priscilla's immediate superior) causes physical pain to those listening,
and their sound swordstrikes are said to be capable of shattering glass. Neither was using yoki at this time. This was also during her canon appearance - Priscilla in Scorched has become far stronger than she was at that time (more on that later).
Adaptable and Manipulable Physiology: Priscilla (like all Claymores)
can survive for a week or more on a few bites of food and sips of water. She
can't be affected by toxins or drugs unless she allows it, nor can she be affected by normal diseases, illnesses or ailments. She rarely sleeps -
a Claymore can walk for days without breaks or even food, and with little fatigue, and be back at top shape within a few hours. Additionally, she is able to
adjust her temperature to better suit the environment, thus being unaffected by weather.
Regenerative Abilities and Working Through the Pain: Like all warriors, Priscilla heals at a much advanced rate, and can reattach severed limbs, provided they haven't been gone for very long. She can also regrow lost eyes, for example. Beyond that, regenerative ability divides: a defensive warrior heals more quickly and more easily, and is capable of regrowing lost limbs. The trade off is that they have inferior attack power to Offensive types, who can reattach limbs but cannot regrow them (or, in the case of very powerful offensive warriors, can regrow only fully human limbs - limbs that lack the yoki power/strength/etc of the warrior herself).
Claymores, regardless of type, have often lost limbs, had holes punched through their torso, and walked great distances with
massive portions of their bodies missing, as well as routinely survive having limbs hacked off or fists punched through their guts, so it's fair to say they are very difficult to kill.
Yoki (Energy) Abilities: Yoki Sensing: Like all Claymores, Priscilla possesses the ability to detect energy - in her case, she is best attuned to yoki (otherworldly energy), though this can presumably also be applied to powers such as reiatsu (Bleach), chakra (Naruto), etc. According to her official statistics, Priscilla's own energy sensing ability is rated at "A+" - the same ranking as most of the best energy detectors in the series (for example, Galatea - the finest sensor of her generation, known as the God Eye). However, while her base energy detecting abilities are extremely strong, she was not specially trained in their use, and so lacks the fine detection abilities boasted by warriors like Teresa or Galatea.
Yoki Power - General: Like all Claymores, Priscilla's superhuman abilities are fueled by an otherworldly energy called yoki. While all warriors possess yoki, the size of their yoki pool it varies from warrior to warrior - as a general rule, the greater the yoki the greater the power of the warrior. Yoki pools grow over time, increasing in both quality and quantity with the experience of the warrior, thus increasing the warrior's ability as well.
In any case, when a warrior begins drawing on their yoki power, their strength, speed and regeneration rate all increase.. though they are capable of channeling their power into one or another area at the cost of the others (for example, if a warrior is badly injured they may funnel all their yoki into healing and be no stronger or faster than they were by default). However, the downside is that each use of their yoki puts them at risk: when they've used too much, they lose their humanity and become what is known as an Awakened Being - a species apart from human or yoma, a powerful monster that feeds on human flesh.
It isn't entirely clear what constitutes using too much: there seems to be a short term limit as well as a lifetime limit, as some warriors approach awakening slowly while others pass their limits in a single battle and awaken on the spot. The latter happens with the use of over 80% of their available yoki - at this point, they seemingly cannot return to humanity (note that it is a plot point that this is sometimes possible - doing so leaves a warrior in a Half-Awakened state, see below).
What is known is that accessing yoki affects a warrior not only inwardly and in terms of their level of ability, but also outwardly and in terms of their overall appearance: at 10% release, their eyes turn golden and glow with an infernal light; at 30% their faces begin to distort, veins rising and marring their features; at 50% their entire body begins to distort - muscles bulge, veins appear on their skin. At 80% they have reached their theoretical limit, from which it is difficult if not impossible to return. Awakening begins at this point.
Yoki, when released, can affect the world depending on its strength: most warriors' release is undetectable to those who are not capable of feeling the energy itself, while strong warriors (for example those in the top five) may cause bystanders to feel as though they've been hit by a chill or a breeze (example pages
one and
two). When beings on the level of the Abyssal Ones (Awakened Number One warriors) use their power, it scorches the earth and may destroy the landscape completely - it can even be felt from half a continent away.
Priscilla's Yoki in Specific: Priscilla generally fights with her power completely suppressed. However, it is known that her yoki stores are extraordinarily large: on the occasion that she releases more than 10%, the energy release causes the ground to shake, structures around her to come apart, boulders to crumble, and
people nearby to feel as though they've been hit by a force bolt. Furthermore, her use of power seems to generate some kind of
antigravity effect, sending small items flying upward, at least at the time of her initial release (it seems to calm after that).
Notably, it is implied by the Claymore Databook that the majority of Priscilla's yoki is not actually accessible to her even if she does activate her power - it is locked behind a psychological block created by her subconscious mind as she instinctively knew she would not be able to control her own strength if fully released. This block releases over time as her ability to handle her power increases with experience.
Rapid/Exponential Growth: Priscilla's power increases by leaps and bounds at an extremely rapid pace. This is confirmed by Teresa who, at the time of their battle, is more than capable of defeating not only Priscilla but also the other 3 warriors of the top five
simultaneously...
and yet doubts that she could defeat Priscilla alone at a hypothetical second meeting. This has been slowed in Scorched for the sake of sanity, but even so she can be expected to become stronger over time. (This is an ability specific to Priscilla - not a general power possessed by Claymores.)
Energy Suppression: One of Priscilla's two special abilities is the suppression of her yoki signature. She does this by accessing
zero of her yoki and relying entirely on the strength and speed given to her by the physiological changes made to her body during the hybridization process. While most warriors cannot fully suppress their aura, Priscilla can - rendering herself completely undetectable even to Teresa, known as the greatest yoki sensor in the history of the Claymores at the time. This is her
default state, and unless she is actively using her yoki she is undetectable at all times. Note that this does not mean she is weak in any way - she is more than capable of cutting through buildings without tapping her hidden power at all. (This is an ability specific to Priscilla - not a general power possessed by Claymores.)
Half-Awakening
What it is: On rare occasions, a warrior who has surpassed her limits can be brought back from the edge - whether by willpower, an aura "nudge" from someone like Galatea or through an emotional bond such as Clare's with Raki. Once half-awakened, a warrior is considered to be partially an awakened being, which allows them greater/easier access to their yoki, making them far stronger. The trade off is that, as the nature of half-awakening isn't fully understood, they aren't sure whether they are still awakening at a very slow pace or have truly stabilized; in theory, they could awaken at any time.
In mid-September 2010, Priscilla passed her limits during a fight with the Abyssal One Riful. She was brought back through the efforts of Yachiru. This has allowed her a general, though modest boost to her power - her strength, speed, etc all increased just a little.
There were, however, two more notable effects.
Enhanced Regenerative Powers: Though her rate of healing has always been uniquely excellent due to her overall yoki power, as an Offensive warrior, Priscilla was initially unable to regrow entire lost limbs. However, as of September 12, 2010, Priscilla's half-awakening unlocked some of her latent healing abilities (her awakened form is capable of regenerating limbs so quickly they literally seem to blink into existence) and she is thus able to regenerate lost limbs, albeit not at an especially brisk pace (it would take perhaps a day or two to regrow an entire lost arm).
Tentacle Attack!!!: Her half-awakening also provided her with a mini version of her primary awakened attack - her fingers can elongate into tentacles which can be used to penetrate and break apart any number of objects. She can also sprout these tentacles from her wrist, but unlike her awakened form, these are the only places from which these tentacles form. They are also considerably downsized in strength compared to her awakened form's version.
Skills and Techniques:
General:Priscilla is a fully trained warrior and familiar with all weapons available to her world - which basically means melee weapons and probably some ranged weapons such as bows. At the time of her arrival in Anatole, she was highly trained, but not especially skilled from the perspective of an experienced warrior - she was, after all, still a rookie and had a tendency to rely on her sheer strength to overwhelm enemies. ...this is still mostly the case. However, she has improved by leaps and bounds due to intense training with Senji (who taught her practical/informal battle techniques as well as the ability to think on her feet), Prince Arthur Pendragon (her first tutor in formal swords) and the Abyssal One Isley of the North (her current swordsmaster). The latter has been especially helpful in teaching her effective uses of her superhuman abilities.
Quicksword (Sort of): In recent times, Priscilla had taken to studying this - possibly the greatest sword technique in the Claymore series- at the foot of its creator, Irene. The Quicksword technique is achieved by channeling all of a warrior's power into one arm, which can then be said to fully 'awaken' - the result is a flurry of motion that chops everything in its path to shreds, while the user appears to stand perfectly still, all swordstrike invisible to the eye. This requires extraordinary concentration to maintain without losing control of the user's yoki, and a temperamental warrior would be ill-suited for it. Priscilla is very temperamental, and so she can only maintain this for a few seconds without risking awakening.
Various social skills: Claymores are taught to work undercover in various positions, so she's fairly skilled at blending in to any environment. This has served her well in Anatole.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
