The Crafting Interface is the physical and virtual space where an Incarnation’s knowledge is made manifest. It is a diegetic, interactive experience, grounded in the specific Crafting Station being used. The player does not enter a menu; the camera zooms in, and the world itself becomes the workspace.

The Philosophy: A Physical Conversation with Matter

The interface for crafting is built on the principle of diegetic interaction. The act of creation is a physical process, and the UI is a set of tools overlaid directly onto that process. The quality, precision, and even the “personality” of the interface are a direct function of the station itself, from a rusty, sparking workbench in a scavenger’s hovel to a pristine, holographic bio-forge in a Hegemony lab.

The Anatomy of a Diegetic Interface

Initiating a craft at a station triggers a focused camera transition, making the station and the object-in-progress the central actors on the screen. The interface elements appear as holographic projections or physical readouts integrated into the scene.

Part 1: The Blueprint (The Projected Schematic)

The “recipe” is a schematic projected by the station into the workspace. Its fidelity is a direct reflection of both the station’s quality and the Incarnation’s understanding.

• A Rudimentary Workbench: The blueprint might be a flickering, low-resolution projection, with some component slots marked [DATA CORRUPTED] if the character’s skill is too low to fully comprehend the design.
• A Masterwork Forge: The blueprint is a sharp, stable, 3D hologram that can be rotated and examined, with the station’s own analytics highlighting potential structural weaknesses or points of material synergy.

Part 2: The Palette (The Physical Materials)

The materials for the craft are not abstract icons in a grid. They are represented as physical objects in the scene; laid out on the bench, held in robotic clamps, or floating in anti-grav containers.

• Interaction: The player selects materials by clicking on them in the 3D space, dragging them to the appropriate slot on the holographic blueprint.
• Subjective Overlays: The passive overlays of the Subjective Interface remain active. A character with a Faith that reveres nature will see a piece of [Ancient Heartwood] emitting a gentle, sacred glow on the workbench. A piece of forbidden tech might arc with faint, sinister energy.

Part 3: The Weaving (The Interactive Process)

This is where the player performs the act of creation. The UI is overlaid directly onto the physical model of the object being crafted or the machine doing the work.

• Standard Crafting: When forging a sword, UI sliders for [Temperature] or [Pressure] might appear next to the physical knobs on the forge itself. The player adjusts the craft by interacting with the station’s controls.
• Vessel-Weaving: This is the ultimate expression of the diegetic interface.
  • The Scene: The camera shows a dramatic animation of the Incarnation being placed into a complex surgical bay or augmentation frame.
  • The Interface: The component slots for the Vessel are overlaid directly onto the character’s body within the machine. To install a [Bionic Forearm], the player drags the component onto their character’s arm.
  • The Controls: Adjusting the calibration might involve turning a virtual dial that corresponds to a physical laser emitter on the surgical rig. The success or failure of the operation is a tense, visceral, and directly observable event.

The Influence of the Crafter

The Incarnation’s own body and soul are a constant presence in the process.

• The Vessel’s Flaws: A character with a [Haywire Limb] will see their own physical arm on screen twitch and sputter during a delicate part of the crafting process, potentially causing a mini-game failure or a flaw in the final product.
• The Psyche’s Judgment: An Incarnation with a deep-seated belief against [violence] will find the holographic blueprint for a Weapon tinged with a disturbing red, and the process might be accompanied by the faint sound of a pained whisper, a constant reminder of their internal conflict.

Design Intent

This diegetic approach to the crafting interface is designed to:

• Create a grounded and tactile sense of creation, deeply immersing the player in the physical act.
• Leverage the 3D world to its full potential, making the environment an integral part of the UI.
• Make the choice of crafting station a meaningful one, as the station itself defines the quality of the player’s experience.
• Provide a powerful and visceral stage for the high-stakes drama of Vessel-Weaving.