The Dao, despite their unfathomable amount of experiences, never bothered to give much in the way of explanation to their abilities. Perhaps it was due to some fear that the knowledge would become too rote in nature. I have no such qualms, however, so I will write this for those who come after me. The thought of the Dao being flustered by my writings does bring a smile to my face.
The power of the Dao culminates in many forms, thus making the cultivation complex for those unfamiliar with the process. I shall start with the virtues. While they are not relevant until one reaches C-rank, they are the central nexus that other abilities revolve around - including those obtained prior. They are the foundation of one’s inner world and can be influenced by one’s domains. I will elaborate on that later; for now, I shall explain the virtuous paths.
Each cultivator may cultivate up to 10 abilities - either one from each of the following categories, all abilities from two focused virtues, or, the most difficult of paths, focusing entirely on a singular virtue and attempting to become “enlightened” as they call it, in said virtue. Well, those are the traditional ways. If you’re willing to make the extra effort, you can “mix and match” as they say, in more complex combinations.
Virtues are obtained through one of two methods: cultivating understanding or conflicting paths. Cultivating understanding is what many view cultivation as a whole as: meditation upon the virtue at hand, drawing personal meaning from it. It is a path that invests time into meaning, a path of relative safety but considerable length.
If you are like my dear son, however, born for combat, it can be dull and tedious, and thus you may prefer conflicting paths. Conflicting paths is the virtuous version of trial by combat, so to speak. By “debating” the meanings of other cultivators through combat, you can obtain knowledge through your battles. While this is considerably more swift, it is a violent path, one that has cut short many an impatient warrior. Take caution.
Next, we shall explore the virtues themselves. Each has a name, a classification, and a series of abilities.
A personal favorite of mine, Dana is the virtue of generosity. Its techniques are associated with the arts of healing and alleviation of pain or suffering. The “Buffing” classification I find to be crude, but it works well enough. Do not be fooled by the straightforwardness of its abilities; to a clever mind, they are quite versatile.
Causality - the relationship between cause and effect. A failure becomes a success, or a success a failure. A lethal blow that should’ve cleaved you in two becomes a glancing hit that barely grazes the skin. Generally, users of this ability focus on the effect… but there is nothing to say that you can’t change the cause as well.
Truly the essence of Dana. Healing spells enhanced beyond their natural abilities, enhancing spells given power and duration to support allies - or, in the selfish, themselves. To heal what cannot normally be healed, to give concoctions abilities that cannot naturally be distilled, empower weapons beyond their natural limits… a versatile mind can do much with an ability like this.
Popular amongst bards, entertainers, and others who are particularly in-tune with the melodies of reality. Many who already practice the magic of music will find their abilities reaching farther and with greater effect. Some choose to melt the wills of others with alluring sonnets, while others choose to shatter structures and silence alike with sonic blasts.
An enhancer of emanations, most generally amplifying auras like those exuded by champions. It is often a solid second or third choice for cultivators, especially those who have come to understand how to enhance their virtuous abilities with one another.
Whether you dance with fate or defy it entirely, this ability certainly is tied closely to the concept. Whether to scry the future or to scour the past, all who use this ability peer through the halls of time for information. A detestable rival of mine was quite fond of it, endlessly searching the future for threats and systematically eradicating them before they blossomed. While he obviously didn’t succeed in removing me, countless others were felled by his persistence.
But that is only half the ability. Sojourning projects the soul elsewhere. Whether you use it to explore other planes, your own world, or spiritually view what your clairvoyance discovers, that is dependent on the user.
The virtue of virtue is a strange one. While its techniques can be considered stuffy with their focus on morality and etiquette, its abilities are some of the most coveted by outsiders. Granted the Creation classification, Sila abilities often deal with the manipulation of reality itself.
I feel safe in asserting this ability as the most popular amongst cultivating craftsmen. Just as the name suggests, it allows one to draw into reality what once was sequestered away in the mind. The more talented and imaginative go on to create powerful artifacts or forge specialized spirit tools.
Not quite as popular as item creation, but still useful to the craftsman who can see its value. Weight, mass, and volume can be shifted at a whim, and unlike the previous ability, its influence is not limited to the non-sentient. Some have even gone on to condense energy itself into explosive attacks.
As you might expect, most use this ability to modify speed or distance. Slashing a foe at a distance; making an arrow bend around corners; slowing a foe to a crawl. If you’re particularly unlucky, you’ll have to deal with someone who can slice mountains in twain. Beware, though, the temptations of heavily tampering with time. It always comes with nasty consequences.
Manipulate your ties to the earth - or, more commonly, others’ ties to the earth. Make your enemies feel the weight of the world become heavy on them or send them hurtling towards the stratosphere. With care, you can fly over obstacles or compress coal into diamonds.
Don’t get too excited by the name. In general, “deletion” is the opposite of item creation - the erasure of a small amount of physical matter. Still, the reality is nothing to sneeze at. There is nothing quite like watching a cultivator’s horror as their favored weapon dissolves before their eyes.
A virtue I never did grow to like: the renunciation of the sinful path. It has no particular techniques, but its abilities are powerful enough to earn them the World classification.
This ability is a great boon to those who wish to share their talents with others. While some argue that it is more akin to Sacca than Nekkhamma, I would disagree. Sacca are skills of the mind. Resonance speaks more to the soul itself, to experiences unable to be adequately transferred from one mind to another. This is not a skill for the loner; it would be all but useless to them. This is a skill for teachers and stalwart companions. Some use it to temporarily grant others their own skillset; others use it to bring themselves into perfect harmony with their fellow cultivators. A Resonant symphony created through an orchestra of Anthems is an unforgettable sound.
Often a good choice for cultivators who have several virtuous abilities under their belts already, as an inner world provides most of its benefits after five abilities have been obtained. The lines between the inner and outer worlds are blurred, allowing the two to have “exchanges.” Whether that is to draw in harmful effects to protect companions or eject weaponry at high velocities, it is up to you.
A popular choice amongst those particularly blessed with wealth, cursed with limited space, or incredibly paranoid about theft. An endless expanse to store whatever it is you desire is rather simple, but I do recall rumors of a particularly clever cultivator dropping an army down in the middle of a battlefield to end a war. Legends tell tale of some storing even the metaphysical.
A gift of the tongue by any other name. Whether persuasion, deception or pointed verbal jabs, words flow more easily with this ability. It’s a popular choice among a surprisingly diverse group of cultivators: entertainers, politicians, con artists, and those who frequently “debate” through conflicting paths. I have been told by a former colleague that it allows cultivators to focus more on the physical fight during cultivator debates, their path itself arguing for its own existence.
A wholly misleading name, as most who gain this ability twist the concept of truth to their whims. The manipulation of truth and lies is friend to many an unsavory sort, leaving a poor impression on the ability as a whole. But, it does have its uses that deviate from its degenerate stereotype. One can twist reality with their assertions, confidently claiming a weakness in an enemy or a strength in an ally. For a brief time, the world itself will accept your statements as truth, before discovering your lies and correcting course as it is wont to do.
The virtue of wisdom, Panna techniques are steeped in intelligence and insight. As such, they are strongly tied to the pursuit of magic. Consequently, the abilities derived from it are given the Mystical classification. Whether you are a practiced student of the arts or an inheritor of ancestral powers, this virtue offers great power to those who can draw it out.
In general, the modification of spells. This includes changing traits, damage types, and effects. This ability is a wordsmith’s friend, as a slight edit to the semantics of a spell could drastically change its outcome.
Gaining insight into the casting of magic, this ability allows for two spells to be cast in tandem. Whether you decide to layer the same spell or two different spells is up to the user. However, the effect is most enhanced when the spells share traits. For example, casting Fireball and Ignition, which share the element of fire; or chaining together Touch of Idiocy and Synesthesia which both affect the mind. A solid choice for casters who find themselves in a state of choice paralysis or simply lacking in time to create a change in the tides of battle.
Drawing out the knowledge of magic, you are able to access a tradition of spells that previously alluded you. While you only receive a fraction of a true spellcaster’s power - a single spell per rank you can cast - it allows mages greater access to spells and those with more martial leanings to enhance their skills through more mystical means.
Similar to Free Study, but grants access to a more esoteric spell selection. Whether your desire is to access the ki abilities of a monk, the melodious compositions of a bard, or the divine devotion of a champion, those avenues are open to you. But you may only obtain one, so choose carefully.
In general, bringing out greater power than normal from one’s casting.
You can make a spell more accurate, more unavoidable, or simply give it more power than a spell of its rank ought to. I have also seen some unique twists on this power: inflicting weaknesses upon enemies towards their spells or even turning the caster’s pain into renewed spell slots.
The virtue of effort and diligence is a popular choice amongst classically trained martial artists and warriors of all stripes. Their techniques are the tried and proven “practice makes perfect,” good old-fashioned hard work style that is so often romanticized in the writings of mortals. It is no surprise that its flashy abilities have the Offensive classification.
Breaking the mortal confinements around the concept of speed itself. Some focus their efforts on increasing the distance they can sprint; others focus on the swiftness of their strikes. Warriors who wield notoriously unwieldy weapons find themselves capable of swinging them with surprising finesse.
Repeated strikes become more precise. Hits that should have missed their targets suddenly find purchase. Even spells and abilities that would normally target the immaterial mind, the constitution, or the swift reflexes of another can be shifted to target the opponent themselves, as if chipping away at their physical armor. It takes a concept similar to the Shadow Signet ring and reverses it.
The martial warrior’s equivalent of the Twinned casting ability from Panna. Where only a single Strike should hit, enemies will find two. Phantom images of Strikes may hit nearby enemies, as if the alternate choices of some parallel you have become manifest in this timeline. Some even cause their attacks to echo across dimensions, allowing no quarter for those who escape to the Ethereal plane.
Warriors who are particularly gifted with manipulation of Dao energies often gravitate towards this ability. By infusing your strikes with “Intent,” as they call it, your attacks can bypass weaknesses. But, more importantly, the energies of your domain become more prominent. A strike infused with the Pain domain cripples its enemies; Fire domain sears flesh and melts metal; Introspection domain fills opponents with doubt. Its versatility is limited only by the user’s imagination.
At its worst, this ability can temporarily boost the user’s parameters, so to speak. But a warrior worth their mettle can turn it into much more than that - an opportunity to break beyond their natural limits, an all-out attack to devastate a foe, and, in my own particularly unfortunate account, an orbital laser strike. If that doesn’t make sense to you, I am happy for you and suggest you ignore this last bit and continue on to the next virtue.
An orbital laser strike is essentially a blast of destruction from the heavens, destroying everything below it. May you never witness it.
The virtue of acceptance and patience is often seen as the foil to Viriya. Whereas Viriya is actively pursuing strength, Khanti is more pensive and introspective. It is often called the pacifist’s virtue. While its abilities are not flashy or noticeable, cultivators who wish to prolong their bloodsoaked lives will take the time to inspect the durable abilities of the Defensive classification. Especially if they let it slip that they are learning from the writings of the Matriarch of Orchids.
The name reflects the ability accurately. It allows the user to select something to be “immune” to - to make something wholly ineffective against them. Whether that is the flames of a red dragon or the blades of your enemies, that is up to you. A smart choice if you deal with opponents of similar nature or wish to eliminate a glaring personal weakness.
A favored ability amongst knights, champions, and those who hate being mocked for their physical fragility. Suddenly the mage whose defenses would crumple like paper in the face of a sword is a formidable opponent. The stalwart knight becomes an impregnable fortress for his companions. It’s as if they have an additional layer of armor on - thus, the name.
This ability is all about self-fortification. You can fortify the mind against magical charm and telepathic invasion. The body can be fortified to resist toxins and push itself beyond its limits. Reflexes can be honed to their maximum capacity. Whether shoring up a weakness or solidifying a strength, it is a solid choice.
While I have not seen skin actually become diamonds (a pity), I can understand how this ability received the name. It grants the user more durability, allowing them to resist the call of death and fight that much longer. I would compare it to barbarians who, despite being bloodied, seem to get a second wind when they begin to rage at their opponents as if they’d been healed. But like the barbarian, this health benefit is temporary. Do not forget that.
Walls of Dao energy shield you and your companions from harm during times of rest. This ability creates a temporary respite that allows you to rest even in hostile territory. If you are prone to constant skirmishes or infiltrations of enemy territory, it is an invaluable ability.
The virtue of truthfulness and earnestness is ironically full of abilities coveted by the most conniving cultivators. Techniques built on honesty and sincerity draw out the powers of the mind and perception of reality. Understandably, they have been given the Mental classification.
Oversimplified name for something that can grow far beyond simply the mental communication of thoughts between sentient beings. It can draw out the voices of the inanimate, speaking to the very souls of objects and creatures normally inaccessible through normal spellcraft. It is oft used by cultivating investigators to solve more unusual crimes. Some with less savory intentions will attempt to use this ability to invade the minds of prospective victims and attempt to influence their decisions, molding the minds of others to better fit their liking.
Not a glamorous name, but creativity isn’t exactly the Dao’s strong suit. This ability sharpens the user’s mind, allowing for heightened clarity and perception. Knowledge once learned comes more easily and even the slightest changes in environment may become readily apparent. Focus comes more easily, allowing for quicker recovery of the esoteric spells of a wide variety of cultivators. It can be quite frightening when equipped on the likes of psychics or witches, whose strange spellcasting is already unnerving to the general public.
Like telepathy, this name is oversimplified, but that’s understandable. It is difficult to articulate to the uninitiated the differences between levels of nonexistence. To observers, the user simply disappears as if using an invisibility spell. But it is more accurate to say it is perception manipulation, altering your presence to those around you. It is more akin to the Perception Filter ability of Mind aspect spirit tools, removing from the minds of onlookers any traces of your presence. Some will use this more subtly, simply using it to allow themselves to be armed where weapons are not permitted. Others go to the greatest extremes, making reality itself forget their existence. This often manifests in allowing the user to briefly defy physics - generally phasing through solid matter. I will warn, however, that physical laws of reality are much less forgetful than the Dao or other metaphysical entities; I will emphasize that defying those types of laws can be done only with brevity before reality corrects the discrepancy.
Some see this ability as a foil to the True Strike ability. Instead of attacking the physical, you strike your enemies in the metaphysical. Weapons forged from the user’s mind strike with phantom pain. Flames that sear the soul burst forth from you. But, just as an armory has a wide variety of equipment, so does this ability have a variety of applications. Craftsmen have often crafted mental constructs or temporary items to assist them in their work when normal forging is unavailable.
The basis of this ability is telekinesis. It has a similar principle to Psionic Armory, but a different application. Instead of creation from the mind, one manipulates the physical with the mind. The name likely comes from more extreme uses of the ability, where intricate control over this ability has forced many a cultivator into fighting against their will. Particularly disgusting cultivators have even used it on the mortal population. It is a boon to those who wish to assist in more physical tasks yet lack the physical prowess to do so. Or tricksters who simply wish to pretend to be a poltergeist.
An admirable virtue, that of resolution and strength. Its techniques drive you to push beyond your limits, to focus your sights on your goals, to persist in your movement ever forward. Likewise, its abilities linger, giving them the Persistent classification.
Named after a favored application of this ability, Ever Burn isn’t limited to just flames. Poisons linger in the body, mental jabs sting all the more, blood flows from wounds more freely. Persistent damage of all sorts will last longer. It can also alight an inner flame. A dear friend of mine used it to allow her barbarous rage to burn all the more brightly. The name reflects its true nature - to bring eternal that which should naturally fade.
The same principle as Ever Burn with a different application. Extending the time of beneficial effects is the focus of this ability, especially in regards to equipment. The extension of an alchemist’s Soothing Tonic or a mage’s Scroll of Haste. An Extending rune’s Activation lasting for more than a single Strike or a talisman may linger for an additional use. It’s a reliable ability.
While the other abilities make other things persist, this ability allows you to persist longer. Aging slows, the ails of the mortal realm are largely shed from your form. It was likely this particular ability that caused cultivators in times past to be referred to as “immortals.” Outside of combat, it makes a cultivator practically ageless and nigh unkillable. Some even say it can strengthen a cultivator’s core against the danger of fracturing.
Despite the simplicity of this ability, it can be difficult to articulate. “Resources” are expanded beyond their normal bounds, though the term is vague enough to cause debate on the full extent of its utility. Its most common application is by mages wishing to cast more spells and alchemists drawing out more reagents for their concoctions.
A surprisingly versatile ability. In general, it deals with “durations.” Denying an enemy the natural passing of their fear, a spell sustained without a second thought, a summon that persists that much longer. But I’ve also watched warriors shrug off all that would stop them from their forward march: walking through difficult terrain as if it was nothing, shrugging off spells that should have stopped them in their tracks. Cultivators with this ability are quite the sight to see. Preferably, it will be through your own efforts or your allies’, as they can be quite the terrifying foes.
One of the most difficult virtues to master: the path of goodwill and love. Like Nekkhamma, it has no particular techniques, but its abilities are coveted amongst leaders and commanders for their war-changing powers. It goes by two different classifications that match the duality of their uses: Totality and Unification.
A commander’s dream ability. Speak a command, and enemies and allies alike must adhere to it. The ruler speaks, and the masses must follow. But the king must follow his rules, or the masses may rebel. So speak carefully.
This ability brings all into balance. Or, more accurately, standardization. All is equal where you decide for both friend and foe: no healing spell more beneficial than the other, no strike more deadly. An infuriating ability if used correctly.
Also known colloquially as the Unfettered Self, this ability embodies the ruler who fights alongside their troops. It removes limits that normally would restrict even a cultivator’s body and soul. For a brief moment, a mage can cast spells without limit; assassins strike with pinpoint accuracy even in broad daylight; alchemists create their concoctions without the limitations of reagents. Some say it resembles the Honored One ability of the Upekkha; I personally believe it superior as it doesn’t come with the same chain of Dao subservience. But it is an ability to use wisely; limits are there for a reason. Over-reliance on such an ability can cause its own issues on the battlefield.
To give substance to that which has none or to bring permanent bond that which was only temporary. Those who specialize in the realm of dreams or taunt perception with illusions will find that this ability gives temporary “realness” to their creations. For a brief time, an illusory army or change in terrain becomes all too real. Summoners can forge bonds with summons, allowing them to remain in the material realm instead of being dismissed to their native planes.
Like Inner World Expansion, this ability is tied to one’s inner world and thus often a later addition to one’s cultivation. Creation of an inner world is not terribly different from other forms of creation; through creation, souls are born, and your inner world is no different. Those who have a particularly strong connection with that soul can draw it into the material world, a champion to fight for their creator’s life and honor. Each creature is unique, truly a reflection of the world that birthed them. I have seen great kaiju, mechanical constructs, majestic fae creatures… and, most dear to my heart, an arboreal leviathan. If you take this ability, I would suggest you at least give the creature the dignity of a name; it is the proper duty of a parent, after all.
The most difficult of virtues to master - and to describe. Its techniques focus on equanimity and finality. Its abilities are, quite frankly, absurd. Thus, I apologize for the more poetic language of this section; quantifying absurdity is frustratingly difficult. Instead of bending reality, they seem to wish to break it. But it is to be expected; the “best” of this virtue are reserved for the Dao’s favored children, the most destructive force in the known universe. Most take hundreds of years to cultivate it, making its users a prime target for attack by more impatient cultivators. Unfortunately for the oft unprepared attackers, these abilities are well worth the wait.
A most accurate name for a straightforward and infuriating ability. All is brought to null. Abilities are snuffed out as they are activated, attacks are stopped in their tracks, debilitating effects are removed. Enemies find themselves devoid of their beneficial spells or abilities, and rumors say that the most proficient of nullification cultivators can even remove things from existence. I question the validity of that rumor if only for the fact that, were it true, the Dao would assuredly use it to eliminate their fractured god problem before it ever developed.
Devastating blows become all the more devastating with this ability. It is the embodiment of violence and destruction. If you meet a cultivator with this ability, your best chance of survival is to remove yourself from the equation - for if you remain, a single strike could send you directly to the Dao.
An ability of awareness. A bird's eye view of the world or an earthly view of the heavens? Regardless of your perspective, it reveals the world around you. Weaknesses in armor or flesh become clear. Ambushes become transparent. Some copy their opponents like a twisted mirror; others are recorded capturing the souls of their enemies. It is even rumored that, if your understanding is deep enough, you will immediately gain access to the Honored One ability.
A powerful ability, but one given at the repulsive price of being the Dao’s prized pet. For the briefest of moments, the Dao’s affection for you manifests. From what I could glean from the scant records, weapons fail against you and spells shy away from your frame. And yet your own strikes aim true and your spells develop deadly precision.
The most powerful yet boring of abilities: the ascension to godhood. It can only be claimed as the final step of cultivation, so only those who focus on Upekkha or choose to cultivate it as their last virtue may pursue it.
Just as the powers of gods are classified into channels for their worshippers, so too are the powers of the Dao. Thankfully, those domains of power are identical to those of traditional worship, making it less of a task to remember them. Each Dao domain has a unique effect upon virtuous abilities. Luckily, they are simpler to explain, needing only a word or two to get the general concept across. Only one domain can affect a virtue at a time. Those who have attempted to break this law of reality all met with particularly gruesome endings. I would not recommend repeating the experiment.
I do not know how the current Iteration of Dao organizes its Dao domains, but I have always gone with the following categories: Earthly, Heavenly, Spirit, and Demonic. Earthly domains are those found in the mortal realm, generally those dealing with the physical world. Heavenly includes more metaphysical domains such as time and knowledge. Spirit domains are most frequently those associated with emotions or ideals. Demonic domains are those that are generally feared, sometimes even by the Dao themselves. Thus their users are seen as demonic monstrosities by many a cultivator, fit only to be eliminated.
Earthly Domains
Heavenly Domains
Spirit Domains
Demonic Domains