I had an idea for a mod that would shorten the path to Special Abilities (SA).
You would need to max out all three racial perks, as well as one perk from the third tier:
To max out Unrelenting Force, you would need the Empathy perk.
To max out Urgash's Call, you would need the Surprise Attack perk.
To max out Shriek of Horror, you would need the Master of the Undead perk.
To max out True Luck, you would need the Elven Luck perk.
To max out Absolute Defense, you would need the Readiness perk.
To max out Arcane Knowledge, you would need the Hidden Advantage perk.
To max out Elemental Fury, you would need the Lucky Sorcerer perk.
To max out Pure Rage, you would need the Inspiration perk.