Alchemy again

[elgorade]

I expect to be starting a BW game soon. One of the players has suggeseted an alchemist as her character. I think it is a very nice character idea, now I just need to be able to support it mechanically. I read Yagathi's alchemy rules, but wasn't fully satisfied. They seem to require that the alchemist also be a sorcerer before he can do anything useful.

I was thinking of making it mechanically similar to sorcery. Basically, "casting" a spell would be a "ritual" in a lab that embeds the effect into a potion, powder or pill. Maybe 10 minutes per syllable of the sorcery spell, -- which seems like a nice balance between being able to get things done and occasionally having to get someone to help with the longer experiments 'cause you can't stay awake. Maybe the Sickness from taxing casting would last day rather than hours as the alchemist minorly poisoned himself and his helpers.

The resulting mixture could then be applied or used later. It is just a stored spell and can be released by anyone. I like the idea of the user having to roll their own Tax when they use it --- maybe even some objects rolling a Tax too if it is applied to them --- to represent the slightly poisonous and dangerous nature of the potions. The effect would last as usual, but would only sustain till the first retesting of Tax.

The skill would be alchemy rather than sorcery, but would otherwis work like sorcery. Alchemists would need to be gifted. They would buy recipies from resources as sorcerers buy spells. Presumably they would use abstraction too, though I would be tempted to say that facets known for alchemy and sorcery are distinct. Maybe give a discount if you are buying the same fact twice in character creation though.

Any comments or suggestions?
Elgorade

[luke]

Sounds like a nice simple way to do it. Fairly close to my enchanting rules, too.

Playtest it and let us know how it goes.

-L

[Kublai]

I don't think Alchemists should need to be Gifted. The creation of the potions and such can have magical effects, but these effects should be extracted from the ingredients. For example, to make a Potion of Strength, the alchemist will need to add an ingredient from a creature or substance that has a strength-like trait, like any creature with a Massive Stature or a trait that allows their Power to reach beyond 8. Or Dust of Sleeping needs Pixie dust as it's base ingredient.

The length needed to make these items is the balance. It's something that would be impossible to do quickly.

[elgorade]

My first reaction is that the non-gifted alchemist described would be really dependant on the GM to provide necessary bits for his potions. Thinking about it more I realized I would be the GM, maybe that wasn't all bad.

Seriously, I hadn't thought of it, but think I like the suggestion. Maybe allow both. A gifted alchemist can use more mundane ingredience while a non-gifted on needs to work harder on getting materials.

Elgorade

[Kublai]

I think if the Alchemist need to get these whacked ingredients, then this would automatically create adventures! It would be like an automatic-McGuffing-creating machine. What more could a GM want?

Party: "Ok, the plan is set, but how are we going to get past the giant at the entrance?"
Party's Alchemist: "Well, I could create a sleeping dust that would render him unconsious, but I would need to find a Pixie first!"
Party's Ranger: "I know where to find a Pixie, but it could be dangerous!"
Party: "Damn the danger if this means avoiding that giant! Let's go find the Pixie for the alchemist!"