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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haldrik" data-source="post: 8055114" data-attributes="member: 6694221">I am interested in exploring how the Four Elements relate to the Arcane power source. This requires sorting out the concepts that relate to each of the four. Different cultures and different systems have used the elements as a simple way to organize complex principles. So the meanings of each element depends on which system one is looking at. Systems can conflict with each other, so correspondences between systems can be ambiguous.The Four Elementals are always Five. But the "Fifth Element" is unchanging, thus may or may not be mentioned when describing the interactivity of the four elements that do change.The Five Elements originate from Hellenistic philosophy, as part of thought experiments relating to fundamental unit of matter, the atom. Some philosophies understood everything to be made out of water. Others proposed fire. The tradition here settles on five distinct units.• Ether (clean air above the clouds)• Water• Fire• Air (hazy air of atmosphere, combining watery moisture, and fiery heat and lightning, plus earthy atmospheric dust)• EarthIn this early system, the ether corresponds to the "heavens" above all, while the earth corresponds to the "land" down below. By extension, this ether is pure and unchanging. Precisely because ether cannot change, it is often unmentioned when describing the four elements that do change and do interact with each other. Yet the ether itself is notable. Since the ether is unchanging, it is understood as perfect, eternal, immortal, transcendent. Immortal creatures are sometimes understood to be made out of ether.Some systems understand all things to ultimately be made out of ether (similar to how moderns might think of all matter to be made out of energy). Within the temporality of time, ether can divide up into the four elements. But these four temporal elements interact within the eternal ether beyond.By the time of the Medieval Period, roughly around 1100, Rambam (aka Maimonides) describes the five elements in a way that anticipates modern science. These are not atoms, but rather they are states of matter that various kinds of atoms can undergo: solid, gas, plasma (namely sun, stars, and lightning), and liquid. The fifth element is unlike the other four elements. The fifth element is invisible and insubstantial. He calls it "force", and describes it as the gravity that holds the wandering planets in orbit.(It amazes me how people can arrive at such accurate descriptions by means of cautious observations and thought experiments.)These four states of matter, plus force, are a useful way to make sense of the five elements in their most literal and concrete meaning.This protoscience corresponds well to the Arcane power source.The immortal qualities of the element of ether inspire alchemists to speculate how to become immortal. Gods then angels come to be understood as made out of ether. Those who ascend to heaven are ethereal. Eventually, alchemists equate ether with the "immortal soul". Thus by extension, in some alchemical processes, the conscious mindful intention of the alchemist is the ethereal ingredient that makes the process work. Also by extension, alchemy uses "life" as the ethereal ingredient, especially in the sense of healing, medicine, and eternal youth.Thus in D&D, the mechanics to describe the fifth element seem variegated: ether, ethereal plane, force construct, force damage, magical/psionic/arcane energy, conjuration, healing, lifeforce, ki, soul, and even concentration.Moreover, the immortal qualities of ether make the Ethereal Plane and the Astral Wheel of Planes moreorless the same thing. Plus, both the Positivity Plane (in the sense of all things) and the Negativity Plane (in the sense of no thing) can be understood as "ether".So there is still more sorting out to do.Meanwhile, Daoism in Asia is developing its own system of elements, and its own alchemical protoscience. It is mainly informed by binary structure to elegant effect. The main difference is, Daoist elements are ways of moving (not kinds of substances). Thus soil and empty space are the same thing because both are motionless. Tree and air are the same thing because both expand outward to encompass other elements. And so on. When the Hellenistic elements come to be understood as states of matter, there is surprising agreement between ways of moving and kinds of substance. Likewise, the force of gravity corresponds well to the Daoist/Buddhist concept of empty space.The following is my attempt to correspond different systems that refer to the five elements. The sixth element sotospeak is when the all of the elements are in harmony with each other. Here, a Human is the measure of all things. When the elements are in harmony, each level of human life becomes possible. For D&D, this means any Humanoid.<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td>HARMONY / HUMAN</td><td>ETHER / SOIL</td><td>EARTH / METAL</td><td>AIR / TREE</td><td>FIRE</td><td>WATER</td></tr><tr><td>Enlightenment</td><td>Consciousness</td><td>Desire</td><td>Share</td><td>Detach</td><td>Give</td></tr><tr><td>Spirit</td><td>Language</td><td>Pragmatism</td><td>Inclusiveness</td><td>Justice</td><td>Compassion</td></tr><tr><td>Soul</td><td>Life</td><td>Withdrawn</td><td>Expansive</td><td>Hostile</td><td>Helpful</td></tr><tr><td>BODY</td><td>FORCE</td><td>SOLID</td><td>GAS</td><td>PLASMA</td><td>LIQUID</td></tr></table>Tinkering with the above table, consider the following sources of magic.<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td>SOURCE</td><td></td><td>ETHER</td><td>HARMONY</td><td>PLANE</td></tr><tr><td>Psionic </td><td>(Mindfulness)</td><td>Consciousness</td><td>Enlightenment</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Divine</td><td>(Symbols, Concepts, Ideals)</td><td>Language</td><td>Spirit</td><td>Astral, Celestial, Infernal, Dream</td></tr><tr><td>Primal</td><td>(Ki, Humanoid, Beast, Plant, Environment)</td><td>Life</td><td>Soul</td><td>Natural, Fey, Shadow</td></tr><tr><td>Arcane </td><td>(Protoscience, Spell Components)</td><td>Force</td><td>Body</td><td>Ethereal, Elemental</td></tr></table>Actually, Psionics looks more like the application of the element of Ether itself, directly, at different levels.<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td>ETHER</td><td>= PSIONIC</td></tr><tr><td>Consciousness</td><td>= Clairvoyance, Teleportation</td></tr><tr><td>Language</td><td>= Telepathy, Charm, Dream</td></tr><tr><td>Life</td><td>= Psychometabolism (Shapeshift, Heal), Ki</td></tr><tr><td>Force</td><td>= Telekinesis, Fly, Force Construct</td></tr></table>So, Arcane is horizontal including all five elements (Force, Earth, Air, Fire, Water), but Psionic is vertical including Force only.</blockquote>

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