The Hado is considered in-game to be the lifeforce of the universe. It first appeared in Street Fighter canon in the animated series Street Fighter II V. By itself the Hado is neither good nor evil. However once it comes in contact with sentience the Hado reflects the mind and personality channeling it. An evil, sadistic monster will be filled with dark, violent rage while a serene monk might appear to have a holy air. Of course that is limiting the Hado to purely symmetrical thinking and the reality of its manifestations are often far more complex. It is purposely kept vague so that it may perform whatever role the GM wishes in the plot. In established canon the dark side of the Hado is an actively predatory force that can easily corrupt fighters and make them its pawns.
The Hado is integral to using advanced fighting techniques. Everyone starts off unable to access its power but if the circumstances are right they can awaken and find their true strength. How that strength manifests itself and what happens to the fighter after their awakening depends on what form the Hado takes.
The positive and negative sides of the Hado can be represented as a sliding scale that ranges from –10 (M. Bison) to +10 (Ryu). Everyone starts at 0. The Hado is the Street Fighter equivalent to the Force and has just as powerful an affect on humans. It must be stressed that there is no "right" side to the Hado. Both extremes can be destructive in the end.
Any maneuver that requires Chi or is “flashy” is locked behind needing access to the Hado. This includes, but is not limited to, the following Willpower maneuvers: Dragon Punch, Hyper Fist, Turbo Spinning Clothesline, Turn Punch, Double Dread Kick, Great Wall of China, Lightning Leg, Tiger Knee, Whirlwind Kick, Storm Hammer, Beast Roll, Cannon Drill, Flying Body Spear, Flying Headbutt, Flying Heel Stomp, Siberian Suplex, Spinning Piledriver, Rolling Attack, Tumbling Attack, and Vertical Rolling Attack.
As a general rule of thumb if the maneuver wouldn’t be allowed in a Traditional tournament or seems superhuman you need to unlock the Hado before you can learn it. This does not mean that all Street Fighters eventually unlock their Hado. Many go their entire careers ignorant of their true potential but still manage to do just fine in tournaments.
When the character is first created the player should select three to five locked maneuvers. These maneuvers represent part of the character’s true potential. When the conditions for tapping into the Hado are right one of these maneuvers is used automatically at no cost of Chi or Willpower. If it is a damaging maneuver the fighter ignores their opponent’s Stamina for soak to represent the release of intense energy. Such a release can be done, at best, once per day. Those sensitive to the Hado, the awakened with at least Focus 4, can attempt to make a Focus roll, difficulty 8, to gauge where another in line of sight and 50' lies on the scale.
Awaken the Dark Side: The dark side is filled with anger, hate, malice, and jealousy. Fighters immersed in the dark side do anything to win no matter how dirty it is. In times of extreme anger while in combat the character rolls their Focus (ignore 1s). Tally up all successes on this roll and continue for as long as the stressful situation persists. When 5 successes are reached the character has tapped the dark side and slips one point further into the negatives. This is the path of those who crave power and is the easiest method to accessing the Hado but it comes at a significant price.
When the character reaches –10 they have awakened. Their mind and soul are clouded with darkness. Their visible displays of Chi change to a sickly, pale shadow of what it once was. The fighter exudes a faint aura of fear and anger every time they use Chi. Every waking thought will be dedicated to their personal power and the importance of others falls away. Everything that happens becomes interpreted by a distorted lens of imagined persecution and struggle.
Once they have reached this point the character can regain some of their inner balance but it is a long and hard struggle to do so. Without external aid the character is almost certain to become a twisted and sadistic fighter.
Awaken the Light Side: The light side is based on inner harmony and the importance of interpersonal relationships. A fighter strong in positive Hado fights honorably primarily in the defense of others. When the fighter is injured to 5 health ranks or less in a battle that threatens their life they begin making Focus rolls (ignore 1s). When 5 successes are reached the character taps the light side and moves one point further into the positives. This is the long, hard path of struggle but it too comes with a price.
When a character reaches +10 they have awakened. A new sense of wonder and harmony flows from the Hado and the fighter's Chi sparkles and crackles with energy. It is easy, however, to become lost in the feeling of selflessness and overextend oneself trying to help others. In addition, the aversion to conflict can allow wounds and troubles to fester far longer than they should. Those strong with this side can seem aloof and uncaring at times.
Each character’s personal manifestation of the Hado reflects their personality. It is usually one of the classical elements: fire, wind, water, ice, wood, metal, and earth. It can also manifest as light and darkness (darkness does not necessarily translate to evil), electricity or even sonic vibrations like Guile and Dee Jay have found out. However there are plenty of fighters who do not have an elemental association. For these fighters special elemental powers are unavailable but the generic nature of their energy means that their attacks cannot be negated by simply paying Chi.
During a manifestation of their Hado the fighter develops a resistance to their own type and a weakness to types that oppose them. It’s a matter of Elemental Rock Paper Scissors really.
Falling from Grace:
Entering a den of corruption where the dark side has great strength puts more than an honorable fighter’s life at risk. They also jeopardize their very souls in doing so. Periodically during their stay (i.e. whenever the GM feels like it but optimally at times of great stress and doubt) the character must make a focus roll. Any time this roll is failed the character is considered to have made one success to call the dark Hado as outlined above. After five such failures the character slips a full rank towards the dark side.
Some particularly evil fighters invoke a check with even the merest touch. Fighting such a fighter becomes an extended contest with one’s self as well as a struggle for survival.
Regaining Balance:
Being lost in the Hado makes it difficult for the fallen to remember what was once important and why. The first step to breaking this stranglehold is a strong emotional trigger that forces them to confront how they’ve changed.
Those closest to the character can attempt a spirit quest to help them but this is extremely dangerous and risky. In the spirit realm the mental attributes replace the physical ones: Perception becomes the character’s Strength, Wits their Dexterity, and Intelligence their Stamina. For the one who enters the quest their worst fears and nightmares become manifest. Although others can help the questing character the aid they can offer is limited and some trials will forbid outside interference completely. If the questing character is ever knocked unconscious or falls under the control of mind-altering effects the quest ends immediately and they return to the waking world in failure.
While in the spirit realm the questing character is still vulnerable to corruption themselves and can thus be pulled into the darkness alongside the person they were trying to help.
Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game and all of it's associated writings are copyrighted by White Wolf and Capcom. Maneuvers written by others, as cited throughout the site, are copyright their respective writers. All original maneuvers, custom rulesets, modifications, and other edits are copyright 2008 Lady Abaxa. They may not be reprinted without my express permission.