Terms
What is Psine?
Psine (pronounce—sign) or Psion Nexus Energy is the foundational energy source for all psions, drawing on physical, mental, and spiritual energy.
In some cultures across Kepler, Psine is referred to using various different names like Mana or Essence.
A Psion (Mage, Blessed or Gifted) is any human being on Kepler that can use psinecraft or has psine running through their body.
While all individuals who have psine running through their bodies are formally classified as psions, they are biologically divided into two distinct groups based on how their bodies sustain and generate it:
Espers
Espers are the standard biological baseline. They generate, channel, and recover psine naturally through their own physical, mental, and spiritual stamina.
They do not require external biological fuel to utilize their abilities.
Strigois
Strigois are a specialized, totemic subgroup of psions. Unlike espers, a strigoi’s Psine network is biologically or spiritually linked to a specific animal or mythical creature known as a Totem.
Because of this mutation, they require the consumption of blood to either power their abilities or physically survive.
For detailed strigoi mutations, see the Strigois and Genetic Subgroups of Kepler .
In the study of psinecraft, an Affinity is the innate, biological, or spiritual attunement a psion possesses toward a specific element, material, concept, or physical state.
While a psion’s Class dictates how they use their power, their Affinity dictates what medium their power can interact with.
Affinities are highly individualized or genetically passed down. They can range from common elemental properties such as water or fire to highly abstract concepts such as kinetic force, spatial density, or vector trajectories.
The Four Psinecraft Classes
Psinecraft, also called Magecraft, Gifts, or Blessings across Kepler, is divided into four fixed classes. Each class possesses specific sub-classes that determine how a psion interacts with their affinity.
Manipulators control existing things.
| Sub-Class | Function |
|---|---|
| Control Manipulator | They require an active sustained psine link to direct their Affinity into a path. Users often grow heavy reliance on fetters. |
| Program Manipulator | They channel their psine into their affinity using physical contact in order to activate the ability on objects, animals, or people according to their intended design. |
Strengths: Grants continuous, directed, and flexible control over an affinity.
Weaknesses: Requires an active sustaining psine link and heavy reliance on fetters; if the link is severed, all active effects collapse instantly.
Programmed Manipulation
Strengths: Efficient “fire-and-forget” utility requiring only a brief physical touch to activate. If the user is tactical enough they can set complex traps.
Weaknesses: Traps can be prone to misfire or being slightly off-timing. The intended design is completely rigid and cannot be altered or redirected once set in motion.
Manifesters bring things into existence.
| Sub-Class | Function |
|---|---|
| Hard-Drive Manifester | Permanent and cannot be controlled remotely after being manifested. It does not disappear after the user releases their psine. Extremely draining. |
| Flash-Point Manifester | Temporary and can be controlled remotely after being manifested. It disappears after the user releases their Psine. |
Strengths: Constructs are permanent, remaining in existence even after the user stops channeling Psine.
Weaknesses: Requires a much higher initial psine cost; constructs cannot be controlled or manipulated remotely once they are forged.
Flash-Point Manifestation
Strengths: Highly cost-effective regarding psine reserves; constructs can be controlled remotely after being created.
Weaknesses: Constructs are strictly temporary and vanish the exact moment the user releases their psine focus.
Modifiers alter the state, property, or function of existing things.
| Sub-Class | Function |
|---|---|
| Practical Modifier | Able to modify their affinity based on its availability within their immediate surroundings. |
| Conceptual Modifier | Can modify anything into their affinity but requires physical contact. |
Strengths: Can be cast dynamically via proximity or a psine link without needing direct physical contact.
Weaknesses: Highly dependent on the environmental availability of their affinity; they can alter existing elements but cannot transmute foreign materials into their affinity.
Conceptual Modification
Strengths: Grants unrestricted transmutation; users can convert absolutely anything they touch (including air, enemies, or themselves) into their affinity.
Weaknesses: Strictly requires direct physical contact to activate the ability.
Moderators enforce rules or laws upon things or themselves.
| Sub-Class | Function |
|---|---|
| Imposing Law Moderator | The user is the one imposing the law based on their affinity. |
| Imposed Law Moderator | The law is imposed by the ability itself, but the user has to abide by the conditions required for activation. The consequences of using an imposed law ability will affect even the user if not circumnavigated properly. |
Strengths: Reality directly obeys the user’s commands, granting immense, oppressive control over their affinity.
Weaknesses: Can be overpowered by opponents with superior psine and willpower; users are often limited by a specific thresholds or their own arrogance.
Imposed Law
Strengths: Grants absolute authority; once the conditions are met, the established law cannot be broken or overpowered, even by vastly superior psine.
Weaknesses: Requires strict, complex setup conditions and sometimes applies the rules to the user as well; denying the setup renders the user powerless.
Advanced Concepts
Inherent Side Effects
High-tier, reality-bending abilities are rare and some may cause adverse effects on the user.
Activation Conditions
All abilities have an activation condition which is a prerequisite to casting a technique or channeling psine externally.
All abilities must first be activated before being cast. Casting conditions aren’t required to cast an ability, but psine reserves are.
Therefore, psine reserves are one activation condition that all psions have, but many psions have multiple other prerequisites to meet before they can use their ability.
Casting Conditions / Fetters
Most psions subconsciously limit their own power through mental crutches like spoken chants or specific gestures.
These conditions can be used to advance, control output, or protect the user’s body, but can be bypassed altogether.
Bypassing or altering these limiters instantly changes the speed, power, or shape of the ability or technique.
The most common casting conditions are the use of wands and incantations, or calling the name of the technique or ability through autosuggestion.
Examples
- Elsa Alfson 🎨: “Brushstroke one.”
- Julius Aurelius 👑: “Kneel to the Great One.”
- Milica Paole 🐉: “Sacred Hidden Dragon.”
The Three States
Psinecraft has three States of Use.
A psion’s emotional and physical focus dictates how efficiently they use their Psine.
Relaxed State
Everyday, casual use. Calm, practical, and stable, but lacks the raw power of the Disturbed State or the efficiency of the Flow State.
Flow State
The mind and body synchronize perfectly. Output, speed, and efficiency spike exponentially.
Psine reserves are used more effectively, and the ability becomes more refined, but at the cost of faster physical and mental exhaustion.
The great high in Flow State may lead to a greater low in Relaxed State.
Disturbed State
Triggered by extreme trauma, pain, or fear.
It grants explosive, raw access to a user’s absolute maximum power, but completely strips away control, often burning the user out.
A psion grows stronger through two distinct, intersecting paths: Lateral Evolution and Vertical Evolution.
Lateral Evolution
Precision & Application
This is growth through intellect and scientific or psychological understanding.
A psion applies their base rule to new, highly complex mediums. These mediums and variations in use are called Techniques.
Vertical Evolution
The Six Grades
This measures the absolute magnitude and scale of a psion’s output.
Ascending in grade does not give a psion new powers. It only increases the scale of their original power.
| Grade | Scale | % of Psion Population |
|---|---|---|
| Tool | Non-combat utility such as navigation and detection. | 56.88% |
| Weapons | Standard offensive combat. | 35.05% |
| Siege | Capable of destroying buildings and infrastructure. | 8.06% |
| Military | Capable of flattening cities or controlling entire battlefields. | 0.00032% |
| Nuclear | Capable of altering continental geography or physics. | 0.000008% |
| Zenith | Mythological tier. Capable of reshaping global reality, universal laws, and all of human consciousness. | 0% |
Magnum Opus
Magnum Opus is the absolute pinnacle of a psion’s understanding and mastery of their ability.
It can be anything and usually is a projection of their ultimate understanding of their ability into a complex and sprawling phenomenon.
Neural Engram Encoded Tools
NEETs (Neural Engram Encoded Tools), also known as Psine Artifacts, are objects forged through the sacrifice and binding of Psine.
A user can forge an item with their psine, binding it to a preexisting object with the sacrifice of psine production from their body or even their entire psine reserves.
A user can even go as far as sacrificing their Psinecore, which is bound to their own life essence.
This creates an artifact that is more powerful than the psion during their lifetime, but kills them in the process.
This allows the user to create something that outlives them and can remain useful to their allies.