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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dakkareth" data-source="post: 1858663" data-attributes="member: 9928">My take (IMC): Your body is the physical matrix, within which mind(spirit) and soul exist. It allows beings to influence their surroundings, keeps the three parts together and lets the soul come into being. (Attributes tied to the body are strength, constitution (physical hardiness) and physical dexterity (nimble fingers))The spirit is the sum of all conscious thought. Intentions, knowledge and will all are properties of the spirit as are emotions. Beings without a spirit are mindless and without control of their bodies. (Attributes tied to the spirit are Intelligence, Dexterity(fine control of movements) and the experience/insight aspect of wisdom).The soul is what makes you a living being. It's the sum of all processes of life within your body and fuels the energies of the spirit. It's a pattern of life-force, that lets emotions burn brighter and gifts intuitive understanding. (Attributes tied to the soul are the intuition/strength of character aspect of wisdom, constitution(recovery and resistance to magic) and charisma)Body + Soul + Spirit = Living beingBody + Spirit = 'Undead'Body + Soul = Mindless Entity (oozes)Soul + Spirit = advanced, incorporeal being*Spirit = Incorporeal 'Undead', ancestral and guiding spirits, gods***such entities have transcended the need for a body through their understanding of the cosmos. Often they are as far above humans as humans are above fishes - not wholly different, but still much more. Some are no more than incorporeal human minds while others dwarf the gods of humanity as they dwarf a mortal, non-intelligent animal.**While gods technically fall into this category as they are made of the stuff of believe, the stuff of the outer planes, they don't count as undead.The consequences:Magic is the manipulation of mental energy, a matter of the spirit. It taps into the reservoirs of spirit energy that are the planes and shapes it.Psionics abilities tap into the life-force that is the soul. Only those strong in mind and soul can attempt to utilize these miniscule forces and apply them in the right place, where a small nudge can move a mountain.There is no such thing as 'undead' in the usual thing. Death means oblivion for almost all intents and purposes, not shambling about as zombies. Bodies animated by strong forces of the spirit (including magic) are often titled as undead for their appearance, even though it isn't true. Liches are wizards, who power their failing bodies entirely by magic without the invigoration of a soul. This is an extreme stadium however, which they are forced into after centuries. Most people extending their life-span experience only a gradual diminishing of their life-force as force of will takes over. Only the very strongest of spirits can exist entirely without a body to use as physical matrix.When a being dies, the three parts of its existance go separate ways. The body decomposes. The soul dissipates, returns its energy to the life that birthed it or maybe flees to some hidden dimension - not even the greatest of necromancers agree on this. The spirit likewise dissipates without structure to support it and life to empower it. In some cases however, mostly with powerful sorcerers, the spirit manages to endure by tapping into external sources of energy and being forced into a vicious circle of dependance, weakening and dissolution.True Necromancy being the blending of sorcery (spirit) and psionics (soul) deals with the matters of the truly dead, the manipulation of the soul and convertion between spiritual and life energy. The number of entities versed in this much reviled art and source of incredible power is seldom greater than two or three on any given continent of a normal world and even then it's mostly tidbits and small (but scary) 'tricks'. Those beings composed only of mind and soul excel at this discipline; gods, having no souls can't employ it (which is of course, why it is so hated in most lands).</blockquote>

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