Material essence

A mountain guardian kineticist employs elemental earth in self-defense.

The wheel of magic divided into quadrants, with the points pointing towards the four essences of Mind, Spirit, Life, and Matter, and the quadrants representing arcane magic, divine magic, primal magic, and occult magic. Eight colored rings surround the wheel, one for each of the schools of magic.

This article refers to one of the four essences. Generic uses of terms such as matter or body should not link here.

See also: Planar essence and planar substrate

Material essence, also called Matter, body, or physical essence, is the academic definition of the physical and tangible components and reactions that compose reality. It is one of the four essences of metaphysical study, the opposite of intangible spiritual essence and shaped by mental and vital essences.

Material essence includes not only tangible matter itself but also its scientifically observable reactions, particularly physics and chemistry, such as the concept of cold and properties of acids and electricity. It also encompasses the concepts of elements, with the elemental planes containing the purest manifestations of matter's many forms.

This article is a stub. You can help us by expanding it.

In magic

Magic that affects material essence prominently features elemental energies, transforms a physical object's properties, or creates matter from nothing.

In the magic theory of magical traditions, material essence is most associated with the arcane and primal magical traditions for their properties in manipulating the physical aspects of reality. Arcane magic is the conjunction of material and mental essences, and primal magic is the conjunction of material and vital essences.

In the schools of magic theory, it is most associated with the conjuration, evocation, and transmutation schools, and also physical abjurations.

Spells that manipulate material essence can be disrupted through exposure to disordered energy. A material essence disruptor is a gadget that emits such disordered energy in a manner that can counteract the casting of arcane and primal spells when used at a sufficiently close distance.