Do (Background)
"I've seen an agent punch through a concrete wall. Men have emptied entire clips at them and hit nothing but air, yet their strength and their speed are still based in a world that is built on rules. Because of that, they will never be as strong or as fast as you can be." -Morpheus, The Matrix
The terrifying, alien fighting style of the Akashics, Do is a primordial art which focuses the potential of the human body and spirit into effortless, devastating martial mastery. Do is a combination of linear magic and blessing channeled through a body-a lifestyle as much as a martial art, but these subtler effects are lost in the trail of broken bodies and shattered men that a Do practitioner leaves in combat. Do is a triple-cost Background (like Enhancement) which shows that the character has started walking this long and arduous path. Expensive and difficult to learn, with an extensive litany of secondary Abilities and Attributes that a practitioner must have high ratings in, the time and effort needed to master Do seems almost not worth it-and for many direct combatants, it isn't. But nevertheless, a master of Do can singlehandedly defeat a werewolf pack bare-handed, or fight a veteran exojock to a standstill.
Do is taught to Akashics and their consors-only a handful of non-Akashics have ratings in the Background at all, and rarely more than one or two dots from stolen texts and surreptitiously practiced katas. Even Akashic consors tend to have no more than 2 dots in Do, and anything beyond 3 is vanishingly rare among the un-Awakened. An Akashic who has practiced Do is never without a focus for their true magics, as Do is always a valid Akashic focus.
Each dot of Do requires an equivalent dot rating in Martial Arts, an additional 5 dots in Abilities described in the Eight Limbs of Do, and at least one dot in every Ability in one Limb of Do. Because Do requires a mastery of body and mind to understand and integrate the primordial knowledge the Akashics impart, a character must have a minimum of 12 dots in physical and mental attributes before learning Do, and no physical or mental attribute can be below 2 dots. Each additional dot of Do requires an additional 3 dots in physical or mental attributes.
Do 1: Iron Shirt
The path to Enlightenment is arduous and near-impossible. True understanding requires wisdom, and wisdom is only learned through persistence through suffering. The initiate of Do may soak lethal and aggravated damage without armor, using the lower of their Stamina or permanent Willpower to turn blows, and gains the High Pain Tolerance merit, reducing all wound penalties by 1.
Additionally, at this level of Do, the initiate starts to learn an instinctive mastery of body and mind, allowing them to parry lethal weapons bare-handed and reducing the difficulties of all Physical Attribute rolls by 1. The initiate's hardened body can also break stone and splinter wood, adding +(Do) damage to all unarmed attacks.
Do 2: Flying Leap
The grasp of the world is merely illusory. Feel the distances around you. Know that they can be bent. Know that only your mind makes them seem long. When your mind knows the path, the body can follow. An apprentice in the art of Do learns to sprint at blinding speeds and leap great distances, adding their Do to their Dexterity for the purposes of running and multiplying their jump distances by (Do).
At this level of Do, the initiate learns to channel their muscle strength into impossible, explosive force, and learns that their strength is only limited by their Will. When Willpower to enhance feats of Strength, the initiate rolls at Difficulty 6 rather than 9. Additionally, the initiate adds +1 to their Strength for the purposes of Damage and Feats of Strength. This upgrades to +2 at Do 4.
Do 3: Deflect/Redirect Missiles
You do not kill with a gun, or a knife. You kill with your mind. The disciple of Do understands that even if death comes faster than sound, it cannot come faster than thought. Learning to empty their mind and see the world without the blinders of fear and doubt, the practitioner can sense when an attack comes, no matter how fast its execution is, and evade or deflect it. The character may dodge or parry incoming projectiles, including bullets, at Difficulty 6. They do not need to go prone or seek cover when dodging bullets. Additionally, if the practitioner successfully evades a missile attack, they may reflexively attempt to redirect it to another target by rolling Dexterity + Do. Slow-moving projectiles require merely 1 success at Difficulty 6. Faster-moving ones, such as bullets, require 3 successes at Difficulty 8. The fastest ones, such as Technocratic railguns and plasma bolts, require 5 successes at Difficulty 10, and often require a Forces 2 effect of some sort to prevent the character from taking damage from the brief contact. If successful, the practitioner redirects the attack to a target of their choice, and the attack is treated as if it had always been aimed at the new target (and thus retains the original attack's successes and damage). Failure on this roll means that the practitioner is winged by the attack, taking half damage before soak (round down). A botch on this roll means the practitioner takes full damage from the attack.
At this level of Do, the initiate moves at lightning speed, has perfect coordination, and almost always acts first. The initiate adds their Do to their Initiative and reduces multiple action penalties by 1.
Do 4: Vigor in the Mind's Eye
The body is subordinate to the mind. So long as one has will and knowledge, even a broken body can be made to function. The Adept of Do reduces the difficulty of all Stamina-related rolls by 2, and may divide their needs for food, water, sleep, and rest by (Do). They multiply all healing rates for Bashing and Lethal damage by (Do), and gain (Do) Bruised health levels.
At this level of Do, the adept understands their body, and that although time may erode it, so long as they have will, they can overcome. The character no longer takes any penalties from old age, and divides their rate of aging by (Do).
Do 5: Redirection
Numbers are an illusion. It is will, not numbers, which shape the world. One man with sufficient will can override billions. The Master of Do understands that so long as they have will, they may defeat any number of enemies. The Master of Do may make reflexive dodge or parry actions against any character within (Do) meters, and takes no penalties from being outnumbered. Furthermore, if they successfully dodge or parry an attack, they may counterattack with any Martial Arts maneuver. A Master can walk through an ocean of foes armed with knives and clubs and leave only a sea of shattered cripples behind him.
At the capstone of Do, the Master knows only serenity and is perfectly in control of their emotions and mind. Reduce the difficulty of all Willpower-related rolls by 2, and if a Willpower roll would have a difficulty of 4 or below after the reduction, the Master may choose whether to succeed or fail on the roll. The Master gains their Do rating as countermagic against Mind effects.
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