A Need is a fundamental tension in the fabric of being; an internal pressure that demands recognition and drives an Incarnation toward action.

Within ATET, Needs are not merely survival meters. They are the direct, playable expression of an Incarnation’s Anatomy. The physical requirements of the Vessel and the innate dispositions of the Psyche are the very source of these driving tensions. Needs are the voice of the body and soul, and satisfying them is the first and most fundamental story of any life.

Core Philosophy: The Anatomy of Desire

The purpose of the Need system is to ground the game’s high-minded philosophical exploration in the visceral, relatable struggle of existence. An Incarnation’s Needs are what make it fragile, and therefore, what makes its choices meaningful.

This system is built on a simple, powerful principle: Needs are generated by Components. The specific collection of biological and psychic components that make up an Incarnation’s Anatomy dictates the set of Needs it will experience.

• A [Construct] Vessel does not feel hunger; its components generate a PowerNeed.
• A Psyche with a powerful attunement to [community] will generate a profound BelongingNeed.

This ensures that every Incarnation’s struggle for survival and well-being is unique and deeply personal, a direct reflection of what it is made of.

Gameplay Function

The Need system serves several critical gameplay functions:

• Driving Action: Needs are the most common source for the emergent generation of Goals and Quests. An unmet Need creates a powerful motivation for the agent to change its situation.
• Creating Vulnerability and Stakes: Needs are the primary source of an Incarnation’s vulnerability. An agent can be powerful and intelligent, but if its Vessel generates an OxygenNeed, it is still beholden to the integrity of a hull.
• Shaping Perception: The state of an Incarnation’s Needs directly influences the Subjective Interface.
  • An agent with a critical SustenanceNeed might perceive potential food sources as glowing with a more vibrant, alluring light.
  • An agent with a critical SafetyNeed might experience auditory hallucinations or find their view of the world tinged with paranoia.
• Defining a Life: The unique set of Needs generated by an Incarnation’s Anatomy defines its entire mode of being, creating fundamentally different playstyles and challenges.

The Anatomical Origins of Needs

Needs in ATET are diverse and are categorized by their origin within the Incarnation’s Anatomy.

• Physiological Needs (Generated by the Vessel) These are the most familiar, tied to the biological or mechanical realities of a physical body. They are generated by the Core Morphology and the physical components of the Vessel.

  • Examples:
    • SustenanceNeed: Generated by most organic Core Morphologies.
    • HydrationNeed: As above.
    • RestNeed: Generated by biological components requiring downtime.
    • PowerNeed: Generated by a [Construct] Core Morphology.
    • MaintenanceNeed: Generated by mechanical components that degrade over time.
    • OxygenNeed, MethaneNeed, RadiationNeed: Generated by specific components that define the required atmospheric or environmental conditions for the Vessel to function.

• Psychological Needs (Generated by the Psyche) These relate to the mental and social well-being of a sapient mind. They are generated by the Psychic Components in the Psyche, based on their Archetype, Strength, and Valence.

  • Examples:
    • SafetyNeed (freedom from fear): A baseline need for most Psyches, but its intensity can be modified by attunements to [fear] or [caution].
    • BelongingNeed (community, companionship): Generated by a high-strength attunement to the [community] or [solidarity] Archetype.
    • EsteemNeed (respect, recognition): Generated by an attunement to [pride] or [achievement].
    • PurposeNeed (a reason to strive): Generated by a high-strength attunement to any Archetype with a strong positive valence, representing the soul’s need to express its core nature.

• Metaphysical Needs (Generated by the Psyche) These are higher-order Needs unique to the ATET universe, often emerging from more unusual or advanced Psychic Components. They relate to the Incarnation’s understanding of its own narrative and place in the cosmos.

  • Examples:
    • NarrativeCoherenceNeed: Generated by a Psyche highly attuned to [logic] or [order]. This Incarnation suffers psychological stress when its worldview is contradicted.
    • SilenceNeed: Generated by a Psyche with a negative valence towards [meaning] or [perception], as seen in the Lacuna. The Incarnation feels a need to be unobserved and unremarkable.
    • EidicPurityNeed: Generated by a Psyche with an extremely high-strength attunement to a single Archetype. The Incarnation feels a compulsion to act in perfect alignment with that ideal.

Design Intent

Why this system exists:

• To provide a constant, organic source of motivation for both players and NPCs, grounded directly in their being.
• To ensure that even in a high-concept universe, the player’s experience is grounded in relatable, felt pressures.
• To mechanically reinforce the pillar of a Subjective Interface by making an Incarnation’s internal state directly affect its perception of the world.
• To make the act of creating an Incarnation a profound choice, where the selection of anatomical components directly defines the struggles and desires of the life to be lived.