Class: Akashic

The Akashic
		Memetics
Level	Special	Cache	Memory	Libraries	Max Grade	Memes Known
1	Delve Into Blue	2	1	1	Common	4
2	Lore	2	1	1	Common	6
3		3	1	2	Uncommon	7
4	Lore	3	2	2	Uncommon	8
5		4	2	2	Uncommon	10
6	Lore	4	2	2	Uncommon	11
7		5	3	3	Uncommon	12
8	Lore	5	3	3	Rare	14
9		6	3	3	Rare	15
10	Akashic Talent	6	4	3	Rare	16
11		7	4	4	Rare	18
12	Akashic Talent	7	4	4	Rare	19
13		8	5	4	Obscure	20
14	Akashic Talent	8	5	4	Obscure	22
15		9	5	5	Obscure	23
16	Akashic Talent	9	6	5	Obscure	24
17		10	6	5	Obscure	26
18	Akashic Talent	10	6	5	Secret	27
19		11	7	6	Secret	28
20	Akashic Talent	11	7	6	Secret	30

 

Akashic

Akira, iconic akashic

"A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever."

In a world where individuals of capable of wholesale destruction of timelines, where individuals can wrest themselves from the march of time and act against the grain of causality, the study of history and memory itself becomes significantly more daunting, but also more important. However, an understanding of causality leads not just to an understanding of how we got to where we are today, but to an understanding of the underpinnings of reality itself. Those who take up the mantle of the akashic are those who have gleaned insights into the mechanisms of reality: not from the view of those who live inside the universe, but from outside it. This almost alien approach to how the world functions is obtuse and abstract in nature, and few in the world are capable of maintaining that mindset for long.

By learning how to study and manipulate information and data, akashics can undo the crimes committed against the timeline, ensuring that their memory - and the memory of everyone in existence - remains tied to events as they occurred. However, they can also reverse the process, manipulating the information that represents the world in order to manipulate existence, giving them unparalleled control over the present and a keen understanding of how the now will lead to a future moment.

It is with this knowledge that all of existence is simply information that akashics perform amazing feats. While they can create objects out of nothing and read the minds of other creatures, these are not direct interactions, nor are they impositions of will upon reality - they are simply modifications and manipulations of data. However, these actions require significant willpower and the ability to read the world memory, as every passing moment the data of the world changes: akashics must therefore be incredibly careful and quite observant in order to ensure that they do not accidentally destroy themselves or disrupt the world in a catastrophic manner.

Game Rule Information

Akashics have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Blue.

Force Resistances: CO 5 + level, IO 5 + level.

Abilities: Intelligence is the most important ability for an akashic.

Starting Age: Moderate.

T20

Hit Points at 1st Level: 5 + Con score.

Hit Points at Each Additional Level: 5 + Con modifier.

Healing Surges: 6 + Con modifier.

Defenses: Fort +0; Ref +0; Will +4; Det +2.

Pathfinder

Hit Die: d6.

BAB: Poor.

Saving Throws: Fort (Poor); Ref (Poor); Will (Good).

Skill Points: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Skills: All skills are class skills for the akashic.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the akashic.

Proficiencies

Weapons: Any three.

Armor: Light, mystic.

Implements: Records, tomes.

Memetics

Akashics are memeticists, and as such make use of memes, conceptual packets of information that are essentially programs that interact with the data that comprises the world in some fashion.

To use memes, an akashic must first ready it, an arduous process that must be performed on a regular basis, updating the meme to ensure that its various structures are synchronized with the world.

 

Blue Libraries
Library	Description
Abstract	Directly interfacing with the structures that form the very core of existence, this library gives you extremely powerful but limited ways to manipulate reality.
Data	You can delve into the caches of information storage hidden "beneath" the world, learning answers to impossible questions.
Instance	Through introduction of new pointers and structures, you can create temporary objects and creatures.
Lambda	Relatively simple and direct commands, these memes are useful to modify reality quickly and in fashions similar to those wielded by other Forces.
System	Manipulating processes, you can take control of the real world in a wide variety of ways.
Virus	Rather than attempt to produce particular effects, you can instead corrupt existing data and processes, causing them to decay or behave erratically.

 

To access her memes, an akashic must ready them into her active meme slots. An akashic can only modify her active meme slots after a long rest, in a process that takes ten minutes.

Meme Grades
Grade	Minimum Wisdom
Common	9
Uncommon	10
Rare	11
Obscure	12
Secret	14
Forgotten	16

To use a given meme, the akashic must meet the minimum Wisdom score for that grade, as per the table on the right.

When an akashic readies her memes, she can also choose to put them into her personal memory, using her own informational process to improve the meme in some fashion. You can change which memes you have allocated into memory with a short rest.

When you process a meme, it becomes temporarily scrambled after its interaction with the world, and you cannot use it again until it recharges. At the beginning of each of your turns, if you have any memes that need to recharge, you roll your recharge die, which is 1d6. If the result of the recharge die is equal to or greater than the recharge value for a given meme, that meme recharges, and you can process it again. The recharge value of a meme is dependent upon the highest grade of meme you can access, per the table below.

All of your memes automatically recharge after a short rest.

The akashic begins with four known memes. She gains knowledge of additional memes each level, as per the class table, above. At fourth level and every four levels after, she can trade out up to two memes for new memes from any library she can access.

If you would gain access to a library, you can choose to instead gain a bonus feat, which must be a feat for which you qualify. If you would gain access to a library and already have access to six libraries, you gain a bonus feat instead.

 

Memes: Recharge Values
	Meme Grade
Highest Meme Grade Accessible	Common	Uncommon	Rare	Obscure	Secret	Forgotten
Common	5	---	---	---	---	---
Uncommon	4	6	---	---	---	---
Rare	3	5	6	---	---	---
Obscure	2	4	5	6	---	---
Secret	2	3	4	5	6	---
Forgotten	2	3	4	5	6	6

 

The akashic's key ability for her memetic attacks is her Intelligence.

Delve Into Blue

At its heart, the akashic tradition is one of learning the answers to questions. As such, all akashics can tap into the akashic record, even if their particular memetic focus lies elsewhere.

When you take a short rest, you spend an action point to ask one simple question; a simple question is one that can be answered with a "yes" or "no."

The GM will answer your question with either a "yes," a "no," or an "unclear:" if the last one, that means your question might be too complex, or that giving a "yes" or "no" answer would be not entirely true. You can't use this ability to ask questions about the future, only the past.

In addition, some information is specifically hidden from abilities like this. If that is the case for your question, the GM will inform you that the information is unavailable, and may also give you some information about why that information is not available.

Lore

As an akashic grows in skill, she learns how to better tap into the Blue.

At each of the levels indicated on the class table, you can choose one ability from the following list. Unless otherwise specified, each ability can only be taken once.

▶ Simulation

When you use your delve into blue ability, you can ask questions about the future.

If you do, the answer is dependent upon current circumstances and the GM's understanding of your current goals and potential future activities. You can include conditionals in your question that further modify the potential simulation of the future you are asking about, but significant deviations - or even your own lack of knowledge about how to properly ask the question - may give you an incorrect answer.

Memes

The following are akashic memes, ordered by library, then by grade.

Abstract Library

Common Abstract Memes
Meme Name	Action	Effect
CD	Move	Teleport a short distance.
CP	Swift	Temporarily overwrite one of your active meme slots with a meme from one of your other active meme slots.
GREP	Standard	Search local memory for a particular term, and find out what nearby creatures, objects, or locations are related to it.
LS	Standard	You gain knowledge of all objects in a small area, including hidden ones.
MAN	Standard	You can learn basic information about a creature, object, location, or event.
MV	Swift	Replace one of your active memes with a meme you know but don't currently have active.
PS	Standard	You gain knowledge of all active effects in a small area, including hidden ones.
WHO	Standard	You gain knowledge of all creatures in a small area, including hidden ones.

 

Data Library

Common Data Memes
Meme Name	Action	Effect
Amanuensis	Standard	Absorb knowledge from a touched book or other data storage.
Anticipate Peril	Standard	Target gains a +4 power bonus on Initiative checks.
Comprehend Languages	Standard	You gain the ability to understand, but not speak, other languages.
Identify	5 minutes	You can identify the functions of Force items.
Libra	Standard	You gain libra.
Memetic Tracking	Standard	You can track a creature through its impressions on world memory, rather than its physical tracks.
Query	Standard	Ask a simple question that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no."
Read Memory	Standard	Read the recent memory of a creature, learning its surface thoughts.

 

Instance Library

Common Instance Memes
Meme Name	Action	Effect
Abundant Ammunition	Standard	Create a small amount of specialty ammunition.
Air Bubble	Standard	Creates a small pocket of air around your head or an object.
Fabricate I	1 minute	Create a simple object of wood or cloth.
Glue	Standard	Cover an area in glue, making it sticky and difficult for creatures to leave the area.
Grease	Standard	Cover an area in grease, making it slippery and difficult for creatures to move through it and remain upright.
Instantiate Monster I	1 round	Create a temporary creature that fights for you.
Repair	Standard	Restore an object of potency 3 hit points.
Web	Standard	Create an area of entangling web.

 

Lambda Library

Common Lambda Memes
Meme Name	Action	Effect
Aero	Standard	Burst of wind deals potency 3 wind damage to a creature, potentially knocking them prone.
Eerie Sound Wave	Standard	Remove a status boon from the target.
Flash	Standard	Attempt to blind nearby creatures.
Goblin Punch	Standard	Make a physical attack that has the potential for significant damage.
Limit Glove	Standard	When you are critical, you can use this meme to deal potency 8 physical damage.
Magic Hammer	Standard	Reduce the target's ability to call on Force effects.
Roulette	Standard	A random creature gains doom.
Self-Destruct	Standard	Explode, dealing fire damage to yourself and those near you equal to your hit points.

 

System Library

Common System Memes
Meme Name	Action	Effect
Boost Experience	Standard	Target gains a positive level for a short time.
Causal Chains	Standard	Temporarily lock a creature's initiative in place.
Lock Time	Standard	Prevent creatures from taking actions out of turn.
Normalize Time	Standard	Remove both beneficial and harmful temporal effects from a creature.
Pattern Recognition	Standard	Gain a significant bonus on checks made to search areas.
Predict System I	Swift	At the end of your turn, accept the outcome or decide to change something.
Status	Standard	Know creatures' status.
Vaccime	Swift	Remove a mental status ailment from an ally.

 

Virus Library

Common Virus Memes
Meme Name	Action	Effect
Amnesia	Standard	Target gains the amnesia status, or forgets the last few minutes.
Autotoxic Meme	Standard	Target gains the berserk status.
Cancel Memory	Varies	Nullify an ongoing memetic effect, or counter one being processed.
Inconsistent Schema	Standard	Target gains the confusion status.
Language Virus	Standard	Target gains the babel status.
Memory Bolt	Standard	Disrupt a creature's memories, dealing potency 4 psychic damage.
Memory Trap	Standard	Plant a trap in a specific meme, causing those who process it to suffer a negative effect.
Purge Experience	Standard	Target gains a negative level.

 

Feats

The following are a selection of feats that are relevant to akashics.

 

EXTRA LIBRARY [Memetic]
You have plumbed deeper into the depths of information than your peers.
Prerequisites: Memeticist, access to five or fewer libraries.
Benefit: You gain access to another memetic library of your choice. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

EXTRA MEME SLOT [Memetic]
You can hold more of your memes in your head at once.
Prerequisites: Memeticist.
Benefit: You gain an additional active meme slot. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

EXTRA MEMORY [Memetic]
Your personal memory space is larger than it should be.
Prerequisites: Memeticist.
Benefit: You gain an additional point of memory. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

LOGICIAN [Job]
You can sometimes see the code that makes the world work.
Prerequisites: No levels in a memeticist class.
Benefit: You gain access to a single memetic library, and learn two common memes of your choice from that library. You have one active meme slot.
Special: If you take a level in any memeticist class, you must immediately retrain this feat; the new feat cannot be a [Job] feat.

 

MEME KNOWLEDGE [Memetic]
You have found the secrets of more information.
Prerequisites: Memeticist.
Benefit: You gain knowledge of two additional memes of any grade you can access, of any library you can access. You can take this feat multiple times; its effect stacks.

 

UNLOCK FORGOTTEN [Epic, Memetic]
You have unlocked a memetic secret that transcends the traditional scales of power.
Prerequisites: Memeticist, ability to process at least one secret meme, 21st+ level.
Benefit: You can learn one forgotten meme of your choice from a library you can access. You can take this feat multiple times; each time, you can select a new forgotten meme to learn.

 

Design Notes

We have to redesign this.

Memes now have grades.

The old memory concept is gone. Now you have belief-space - which is rebranded as memory - and the recharge die.

Memes put in memory get beefed up.

Use a meme, it has to recharge.

Get an extra active meme slot every even level up to your Int mod.

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