Revision as of 02:03, 27 September 2013

Akashic

Akira, iconic akashic

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

To study the whole of history, from the inception of the world to this very moment, is a difficult and demanding task. However, the rewards reaped from such an endeavor cannot be denied: akashics - as such students of history are known - develop an understanding of history and information a level above most mortals.

The key to their success is the meme, conceptual packets of information. By understanding the structure of information, and learning how to extract, manipulate, condense, and control it, akashics gain an ever-increasing level of awareness of the world around them.

While personal memory is fickle, and events become forgotten by those who experienced them, akashics tap into a far more reliable source of such information: world memory. Over time, akashics become accustomed to, and even reliant upon, the concepts of causality and the reliability of how the world works, ignoring what they know and focusing instead on what they wish to learn. Given this mechanistic mindset, akashics tend to get along well with Technology- and Nature-aligned individuals, who share similar outlooks on existence.

Game Rule Information

Akashics have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Blue.

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

Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are all equally important to an akashic. She gains bonus active meme slots based on her Wisdom, bonus memory based on her Intelligence, and additional belief-space based upon her Charisma.

Hit Die: d6.

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

Skill Points at Each Level: 10 + Int.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: Moderate.

Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: Adu'ja, Gnome, Vesuvan.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the akashic.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Akashics are proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, but not shields.

Schemas (Me): A memetic schema is a complex informational construct. While a meme can be viewed generally as a single idea, a schema is a set of memes that reinforce each other and generate a worldview. In effect, a schema can be much greater than the sum of its parts - schema are the building blocks of social, religious, linguistic, and artistic movements and belief systems. Unlike memes, which are actively transmitted, schema become part of your belief space, and thus do not affect other creatures directly.

As a memeticist, you can utilize schema to reinforce aspects of your personality, utilizing them to provide protection against some types of memes or to provide other mental benefits. However, schema are resource-intensive for the budding memeticist, and maintaining them in one's mind can prove dangerous: schemas are embedding by nature, and overuse of a particular schema may result in it becoming a permanent part of a memeticist's belief space.

Unlike memes, which only require an active meme slot, each schema has its own set of requirements. Consult the description of a schema to determine what resources it requires. However, all schema require at least one belief-space, and thus must be bound at the same time memes are bound to your belief-space, and cannot be changed until you could change your bound memes. If a schema has other resource requirements, those other resources become similarly bound, and cannot be freed until you can change your bound memes.

Akashic Talent: At 10th level, and every two levels thereafter, the akashic learns a new ability. She may select one of the following special features; unless otherwise specified, each ability can be selected only once.

• Avid Reader (Me): When you learn from books, you gain the full bonus from a number of books you have read equal to your Wisdom modifier, instead of just the first, after which the diminishing returns set in.
• I Remember (Me): Whenever an effect would cause you to lose memory of an event, it must succeed at a Force-user level check against DC 11 + your memeticist level. If that check fails, you retain the memory, and it remains accessible in the world memory (though is a DC 40 delve into blue check to acquire that information while you live, and a DC 50 check once you are dead). This ability is effective against temporal manipulation and modification effects, and allows you to retain memory of now-future events.
• Jack of all Trades (Me): While you can access the world memory, you gain rudimentary base knowledge. You can use all skills untrained.
  • Extensive Training (Me): Your ability to learn and retain knowledge expands. Your maximum skill rank increases by +1. You can take this talent multiple times. (Prerequisites: Jack of all Trades)
  • Rapid Learning (Me): Your ability to absorb information is astounding. You gain two additional skill points each level. You can take this talent multiple times. (Prerequisites: Jack of all Trades)
• Powerful Memory (Me): You gain two additional memory. You can take this talent multiple times.
  • Eidetic Memory (Me): You gain an additional active meme slot. You can take this talent multiple times. (Prerequisites: Powerful Memory)
  • Memetic Mutator (Me): Increase the saving throw DCs of all your memes by +1. You can take this talent multiple times. (Prerequisites: Powerful Memory)
  • True Believer (Me): You gain an additional belief-space. You can take this talent multiple times. (Prerequisites: Powerful Memory)
• Remember the World (Me): The akashic gains knowledge of the remember the world meme. (Prerequisites: Memeticist level 16th+)
• Thirst for Knowledge (Me): You gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge skills in which you have at least one rank. You can take this talent multiple times.
  • Drink Deep of Memory (Me): You gain a +2 insight bonus on all delve into blue checks. You can take this talent multiple times; its effects stack. (Prerequisites: Thirst for Knowledge)
• Feat: An akashic can gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.

Memes

Memes are divided into two categories: memes and schemas.