The Consumptive Self

To Experience is to Become.

Core Concept

Beings whose physical form is a literal mosaic of their experiences. They embody the idea that “you are what you eat,” but on a metaphysical and symbolic level. Their creative agency is expressed through their “diet.”

Physiology & Biology

An Amalgam begins life as a simple, protoplasmic, and highly adaptable entity. Their unique biology allows them to incorporate the physical and Eidic traits of things they consume. After consuming the heartwood of a sentient tree, their skin might take on a bark-like texture and they might gain a Belief in patience. After consuming a crystalline entity, their bones might become stronger and they might gain the ability to resonate at certain frequencies. Their form is a living chronicle of their journey.

Psychology & Society (Faith / Fiction)

Core Faith: They believe that the universe is a banquet of potential selves, and the only way to truly understand something is to make it a part of you. Stagnation and a limited diet are a form of spiritual death.

Core Fiction: Their cultural heroes are not warriors or kings, but “Epicures”—explorers who have tasted a thousand different realities and whose bodies are magnificent, chaotic collages of their adventures.

Gameplay Hooks & Tensions

This provides a unique and visceral character progression system. The player’s diet directly determines their physical and narrative evolution. This makes hunting specific creatures or finding rare materials a quest for new body parts and new identities.

A central conflict is the risk of “indigestion.” Consuming beings with powerful, contradictory Eidos (e.g., an agent of pure [order] and then one of pure [chaos]) could lead to a state of internal conflict, manifesting as physical instability or psychological distress.

Eidos Generated

• [consumption]
• [adaptation]
• [mosaic_self]
• [identity_through_appropriation]
• [you_are_what_you_eat]