Alchemy is not 'real' magic; it's combined chemistry and herbalism. To do alchemy you'll need:
Creating an alchemy item is a two step process:
Recipes are detailed directions for creating a specific item. Each rank of Alchemy skill provides the alchemist with one recipe. Others can be obtained via trade, purchase, or Invention. Recipes define the quality, type and nature of ingredients required and the exact processes that mush be used to achieve a specific alchemy result.
Alchemy ingredients are built upon a framework of quality, type and nature:
Any alchemy creation requires three or more ingredients, generally acids, bases, metals or salts combined with a catalyst or fuel, each with a minimum required quality.
Of course one cannot simply toss a pile of ingredients into an urn and pray, there are processes involved in each alchemical creation. Each recipe uses process steps to transform raw ingredients into a final product The possible processes are (easiest to hardest):
| Combine, Refine |
| Dissolve, Extract |
| Leach, Vaporize |
| Catalyze, Distill |
| Crystalize, Fuse |
| Fractionate, Pyrolysis |
The higher the difficulty of the process, the higher the difficulty of the recipe.
An Alchemist can gather ingredients in two ways, either by purchasing them in shops or markets, or by foraging them in the wild. Purchasing items costs gold, foraging them costs time. Both methods require successful Science checks to gather the proper ingredients. The DC of the Science check required is determined by local conditions. A large city market will have a lower DC than a rural shop for example, while gathering in cultivated fields and orchards will have a higher DC than a trip to the wilderness.
Once the ingredients are gathered the alchemist can attempt to combine them. This process requires alchemical gear and a place to work in relative peace. The time required is determined by the item being created (typically 2-8 hours). Individual items list the associated Alchemy DC required for success.
A failed attempt has the following (cumulative) consequences:
| Fail by | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Simple failure |
| 4-6 | Lose 1d4 ingredients |
| 7-9 | Break alchemy gear 1d6 GP replacement cost. |
| 10+ | Ooops. Accident. Damage to alchemist and surroundings. |
Similarly, exceptional success has the following (cumulative) benefits:
| Succeed by | Effect |
|---|---|
| 0-2 | Simple success |
| 3-5 | Simple success (Discovery - see Invention) |
| 6-7 | Retain 1 ingredient |
| 8-9 | Create 1 additional dose |
| 10+ | Enhanced effect |
Invention allows the alchemist to create new recipes via trial and error. To practice invention the alchemist determines the ingredients they will use and the process involved at each step. The GM will use this outline as a way to determine the potential result of the experiment and the DC of the invention attempt. All invention attempts suffer a -4 Alchemy skill check penalty. All experiment failures are treated as +2 ranks of failure when determining consequences.
A successful experiment reduces subsequent Alchemy skill check penalties by one (cumulatively). Should the attempt result in a Discovery result on the exceptional success results table, the alchemist has successfully created a recipe.
Acid is a liquid capable of inflicting chemical burns and dissolving some substances. It's destructive nature makes it difficult to contain, requiring expensive glass-lined flasks.
Acid thrown on a living creature or poured on a susceptible object inflicts 1d4 damage per round for 1d4 rounds. Organic objects take full damage, metal or stone objects take half damage. Acid ignores a material's hardness rating.
A Healing Salve can be used to treat wounds and injuries. When applied to a wounded character it provides a +2 HP bonus to normal healing rate and a +4 bonus to Heal skill checks when testing for medical care. Each application lasts 24 hours.
Liquid Fire is an alchemical concoction perfected by the Darunites. Composed of bitumen, a naturally occurring petroleum compound, and various other components. It burns with searing heat and bluish white flame. Liquid Fire can be stored in flasks or clay jars. Liquid Fire is considered a weapon, and subject to weapon control laws.
A flask of Liquid Fire causes 2d6 damage to the target when it hits and 1d6 in the next round. It also inflicts 1d4 damage on anyone within one square of the target. If poured upon the ground and lit it covers 2 squares and burns for 2 rounds, doing 1d6 damage each round to anyone in a burning square. Crossing a burning square requires a Reflex save (DC 15) or take 1d4 damage.
Lumina Oil is a two-part liquid that glows with a pale greenish-yellow light when combined. The substances are inert when stored separately. Once combined one dose will illuminate a 3 square radius for 6 hours. Typically the combined liquid is held in a glass container.
As an alternative usage, Lumina Oil components can be applied to the eyes to provide the ability to see in the dark for 1 hour. This usage requires a DC 12 Heal check. Failure of the Heal check has no effect, but a critical failure results in temporary blindness for 1d4 hours.
Noxia is a variant of the common Smoke Bomb, enhanced with a foul-smelling chemical compound. They create a 2x2x2 square cloud lasting 3 rounds, but any creature within the cloud is stricken by the foul odors and suffers a -2 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks (Fort DC 12).
Smoke Bombs are made from bitumen and sulfur mixed with wax. This sticky substance is cast into small spheres, fitted with a cotton fuse, then coated with clay and allowed to harden. When lit they emit oily black smoke that fills a 2x2x2 square area for 3 rounds. A good breeze will dissipate the smoke very quickly.
Stonetar is made from a mixture of tar and distilled alcohol mixed with other substances and stored in clay flasks. A flask of Stonetar covers a 2 square area if thrown and broken or a 4 square area if carefully poured out. The area covered by this liquid becomes very sticky. Creature entering this area are slowed, based on their size. Creatures below Small become completely stuck (Reflex DC 12 to break free). Small creatures have their speed reduced by 3, Medium creatures have their speed reduced by 1. Larger creatures are unaffected. The slowing effect lasts even after the creature leaves the area of effect, persisting until the creature spends a full action cleaning the sticky goo off themselves.
Thunderstone is a refinement of Liquid Fire. Instead of being stored in liquid form it is combined with clay, fitted with a cotton fuse, then allowed to harden. As with Liquid Fire, Thunderstone is considered a weapon and subject to weapon control laws.
Thunderstone detonates with explosive force, inflicting 1d8 damage and stunning anyone within a 2 square radius for 2 rounds (Fort DC 11 to avoid stun). If carefully placed against an object it inflicts 8+1d8 damage to the target.
A Vitus Draught instantly restores 1d8 health to the imbiber. Using a Draught places a great strain on the body. Drinking more than one dose in an 8 hour period inflicts a -1 Con penalty on the imbiber (Fort DC 15 ends, 4 hours per check).
Poisons are alchemy items that cause harm to living things. They can be made by alchemists with the Poisoner feat.
Using poison without the Poisoner feat incurs significant risks:
All poisons have an application type:
Each time poison is created the alchemist determines the application type, one of ingestion, inhalation, contact, or injection. Creating a poison with multiple application types is a +1 DC adjustment per type.
Man-made poisons are classed as follows:
This feat allows a character to use Poison effectively. Characters with this feat negate the risks associated with poison. Specifically:
The Poisoner feat costs 12 CP. It has a prerequisite of Alchemy 2.