Empathy

Empathy is the ability to read and feel exactly what another person is feeling, and for the same reasons, without direct contact with them. It can be channeled through the hands or eyes, the latter being the most common way to use the power.

It's very versatile and vast in nature, with many abilities stemming from it. Both Phoebe and Prue have only shown aspects of the power, never it's entirety.

Control over the Power
Usually, in the early stages of gaining this power, it's very uncontrollable and most users receive empathic vibes automatically. They can be overwhelmed by the emotions and feel compelled to act them out. As one embraces their gift, they will gain control over it and will be able to turn it on or off at will. If the empathic energy is strong enough, users will automatically receive an empathic hit, overriding their control and will.

Reading Emotions
Users simply activate their power an concentrate on the person or creatures (ie) dragons, who's emotions they want to read. They can also read the intent or desire behind emotions, and know exactly what a person wants or truly desire. Other begins with malevolent intent are usually worried when they are around you; due to the fact that they can find out any secrets that they are trying to keep hidden.

As an empath's range expands, they will be able to read, sense and maintain contact with beings from within a vast city wide distance, and in between dimensions. They will also be able to hear thoughts and feel emotions, like a telepath. As emotions are their tools, even if an empath is trapped in an alternate reality created by desires, they will be able to escape by channeling their desires into a desire to escape.

The only way someone can block you from reading their emotions is with an empathy blocking potion. However, it's hard to make as the ingredients are extremely rare. The effects of the potion is temporary, because as a range expands, you will be able to break through the effect and read their emotions.

Chris and the sisters used the potion to temporarily block their emotions. Mordaunt found a way to block his feelings and his intentions from being read, mostly likely by using the potion. Cal Greene did not take anything to block the power, but on one occasion, his feelings could not be read.

Range


This power has been shown having varying range, depending on the user. As a person grows stronger, their empathic range will expand. However, if a person acquires this power from an Empath, who's range has already expanded, the range of the new owner will take a few hours to become fully developed.

Phoebe, a destined empath, has shown that her range is very vast. While at home, she felt a large empathic burst of pain and fear from people within the city, who were being attacked by a dragon.

Later, she used it to sense and feel her sister Piper, who was on a different plane of existence, the ghostly plane. She would also be able to sense if her sister was dead, even if she wasn't there or even on the same plane. As a result of her ever expanding range, Phoebe meditates to control her gift.

There is a difference in range when reading emotion and access powers. Phoebe can read people emotions from across vast distances, but has to be within the vicinity of the other person whenever she want to control and use their power. Her range with continue to expand as her power grows stronger.

Usage
The strength of Empathy varies greatly as it depends on the possessor, more specifically, whether or not the possessor is a destined Empath, as they are the only one's that will develop other aspects of the power. While there are many different aspects of the power, some of them range from highly desirable to just being useful, as some vastly surpass others in sheer power. However, some of these aspects require no training, as demonstrated by Phoebe. The ability to master all aspects of Empathy is very rare, however, Phoebe is the only user that has used and mastered more than three different aspect of this vast power, reading emotions, manipulating emotions and manipulating others powers.

Power Manipulation
The next skill, after learning to read emotions, is using Empathy to manipulate other powers, which is composed of three—and arguably the most powerful—aspects of the power; Channeling, Replicating and Resisting powers. When Phoebe gained Empathy she quickly learned and demonstrated total control over these aspects the power, she can copy other peoples power, as well as manipulate them in a number of different ways. As a result of power channeling, Phoebe will become highly resistant, and can resist and endure the effects of the power being used on her.


 * Power Channeling: As powers are tied to emotions, channeling powers through empathy works by feeling the same emotion that others feel, and then accessing their powers to use or deflect them, as if the power was your own.
 * Power Replication: Copying powers through empathy works by feeling the same emotion that others feel, and then accessing their powers to copy and use them temporarily.
 * High Resistance: Your endurance to resist the effects of lethal powers is activated as soon as you start channeling a power, the power will then have next to no affect on you.

Empathic Healing


Another aspect of the power is empathic healing, which is a unique healing ability that can only be developed by Empaths. They are said to be able to use their power to heal people, by using their intimate knowledge of what the person is feeling or has gone through and offering them advice or comfort. However, they may also possess the whitelighter form of Healing, to heal physical wounds with their hands.

Power Augmentation


Another aspect of Empathy, is the ability to increase the strength of your own powers, which works by channeling a massive amount of emotions into them, which will enhance your powers and make you stronger. This aspect was used by Prue Halliwell who had temporarily gained the gift.


 * Her Telekinesis power advanced to a point were Vinceres, a demon who was immune to witches magic, was no longer immune to it. It also allowed her to perform gravity-defying maneuvers, and evolved her Astral Projection power into Cloning.

Pathokinesis
This power is an advanced form of Empathy. It is the ability to manifest and channel emotions through the hands, to create a psychic blast made purely of emotions. It is channeled through the hands when placed at the temples of a person's head. The effects generate energy sparks which resemble Lightning Bolts.

Phoebe is the only being with this power. With it, she is capable of vanquishing, or severely incapacitating extremely powerful magical beings thought impossible to be defeated. She used this power on the powerful witch Neena, magnifying her emotions until she was knocked unconcious. It's arguably the strongest offensive power of a Charmed One, evident by the Neena encounter.

Insanity and Demons
"I'm afraid that your in danger, you weren't meant to receive this gift. You can't handle it."

- Leo expressing concern over Prue gaining empathy.

Empathy can drive a person insane if they are not destined to have it, as it's a psychic ability, which requires the user to be mentally strong. Demons can never gain this power naturally, due to the fact that they can't handle human emotions. It would destroy them or eventually drive them insane.

Prue accidentally received this power from Vinceres through the use of a spell. Although she was fine with it at first, eventually, as it's range expanded, she was unable to control it developing to the point where she was constantly taking in the emotions of the entire city. However, Father Thomas taught her to control it.

She then channeled the incoming emotions into her other powers, which greatly enhanced them, and then used them to destroy Vinceres. However, while she eventually learned to control it, she was not a destined empath, and immediately after the battle, the power left her, as she was never meant to have it.

To Release an Empath from his Gift

 * Free the Empath,
 * Release his gift,
 * Let his pain be cast adrift.


 * (It is important that when casting the spell there is no physical contact with the Empath as the power will transfer in the caster of the spell ("Primrose Empath").