just thinking about serana's powers and how powerful she is. yes being a vampire lord helps , but even prior to being changed , i think she was on her way to be a powerful caster. the family structure strikes me as harkon being a fighter-type while valerica serves as more of a wizard-type , and with a closer relationship in general with valerica there was likely expectation she'd follow in her steps. she was studying under her mother , in addition to any normal tutelage under personal educators within the lordship.
she had a natural affinity for necromancy , as her mother did and she had interest in learning destruction magic but never got to do so because the focus of the family began to shift more towards gaining molag bal's attention. only when they're gifted vampirism is she able to practice her casting again , and leans in to a more ice-focused destruction. obviously the rest of her powers were supplemented by her new undead state. most of the specifics below are inspired by this mod - however something to keep in mind is how powerful vampire lords are but unless provoked , serana typically isn't pulling out all the stops. in fact , it will likely be rarely seen until her final battle with her father because she knows that he has the same strength as she does.
ice magic ,.., her preferred form of spellcasting , serana is usually seen in battle surrounded by ice and snow in one way or another. most typically she'll form a dagger of ice and use it in close combat since she can be very mobile on a battlefield with her vampirism. however , if she's told control a crowd , then her spells take a form of storms or barriers of sharp ice. if she has the time , she'll also create shields of ice if a companion seems like they're about to get hit. in rare cases , she'll get a little creative by creating forms of transportation with it ( like bridges or inclines ) so that her friends can move around easily or get to places they couldn't've otherwise. a visual of this would be how sypha casts from castlevania.
necromancy ,.., thanks to her mother and her vampirism , serana is very skilled in the undead or anything in passing death. most often she'll raise corpses to aid her in fights. she can also drain life from someone via touch and replenish her own well , or just spread death with her touch. this will usually just look like accelerated aging until someone is no more than dust. again , used very often in combat and she's highly skilled at it. serana can raise lesser creatures with ease , like animals or people , and given a few additional seconds of time and effort on her part she can also raise larger creatures and beasts. after meeting durnehviir , she does have the goal to eventually be able to raise a dragon from the dead should the need arise and visits him often to learn.
blood magic ,.., a very similar type of magic to her necromancy , serana does have a close relationship with blood itself. she doesn't use it as much , but if she's close to starving ( or if an enemy is particularly frustrating ) and if someone is wounded or actively bleeding , serana can pull that life force from its source and take it on herself , drinking it to gain strength. if she doesn't need it to feed , she can create a spike or dagger from it and use it to impale her enemies.
bats ,.., a simple term , but not only can serana take on the form of a flying fox bat , she also has close relationships with bat creatures. she can call them in a time of need in order to blind opponents , to confuse them or to protect her if she's mortally injured. her own bat form is usually used for reconnaissance and stealth. if she needs to see a situation and assess its danger level. in some instances , she will also transform into a bat if she's injured and tired , this way the smaller body can heal a bit quicker than her mortal form.
mist form ,.., most often used as a means of teleporting , serana's body can turn into formless mist. she not only can take no injury ( and cause no harm ) like this , she can also use it similarly to the above bat form in a stealth manner. when she is shifting across a fight , it will look to most mortals as a misty , dark form. one moment she's there , the next she's somewhere else.
enthrall ,.., vampire lords have a natural 'charm' to them in order to lower defenses of mortal creatures and potential prey. this is more subtle than a full on 'enthrall' which is more akin to "charm person" where the vampire is actively utilizing their powers of the mind and making someone more malleable to suggestion. many vampire lords use this as a way to keep a thrall with them at all times in order to feed , others can use it to rise to power and more with some creativity. serana is most often utilizing this as a way to get information or to ease someone's emotions if she feels she needs to. when it comes to her natural 'charm' , the closer she gets to someone , the more likely she'll mention it to them , understanding the risk of them being turned off by it or becoming potentially angry. understand that this isn't necessarily something she can control , it's almost like a natural pheromone that allows a predator to feed more easily. if you've read salem's lot , it's exactly that. something that neither predator nor prey can control or control their reaction to.
domination ,.., this is a mix of telekinesis and a stronger form of the above. domination doesn't allow for any control of the mind other than what the vampire lord wants. they own every part of you. where enthrall can leave someone numb and unresponsive or have no feeling whatsoever ( because it was more of a suggestion or making someone placate to demands ) this particular power they are completely aware but can't do anything about it. there is a voice in their head and they become simply a receiver and speaker of that voice. with that control , a vampire can lift the mortal and manipulate them as they see fit. their body is not their own nor is their mind. this is something entirely gifted by molag bal , the prince of domination. as far as serana and how she uses it , she will never think of using it on people she is close to. this is only for fighting purposes , usually on lesser beings. many times , and most simply , she's getting into the mind of someone and telling them to end their own lives.
vampiric lord form ,.., when things are looking rough , or if she needs to move in a way that her speed/mist form won't allow for , serana will transform into a bi-pedal beastly bat. standing at about 8 feet tall , with leathery wings , a bat-like face with a collar of fur around her neck , this form can take on many creatures , especially ones airborne. she also will use it in dire times of need where maybe someone is falling or to fly them to safety from a rather precarious situation. this form can teleport in a cloud of smaller bats. in most storylines , serana doesn't use this form until it's clear who and what she is amongst the people she's traveling with , in order not to scare them. she's in full control in this form , it is still her , and she can change at will.
flames of coldharbour ,.., gifted from the plane of coldharbour itself , these flames are not ordinary fire , but those of where serana was reborn. blue and purple in color , these flames burn hotter and melt most things almost instantly. serana has to call to the prince himself for these flames , and most often is gifted them without question. this very often has the volkihar clan thinking that she is favored amongst the others who have been christened by their god.either these flames will be used as many other fire-based powers are with a ball being shot at her enemy , or if she's surrounded , serana can have them shoot out from her at the center in a large sphere or wall of brilliant blue.
