Elementalism Clarified, Part II: Associations

Revised format and content on 2/8/09

One of the limiting factors on Elemental magic is the natural affinities and oppositions among the Elements themselves, which restricts the types of elemental combinations that can be attempted by sorcerers.

Compatible Associations: Diads and Triads
The neighboring elements shown in the Elements diagram are compatible. This means:

• They can be used in conjunction with each other without causing harmful interference patterns that disrupt magic.
• They share similar symbolic languages, meaning that mastering one compatible Element gives a sorcerer insight into mastering one of its partners.
  

The most common compatible association is the diad. Typical diads include the magical Smith's use of Fire and Metal, the Miner's mystic connection to Earth and Metal, or the Architect's sorcerous talent for shaping Earth and Wood.

Triads are more complex and less common. A true Storm Wizard manipulates Electricity, Air, and Rain, for example. Mastering and balancing a trio of Elements requires talent (in the form of a very flexible mind), study, and practice. These limits do not apply to Dragons! Mature Dragons frequently master Triads; Elder Dragons can master as many elements as they care to study.

Whether Diad or Triad, most sorcerers who wield multiple elements are dominant in one and weaker in the others.

Here are the Primary Triads (so named because they are centered on one of the four Prime Elements, and thus have a stronger synergy):

• Air, Electricity, and Rain
• Fire, Electricity, and Metal
• Earth, Metal, and Wood
• Water, Wood, and Rain

Here are the Secondary Triads (because they are centered on a secondary element that mixes two other prime elements, and have less synergy as a result):

• Electricity, Fire, and Air
• Metal, Fire, and Earth
• Wood, Earth, and Water
• Rain, Water, and Air
  

Incompatible Associations: Oppositions
Elements on opposite sides of the diagram are incompatible. They can be used only to destroy or weaken their opposing element, not to combine with it. For example, Fire and Water are incompatible.

Elements can also be secondarily incompatible. For example, Fire is also incompatible to a lesser degree with Rain and Wood, which form a Triad with Water. One person cannot manipulate these Elements at the same time, and even group efforts are limited, because:

• They will cause disruptive interference patterns if present and active in the same location.
• They are based on very different symbolic languages that a human-level intellect cannot comprehend simultaneously. Remember, even mastering a compatible Diad or Triad is a rare gift.

Again, these limitations do not apply as strongly to Dragons. In particular, Elder Dragons are capable of truly remarkable Elemental combinations, though they must manage the resulting interference with great care.

The Prime Oppositions are:

• Fire vs. Water
• Earth vs. Air

The Secondary Oppositions are:

• Fire vs. Water, Rain, and Wood
• Earth vs. Air, Electricity, and Rain
• Air vs. Metal, Earth, and Wood
• Water vs. Electricity, Fire, and Metal

The Tertiary Oppositions are:

• Metal vs. Air, Rain, and Water
• Wood vs. Fire, Electricity, and Air
• Rain vs. Fire, Metal, and Earth
• Electricity vs. Earth, Wood, and Water
  

Other Limitations
If you are Bound to an Element, you cannot manipulate any other elements except those directly related to your chosen Element, and even then you do so at a serious penalty. You have immersed yourself in the symbolism and world view of one elemental form and have difficulty stepping outside of that.

In general, the greater the elemental versatility available to a magic user, the less the intensity of any individual elemental effect. That is, a Firebound individual of equal skill to a Smith is going to be able to produce more intense Fire-related effects than the Smith.

A skilled sorcerer can produce dramatic synergistic effects by blending together compatible elemental forces, however.

The Special Case of Spirit
Manipulating the fundamental, intangible Element of Spirit is a completely different discpline and art than manipulating the Forces and Matter of the other Elements. It is not a technique studied or mastered by the Dragons or their human scions, but it is the foundation of the magic of the Celestial Empire.

Elementalism Clarified, Part I: Spirit and Elementals

Aaron's comment on the previous post made me think about expressing the elemental concept more clearly. All Elements are tied to Spirit, which gives them a connection to living beings, which provides an avenue for communicating with and manipulating elemental forces.

The Role of Spirit
The underlying idea is that Spirit connects all the elements that represent matter and forces in the physical world--something similar to the 18th century concept of the ether, an intangible substance/energy form surrounding and flowing through objects.

Humans and other self-aware beings (including most higher animals) have souls that bind Spirit energies into intricate patterns (Soul-Knots) that store and process information, producing perception, intelligence, and insight.

Elementals are manifestations of the physical forces and energies in the world that also contain Spirit binding patterns, but of a less complex and more focused nature. As a generalization, Elementals tend toward expressing themselves and interpreting the world in terms of emotion, intuition, or will as opposed to rational thought.

Over the centuries, as beings with souls have died, fragments of many of those souls have become linked to Elemental patterns with which they shared an affinity. The result has been a gradual increase in the "personality" and awareness expressed by Elementals with multiple soul fragments forming a sort of gestalt identity within their pattern. Some have hypothesized that the increased practice of Elemental Bonding (see below) will result in Elementals acquiring more and more characteristics of humans, perhaps eventually becoming fully sentient beings in a rational sense. The impact of such a transformation is unknown.

Manipulating Elementals
It is by creating connections between these Spirit patterns (their own and those of the targeted Elemental) that humans and other intelligent beings communicate with Elementals. To facilitate a more powerful and coherent connection, a person has two choices.

• First, they can build up a familiarity with the Elementals of a specific location over time. This can involve repeated rituals and sacrifices, as well as regular mental exercises and visualizations to attune ones' self with the Elementals. The goal is twofold: enhance one's ability to empathize with the desires and perceptions of the Elementals and to insert ones' own pattern into what passes for Elemental memory.
• The second, more drastic option involves a person bonding him or herself with a particular Element, attuning their personal pattern to be more compatible with that of the Element they have chosen. Think of this as increasing both the bandwidth of the Spirit connection and improving the quality of the symbolic language used to communicate. At this level one can communicate with and control Elementals of the proper type in any given location. However, the price paid for this power includes physical and mental transformation of the bonded person.

Of Human Bondage
What follows is a brief description of the physical effects of elemental binding. Waterbound people grow very fat and though graceful may tire easily on land, but move with seal-like ease in the water. Firebound individuals have very little body fat, with a dry, leathery texture to their skin (like a person with too much sun exposure, except they are not necessarily tan!). They also become infertile. Airbound people shrivel to skin and bone, and their bones themselves become more fragile. Earthbound people have stiffer joints and develop various fungal and mossy growths on their bodies.

Elemental Schema

Modified Post on 2/8/09: uploaded corrected image, updated format.


I wanted a new way of looking at elements for my fantasy setting that would incorporate all the elements I was interested in while also showing their relationships. Hence the graphic above.

The Scheme
I've been playing around with a way of classifying some of the classical elements alongside other elemental forces that seem significant to me. I've looked at sources like The Magician's Companion and Real Energy, among others. Still, the traditional western and Chinese elemental categories weren't quite satisfying to me.

The four classical elements are presented in their classic wheel formation. In between each neighboring primary elements on the wheel is a secondary element formed from a mixture of the two elements bordering it.

For example, Rain (which includes all precipitation) sits between Air and Water because it shares properties of both. Wood shares properties of Water and Earth, Metal shares properties of Earth and Fire, and Electricity (understood here as electromagnetism) shares properties of Fire and Air.

At the center of everything, interwoven with it on a quantum level, is the immaterial element of Spirit.

I feel pretty satisfied with this as a model organizing the basic "real world" forms of Forces and Matter that can be easily observed and distinguished from other types, with Spirit representing the essence that is perceived only indirectly by most.

I also think I can fit it into my fantasy setting very cleanly and that it will help me visualize and define the forms of elemental magic available and their interrelationships.