I've been reading up on Akashic in dictionaries and lore. I also have Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved and have been facinated by the Akashic class he created, which uses the concepts of Akashic memory.

I wonder if they will create an Akashic skill. I could see it have certain effects, such as the following.

1) Information Gathering. You could learn things about other players. Suppose this could allow you to know everything about a player. For instance:

* Learn the secret backgrounds (if written).
* See their skills?
* See active defenses, current stats, powers?
* See inventory.

Or places, maybe the Akashic could find out info like the following.

* The number of guards in a village or city.
* Where all the guards are located?
* Knowledge of Nexus power without having to touch it, for any city.
* The ability to access other cities logs.
* The ability to eavesdrop on a specific channel, or read another cities news.
* The ability to see the past--who's been in a specific room in the past day or so, or who drained an astral node.


2) Probability Manipulation. Make it have some offensive or defensive capabilities. For instance, the following ideas.

* A power that makes you automatically choose the most effective combat stance depending on the attach used, assuming you have combat skill.
* A power that allows you to automatically negate a specific attack the user might use, as you predict they use it and avoid it.
* A general luck power that increases the akashic's power or decreases an enemies power.
* Learn secret knowledge that could affect a user during a debate--learning buttons to push, perhaps to cause rage or fear or mental problems.
* The ability to make a user forget a skill temporarilly.
* The ability to steal a skill temporarilly, either from a user or collective memory. Perhaps have the ability to temporarily use 1 power from a class skill once per lusternian day. This could make an akasic a jack of all trades, master of none.

Any thoughts?

Does anyone besides Lacostian and the big boys in His order even know for sure what the Akashic Records are, besides a vague outline?

Wait, Akashic actually means something? I thought it was just a word that Estarra invented...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashic_Records

A lot of stuff comes from other myths and legends. Lowmagic comes from Indian Chakras and Yoga. Highmagic comes from Kaballah and the Sephioth. I assume Akashic Records are similar to what it is in legend.

They are indeed.

Akasha is Sky, roughly. Anyway, Lacostian has the Akashic Records, as do the other 3rd Circlers (I think), and Rhysus has the Akashica Institute (I think is the name.)

Ah. Sounds dumb.

Seeing inventory is in Discernment (Appraise I think it's called. It's high, true).
I also think there already is a skill that allows to see defences too.
Which doesn't mean it can't be copied, it happens.


I'm not sure if that kind of knowledge should be accesible just like that, using a skill...
Eavesdropping on channels is too powerful.
And kind of negates spying.


Now that was actually called for somewhere already (astral draining). Sounds nice.


Now, how do you imagine that in practice? That I'll just turn it on and will always evade or parry warrior's attacks?


That sounds overpowered too.

The Akashic records are supposed to be a secret but one day someone named um.. lets say flERIONidontus sold the secrets to someone else who then sold the secret to someone else.... which... really is kinda funny, because the secret secret isn't really a secret to begin with. It is something rather intangible..... so there were a lot of people that got ripped off.

You're all wrong!

Such excellent reasoning and argumentation!

I stand humbled

now how can we argue with that.

also Akasha i'm told means something similar to Spirit, and if true the Akashic Records would be the Spiritual Records.

also this would an interesting skill, perhaps something like this?

Guards

You close your eyes and send your spirit to search the Akashic records. Sifting through the Volumes to find how many guards Magnagora has summoned.

You open your eyes remembering that they have X (type of guard), etc etc.

Okay, I'm actually insulted by this. And it's rare that I get insulted about what people say, but that's just rude. Erion would never, ever betray Lacostian like that. Most especially when he was in His order.

I'd have expected better from you, to be honest. =\\

Indeed, they all are.

I'm not!

Um.. you told me that you did this. That you had someone promise not to tell, and they told anyway.


Also.. I am not sure this is one single thing that Erion wouldn't have done.


Also Erion did betray Lacostian.. am I the only one that recalls the little shouting match. Wasn't it you who suggested that we dust his shrines.....


Meh anyway it is all in the past.

Actually, I think it was the OH at the time (Elaine? Elaina? Elayne? Elaida? I wish I could remember...) who suggest we dust them, and Erion just loved the idea.

Well, I meant the secrets. He continued to keep them for quite a while. And if Erion said something, I think we all know Erion doesn't have a tendancy for telling the truth. But I do remember Erion getting all huffy when someone slipped to Rhysus what the Akashics were. I think I fed him some vaguely close but mostly BS story.

But, yea. Behind us.