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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cheiromancer" data-source="post: 1515908" data-attributes="member: 141">IIRC the theory about the qualities of the four elements went like this:Earth was cold and dry,Water was cold and wet,Air was hot and wet,Fire was hot and dry.So there aren't any elements or planes based on hot, dry, cold or wet, but these concepts/principals are lurking in the background, so to speak.There is another theory (based on hebrew mysticism, I think), that postulated only three elements: fire, air and water.  All fluids, you'll note.  Earth is basically a composite.  In that theory you'd need another principle to explain why some things are inert and passive (like earth) and others are active.I'm wondering if you could have three basic kinds of energy (air, water and heat),which combine pairwise to form the energy types familiar to DnD, and then several kinds of matter (earth): e.g.heat/water: acidwater/air: coldair/heat: lightningheat/heat: fireair/air: sonicwater/water: forceThe last could use some explaining; perhaps that solidity is due to force.  Of the three "energy elements," only water is capable of taking on a solid state.  And generally only when cold is applied; but that is diluted water (water mixed with air). "Earth" instead of being one solid (and non-energetic) element, might also be three: In medieval alchemy they recognized sulphur, salt and quicksilver as being the fundamental building blocks of most solids.  Again you would probably combine these pair-wise to produce various planes.  Varying degrees of energy might produce others; the geometry of the planes might only allow certain combinations.  Let's see:salt/salt= saltquicksilver/quicksilver= metalsulphur/sulphur= wood (?)salt/quicksilver= stonesalt/sulphur = ash (?)quicksilver/sulphur = magnetismThese have associated energy effects, too; drawing from above.Metal; electricity and acid (rust?)Magnetism: electricity and forceWood: ? and ?ash: fire and coldsalt: sonic and force?stone: fire (magma) and acid?I'm basically picturing two discs, one over the other.  The upper disc consists of the "energy planes"- fire, air and water.  Energy effects (fire, cold, acid, etc.) are common here.  Evokers tap into these energy effects.Below are the "solid" planes of salt, stone, metal, magnetism, wood and ash.  They attract energy effects from the upper disc, but are basically stable.</blockquote>

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