What is "Quintessence"?

[Kid Charlemagne]

I'm running a psionic-based adventure, and I plan on using this substance in it, and possibly developing it further. However, in order to really get a good handle on it, I thought I'd draw on the collective wisdom of the internet (is that an oxymoron?).

So what is "quintessence"?

In D&D terms, I remember it from 2E; it was related to the Illithid. Its a quicksilver-like substance that can be used to negate aging effects. In 3E it shows up at least twice; in the Expanded Psionics Handbook it can be harvested by "collaps(ing) a bit of time from the continuum," and in MM5 its what the Thoon Mind Flayers are looking for, harvesting it from living beings.

Historically speaking, and this was new to me until I started looking into this, quintessence is the fifth element in Platonic terms, also known as Aether.

So what I'm asking is two things:

1) what can you tell me of Quintessence within the context of the D&D universe? What sourcebooks reference it, where did it originate, what is it, and what can it do?

2) secondly, what do you think it should do? What are some cool ideas for using it in a game sense? How can I tie the alchemical/Platonic ideas together with the game information?

 

[Fifth Element]

It is the fifth element, which is the best element if you ask me. I believe a direct translation is "possessing a certain awesomeness".

Either you or 2E are conflating quintessence with quicksilver (mercury). Mercury was believed to have anti-aging effects.

 

[Korgoth]

Quintessence is a term for the "fifth element" in certain ancient physical hypotheses. Sublunary bodies are composed of some admixture of four basic elements: air, earth, fire and water. These are subject to corruption (i.e. substantial change) and linear motion. Celestial or ultratelluric bodies are composed of a fifth element, which tends toward circular motion (circles being the perfect 2-dimensional shape in Greek thought) and do not generate or corrupt.

For D&D purposes, you could go with the idea that quintessence is star stuff not subject to decay like sublunary matter. If by some magical ingenuity one was able to reshape this matter, perhaps it would have such formal stability that it would be incapable of breakage or decrepitude.

If you want to go a little science-fantasy (and who doesn't?!) then you could have quintessence represent the perfect fuel source for eldritch machinery: it powers the magical contraption but is never expended.

A further complication: you could decide that since the ultratelluric region is one of perfection and eternity (as opposed to the imperfect and ephemeral sublunary junk) the quintessence is associated with Cosmically Absolute Law. Therefore, despite it's attractiveness as a material, it has a downside: everything around it gradually slows down in time and the temperature becomes unbearably frigid. This is because the perfect lawfulness of quintessence slows all things to their lowest possible energy point, creating a region in which sublunary matter is transformed into an image of the icy timelessness of outer space.

Just a thought.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Either you or 2E are conflating quintessence with quicksilver (mercury). Mercury was believed to have anti-aging effects.

I believe that whoever came up with it in the 2E days was probably thinking along those lines; I only just made the connection, probably due to having been re-reading Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, in which quicksilver (or mercury) figures frequently, including being the name of the first book.

For D&D purposes, you could go with the idea that quintessence is star stuff not subject to decay like sublunary matter. If by some magical ingenuity one was able to reshape this matter, perhaps it would have such formal stability that it would be incapable of breakage or decrepitude.

I like the connection with the stars - I'm also considering drawing a connection between quintessence and "starlight" from the Complete Book of Eldritch Might, which is harvested by Starlight Mages, and used for some of the same purposes. I wonder if Monte Cook was thinking of quiintessence when he wrote it. It has the same anti-aging effects, plus other effects as well.

If you want to go a little science-fantasy (and who doesn't?!) then you could have quintessence represent the perfect fuel source for eldritch machinery: it powers the magical contraption but is never expended.

This is a possibility. Various psionic groups in this campaign have tried to use the distilled essence of nightmares to power certain effects (psionic power in my game is dream-related). Perhaps quintessence is important in that process.

A further complication: you could decide that since the ultratelluric region is one of perfection and eternity (as opposed to the imperfect and ephemeral sublunary junk) the quintessence is associated with Cosmically Absolute Law. Therefore, despite it's attractiveness as a material, it has a downside: everything around it gradually slows down in time and the temperature becomes unbearably frigid. This is because the perfect lawfulness of quintessence slows all things to their lowest possible energy point, creating a region in which sublunary matter is transformed into an image of the icy timelessness of outer space.

In strict 3E terms, a large quantity of quintessence acts as a psionics dampening field. The time-slowing and frigidity could be a cool secondary effect (or primary, depending on your goal).

 

[Charwoman Gene]

You spend it to lower the Difficulty of your Arete roll. It can also be used to fend off a point of paradox.

Ye gods I miss real Mage and Werewolf.

 

[xechnao]

If you want psionics to be a special attribute that some people have (not everybody) you could explain its origins in a way such as the following one:

Some society in a yet undiscovered area achieved a kind of ideal state. People's routines should have been amazingly absolute. But after a number of generations some groups were acknowledged with a new attribute for human standards. It seems that eventually for some people mate choice was never totaly random to be. These people wanted to choose and to be chosen and by seeking to differate themselves, they gradually -along with the passing of generations- managed to develop a sense or rather way up to a clearly noticeable point to other people. It was then understood this evolution had gone so far that the new attribute was clearly functional apart from the need of choice among groups....