Pataphysics
Pataphysics is the study of hyperreal and irreal regions which are formed under certain hyperthaumic conditions in which the distinction between perception and reality become unclear. In hyperreal spaces, mana is expended to materialise perceived entities which would not be there in normal reality. Irreal spaces are the inverse of hyperreal spaces.[clarification needed]
Hyperreal spaces
In a hyperreal space, perceiving the hyperreal space in a certain way will cause the space to become the way it is perceived. For example, if one believes they see a book in hyperreal space, a book will materialise. Non-real entities that are materialized due to hyperreality are called hyperreal entities or counterfactual entities. The entity requires thaumic power proportional to its deviation from reality to be sustained, and as long as it has this power, it will continue to exist even when taken out of hyperreality. The less power it can draw, the more it will degenerate into something consistent with reality, and disappear completely when it has none. For example, it is easy to sustain a simple book outside hyperreality, but “the god of war” will degenerate quickly outside hyperreality because of how outlandish it is.
If the hyperreal space is perceived in multiple conflicting ways, the hyperreality that requires the least thaumic power to sustain will materialise. For example, two people who walk into a hyperreal space might agree there is a cat next to a tree, but disagree on whether the cat is a regular cat or a cat the size of a horse that shoots lasers. The regular cat will materialise because it is more consistent with reality and requires less power.
Since the continued existence of a hyperreal entity requires continuous power, hyperreal entities in hyperreal space will eventually expend the mana energy necessary to sustain the hyperreal space. In other words, hyperreal entities can contribute to the collapse of the hyperreality that created them.
Implications
Mana Mining and Adventuring
Since hyperreal entities can be dangerous and cause hyperreal energy to be expended, the manifestation of such entities is undesired in mana mining and adventuring. As a result, mana miners and adventurers with the least imagination and the greatest skepticism tend to be selected for work in hyperreal zones in order to prevent hyperreal entities. The Pskavitoff-Ilaskoja test is a psychological test for measuring these qualities in potential candidates. In addition, remote-controlled technology is widely used because they can be operated outside the hyperreal zone it’s deployed in.