Feng Shui 766 of the Absorbed

Lore: This particular Feng Shui practice centers around the concept of embracing past experiences, both positive and negative. By acknowledging and integrating them, the avatar seeks to find inner peace and harmony. It is a common practice for those seeking to overcome emotional burdens or past traumas.

Stats   

• Strength             8
• Dexterity            10
• Constitution   9
• Intelligence      12
• Wisdom             14
• Charisma         10

Skills:  Arcana, History, Persuasion, Religion

Passive Magics: Lingering Aura: Grants a +2 bonus to Charisma checks made within your environment.

Active Magics: Soothing Melody (Cost: 5): Plays a calming melody that grants advantage on saving throws against fear effects for 1 minute in a 10-foot radius around you.

Tags: Tier 1, Support, Scholar, Reflection, Harmony, Emotional Resilience, Mindful Focus, Internal Balance, Spiritual Healing, Insightful Calm, Past Integration, Grounding Presence, Energy Alignment

How and where the Feng Shui 766 of the Absorbed might fit into the trading landscape of Saṃsāra:

• Types of Shops:
  • Apothecaries and Mystical Emporiums: These shops often specialize in herbs, tinctures, and spiritual items. They might sell the detailed instructions and lore of the Feng Shui of the Absorbed as a scroll or well-worn manual. The focus is on the knowledge and components needed to enact this practice rather than pre-arranged environments.
  • Sage and Incense Shops: The knowledge here is less about rigid instructions and more about the elements needed to achieve the right atmosphere. An avatar seeking this Feng Shui might find curated incense blends, specific candles, and even advice on sourcing particular objects with the right kind of energetic history.
  • Traveling Scholars and Seekers: Since this Feng Shui leans on introspection and internal harmonization, its practices might be passed on through mentorship. Knowledgeable travelers, spiritual practitioners, or even those who themselves have found solace in this practice could teach its ways.
• How It’s Sold:
  • Bespoke Practices: Most likely, an avatar would seek out a teacher or find a detailed guide. This emphasizes that the Feng Shui of the Absorbed is a journey, not just a physical rearrangement of space.
  • Elemental Components:  Shops might cater to the ambiance aspect  – selling the right incense blends, soothing soundscapes on music boxes, and objects said to hold calm or reflective energy.
  • Secondhand Objects:  Thrift or antique shops could be a hidden source of items that resonate with this Feng Shui’s focus on incorporating the past. Old jewelry, worn books, or items with unknown histories might be unusually affordable for avatars drawn to this practice.

Cost:

• Tier 1 and Common Rarity: The elements involved should be relatively accessible. Since the focus is internal and knowledge-based, the cost might look like:
  • Guide/Manual: 5 to 15 gold pieces
  • Incense/Candles: A few silver pieces per bundle/piece
  • Mentorship Fee: Could be bartered for services, or cost around 20-30 gold pieces for a dedicated teaching session.

The Feng Shui 766 of the Absorbed isn’t a direct defense or offense technique. Instead, it focuses on creating an internal harmony that empowers the avatar to react and adapt to situations. Here’s how roleplay might influence its use in different environments:

• Defense:
  • Calming the Storm:  Imagine a tense negotiation. You (the avatar) enter a war room filled with hostility. Instead of reacting with anger, you use the Feng Shui’s principles. You might subtly adjust your posture to project calmness, perhaps even light a specific incense from your satchel associated with peace. Roleplay the internal process of acknowledging the tension,  accepting it as part of the situation, and using it to focus your mind. This focused state allows you to think clearly and strategically through negotiations.
  • Turning Fear into Focus:  Exploring a dark, monster-infested dungeon,  you (the avatar)  use the Feng Shui’s grounding techniques. You  silently recite a mantra or hum a calming tune (Soothing Melody can be used here if magical power allows).  Roleplay the act of acknowledging the fear,  integrating it into your awareness, and using that heightened awareness to scan for threats and strategize your movements.
• Offense:
  • Harnessing Past Victories:  Facing a formidable opponent in a duel, you (the avatar)  use the Feng Shui’s emphasis on integrating past experiences.  Close your eyes for a moment,  roleplaying the act of recalling a past victory (positive experience) and  channeling the confidence and skill you gained from it into your present stance.   This mental preparation empowers you to face the opponent with renewed focus and determination.
  • Understanding Your Opponent’s “Energy”:  Engaging in a debate or social competition, you (the avatar)  use the Feng Shui’s principles of understanding your environment.  Through careful observation and conversation,  roleplay the act of  reading your opponent’s emotional state and argumentative style.   By  absorbing this information, you can tailor your responses  to be more persuasive or exploit potential weaknesses.

Remember, the Feng Shui 766 is about creating inner balance.  By roleplaying this internal process of acknowledging and integrating  influences from your surroundings,  you position yourself to react with  greater control and focus,  turning  defensive situations into opportunities and offensive actions into calculated maneuvers.

Activation of the Feng Shui 766 of the Absorbed might be perceived through the senses, along with the associated positives and negatives:

• Sight
  • Perceived: A subtle shift in the avatar’s aura. It might become slightly more luminous, or certain colors could become more defined, hinting at a focused state of mind.
  • Description: Think less like neon lights and more like the soft glow of embers in a fire. Subtle and focused.
  • Positives: Can convey a sense of calm determination to allies.
  • Negatives: Enemies might not immediately perceive it as a threat but could sense a shift in the avatar’s demeanor.
• Sound
  • Perceived: The avatar’s breathing might become slower and more deliberate. Their movements could become more fluid, reducing unnecessary noise.
  • Description: Less about added sounds and more about the reduction of “fidgety” sounds, creating a sense of stillness.
  • Positives: Can be unnerving to opponents, suggesting deep focus.
  • Negatives: Not directly threatening, might make the avatar harder to track in stealth situations.
• Smell
  • Perceived: This depends on whether the avatar uses incense or other scented elements in their practice. If so, a specific scent might subtly linger around them when the Feng Shui state is activated.
  • Description: Think calming scents like lavender, sandalwood, or perhaps a unique blend associated with this practice.
  • Positives: Could have a calming effect on nearby allies.
  • Negatives: Could give away the avatar’s position if the scent is strong enough.
• Touch
  • Perceived: An avatar in this state might exhibit a steadier hand, less prone to tremors or shaking caused by nervousness.
  • Description: This would be felt more than observed. A change in the quality of touch.
  • Positives: Improves fine motor skills, beneficial for tasks like aiming weapons or manipulating delicate objects.
  • Negatives: Doesn’t directly make the avatar physically stronger.
• Taste
  • Perceived: Not directly related to taste, unless perhaps the avatar utilizes specific herbs or teas as part of their practice before activation.
• Extra-Sensory Perception
  • Perceived: Those sensitive to auras or magical energies might sense a harmonization within the avatar’s energy field.
  • Description: A sense of internal balance, where chaotic energies have settled into a more focused flow.
  • Positives: Could make the avatar more resistant to mental attacks or manipulations that prey on emotional imbalance.
  • Negatives: Doesn’t create a shield or direct defense against magic-based attacks.
• Important Notes:
  • These are subtle effects! This Feng Shui is about inner change, so the external perceptions would be secondary manifestations.
  • Individual Differences: Each avatar’s manifestation would be unique, based on their personality and the specific rituals they might employ in this practice.

Crafting the Essence of the Absorbed: A Guide to Recreating Feng Shui 766
Since the Feng Shui of the Absorbed is a knowledge-based practice, here’s how we can frame the “crafting” as the process of learning and mastering this technique:

• Materials Needed:
  • Journal or Grimoire: For recording observations, meditations, and outlining the practice.
  • Incense or Cleansing Herbs: Choose scents known for calming or focusing properties (lavender, sandalwood, etc.). Optional, but useful for creating the right atmosphere.
  • Found or Meaningful Objects: Small items that evoke a sense of past experiences, whether positive or negative. These are used as meditative focus points.
  • Mentor (Highly Recommended): A teacher well-versed in introspection and mindfulness techniques.
• Tools Required:
  • None specifically, unless the avatar chooses to hand-craft their own incense or candles as part of the process.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Arcana (Basic understanding of how energy and intent are connected)
  • History or Religion (For potential research into related practices or traditions)
  • Persuasion (Used for finding a mentor or gaining access to knowledge resources)
• Crafting Steps:
  • Introspective Exploration:
    • The avatar must identify and acknowledge key experiences that shaped them.
    • Journaling and meditation are key here. Reflect on both positive and negative moments and the emotions associated with them.
  • Establishing Rituals:
    • Define specific actions to achieve the state of focus needed to use this Feng Shui, such as:
      • Chanting phrases or mantras
      • Lighting incense or arranging objects
      • Meditative techniques to calm the mind
  • The Act of Absorption:
    • Learn to mentally “absorb” and integrate the emotions associated with past experiences. This isn’t about dwelling on the past but about finding balance and neutrality – accepting their influence.
    • Focused practice with the chosen objects and rituals is essential here.
  • Application and Adaptation:
    • Start with low-stress situations. Use the Feng Shui’s state of focused calm to improve everyday tasks or handle minor conflicts.
    • Journal reflections. Analyze how your actions and thoughts differ with and without the Feng Shui.
    • With time, apply this practice to increasingly challenging scenarios.
• Notes:
  • Duration: This isn’t a crafting result you can hold in your hand. It’s a continuous learning process.
  • Mentor’s Role: Their guidance is in helping the avatar establish personalized rituals, offering techniques for mindfulness, and providing a space to unpack complex emotions.
  • Potential for Customization: Avatars may develop unique focuses within this broader practice – one might focus on integrating past victories, and another on overcoming past traumas. This would influence their choice of objects and rituals.

Chronicle of the Absorbing Wind
A Fragmented Tablet

…etched upon weathered stone, the tale begins…

Legends speak of the Wanderer, a soul unmoored, forever adrift in the Ocean of Regret. Each harbor held a bitter memory, each gust of wind a whisper of past failures.

One moonless night, the Wanderer stumbled upon a hidden vale shrouded in an unnatural stillness. Here, the very wind seemed to sigh, heavy with forgotten sorrows. Drawn by an unseen force, he ventured deeper.

Within the heart of the vale, an old Sage sat amidst a garden of whispering stones. The Sage, eyes like pools of ancient wisdom, bade the Wanderer rest. As they spoke, the Sage revealed the secret of the Absorbing Wind – a practice to tame the tempests of the soul.

Through acceptance, the Wanderer learned to integrate his past, both triumphs and tribulations. He discovered how these experiences, once burdens, could become the wind beneath his wings.

Leaving the vale a changed soul, the Wanderer carried the Absorbing Wind with him. He faced challenges with newfound focus, drawing upon the lessons etched in his memory.

The tale of the Wanderer became a beacon for the lost, a testament to the power of embracing the past.

…fragmentation increases…

…Moral: Only by facing the storms within can we find the winds that propel us forward…

…tablet crumbles to dust…

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

• Focus: Sanity and Investigative Skills. This Feng Shui wouldn’t directly improve physical stats but offers a way to cope with the horrors faced in Call of Cthulhu.
• Mechanics:
  • Sanity Buffer: Successful use of the Feng Shui principles (perhaps requiring a Willpower or Idea roll) grants temporary Sanity points, representing increased focus in a stressful situation.
  • Past Clarity: When investigating a scene tied to a disturbing event in the investigator’s backstory, they gain an additional automatic success on relevant skill checks (History, Occult, etc.).
  • Lingering Risk: Prolonged use could erode the investigator’s sense of self as they focus too intensely on the past.

Blades in the Dark

• Focus: Social Manipulation and Downtime Activities.  This Feng Shui aids in schemes and subtly influencing others.
• Mechanics:
  • Sway Action: When attempting to read an NPC or influence a tense situation, gain +1d on your roll due to your focused demeanor.
  • “Absorb the Heat”: A Downtime Activity could involve reconciling with a past grievance, potentially lowering Heat gained from previous actions. This reflects a proactive approach towards managing stress levels.
  • Downside: Too much focus on the past could lead to missed opportunities in the present, represented by a disadvantage on rolls tied to quick reactions.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

• Focus:  Skill Checks and RP.  No direct spellcasting equivalent, but the core concept can enhance existing abilities.
• Mechanics:
  • “Focus of the Past”: Before rolling a skill check with proficiency, the player can describe how a past experience relates to the task. On success, gain an extra 1d4 bonus to the result. Usable once per short rest.
  • Aura of Calm: As an action, the avatar can exude calming energy (similar to Soothing Melody). Allies within 10ft gain advantage on saving throws against fear effects for 1 minute.
  • Potential Class Compatibility: Monk (Way of Tranquility) or a Cleric subclass could incorporate concepts like this naturally.

Knave

• Focus: Simple bonus, with risk. Fits Knave’s old-school, dangerous feel where mental techniques are often double-edged swords.
• Mechanic:
  • “Embrace the Past”: When making a check tied to a relevant past experience, gain a +2 bonus. However, failing the roll leaves the character emotionally vulnerable. This could be represented by a temporary penalty to defense or subsequent Will-based saves.

Fate (Accelerated or Core)

• Focus: Aspects and Narrative Control.  Fate is about how traits give you a story edge. This Feng Shui fits that perfectly.
• Mechanics:
  • Aspect: “Bound to the Past, Focused on the Present” or something similar. This Aspect can be Compelled when the past disrupts focus but offers a bonus when overcoming a related challenge.
  • Stunt: “Meditative Absorption”: Spend a Fate Point to gain a +2 on a skill check where analyzing your past experience gives an edge (like overcoming a phobia by recalling how you faced it before).
  • Stress Track: Since Fate has mental stress, this Feng Shui could offer a minor protective buffer or assist recovery after emotional strain.

Numenera & Cypher System

• Focus: Exploration and Effort. The Cypher System is about easing task difficulty through player effort. This Feng Shui could be a way to apply that effort narratively.
• Mechanics:
  • Descriptor: “Absorbed in the Past” could be a Descriptor, granting minor bonuses to tasks where experience informs present action (navigating ruins, investigating an ancient artifact).
  • Ability: “Focused Calm”: Similar to a short-term version of Cypher abilities, this could let the player spend points from their Intellect Pool to reduce the difficulty of a task if they roleplay the Feng Shui’s focus first.
  • Artifact: A unique object connected to the avatar’s past could embody this Feng Shui, granting the above effects when held or meditated upon.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

• Focus: Skill Feats and Class Synergies. PF2 has robust character customization – let’s weave this into existing mechanics.
• Mechanics:
  • Skill Feat: “Focus of the Absorbed” available at mid-level, granting a +2 circumstance bonus to checks where past experience is relevant, AND a bonus to Will saves against fear/mental effects.
  • Archetype: A multiclass archetype for classes like Oracle or Bard could offer thematic abilities: recalling past emotions to empower a spell, or gaining temporary damage resistance by reciting a personal mantra of perseverance.

Savage Worlds

• Focus: Bennies and Edges/Hindrances.  Savage Worlds is fast and pulpy, so let’s make this impactful but not overpowered.
• Mechanics:
  • Edge: “Embrace the Past”: Gain a Benny when roleplaying your past influencing the present situation. Can only be used once per scene to avoid excessive bonuses.
  • Hindrance: “Haunted by Memories” (Minor or Major). Flashbacks or past traumas could trigger during stressful situations, representing a potential downside for roleplay focus.
  • Setting Rule (optional): If the world has magic, a special ritual or item could grant a temporary bonus against fear-inducing magic/monsters.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

• Focus: Astral Perception and Mental Skills. Shadowrun blends gritty tech with magic, and inner focus is potent in the Sixth World.
• Mechanics:
  • Astral Signature: Characters practicing this Feng Shui have a slightly changed astral signature due to their inner harmony. This makes them marginally harder to track or magically analyze.
  • Mental Ritual: Before a stressful social or hacking situation, the character can perform a brief meditative ritual (Edge use maybe?), gaining a dice pool bonus on Willpower-based skills for a short duration.
  • Adept Power (Optional): For full Awakened characters, this could be a minor Adept Power focusing on resisting mental manipulation or gaining a short-term bonus to judge intentions.

Starfinder

• Focus:  Resolve Points and Skill Bonuses. Starfinder has clear stamina representations, making this Feng Shui a way to maintain focus in a chaotic galaxy.
• Mechanics:
  • “Embrace the Past”: Spend 1 Resolve Point when roleplaying how a past experience aids you in the current task. Gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the associated skill check.
  • Envoy Improvisation: This Feng Shui fits an Envoy with the “Get in Their Heads” improvisation. It could grant additional bonuses when integrating your past experiences into your persuasive approach.
  • Technomancer Connection: If the character is a Technomancer, this Feng Shui could offer a minor protective buffer against hacking or techno-magical attacks, representing their inner calm disrupting external influence.

Traveller (MgT2 likely the most adaptable)

• Focus: Social Encounters and Task Resolution. Traveller leans on skills and surviving the unknown. This Feng Shui aids with both.
• Mechanics:
  • Skill Focus: “Focus of Experience”: Choose a specific skill relevant to your background. When used, you gain a +1 DM if you cleverly weave in a past experience as justification.
  • Social Buffer: Gain an advantage on social skill checks to avoid being intimidated or emotionally manipulated, representing your grounded perspective.
  • Downside: Perhaps too much focus on the past could lead to a disadvantage on perception checks, representing a slight narrowing of awareness.

Warhammer (40k or Fantasy)

• Focus: Willpower and Resisting the Warp/Corruption. The grim reality of Warhammer makes mental strength crucial. This Feng Shui emphasizes inner resolve.
• Mechanics:
  • Willpower Boost: Gain a bonus to Willpower-based tests to resist psychic assaults, fear, or temptations that prey on past weaknesses.
  • Ritual of Remembrance: In WFRP, a minor ritual could grant a bonus against Corruption or negative effects tied to traumatic memories.
  • In 40K: For psykers, this Feng Shui might help maintain focus for low-level powers even in stressful situations, representing a honed mind.