In any given SAP file, the anomaly is classified partially on its internal and external functions. A system known as the Paracelsus INDEX is employed to accomplish this task. The system may also be employed in other documents, such as Archived Documents or Main Laboratory documents.
This page will discuss how the categorization process works, thus enabling one to understand and therefore assign values to newly documented entities or phenomena.
|
Table of Contents
|
Interpreting the Values
While named after the German Philosopher, the classification system derives part of its name from the fields it describes. The word INDEX is written in all capital letters because it is an acronym for the following words:
Impel
Naturality
Delta
Effect
Xeniality
Each word describes an aspect of an anomaly that can be expressed using numerical values, typically on a scale of 1 to 10. Numbers with greater quantity indicate a stronger presence of that attribute. For example, a rating of 1 in Naturality would indicate the specimen is almost completely artificial, whereas a 10 in Naturality would denote a specimen that occurs as a standard occupant of reality.
It is recommended not to use decimals unless needed for clarification. This makes the chart easier to read at a glance and reduces visual clutter.
Each entry field will be described below. The possible values and their meanings are provided and may be referenced by even the most experienced researchers.
Impel
Impel, as a physics term, represents a force exerted on or by and object. In the more figurative sense, the term can represent an urge or drive. In the Paracelsus INDEX, impel value denotes how animate the structure is. This does not necessarily correlate to the anomaly's influence, which is represented by a different value in another field. Instead, it refers to the activity of the SAP, specifically how animate the entity actually is. Higher values denote more animation.
0 = The absence of animation.
1 through 2 = Basic physical activity, such as simple chemical reactions, compounds, or magnetic fields.
3 = The animation of bacteria and other simple microbes. Simple activities such as metabolic processes.
4 = The same level of animation as a baseline plant. Stationary, yet living and capable of growth.
5 through 6 = Animalistic intelligence. Basic mobility up to problem solving and hunting.
7 = Sapience or a similar level of sophonce. Self-awareness and increased intelligence.
8 = Metasophont. Sophont and still human-like, but much more complex than any baseline sapient.
9 through 10 = Multupotent. Entities falling into this category may be capable of hyper-complex thought and awareness.In the event that the SAP is a phenomenon and not a single, isolatable being or artifact, then the "randomness" of this phenomenon is used to determine its impel. Unguided phenomena that occur spontaneously without an organized pattern are assumed to be anywhere from 1 through 3. Organized phenomena with specific patterns are 4 through 6. Phenomena that appear to possess intelligence are considered 7 through ten depending on the orderliness of their actions.
Naturality
This is essentially a measure of cataloguing the anomaly's origin. Some features of the cosmos come into existence via natural and non-anomalous means, but may still exhibit anomalous properties. The opposite is also true: some creatures and structures may be artificially created or constructed. Higher values of naturality indicate that the structure "normally" occurs as a regular part of nature. Lower values indicate that the structure is less natural and more synthetic in origin.
1 through 2 = Intentionally created anomalies. Their creators purpose fully and knowingly constructed them.
3 through 4 = SAPs which were using semi-natural methods. For example, domesticated species reproduce naturally, but are guided to do so to an unnatural end.
5 through 6 = The byproducts of artificial meddling, such as pollutant materials.
7 through 8 = Entities that exhibit slight deviation from the natural order of reality, but still emerge via completely natural means. Examples include baseline, unaugmented sophonts.
9 through 10 = Objects that do not deviate from "default" reality, such as atoms or organic life.SAPs may not be assigned a naturality value of 0, as that would mean the anomaly would be of a completely artificial origin. Such a condition is widely considered to be impossible.
Delta
Delta, as implied by the name, denotes the amount of change that the entity is subject to. Lower values indicate that the object is near constant in its anomalous abilities and its behavior can be more easily predicted. High delta values imply that the anomaly possesses little consistency, with the highest anomalies of this nature being random or even "unstable". Median values generally represent how much an anomaly may change.
0 = An object whose behavior can be easily calculated with high accuracy.
1 through 3 = Entities or structures who exhibit clear behavioral patterns and are generally predictable.
4 through 6 = While erratic in behavior, the general trends of these anomalies allow researchers to anticipate their next actions with medium certainty.
7 through 9 = These SAPs can still be understood, but are very difficult to predict and understand due to their frequent behavioral changes.
10 = A highly unpredictable anomaly whose abilities often change or are poorly understood due to their inconsistencies.
Effect
The effect values of an SAP designation describe how much that anomaly influences its surroundings. Higher values imply that the object/entity heavily alters its surroundings, and conversely, lower values indicate that the anomaly induces only minor changes within its reduced area of influence.
1 through 4 = The entity or structure can cause minor to medium changes in its surroundings, but usually does so as a reaction to outside influences.
5 through 9 = Anomalies of this nature affect their surroundings in a more significant way, often without being prompted to do so by an outside force.A value of 0 would imply that the structure(s) do not affect their surroundings at all. This would essentially render the artifact non-anomalous. Thus, this value may not be used. A value of 10 would imply that the structure radically restructures its environment totally and infinitely. This is also considered impossible, as such an anomaly would be capable of warping all reality, including the entirety of the multiverse and metaverse.
Xeniality
Xeniality denotes how xenial or "benevolent" an SAP is. Higher levels indicate increasing levels of positive behaviors, while 0 indicates complete neutrality. Negative numbers indicate negative or damaging behaviors of increasing intensity. Anomalies with very positive values tend to be beneficial, while those with very negative values tend to be more dangerous.
-10 through -6 = Malevolent in nature. Specimens will actively attempt to damage or harm other entities or structures.
-5 through -1 = Anomalies that generally isolate themselves or are not always malicious, but will respond with violence to some or most interactions. This includes artifacts which harm the user.
0 = Complete neutrality in regards to behavior.
1 through 5 = Anomalies that stick to themselves, but are not aggressive when interacted with.
6 through 10 = These SAPs will often initiate interaction and are generally non-harmful in nature, sometimes even intentionally helping other entities.
Implementing the System
In total, there are five fields that must be filled for any given SAP, those being impel, naturality, delta, effect, and xeniality. The below code, implemented into the SAP template between the "DANGER Level" and "Description" sections, will allow any researcher to easily add the Paraclesius INDEX to their entry. Simply determine the anomaly's values using the methods outlined above, and record them in their respective, indicated text fields.
Note that an additional field is present. This allows the researcher the option to include any symbols to help convey information. Below is a list of accepted symbols and what they represent.
Ψ = An indicator that the SAP is PSI-capable.
☢ = Implies that the SAP is emits some form of non-visible EM radiation (dangerous or otherwise).
Use the below syntax as the basic template, but enter your anomaly's values. Note that this explanatory page is linked for easy navigation, allowing one to cross reference value meanings.
[[include modules:paracelsus-index
|float=left, right, or none
|Indicator-Symbol=a field to include symbols like Ψ or simply put 4 "@" symbols to leave blank
|Impel=enter a number 0 through 10
|Naturality=enter a number 1 through 10
|Delta=enter a number 0 through 10
|Effect=enter a number 1 through 9
|Xeniality=enter a number -10 through 10
]]
Note that this system utilizes the paracelsus-index module page.
