PoE- Life Force

Everybody knows that living things are animated by energy. Many call it chi or qi, or lifeforce, animus, or prana. It's not quite the same as numen, which is more of a projection of the spirit, it is instead what moves and gives inanimate matter its life.

However, lifeforce is not so banal as to be one entity. Life force in proper balance and alignment, such as with the four humors or four elements, is focused and pure. It is white life force, which is gathered and spent by all living things. It is the natural force of life.

But there is more then just this kind of life force; life force that is especially unbalanced or too powerful for its mortal form is out of control; those with too much life energy may start to have their own negative symptoms. The same applies to ecosystems where magic or living energy has been introduced too quickly or without thought; a mass battlefield where hundreds of great hereos have been killed, or when a great ageless ocean leviathan dies and sinks to the ocean floor. This glowing energy is consumed by creatures who grow tumors and mutations from the excess power; these creatures are unstable but very strong and very dangerous.

However, some alchemists and mad-botanists may use this power to further their own ends. By collecting and refining it, it can be used in various alchemical or magical processes. Though it is best used fresh, long dead or unborn forms of this life force can be found in ancient urns, trapped within the eggs or seeds of unhatched monsters, and extracted directly from infused landscapes. There are three kinds of Lifeforce energy.

Wild lifeforce is energy tied to the most basic categories of things, and is about shifting or hurtling those limitations. Wild animals infused with Wild lifeforce are more aggressive then normal; many prey animals become predatory when infused with even a small amount of Wild, becoming ecosystem destroyers. Creatures that gain a large amount of Wild lifeforce gain the ability to create or even breathe fire, and it is thought that dragons have a higher then average amount of this life energy within them for this reason.

Wild lifeforce is highly tied to creatures like bears, tigers, elk, and rats- these animals are all generalists and prolific, filled with life in its most primal form. However, any animal or being can be infused with Wild lifeforce. If you consume a charge of Wild energy, gain +1d6 temporary hit points, +2 to damage, and gain nigh-limitless stamina for that day.

Vivid lifeforce is energy tied to the most basic and powerful traits of animals and plants, and is all about enhancing those properties and enhancing the special unique traits of creatures and beings. Vivid infused animals tend to develop venom and lightning energies, and can survive in an ecosystem that is too harsh for most living things, hence making them even more specialized. Many fantasy monsters, such as basilisks or gorgons, are heavily biased towards high concentrations of Vivid lifeforce, as this could explain their unusual powers and specilization.

Vivid lifeforce is highly tied to vermin, insects, reptiles, and overly specialized creatures; such as cave beings or deep sea monsters. However, any animal or being can be infused with Vivid lifeforce. If you consume a charge of Vivid energy, gain +2 AC and to hit, and gain ½ immunity to a random elemental damage type for the rest of the day.

Primal lifeforce is energy closest tied to the rules of the universe and magical power of all the life forces. Many consider Primal to be ur-mana energy, and most beings that cast spells have slightly higher concentrations of primal lifeforce in their blood and stool; the connection is obvious, thought it is unsure if this is the cause of their magic use or a result of it. Creatuers associated with primal energies include unicorns, elementals, and almost all birds. Primal also has strong associations with age and timelessness; many people believe birds were the first animals to every fly to the land from heaven, since their wings let them skip the long walk down, but in their hubris they were punished to forever sing the praises of God, instead of being silent and stealthy like most fragile creatures do.

Primal lifeforce is highly tied to flying creatures and magical beasts. However, any animal or being can be infused with Primal lifeforce. If you consume a charge of Primal energy, regain the lowest available spell slot you have expended, gain Infravision up to 30 ft, and count as uncumbered for the rest of the day as long as you do not try to carry over your encumbrance limit.

6 Types of Magic Energy

[1] Arcane Energy. The most purely “magical” type of energy- it is found inside the bodies of wizards and magical creatures; cultivated by a few arcane species, and within spellbooks and magical items devised by Wizards. and tends to have a pale silver light and color, with pinks, purples, and golds also common. This type of energy has the power over the traits of things, and is commonly associated with changing the most base properties of what they interact with. Forged into an attack, arcane energy usually takes the form of balls or beams of glowing light.

[2] Death Energy. The energy of the netherrealm and of death and decay. Naturally forming around dead things, especially tombs and crypts and things that rot for a very long time, like ancient bones or carcasses. Usually black, dark purple, or a bright putrid green in color. This energy is linked strongly to decay, disease, and the undead. Forged into an attack, it takes the form of screaming skulls or grasping hands that may drain the energy or levels of its victims.

[3] Aesthete Energy. Magic associated with beautiful things, vistas, clouds, and the northern lights. Tends to form around works of art and beautiful places in nature, but can also be cultivated by those with artistic skill or by the reading of poems and plays. This energy moves like music and is usually not directly seen; as it instead enhances what it touches. This type of energy is a secondary form of energy that is tapped into to create phantasm illusions, to create magic elf songs that lure people to sleep, to enhance the beauty of an enchantress, etc.

[4] Permafrost Energy. Energies of ice, glaciers, and the unchanging and unfeeling cold. Can be found in ancient frozen places, icicles, glacier crevasse, or even plucked from the downy fur of a newborn baby penguin. The energy always appears as a very deep dark blue or a blinding, shining light blue. The energy is capable of preserving things for the future and melting things from the long past, and is the whispering voice of timeless things. It was here before the world, and it will be here after. Attacks of this magic manifest as blades or shards of ice as well as biting winds.

[5] Verdant Energy. The energy of nature, usually seen as a blood red or a bright green. While it is life energy, it is also uncontrolled and overpowering, and is only found in the bellies and blood of dire beasts and within the most ancient and massive of old trees. When this energy infuses with people it doesn't just heal them or make them stronger, but it also regresses their evolution and makes them like apes or half animal, with their intelligence and capability for abstract thought reduced as their body and senses sharpen. Verdant energy is seldom used by anyone but a Druid, and even then only in careful doses kept at the end of a long stick to avoid contamination.

[6] Intraspatial Energy. Energy inherent within spaces within spaces. It is sometimes harvested within complex or hidden architectures, or found along laylines. It is either a type of deep orange glow or a is colorless “aura” that gathers in corners and underneath things. It is used to create bags of holding, and to make buildings larger on the inside then the out, but it can also be combined with the magic of keys to open the way into realms within things. Such realms are filled with creatures, treasures, and dangers all manifesting the symbolic and overt traits of the inner spaces. It may be possible to enter a weapon to unlock some hidden potential, or even enter a being to remove some weight off their soul and the source of their ennui.