Infusion Altar (Thaumcraft 4)

The Infusion Altar is a multiblock structure added by Thaumcraft 4. It is an integral part of the mod as many items are crafted through infusion.

Recipe
Right-click on the resulting structure with an wand to transform it into the Infusion Altar. This will consume 25 points each of, , , , , and.

Getting started
In order to perform an infusion there are some prerequisites:
 * Arcane Pedestals around the central Pedestal
 * Nearby sources of required essentia (e.g., Jars of Essentia)
 * Required items to place on Pedestals
 * A wand to start the process
 * (Optional, but strongly recommended) Infusion stabilizer blocks

Before starting any infusion the player should always make sure that they have more than enough essentia to complete the infusion and spare prerequisite items should they be destroyed during the process. Easily mined blocks such as Dirt or Cobblestone, or a Flux Scrubber, should be kept on hand in the event Flux Goo manifests. (If Thaumic Bases or Forbidden Magic is installed, Flux can also be removed with the Wand Focus: Flux Scrubber or Shovel of the Purifier respectively.)

Performing the ritual
Place Jars of Essentia around the central Pedestal for the desired recipe. If space is lacking for more essentia-intensive recipes, the player may want to invest in creating Essentia Mirrors to port essentia in from another location. Then, place Pedestals around the central Pedestal as symmetrically as possible and place the component items on all Pedestals; the order of items on the outer Pedestals does not matter. Double-check that there is enough essentia available, as the Altar will not check for essentia before it begins, and that there are spares of component items available. Once the Infusion process has begun, the Altar will drain essentia until either the process completes, or the central item is removed (cancelling the process and sacrificing any essentia consumed). This essentia drain will continue if one or more of the outer items are removed, destroyed, or dislodged; the essentia consumption and instability of the recipe will slowly increase if it is left running with outer items missing, or if there is insufficient essentia available.

The player should position themselves at an angle where they can see most (if not all) the outer Pedestals, so that should an accident occur they can respond as swiftly as possible. Once ready, right-click on the Runic Matrix with a wand/staff/scepter to begin the infusion. If the player is looking at the Runic Matrix while wearing the Goggles of Revealing or similar headwear, they will be able to see the amounts of essentia still required for the infusion. When all the necessary essentia has been taken in, the component items will be absorbed into the central item. When the process is complete a chime effect will play and the central item will transform.

Symmetry
The Infusion Altar is prone to instability; the more complex (and rewarding) an infusion ritual is, the more unstable the process becomes. The Thaumonomicon displays the relative instability of every infusion recipe. This instability can manifest itself as (but not limited to):
 * Knocking a component item off of its Pedestal
 * Destroying a component item in an explosion (does not destroy other blocks)
 * Transforming a component item into Flux Goo; will loosen any placed objects such as Zombie Heads
 * A bolt of lightning striking nearby players for damage
 * Inflicting Taint Poison on nearby players

Instability can be prevented using blocks known as Infusion Stabilizers. Infusion Stabilizers can be placed around the Altar within a 12-block radius, up to two blocks above or below the center pedestal. These can be Skeleton Skulls, Zombie Heads, and Tallow Candles, etc. Add-on mods may provide new blocks that act as Infusion Stabilizers. Two identical blocks should be placed at the same height and antipodal to one another (i.e., the two blocks must be equidistant from the central Pedestal and if a line were to be drawn connecting the two, it would pass through the Altar at its midpoint). Unmatched Stabilizers will significantly increase the ritual's instability. Pedestals should always have a symmetrical counterpart, even when players are dealing with recipes that have an odd number of component items.

If Witching Gadgets is installed, the Arcane Abacus can be used to determine the current recipe's instability and the total stability from Stabilizers.