Pneuma - Revision history

Tyg13: State rules positively: drop denials of unimplied negatives ("not destroyed", "not dead", "loses nothing", "no regeneration", "cannot condense", "never decreases", "consumes no soma") (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

2026-09-07T04:54:00Z

State rules positively: drop denials of unimplied negatives ("not destroyed", "not dead", "loses nothing", "no regeneration", "cannot condense", "never decreases", "consumes no soma") (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:54, 7 September 2026
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	Pneuma has one form, '''pure'''. An element is a kind of [[Soma\|soma]]. Pneuma bound in fire soma is the same pneuma as pneuma bound in anything else.		Pneuma has one form, '''pure'''. An element is a kind of [[Soma\|soma]]. Pneuma bound in fire soma is the same pneuma as pneuma bound in anything else.

	Pneuma is always held in one of two ways: circulating through a vessel (Law I), or bound in soma. Bound pneuma is inert. It can be carried, stored and traded. Pneuma released ~~with nothing to hold it~~ goes dull where it is (see [[#Land\|Land]]).		Pneuma is always held in one of two ways: circulating through a vessel (Law I), or bound in soma. Bound pneuma is inert. It can be carried, stored and traded. Pneuma released outside any vessel or soma goes dull where it is (see [[#Land\|Land]]).

	A '''phial''' is soma made to hold bound pneuma. It is the only physical form of pneuma (see [[#Physical form\|Physical form]]).		A '''phial''' is soma made to hold bound pneuma. It is the only physical form of pneuma (see [[#Physical form\|Physical form]]).
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	== The Three Laws ==		== The Three Laws ==

	'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — soma arranged to carry it — is alive~~. Pneuma~~ bound in soma is ~~not~~. The structure of a creature's vessel determines what the creature can do~~. More~~ pneuma ~~raises a~~ creature's power~~; it does not change what the creature can do~~. A vessel ~~with no pneuma in it~~ is exhausted~~, not dead~~ (see [[#Death\|Death]]).		'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — soma arranged to carry it — is alive; pneuma bound in soma is inert. The structure of a creature's vessel determines what the creature can do, and the amount of pneuma in it determines the creature's power. An empty vessel is exhausted (see [[#Death\|Death]]).

	'''Law II — Attrition.''' Every shaping (see [[#Key terms\|Key terms]]) loses part of the pneuma moved. Carrying and storing bound pneuma ~~loses nothing~~.		'''Law II — Attrition.''' Every shaping (see [[#Key terms\|Key terms]]) loses part of the pneuma moved. Carrying and storing bound pneuma are free.

	'''Law III — Affinity.''' Affinity for a soma lowers the Attrition loss of shaping through it. Affinity grows by spending pneuma through that soma.		'''Law III — Affinity.''' Affinity for a soma lowers the Attrition loss of shaping through it. Affinity grows by spending pneuma through that soma.
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	=== Land ===		=== Land ===

	Land holds a pool of usable pneuma. Regeneration draws from it (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]). Its level is described as '''rich''', '''spent''' or '''void'''. A void pool is empty, ~~and a creature~~ on void land ~~does not regenerate~~.		Land holds a pool of usable pneuma. Regeneration draws from it (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]). Its level is described as '''rich''', '''spent''' or '''void'''. A void pool is empty, so regeneration on void land is zero.

	The pneuma lost to a shaping ~~is not destroyed. It~~ goes '''dull''' ~~— still present, not usable — and~~ settles into the land where it was spent~~. Dull pneuma is~~ separate from the usable pool. Pneuma released ~~with nothing to hold it~~ — a creature slain with no victor, a [[Soma#Alchemy\|dissonant reaction]] with no vessel in reach — goes dull the same way.		The pneuma lost to a shaping goes '''dull''': it settles into the land where it was spent, separate from the usable pool. Pneuma released outside any vessel or soma — a creature slain with no victor, a [[Soma#Alchemy\|dissonant reaction]] with no vessel in reach — goes dull the same way.

	'''Reclaiming''' converts dull pneuma back into the usable pool. [[Celaborans]] reclaim. Whether anything else can is open.		'''Reclaiming''' converts dull pneuma back into the usable pool. [[Celaborans]] reclaim. Whether anything else can is open.
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	== The pool ==		== The pool ==

	Each creature holds a reserve of pure pneuma ~~with no upper limit~~.		Each creature holds an unbounded reserve of pure pneuma.

	The '''baseline''' is the amount of pneuma that circulates in the creature's vessel (Law I). Below baseline the creature is '''depleted''' and draws from the land's usable pool to refill: faster the deeper the deficit, faster where the land is rich, slower where it is spent. ~~At or above~~ baseline ~~there is no regeneration~~. Pneuma above baseline is '''surplus''', and comes only from absorption and trade. The regeneration rate is below the spend rate of combat.		The '''baseline''' is the amount of pneuma that circulates in the creature's vessel (Law I). Below baseline the creature is '''depleted''' and draws from the land's usable pool to refill: faster the deeper the deficit, faster where the land is rich, slower where it is spent. Regeneration stops at baseline. Pneuma above baseline is '''surplus''', and comes only from absorption and trade. The regeneration rate is below the spend rate of combat.

	* Filling: absorption from elemental sites, slain creatures or phials.		* Filling: absorption from elemental sites, slain creatures or phials.
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	=== The vessel grows ===		=== The vessel grows ===

	Baseline is a function of lifetime pneuma spent. The function is sublinear; the exact curve is open. Baseline ~~never decreases~~.		Baseline is a function of lifetime pneuma spent. The function is sublinear; the exact curve is open. Baseline only ever rises.

	=== Surplus and condensation ===		=== Surplus and condensation ===

	Condensation uses surplus only~~. A vessel cannot condense its own baseline~~. Spending below baseline is allowed.		Condensation uses surplus only. Spending below baseline is allowed.

	=== Death ===		=== Death ===

	Death is the vessel breaking (see [[Soma#Death\|Soma]]). A creature at zero pneuma is exhausted~~, not dead~~.		Death is the vessel breaking (see [[Soma#Death\|Soma]]). A creature at zero pneuma is exhausted.

	When a creature is slain, its surplus is released. The victor absorbs a fixed share; the rest goes dull into the land where the body fell. The share is open. Baseline, mastery and affinity are unchanged by death. On respawn the pool is set to baseline. Phials are kept on death.		When a creature is slain, its surplus is released. The victor absorbs a fixed share; the rest goes dull into the land where the body fell. The share is open. Baseline, mastery and affinity are unchanged by death. On respawn the pool is set to baseline. Phials are kept on death.
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	Every working spends pneuma. An elemental spell spends soma as well:		Every working spends pneuma. An elemental spell spends soma as well:

	* A '''pure''' spell (Blink, for example) spends pneuma ~~with no shaping~~. Its cost is set by pure affinity.		* A '''pure''' spell (Blink, for example) spends pneuma straight from the vessel. Its cost is set by pure affinity.
	* An '''elemental''' spell has a body of soma. The caster supplies the soma and the cast consumes it (see [[Soma#Casting\|Soma]]). The cast binds pneuma into that soma. This is a shaping: it costs less with affinity for the soma (Law III) and always loses something (Law II).		* An '''elemental''' spell has a body of soma. The caster supplies the soma and the cast consumes it (see [[Soma#Casting\|Soma]]). The cast binds pneuma into that soma. This is a shaping: it costs less with affinity for the soma (Law III) and always loses something (Law II).

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	== Abilities ==		== Abilities ==

	Abilities spend pure pneuma, and pure affinity sets the cost. An ability's body is the creature's own body and the weapon in hand, so ~~it consumes no~~ soma.		Abilities spend pure pneuma, and pure affinity sets the cost. An ability's body is the creature's own body and the weapon in hand, so its soma cost is zero.

	Every working spends pneuma, gathering and utility actions included. A gathering action spends pneuma and absorbs pneuma from the site in the same action. At a rich site the absorbed amount roughly matches the spent amount; at a spent site it is less. The exact ratio is open. Only the spent amount counts toward mastery and baseline.		Every working spends pneuma, gathering and utility actions included. A gathering action spends pneuma and absorbs pneuma from the site in the same action. At a rich site the absorbed amount roughly matches the spent amount; at a spent site it is less. The exact ratio is open. Only the spent amount counts toward mastery and baseline.

Tyg13: Sweep agentive and possessive phrasings ("the elements belong to", "what Attrition takes", "sheds", "gives up", "bears on") into plain statements (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

2026-09-07T02:50:00Z

Sweep agentive and possessive phrasings ("the elements belong to", "what Attrition takes", "sheds", "gives up", "bears on") into plain statements (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:50, 7 September 2026
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	== Form ==		== Form ==

	Pneuma has one form, '''pure'''. ~~The elements belong to~~ [[Soma\|soma]]. Pneuma bound in fire soma is the same pneuma as pneuma bound in anything else.		Pneuma has one form, '''pure'''. An element is a kind of [[Soma\|soma]]. Pneuma bound in fire soma is the same pneuma as pneuma bound in anything else.

	Pneuma is always held in one of two ways: circulating through a vessel (Law I), or bound in soma. Bound pneuma is inert. It can be carried, stored and traded. Pneuma released with nothing to hold it goes dull where it is (see [[#Land\|Land]]).		Pneuma is always held in one of two ways: circulating through a vessel (Law I), or bound in soma. Bound pneuma is inert. It can be carried, stored and traded. Pneuma released with nothing to hold it goes dull where it is (see [[#Land\|Land]]).
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	== The Three Laws ==		== The Three Laws ==

	'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — soma arranged to carry it — is alive. Pneuma bound in soma is not. ~~What~~ a creature can do ~~is decided by the structure of its vessel~~. More pneuma raises a creature's power; it does not change what the creature can do. A vessel with no pneuma in it is exhausted, not dead (see [[#Death\|Death]]).		'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — soma arranged to carry it — is alive. Pneuma bound in soma is not. The structure of a creature's vessel determines what the creature can do. More pneuma raises a creature's power; it does not change what the creature can do. A vessel with no pneuma in it is exhausted, not dead (see [[#Death\|Death]]).

	'''Law II — Attrition.''' Every shaping (see [[#Key terms\|Key terms]]) loses part of the pneuma moved. Carrying and storing bound pneuma loses nothing.		'''Law II — Attrition.''' Every shaping (see [[#Key terms\|Key terms]]) loses part of the pneuma moved. Carrying and storing bound pneuma loses nothing.
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	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

	* '''Elemental sites.''' Wherever an element is concentrated — a river, a fire, a mountain — pneuma is bound in the soma there. ~~Absorbing takes~~ the pneuma ~~and leaves~~ the soma. ~~What~~ a site ~~yields as soma~~ is on the [[Soma#Sources\|Soma page]].		* '''Elemental sites.''' Wherever an element is concentrated — a river, a fire, a mountain — pneuma is bound in the soma there. Absorption removes the pneuma; the soma remains. The soma yield of a site is on the [[Soma#Sources\|Soma page]].
	* '''Creatures.''' A slain creature ~~gives up~~ its pneuma (see [[#Death\|Death]]).		* '''Creatures.''' A slain creature releases its pneuma (see [[#Death\|Death]]).
	* '''Phials.''' Pneuma condensed into a phial can be absorbed back out of it.		* '''Phials.''' Pneuma condensed into a phial can be absorbed back out of it.
	* '''The self.''' A creature below baseline refills from the land (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]).		* '''The self.''' A creature below baseline refills from the land (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]).
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	Land holds a pool of usable pneuma. Regeneration draws from it (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]). Its level is described as '''rich''', '''spent''' or '''void'''. A void pool is empty, and a creature on void land does not regenerate.		Land holds a pool of usable pneuma. Regeneration draws from it (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]). Its level is described as '''rich''', '''spent''' or '''void'''. A void pool is empty, and a creature on void land does not regenerate.

	~~What Attrition takes~~ is not destroyed. It goes '''dull''' — still present, not usable — and settles into the land where it was spent. Dull pneuma is separate from the usable pool. Pneuma released with nothing to hold it — a creature slain with no victor, a [[Soma#Alchemy\|dissonant reaction]] with no vessel in reach — goes dull the same way.		The pneuma lost to a shaping is not destroyed. It goes '''dull''' — still present, not usable — and settles into the land where it was spent. Dull pneuma is separate from the usable pool. Pneuma released with nothing to hold it — a creature slain with no victor, a [[Soma#Alchemy\|dissonant reaction]] with no vessel in reach — goes dull the same way.

	'''Reclaiming''' converts dull pneuma back into the usable pool. [[Celaborans]] reclaim. Whether anything else can is open.		'''Reclaiming''' converts dull pneuma back into the usable pool. [[Celaborans]] reclaim. Whether anything else can is open.
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	Each creature holds a reserve of pure pneuma with no upper limit.		Each creature holds a reserve of pure pneuma with no upper limit.

	The '''baseline''' is the amount of pneuma the creature's vessel ~~keeps in circulation~~ (Law I). Below baseline the creature is '''depleted''' and draws from the land's usable pool to refill: faster the deeper the deficit, faster where the land is rich, slower where it is spent. At or above baseline there is no regeneration. Pneuma above baseline is '''surplus''', and comes only from absorption and trade. The regeneration rate is below the spend rate of combat.		The '''baseline''' is the amount of pneuma that circulates in the creature's vessel (Law I). Below baseline the creature is '''depleted''' and draws from the land's usable pool to refill: faster the deeper the deficit, faster where the land is rich, slower where it is spent. At or above baseline there is no regeneration. Pneuma above baseline is '''surplus''', and comes only from absorption and trade. The regeneration rate is below the spend rate of combat.

	* Filling: absorption from elemental sites, slain creatures or phials.		* Filling: absorption from elemental sites, slain creatures or phials.
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	=== Surplus and condensation ===		=== Surplus and condensation ===

	Condensation ~~draws on~~ surplus only. A vessel cannot condense its own baseline. Spending below baseline is allowed.		Condensation uses surplus only. A vessel cannot condense its own baseline. Spending below baseline is allowed.

	=== Death ===		=== Death ===
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	Death is the vessel breaking (see [[Soma#Death\|Soma]]). A creature at zero pneuma is exhausted, not dead.		Death is the vessel breaking (see [[Soma#Death\|Soma]]). A creature at zero pneuma is exhausted, not dead.

	A slain ~~creature sheds~~ its surplus. The victor absorbs a fixed share; the rest goes dull into the land where the body fell. The share is open. Baseline, mastery and affinity are unchanged by death. On respawn the pool is set to baseline. Phials are kept on death.		When a creature is slain, its surplus is released. The victor absorbs a fixed share; the rest goes dull into the land where the body fell. The share is open. Baseline, mastery and affinity are unchanged by death. On respawn the pool is set to baseline. Phials are kept on death.

	== Casting ==		== Casting ==

	Every working spends pneuma. ~~What else it~~ spends ~~is decided by what it is made of~~:		Every working spends pneuma. An elemental spell spends soma as well:

	* A '''pure''' spell (Blink, for example) spends pneuma with no shaping. Its cost is set by pure affinity.		* A '''pure''' spell (Blink, for example) spends pneuma with no shaping. Its cost is set by pure affinity.
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	Affinity is tracked per soma, with pure as one more, and equals the sum of mastery across the abilities tagged with that soma (see [[#Key terms\|Key terms]]). It lowers the Attrition loss of shaping through that soma (Law III).		Affinity is tracked per soma, with pure as one more, and equals the sum of mastery across the abilities tagged with that soma (see [[#Key terms\|Key terms]]). It lowers the Attrition loss of shaping through that soma (Law III).

	~~How~~ the [[Soma#Elements\|elemental square]] ~~bears~~ on affinity is open: whether allied affinities help each other ('''synergy''') and enemy affinities hinder each other ('''dissonance'''), and how (see [[#Open questions\|Open questions]]).		The effect of the [[Soma#Elements\|elemental square]] on affinity is open: whether allied affinities help each other ('''synergy''') and enemy affinities hinder each other ('''dissonance'''), and how (see [[#Open questions\|Open questions]]).

	== Physical form ==		== Physical form ==
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	== Open questions ==		== Open questions ==

	* ~~How~~ the elemental square ~~bears~~ on affinity: whether and how synergy and dissonance affect affinity growth or shaping cost.		* The effect of the elemental square on affinity: whether and how synergy and dissonance affect affinity growth or shaping cost.
	* Whether affinity also lowers the soma cost of an elemental working.		* Whether affinity also lowers the soma cost of an elemental working.
	* The victor's share of a slain creature's surplus.		* The victor's share of a slain creature's surplus.

Tyg13: Prose pass to plain technical English: one vocabulary (shaping/binding/absorption/condensation, creature/working) fixed in Key terms; epigrams, personified laws and rationale-as-rules removed; each rule stated once. Rule fixes from the 2026-09-06 session: Land section defines the usable pool and dull pneuma; affinity is the sum of mastery, square effects moved to Open questions; trace-lodges sentence struck; Death states victor share, respawn to baseline, phials kept; only spent pneuma grows...

2026-09-07T02:46:22Z

Prose pass to plain technical English: one vocabulary (shaping/binding/absorption/condensation, creature/working) fixed in Key terms; epigrams, personified laws and rationale-as-rules removed; each rule stated once. Rule fixes from the 2026-09-06 session: Land section defines the usable pool and dull pneuma; affinity is the sum of mastery, square effects moved to Open questions; trace-lodges sentence struck; Death states victor share, respawn to baseline, phials kept; only spent pneuma grows...

Show changes

Tyg13: Pass over the page under the soma dual: pneuma has one form and is always held; elements, the square, reactions and hybrids move to Soma; typed pneuma goes, phials are the only physical pneuma; casting is pneuma to activate and soma for the body; Attrition on every move between vessel and soma; Affinity section rewritten as progression rules; open question on affinity and soma cost (2026-09-06 session, Tyler + Bembi) (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

2026-09-07T02:27:21Z

Pass over the page under the soma dual: pneuma has one form and is always held; elements, the square, reactions and hybrids move to Soma; typed pneuma goes, phials are the only physical pneuma; casting is pneuma to activate and soma for the body; Attrition on every move between vessel and soma; Affinity section rewritten as progression rules; open question on affinity and soma cost (2026-09-06 session, Tyler + Bembi) (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

Show changes

Tyg13: Introduce Soma as the matter dual: media are now soma (sweep medium→soma in Forms, Laws I–III, Casting); lead points at the Soma page; Death names the vessel breaking (2026-09-06 session, approved by Tyler) (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

2026-09-07T02:08:11Z

Introduce Soma as the matter dual: media are now soma (sweep medium→soma in Forms, Laws I–III, Casting); lead points at the Soma page; Death names the vessel breaking (2026-09-06 session, approved by Tyler) (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:08, 7 September 2026
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	'''Pneuma''' is the world's life-force. Everything alive holds it; anything holding it is alive. It is both a resource you gather and spend and the basis of character progression.		'''Pneuma''' is the world's life-force. Everything alive holds it; anything holding it is alive. It is both a resource you gather and spend and the basis of character progression. Its counterpart is [[Soma\|soma]], the matter it animates: pneuma is energy and soma is matter, and a creature's pneuma is its power where its soma is its health.

	== Forms ==		== Forms ==
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	Pneuma has one form: '''pure'''. There is no such thing as elemental pneuma.		Pneuma has one form: '''pure'''. There is no such thing as elemental pneuma.

	What is elemental is matter~~. A '''medium''' is elemental matter~~ — fire, air, water~~, or~~ earth. ~~Media are ordinary stuff. They are~~ not alive and ~~hold~~ no power of ~~their~~ own.		What is elemental is matter: [[Soma\|soma]], which comes in four kinds — fire, air, water and earth. Soma is not alive and holds no power of its own.

	'''Binding''' lodges pneuma into ~~a medium~~. Bound pneuma is what gets gathered, condensed, traded and spent. "Fire pneuma" is everyday shorthand for pneuma bound in a fire ~~medium~~, not a separate kind of pneuma.		'''Binding''' lodges pneuma into soma. Bound pneuma is what gets gathered, condensed, traded and spent. "Fire pneuma" is everyday shorthand for pneuma bound in fire soma, not a separate kind of pneuma.

	[[File:Elemental Square.png\|thumb\|The four ~~media~~ on a square. Each edge joins two that share a quality — a temperature (hot or cold) or a moisture (wet or dry); the diagonals share none.]]		[[File:Elemental Square.png\|thumb\|The four somas on a square. Each edge joins two that share a quality — a temperature (hot or cold) or a moisture (wet or dry); the diagonals share none.]]
	The four ~~media~~ stand in fixed relation to one another:		The four somas stand in fixed relation to one another:

	* '''Allies''' — two ~~media~~ that share a quality (adjacent on the square). Every ~~medium~~ has two allies.		* '''Allies''' — two somas that share a quality (adjacent on the square). Every soma has two allies.
	* '''Enemies''' — ~~the~~ two ~~media~~ that share no quality (diagonal). Every ~~medium~~ has exactly one enemy.		* '''Enemies''' — two somas that share no quality (diagonal). Every soma has exactly one enemy.

	These relations belong to the ~~media~~, not to the pneuma bound in ~~them~~. Synergy and dissonance are things fire and water do to each other; the pneuma is only along for the ride.		These relations belong to the soma, not to the pneuma bound in it. Synergy and dissonance are things fire and water do to each other; the pneuma is only along for the ride.

	== Reactions ==		== Reactions ==
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	There are three simple laws which describe the rules of how pneuma works.		There are three simple laws which describe the rules of how pneuma works.

	'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma is life, but only when it moves. Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — ~~a structure able~~ to carry it — is alive. Pneuma merely lodged in matter is ''charged'', not alive: it sits inert, and can be carried, stored and traded safely. Fill a vessel and it wakes; drain it and it goes still.		'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma is life, but only when it moves. Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — soma arranged to carry it — is alive. Pneuma merely lodged in matter is ''charged'', not alive: it sits inert, and can be carried, stored and traded safely. Fill a vessel and it wakes; drain it and it goes still.

	What a living thing can ''do'' is decided by its vessel, not by its pneuma. Pneuma supplies animation; structure decides what that animation amounts to. The same pneuma glows in a stone and thinks in a person. More pneuma in a simple vessel makes it stronger, not cleverer.		What a living thing can ''do'' is decided by its vessel, not by its pneuma. Pneuma supplies animation; structure decides what that animation amounts to. The same pneuma glows in a stone and thinks in a person. More pneuma in a simple vessel makes it stronger, not cleverer.

	'''Law II — Attrition.''' Shaping has a cost. Any time pneuma is bound into ~~a medium~~ or released from ~~one~~, or two enemy ~~media~~ annihilate each other, part of it is spent. Only carrying and storing it are free.		'''Law II — Attrition.''' Shaping has a cost. Any time pneuma is bound into soma or released from it, or two enemy somas annihilate each other, part of it is spent. Only carrying and storing it are free.

	'''Law III — Affinity.''' ~~Media favor~~ those with an affinity for ~~them~~. Affinity grows by spending that ~~medium~~ (casting or exertion). The higher the affinity, the less each binding loses to Attrition.		'''Law III — Affinity.''' Each soma favors those with an affinity for it. Affinity grows by spending that soma (casting or exertion). The higher the affinity, the less each binding loses to Attrition.

	== Key terms ==		== Key terms ==
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	=== Death ===		=== Death ===

	Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain (see [[#Sources\|Sources]]), and players are no exception: death sheds the surplus. Part goes to the victor; the rest goes dull into the ground where the body fell — battlefields are thick with dull pneuma for exactly this reason. What death cannot take is anything lodged in the vessel's structure: baseline, mastery, affinity. The land refills the vessel to baseline, and the practitioner stands back up. Carrying a great surplus into danger is therefore a wager; condensing it first — paying Attrition's fee — is the insurance.		Death is the vessel breaking (see [[Soma#Death\|Soma]]); an empty pool is exhaustion, not death. Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain (see [[#Sources\|Sources]]), and players are no exception: death sheds the surplus. Part goes to the victor; the rest goes dull into the ground where the body fell — battlefields are thick with dull pneuma for exactly this reason. What death cannot take is anything lodged in the vessel's structure: baseline, mastery, affinity. The land refills the vessel to baseline, and the practitioner stands back up. Carrying a great surplus into danger is therefore a wager; condensing it first — paying Attrition's fee — is the insurance.

	== Casting ==		== Casting ==
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	A spell's intrinsic elemental requirement is fixed; affinity shaves only the conversion overhead around it. Cost therefore falls with affinity toward a floor it never reaches (Law II), while mastery keeps raising the effect: investment makes a spell cheaper and stronger, never free.		A spell's intrinsic elemental requirement is fixed; affinity shaves only the conversion overhead around it. Cost therefore falls with affinity toward a floor it never reaches (Law II), while mastery keeps raising the effect: investment makes a spell cheaper and stronger, never free.

	A '''pure''' spell — Blink and its kin — shapes pneuma directly, with no ~~medium~~ involved. It answers to pure affinity, the same affinity physical abilities train. There is no fifth element: pure is the unshaped substance, not another kind of matter.		A '''pure''' spell — Blink and its kin — shapes pneuma directly, with no soma involved. It answers to pure affinity, the same affinity physical abilities train. There is no fifth element: pure is the unshaped substance, not another kind of matter.

	== Abilities ==		== Abilities ==

Bembi at 16:01, 16 August 2026

2026-08-16T16:01:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:01, 16 August 2026
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	* '''Typed pneuma''': dropped by elemental creatures, siphoned from elemental sources, or condensed by spellcasters. This is the primary market good that gets traded.		* '''Typed pneuma''': dropped by elemental creatures, siphoned from elemental sources, or condensed by spellcasters. This is the primary market good that gets traded.
	* '''Pure pneuma''': dropped in very small amounts from slain elementless creatures, or created by annihilating elemental pneuma of opposite types. This is a luxury resource which is much harder to come by in large quantities.		* '''Pure pneuma''': dropped in very small amounts from slain elementless creatures, or created by annihilating elemental pneuma of opposite types. This is a luxury resource which is much harder to come by in large quantities.




			CONCEPTING

			Problem; having only Pneuma has a single type of resource inherently causes certain content/sources of Pneuma to be irrelevant and useless as they are much less efficient than other methods, thus is dead content and wont be used/played

			Solution: having different "types of Pneuma/resources" would make many more situations viable to do as all types of resources are needed to do anything and avoids content becoming dead and makes the world a little more interconnected

			-these supplemental resources would be similar to catalyst runes in OSRS, not like another element

Tyg13: 2026-08-14 session: mastery measured in pneuma spent; cost floor; min-pool with vessel baseline; condensation from surplus; death sheds surplus; every ability spends pneuma, gathering absorbs at sites; pure workings named (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

2026-08-15T03:21:54Z

2026-08-14 session: mastery measured in pneuma spent; cost floor; min-pool with vessel baseline; condensation from surplus; death sheds surplus; every ability spends pneuma, gathering absorbs at sites; pure workings named (via update-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:21, 15 August 2026
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	** '''Condensation''': the act of transferring one's pneuma reserves into physical elemental pneuma for later consumption.		** '''Condensation''': the act of transferring one's pneuma reserves into physical elemental pneuma for later consumption.
	* '''Affinity''': how strongly a living thing is aligned to one element. Tracked per element, per practitioner. Sets casting cost and power. Grows by spending that element (Law III).		* '''Affinity''': how strongly a living thing is aligned to one element. Tracked per element, per practitioner. Sets casting cost and power. Grows by spending that element (Law III).
	* '''Mastery''': a single ~~spell~~'s accumulated experience. Affinity for an element is the sum of mastery across ~~its spells~~.		* '''Mastery''': a single [[Ability\|ability]]'s accumulated experience, measured as the total pneuma ever spent through it. Affinity for an element is the sum of mastery across the abilities tagged with it — the same count at a wider scope.

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==
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	* '''Creatures.''' Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain. An elemental creature yields its element; a common beast yields pure.		* '''Creatures.''' Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain. An elemental creature yields its element; a common beast yields pure.
	* '''Consumables.''' Pneuma can be condensed into physical form, which can be consumed to yield its power. Both pure and elemental pneuma can be condensed.		* '''Consumables.''' Pneuma can be condensed into physical form, which can be consumed to yield its power. Both pure and elemental pneuma can be condensed.
	* '''The self.''' A body slowly refills its own reserve by drawing on the pneuma around it (Law I). Exercise or meditation speeds this, but far slower than gathering from the world or market. Because it is drawn rather than created, this is faster where the land is rich and poor where it is spent.		* '''The self.''' A body slowly refills its own reserve by drawing on the pneuma around it (Law I). Exercise or meditation speeds this, but far slower than gathering from the world or market. Because it is drawn rather than created, this is faster where the land is rich and poor where it is spent. Refilling stops at the baseline (see [[#The pool\|The pool]]): the body restores what its vessel circulates, and not a drop more.

	=== Spent pneuma ===		=== Spent pneuma ===
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	== The pool ==		== The pool ==

	Each living creature has an unbounded reserve of '''pure''' pneuma.		Each living creature has an unbounded reserve of '''pure''' pneuma. There is no ceiling.

			There is instead a floor: the '''baseline''' — the amount of pneuma the creature's vessel keeps in circulation (Law I). Below baseline the creature is depleted, and the body draws on the surrounding land to refill itself: faster the deeper the deficit, faster where the land is rich, slower where it is spent (see [[#Sources\|Sources]]). At or above baseline there is no regeneration at all. Everything above the line is '''surplus''', and surplus comes only from the world — absorption, slain creatures, consumables, trade.

			Baseline regeneration is a safety net, not an income: it sustains puttering, it does not fund serious exertion.

	* Filling: absorbing elements from the world, pneuma from other creatures, or by consuming physical pneuma.		* Filling: absorbing elements from the world, pneuma from other creatures, or by consuming physical pneuma.
	* Draining: casting spells, using abilities, condensing pneuma into physical form.		* Draining: casting spells, using abilities, condensing pneuma into physical form.

			=== The vessel grows ===

			The baseline rises with lifetime pneuma spent — strongly sublinearly, so early growth is felt and later growth is earned. Circulation is the exercise that enlarges the vessel: not all of what Attrition takes settles into the ground (see [[#Spent pneuma\|Spent pneuma]]) — a trace lodges in the one who did the spending, and years of it accrete into structure. A veteran practitioner is a long-worked site. The baseline never decreases.

			=== Surplus and condensation ===

			Condensation draws on surplus only — a vessel cannot bottle its own baseline. (Otherwise land regeneration would quietly become an income: regenerate, condense, sell.) Spending below baseline remains possible: spending one's vitality in an emergency is allowed; packaging it is not.

			=== Death ===

			Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain (see [[#Sources\|Sources]]), and players are no exception: death sheds the surplus. Part goes to the victor; the rest goes dull into the ground where the body fell — battlefields are thick with dull pneuma for exactly this reason. What death cannot take is anything lodged in the vessel's structure: baseline, mastery, affinity. The land refills the vessel to baseline, and the practitioner stands back up. Carrying a great surplus into danger is therefore a wager; condensing it first — paying Attrition's fee — is the insurance.

	== Casting ==		== Casting ==

	Pneuma is the primary resource used to cast spells. Each spell draws a specific kind of pneuma: pure or elemental. Since creatures only have a pool of pure pneuma, to cast elemental spells, they must convert it. This conversion is more or less efficient based on one's affinity with that element (Law III), and is never lossless (Law II). Each spell has an associated mastery which governs how powerful that spell's effect is.		Pneuma is the primary resource used to cast spells. Each spell draws a specific kind of pneuma: pure or elemental. Since creatures only have a pool of pure pneuma, to cast elemental spells, they must convert it. This conversion is more or less efficient based on one's affinity with that element (Law III), and is never lossless (Law II). Each spell has an associated mastery which governs how powerful that spell's effect is.

			A spell's intrinsic elemental requirement is fixed; affinity shaves only the conversion overhead around it. Cost therefore falls with affinity toward a floor it never reaches (Law II), while mastery keeps raising the effect: investment makes a spell cheaper and stronger, never free.

			A '''pure''' spell — Blink and its kin — shapes pneuma directly, with no medium involved. It answers to pure affinity, the same affinity physical abilities train. There is no fifth element: pure is the unshaped substance, not another kind of matter.

	== Abilities ==		== Abilities ==

	Pneuma is the primary resource used to power physical abilities. Each ability uses pure pneuma, and one's pure affinity determines how much the ability costs. Warriors, rangers, rogues, and other non-magical combatants all primarily use abilities.		Pneuma is the primary resource used to power physical abilities. Each ability uses pure pneuma, and one's pure affinity determines how much the ability costs. Warriors, rangers, rogues, and other non-magical combatants all primarily use abilities.

			Every [[Ability\|ability]] spends pneuma — combat techniques, gathering actions, and utility workings alike: exertion is pneuma moving (Law I). Gathering carries its own counterweight: it happens at elemental sites, and sites are pneuma sources (see [[#Sources\|Sources]]), so a gatherer absorbs from the site as they exert. At a rich site the loop nets roughly nothing — the land's pneuma passing through the gatherer's hands — while the gross flow still grows mastery and the baseline. Where the land is spent, the same work runs at a loss.

	== Affinity ==		== Affinity ==

Tyg13: collab-chat (approved by Tyler): Sources: bodies draw from ambient rather than create from nothing; add spent pneuma and reclamation

2026-07-26T03:30:09Z

collab-chat (approved by Tyler): Sources: bodies draw from ambient rather than create from nothing; add spent pneuma and reclamation

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:30, 26 July 2026
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	* '''Creatures.''' Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain. An elemental creature yields its element; a common beast yields pure.		* '''Creatures.''' Everything alive gives up its pneuma when slain. An elemental creature yields its element; a common beast yields pure.
	* '''Consumables.''' Pneuma can be condensed into physical form, which can be consumed to yield its power. Both pure and elemental pneuma can be condensed.		* '''Consumables.''' Pneuma can be condensed into physical form, which can be consumed to yield its power. Both pure and elemental pneuma can be condensed.
	* '''The self.''' ~~Every~~ body slowly ~~regenerates their pure~~ pneuma (Law I). Exercise or meditation speeds this, but far slower than gathering from the world or market.		* '''The self.''' A body slowly refills its own reserve by drawing on the pneuma around it (Law I). Exercise or meditation speeds this, but far slower than gathering from the world or market. Because it is drawn rather than created, this is faster where the land is rich and poor where it is spent.

			=== Spent pneuma ===

			What Attrition takes (Law II) is not destroyed. It goes '''dull''' — still present, no longer usable — and settles into the ground where it was spent. Battlefields, ruins and long-worked sites are thick with it.

			Dull pneuma can be '''reclaimed''' and returned to use. [[Celaborans]] do this; whether anything else can is unsettled. Land that is heavily spent and never reclaimed goes sour, and land beyond that is '''void''' — nothing living draws anything from it.

	== The pool ==		== The pool ==

Tyg13: collab-chat (approved by Bembi): Law I: life requires pneuma circulating through a vessel, not merely held — resolves traded pneuma items counting as alive. Law II reworded for binding.

2026-07-26T02:58:51Z

collab-chat (approved by Bembi): Law I: life requires pneuma circulating through a vessel, not merely held — resolves traded pneuma items counting as alive. Law II reworded for binding.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:58, 26 July 2026
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	There are three simple laws which describe the rules of how pneuma works.		There are three simple laws which describe the rules of how pneuma works.

	'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma is life. ~~Anything holding pneuma~~ is alive~~; anything~~ alive ~~holds pneuma~~. Fill a ~~lifeless thing with pneuma~~ and it wakes; drain it and it goes still.		'''Law I — Vitality.''' Pneuma is life, but only when it moves. Pneuma circulating through a '''vessel''' — a structure able to carry it — is alive. Pneuma merely lodged in matter is ''charged'', not alive: it sits inert, and can be carried, stored and traded safely. Fill a vessel and it wakes; drain it and it goes still.

	'''~~Law II — Attrition~~.~~''' Shaping has a cost~~. ~~Any time~~ pneuma ~~is converted between pure~~ and ~~elemental, or two enemies annihilate one other, part of it is spent~~. ~~Only carrying and storing~~ it ~~are free~~.		What a living thing can ''do'' is decided by its vessel, not by its pneuma. Pneuma supplies animation; structure decides what that animation amounts to. The same pneuma glows in a stone and thinks in a person. More pneuma in a simple vessel makes it stronger, not cleverer.

	'''Law III — Affinity.''' ~~Elements~~ favor those with an affinity for it. Affinity grows by spending that ~~element~~ (casting or exertion). The higher the affinity, the less each ~~conversion~~ loses to Attrition.		'''Law II — Attrition.''' Shaping has a cost. Any time pneuma is bound into a medium or released from one, or two enemy media annihilate each other, part of it is spent. Only carrying and storing it are free.

			'''Law III — Affinity.''' Media favor those with an affinity for them. Affinity grows by spending that medium (casting or exertion). The higher the affinity, the less each binding loses to Attrition.

	== Key terms ==		== Key terms ==

Tyg13: collab-chat (approved by Bembi): Adopt bound-pneuma model: pneuma has one form; elements are media that pneuma binds into. Replaces "one pure form and four elemental forms".

2026-07-26T02:58:03Z

collab-chat (approved by Bembi): Adopt bound-pneuma model: pneuma has one form; elements are media that pneuma binds into. Replaces "one pure form and four elemental forms".

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:58, 26 July 2026
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	== Forms ==		== Forms ==

	Pneuma has one '''pure''' ~~form and four '''~~elemental~~''' forms~~.		Pneuma has one form: '''pure'''. There is no such thing as elemental pneuma.

	* '''Pure''' — plain life-force, no element. ~~Life-magic and all physical power run on pure.~~		What is elemental is matter. A '''medium''' is elemental matter — fire, air, water, or earth. Media are ordinary stuff. They are not alive and hold no power of their own.
	* '''~~Elemental~~''' — ~~pure pneuma bound to one of the four elements:~~ fire, air, water, or earth.
	~~[[File:Elemental Square~~.~~png\|thumb\|The four elements on a square. Each edge joins two elements that share a quality — a temperature (hot or cold) or a moisture (wet or dry); the diagonals share none~~.]]
	~~Each elemental form also has:~~

	* '''Allies''' — two ~~elements~~ that share a quality (adjacent on the square). Every ~~element~~ has two allies.		'''Binding''' lodges pneuma into a medium. Bound pneuma is what gets gathered, condensed, traded and spent. "Fire pneuma" is everyday shorthand for pneuma bound in a fire medium, not a separate kind of pneuma.
	* '''Enemies''' — the two ~~elements~~ that share no quality (diagonal). Every ~~element~~ has exactly one enemy.
			[[File:Elemental Square.png\|thumb\|The four media on a square. Each edge joins two that share a quality — a temperature (hot or cold) or a moisture (wet or dry); the diagonals share none.]]
			The four media stand in fixed relation to one another:

			* '''Allies''' — two media that share a quality (adjacent on the square). Every medium has two allies.
			* '''Enemies''' — the two media that share no quality (diagonal). Every medium has exactly one enemy.

			These relations belong to the media, not to the pneuma bound in them. Synergy and dissonance are things fire and water do to each other; the pneuma is only along for the ride.

	== Reactions ==		== Reactions ==