The Generative Engines of the Soul

A Psychic Component is the fundamental, archetypal building block of the non-physical Psyche. Where a Genetic Component defines a tangible function of the body, a Psychic Component defines a generative source of personality, belief, and potential. It is not a static trait, like “Charismatic” or “Intelligent.” It is a dynamic engine that actively produces the behaviors, motivations, and social auras that constitute an Incarnation’s inner self.

This document outlines the design philosophy of Psychic Components and defines the core facets of their structure from a designer’s point of view.

Core Philosophy: The Soul as a System

Psychic Components are built on the philosophy of making the abstract playable. They transform the complex, often intangible concepts of personality and worldview into a clear, interactive, and mechanically significant system.

The core principle is that a Psychic Component is a generator, not a trait. It does not describe what an Incarnation is; it defines the thematic forces that dictate what it is constantly becoming. By combining a few simple inputs: an Archetype, its intensity, and the emotional relationship to it; the system can generate a vast spectrum of nuanced and often contradictory personalities.

The Anatomy of a Psychic Component

From a design perspective, a Psychic Component has one core generative facet and four primary outputs. The core is the engine; the outputs are what that engine produces to shape the playable character.

1. The Core Generator: The Valence & Attunement Model

This three-part structure is the heart of every Psychic Component. It is the set of inputs that drives the entire personality engine.

• Archetype: The core narrative concept or Symbol Tag the component is attuned to (e.g., [order], [nature], [logic], [community]).
• Strength: (0.0 to 1.0) The intensity of this attunement. A high Strength means this Archetype is a dominant, defining feature of the Psyche.
• Valence: (-1.0 to +1.0) The nature of the relationship to the Archetype. Positive Valence implies reverence, love, or aspiration. Negative Valence implies fear, resentment, or trauma.

2. Output: Belief Generation

A Psychic Component is a primary source of an Incarnation’s foundational Beliefs and Faiths, directly seeding the AgentBeliefStore.

• Mechanism: The Archetype, Strength, and Valence of the component combine to create a core, high-strength Belief. The Valence dictates the emotional flavor and content of this Belief.
• Example: A component with { Archetype:[order], Strength:0.9, Valence:+0.8 } generates a powerful Faith that “Justice and structure are the highest virtues.” A component with { Archetype:[order], Strength:0.9, Valence:-0.8 } generates a paranoid Faith that “Control is the only path to survival from chaos.”

3. Output: Need Generation

A component’s attunement can generate innate psychological or metaphysical Needs, providing a constant source of motivation.

• Mechanism: A high-strength attunement to a specific Archetype can manifest as a fundamental drive.
• Example: A component with a strong, positive attunement to [community] will generate a powerful BelongingNeed. A component with a strong negative attunement to [servitude] might generate a constant FreedomNeed.

4. Output: Skill & Ability Generation

A component’s nature directly influences an Incarnation’s innate talents and unique capabilities.

• Mechanism: The attunement can provide an Aptitude (an increased learning rate) for related Skills or grant unique psychic Abilities.
• Example: An attunement to [logic] provides an Aptitude for Science and Engineering. A strong, positive attunement to [empathy] might grant the active [Ability: Sense Emotions].

5. Output: Social Tag Generation

A component projects a social “aura,” a set of tags that NPCs can perceive and react to, directly linking the Psyche to the Social Simulation.

• Mechanism: The combination of Archetype and Valence is translated into a readable social signal.
• Example: { Archetype:[order], Valence:+0.8 } generates the [social:honorable] and [social:disciplined] tags. { Archetype:[order], Valence:-0.8 } generates the [social:authoritarian] and [social:rigid] tags.

Putting It All Together: An Example Component

This framework allows a single, simple component to generate a rich suite of interconnected, playable traits.

Design Intent

This generative model for the Psyche’s components is designed to:

• Make Personality Playable: Transform abstract concepts like “personality” into a clear, interactive system with direct and emergent gameplay consequences.
• Drive Internal Conflict: Create a fertile ground for emergent narrative by allowing for the creation of Psyches with harmonious or deeply contradictory components, making internal struggle a core mechanic.
• Ground the Metaphysical: Provide a clear, systemic link between an Incarnation’s soul-nature and its tangible beliefs, needs, and social identity.
• Empower the Eidolon Loop: Make the act of crafting a new Psyche in the Eidolon phase a profound creative choice, where the player is literally selecting the core themes and internal conflicts for their next life’s story.