User:Diarik/Spiritweaving/Spiritual Node System

The Pneumas

In imbuing their creations with the animating force of spirit, the Immortals coalesced a number of pneumas in which spirit was concentrated. These pneumas, as magic stirred in the hearts of mortals, became the key points at which skill was developed. Certainly, many skills failed to take advantage of denser areas of spirit, but those that did had clear excelling properties.

There were five pneumas: - The Sight Pneuma, which formed the foundation for perceptive abilities. - The Vibrance Pneuma, which formed the foundation for evocative abilities. - The Splice Pneuma, which formed the foundation for blending abilities. - The Wellspring Pneuma, which formed the foundation for receptive abilities. - The Pathway Pneuma, which formed the foundation for connective abilities.

Some theories have suggested the presence of more, but it is fairly well agreed that there are no fewer than five, and the others are likely either artificially, abstract, or secondary.

These five pneumas defy the Law of Attraction precisely because they are contained within a living body. The presence of Life prevents them, not only from dissipating back into the Starry Road, but also from gelatinizing into a single lumpy mass. As it were, this distributive system grants mortal life with a far more interesting diversity than merely puppets of the Gods.

<Indecisive Bits>Free will though they might have, the pneuma are indications of the Gods' favor, and as such, are powered by the sacrifices of experience done in worship to them. A cleric would find it impossible to weave the spirit with fewer than six favors, would find it neutrally difficult at 13 favors (symbolic of the Immortals' number), and discover it considerably eased with a larger amount. Similarly, an adventurer with less than six favors would find himself child's play to a cleric who wished him ill, but a difficult subject of benevolence, due to the smaller amounts of pneuma within him. The pivot point is again at 13 favors. This ease is explained in the following paper.</Indecisive Bits>

It is also known that the lifestyle of a mortal can influence the proportions of these five pneumas, granting them a stronger ability in some skills and a weaker ability in others.

The Sight Pneuma

The Sight Pneuma grants the Elanthian with the power to see clearly. It is the source of divine inspiration, and the instigator of insight, innovation, clarity of thought, and understanding. A strong Sight Pneuma suggests that you are a discerning individual, capable of seeing the Big Picture, as well as highly knowledgeable.

The Vibrance Pneuma

The Vibrance Pneuma grants the Elanthian with the power to act deliberately and effectively. It is the motivator of muscular action, of quick movement and forceful motion. It is charismatic speech, convincing argument, overbearing presence. It is fiery infusion, an explosive ripple, raw strength expressed. A strong Vibrance Pneuma suggests persistence and single-mindedness, like a speeding arrow on its way to its mark. It cannot be dissuaded, and its unswerving dedication can override many obstacles.

The Splice Pneuma

The Splice Pneuma grants the Elanthian with the power to utilize their environment. It is becoming in tune with aggressiveness such that it is always out of reach. It is awareness of surroundings, of possible dangers. It is becoming in tune with other Elanthians and creatures such that mimicry is perfect. A person with a strong Splice Pneuma is unlikely to keep a high profile, preferring anonymity to glory. It is difficult to get a word in edgewise, because they are too apt to sideslip and flow around the point in question without ever having to face a confrontation. They are highly in tune with their surroundings, almost prescient about them, and they are vastly capable, if quiet.

The Wellspring Pneuma

The Wellspring Pneuma grants the Elanthian with the power to take in their surroundings. It is stoicness, steadfastness, stubbornness. It is the nature of a funnel, to take and take without ever filling up. A person with a strong Wellspring Pneuma may hear themselves called, "like a rock" for just about any reason, from unreasonableness after taking a position to being incapable of taking hurt, no matter how much is dished out upon them.

The Pathway Pneuma

The Pathway Pneuma grants the Elanthian with the power to communicate. It is both the gentle encouragement of a few sort words and the devastating power of wrath brought down. It is both the acknowledgement of the differences between two entities and the bridge that lessens those same differences. A person with a strong Pathway Pneuma goes beyond charisma to earnest friendship with all met. Beyond seeing, they are furthermore capable of doing something with what they see.

Skillsets

The curious nature of having five pneumas finds an interesting correlation to the guild system in Elanthia. Each pneuma seems to have faint connections to one's overall skill.

Armor: Wellspring; Weapon: Vibrance; Magic: Pathway; Survival: Splice; Lore: Sight.

Guilds with particular survival sets as their primary eventually are typically stronger in spirit to those that are primary in others. Paladins, for instance, find their Wellspring pneuma to be stronger than most other guilds. The difference is not always significant, but it is worth mentioning. The preference of the primary skillset is on the order of 2-4% depending on time spent, 1-2% in secondary sets, and negative 2-4% in tertiary ones. (From 102,101,101,98,98 to 104,102,102,96,96: both should total 500.)

Magic and Some Guild Abilities

Four crafts among adventurers are known to be directly affected by the proportions: Magic, Khri, Inner Fire, and Speculation.

Magic, specifically, also has five skills, each of which correspond to pneumas. This correspondence overrides the previous relationship to skillsets, because specialized magic users are so strongly tied to their own spiritual distribution that the faint preference to Pathway becomes effectively negligible. Secondary magic users also have a fainter preference, naturally.

The skill of Primary Magic is evocative, and is driven by the Vibrance Pneuma.
The skill of Harness Ability is receptive, and driven by the Wellspring Pneuma.
The skill of Power Perception is perceptive, and driven by the Sight Pneuma.
The skill of Magical Devices is blending, and driven by the Splice Pneuma.
The skill of Targetted Magic is connective, and driven by the Pathway Pneuma.

Thus, Clerics have a strong preference for the Wellspring, Warrior Mages the Pathway Pneuma, and Moon Mages the Sight Pneuma. Secondary and tertiary guilds rarely exhibit similar preferences, as their usage of magic is hardly on the same level.

Four other guilds utilize spirit, if indirectly.

The Thief Guild

teaches the art of the Khri, a concentration-based ability that finds its true grounding in the blending properties of the Splice Pneuma. Fitting, as they are Survival Primary.

The Barbarian Guild

teaches meditation upon an Inner Fire, a disciplined and charismatic spirit that drives their evocative Roars and Dances, and as they are the Weapon Primary guild, it finds strength primarily from the Vibrance Pneuma.

The Trader Guild

compels its members to discern the best way to find profit, through the curious art of Speculation. Its insightful nature is motivated by the perceptive qualities of the Sight Pneuma, well suited as they are Lore Primary.

The Ranger Guild

teaches the ability of Beseech, which, to varying degrees, drains the spirit of its reservoir. While not truly affected by the distribution of their spirit, this ability drains the potency of the Splice and Vibrance pneumas the most.

There are three guilds that have not been mentioned yet. I will cover them now.

The Paladin Guild

is strong in the Wellspring Pneuma. This is interesting, as they share the manipulation of Holy Mana with the Cleric Guild, which is also strong in the Wellspring Pneuma. This property has provided them with an ideology of reception, where they are more capable of taking damage and feeling nothing than actually dishing it out.

The Bard Guild

is strong in the Sight Pneuma, as well it must be. While their magic is evocative, and their craft blending, their forte truly lies in the discernment of history in the making, of story and song, of seeing where the flagging student needs Faenella's Grace, or the bleeding adventurer Hodierna's Lilt. Well discerning are they, to see the precise differences in sound, for not all sight is in the eye, and the exacting demands of excellent and delicate instrument handling.

The Empath Guild

is also strong in the Sight Pneuma, for while their signature ability seems receptive, connective, and blending all at once, it is truly their perception of damage to the physical body that makes them unique (indeed, they can even notice a vibrant spirit!), and their perception of the pathway of transfer invisible to those untrained.