Inputs are psychic receivers used by the roles. Scholars, Kings, and Warriors—the “solid” roles—have one input. Michael has said that inputs are like modular slots into which various kinds of perceptions can be plugged. One input is usually concerned with current reality, the more-or-less concrete, objective facts of circumstance. The three roles with just one input focus there, making them more solid, practical types.

Priests and Servers each have two inputs. For the priest, adding another "slot" that they can use for holding a perception of the higher good allows them both to be visionary and to bring their vision into practice. It is similar with servers, except their vision is "wide" rather than "tall," a vision of what would be good for the whole on a practical, earth-plane level.

Sages have three inputs. In Yarbro, Michael talks about how the three sage inputs makes performing energizing, whereas it can be enervating for, say, warriors. Sage actors on stage can pay attention to the audience, the other actors, and their lines at the same time. In other circumstances, they could use their inputs for other things.

Finally, Artisans have five inputs. An artisan creating a piece of art may be simultaneously aware of many different ideas he/she wants to put into it, making it easier to weave them together seamlessly, than, say, for a king artist, who has to go back and forth among those ideas. Scholar artists can create complex, detailed art with a lot of concepts in it, but that's different. Artisan art tends to be more surprising and inventive, maybe more right-brained, with more layers that the artist may not even be aware of; scholar art tends to be more calculated. Five inputs make it easier to make the kinds of connections between disparate elements that we also make in the dream state; artisans tend to daydream a lot and in general be thought of as dreamers.