Do
Secondary Ability
Often mistaken for a mere martial art, Do is the devotion to a way of life. A time-honored secret of the Akashic Brotherhood (who began to hide its practice when Do was abused by lesser souls), the art is occasionally taught to non-Brothers in the interest of keeping Do alive.
Although it’s reflected by a unique collection of combat maneuvers and magickal techniques, the Way is far more than a simple series of advantages. In story terms, Do is a highly disciplined state of being. Diet, philosophy, meditation, internal and external reflection, and a refined sense of one’s place in the cosmos all characterize the study of Do; a character who does not pursue each element of that study cannot master the art’s benefits. The Storyteller should make sure that a practitioner of Do acts accordingly. If the character behaves with selfish excess, he loses his ability to access Do. In many regards, Do is much more than a few dots on a character sheet. To the mages who pursue it, Do invests, guides, and enhances everything they do.
The five ranks of Do are often associated with five stages of understanding. Ranging from the humble yet efficient insect stage through the various forms of animal, these levels reflect the growing comprehension of innate potential within a student’s thick head. Especially within this distraction-prone age, few students attain the fifth rank… and though it might be possible for someone outside the Akashayana to reach such mastery, that idea seems like a joke to those who understand the essence of Do.
In game terms, Do is more of a way of being than a learned Skill. Even so, it can be taught only by an Akashic mage, and it requires total devotion from the student. The Storyteller may consider Do to be an exclusively Akashic Ability – it’s been that way for thousands of years, after all. A beginning Akashic character may put no more than two dots into Do; all other dots must be earned through in-game experience. (The Storyteller can waive this rule for a “masters-level” chronicle.) A non-Akashic character cannot start the game with any dots in Do – again, those dots must be earned through experience.
In order to purchase dots in the Do Talent, a character must also have at least two dots of an appropriate “limb” Ability for each dot in Do. If Samuel “Green Tiger” Nakamura, for example, has three dots in Do, then he must also have at least six dots in Abilities related to the “eight limbs of Do.” For details about extensive rewards of the art, see the entry for Do in Chapter Nine, (pp. 426-430). For lesser forms of martial arts, see the Martial Arts Skill entry above.
• Insect (ant, grasshopper, mantis, roach, etc.): Initiated into the simplest secrets of Do, you’ve begun learning the proper methods of diet, meditation, and exercise.
•• Crawler (lizard, snake, toad, etc.): Like the beasts that crawl upon the earth, you’re beginning to discover the keys to a higher state. Your body, mind, and spirit have achieved a kind of unity; with that understanding, you’re capable of impressive feats.
••• Four-Footed Animal (horse, dog, cat, etc.): Like the greater beasts, you have unlocked the power of natural attainment. Your hands become like claws or hooves; your body surges with a strength unknown to most of those who would consider themselves human. This is the highest level many devotees achieve, the rank of an accomplished Tao-shih.
•••• Bipedal Animal (monkey, bear, ape, etc.): Through great effort and understanding, you’ve opened the gates that hold lesser beings in their distracted state. Your body, mind, and spirit can accomplish miraculous things, and you have earned the right to be considered a true heir of Do, a Sihing. To go beyond this point requires supreme devotion and a practice that typically takes lifetimes to refine.
••••• True Humanity: Your devotion has returned you to the original state of human grace. At this point, you no longer concern yourself with what can be done, but merely with what should be done. Only now might you be regarded as a Sifu: a Master of the Way.
Possessed By
Akashayana and perhaps Their Most Trusted Companions
Suggested Specialties
External (forceful) Style, Internal (meditative) Style, Weapon Forms, Energetic Alchemy, Katas, Animal-Form Techniques