Editing Alchemy

[[The Wilderlands of Absalom]]

=Alchemy=

Students of the material world, alchemists are skilled chemists and masters of the interactions between the four elements.  A character with the Alchemy Proficiency can do the following:

1. Identify common alchemical substances, potions and poisons with a proficiency throw of 11+
2. Work with and isolate alchemical substances.
3. Work with and preserve herbal substances.
4. Brew potions and poisons.

===1. Identifying common alchemical substances, potions and poisons.===

The typical alchemist can identify the above through careful examination, taking at least one turn, without any gear or equipment.  Most substances and poisons can be identified via visual examination.  Potions require that they be tasted in order to be identified.  Characters without the Alchemy proficiency may identify potions with a throw of 18+.  In either case, characters suffer the deleterious affects of certain potions (such as delusion, or poison) immediately upon taking the slightest sip.  Tasting other potions typically imparts a feeling or impression; for instance, sipping a potion of flight might make the alchemist feel as light as a feather.

Alchemists may also make use of their laboratory in order to identify substances, potions and poisons.  Doing so takes one day, 25 gold in materials and a throw of 7+.  Identification of these substances may be done using a traveling lab.  She may increase her chance of success in the following ways:
*For every additional 2000 gp in value of the lab she gains a +1 bonus to the throw.
*Possessing a library worth 2000 gp adds a +1 bonus to the throw.  A successful throw indicates the value of the library is increased by 50 gp, due to the notes she has taken during the process.  This increase in value only applies the first time the alchemist identifies the substance.
*For every additional 1000 gp of worth of the library add +1 to the throw.
*For every additional two days spent add +1 to the throw.
*Note that uncommon or rare items will likely have a higher throw.
*Identifying potions and other materials successfully grants the alchemist 25 XP.

A throw of 1 will always fail and has a 50% chance of destroying the substance in question.

===2.  Work with and isolate alchemical materials.===

Only full-fledged alchemists can isolate alchemical compounds, and only then with the aid of an alchemical lab.  Doing so requires a period of one week, the consumption of 100 gp worth of reagents and catalysts and a throw of 14+ in order to be successful.  The amount of material that can be refined within this time period depends on the material in question.  The alchemist's lab must be worth a minimum of 1000 gold in order to attempt this (it is not possible to do so in a traveling lab).

The alchemist can improve her chance of success in the following manners.:
*For every additional 2000 gp in value of the lab she gains a +1 bonus to the throw.
*Possessing a library worth 2000 gp adds a +1 bonus to the throw.  A successful throw indicates the value of the library is increased by 500 gp, due to the notes she has taken during the process.  
*For every additional 1000 gp of worth of the library add +1 to the throw.
*For every additional week spent add +1 to the throw.
*For every additional 500 gp worth in materials and consumable materials add +1 to the throw.
*Note that uncommon or rare items will likely have a higher throw.

A throw of 1 will always fail and has a 50% chance of destroying the substance in question.

===3. Working with and preserving herbal substances.===

Alchemists are instrumental in the preservation, treatment and distillation of various herbs, monster parts, etc., making them ready for further use, whether as a direct application (such as comfrey) or as an ingredient for something (monster parts for magical items, for instance).  Doing so requires a base throw of 18+ and a day of time for a given quantity.  Modifiers may be applied as follows:

*For every additional 500 gp in value of the lab she gains a +1 bonus to the throw.
*Possessing a library worth 2000 gp adds a +1 bonus to the throw.  A successful throw indicates the value of the library is increased by 50 gp, due to the notes she has taken during the process.  
*For every additional 1000 gp of worth of the library add +1 to the throw.
*For every additional day spent add +1 to the throw, for a maximum bonus of +5.
*For every additional 50 gp worth in materials and consumable materials add +1 to the throw.
*Note that uncommon or rare items will likely have a higher throw.
*Characters that have selected the Alchemy Proficiency twice gain a +4 bonus; those who have selected it thrice gain a total +8 modifier.
 
A throw of 1 always fails.  There is a 50% chance that the substance is destroyed or, in the case of herbal tinctures, spoiled and made poisonous.  The alchemist is not aware that it failed in these cases.


===4.Brew potions and poisons.===  

The alchemist may attempt to concoct poisons and potions. Poisons are created as per p. 249 of Core.  In attempting to brew a poison the following modifiers apply:
*For every additional 1000 gp in value of the lab she gains a +1 bonus to the throw.
*Possessing a library worth 2000 gp adds a +1 bonus to the throw.  A successful throw indicates the value of the library is increased by 100 gp, due to the notes she has taken during the process.  
*For every additional 1000 gp of worth of the library add +1 to the throw.
*For every additional two days spent add +1 to the throw, for a maximum bonus of +5.
*For every additional 100 gp worth in materials and consumable materials add +1 to the throw.
*Note that uncommon or rare items will likely have a higher throw.
*Characters that have selected the Alchemy Proficiency twice gain a +4 bonus; those who have selected it thrice gain a total +8 modifier.

Brewing potions ---> still working on this.


==Alchemical Labs==

Alchemical laboratories are pungent, dark rooms filled with burners and double burners, bubbling beakers, miles of glass and copper tubing and and strange, preserved specimens hanging from rafters and filling jars.  There are two kinds of labs: standard and traveling.  Traveling labs are expensive to purchase and limited in what they can do, but they ultimately allow a character to perform experiments “in the field”.

Standard labs cost a base 1000 gp, weigh 100 stone when packed up and occupy a minimum of 400 square feet when fully assembled.  Alchemical labs may be improved upon, with a 25% loss of efficiency, so that upgrading a lab by 1000 gp requires an expenditure of 1250 gp.  Note that purchasing or finding specialized equipment does not have the 25% penalty applied.  In addition, every additional 500 gp spent on the lab increases the sq. footage needed by 100 sq. ft. (labs can be broken up between adjacent rooms).

Traveling labs cannot be improved upon, as the space is limited and the rugged construction of the equipment does not allow for easy modification or expansion.

Specialized equipment may be found or purchased that grants modifiers when working with specific substances or materials.  Prices of such equipment will be determined by the DM.

Alchemical labs also require the use of expendable ingredients, such as quicksilver, sulfur, amber, silkwater, etc.  It is assumed that one can purchase a standard array of alchemical ingredients in a large enough market class.  Such materials are cost 150 gp to purchase and include a general assortment of materials.  Note that it may be possible to find unique materials that add modifiers to specific tasks.  Costs of such materials will be provided by the DM.

=Alchemical Substances=
*'''Bloodroot'''.  Bloodroot may be harvested and chemically treated, creating a mildly toxic substance that, if ingested, will slow down the victim's heart-rate to the point that it is nearly imperceptible.  The imbiber must make a Save v. Poison.  If failed -- and note that the Save can be failed on purpose -- the victim falls into a deep, deep sleep that appears like death to the casual observer.  This sleep lasts for 1d4+4 hours, and only a ''Cure Poison'' or similar spell will wake the sleeper.
*'''Zelenek''' A [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?765089-IC-ACKS-The-Wilderlands-of-Absalom&p=19776904#post19776904 greenish sand] used in casting metal objects, or quenching forged steel.  In addition to being ideal for various kinds of metalrafting, ''zelenek'' is said to be toxic to dragons and dragon kind.  After each use it is rendered inert, and a quantity of 5 stones is required to treat a weapon, or 10 stone to act as a casting mold.  Using ''zelenek'' adds a +1 to the applicable magical research throw *or* can be used in such a manner as to impart a special quality to the item (masterwork or magical).  In this case, ''zelenek'' will aid in the creation of weapons or items to be used against dragonkind.
*'''Praum'''. It is called godshit because it seems to be spontaneously produced in places where powerful beings, quasi-gods or eidolons are trapped, sleeping or otherwise confined.  The presence of such beings, over centuries or millennia, creates veins of the waxy, slightly glowing substance that alchemists call [I]praum[/I].
**It has a value approaching one hundred gold per pound when refined.
**Raw praum can be difficult to refine, and one pound of raw godshit produces one half pound of refined praum.
**Requires a base throw of 17+, instead of 14+.  Without the book it would have a throw of 20+ to refine.
**The real value of praum is to magic-users, those, especially those who specialize in the creation of life or unlife.  It can be used as follows:
***For every twenty pounds of godshit used in necromancy it allows the mage to add 1 HD to the maximum level of undead created, to a maximum of double the caster's level.  Using a minimum of one pound of praum in the ritual also adds +1 to the caster's magical research throw.
***When creating crossbreeds every twenty-five points of godshit allows the caster to add one special ability beyond which would normally be allowed.  She also gains a +1 bonus to the magic research throw as long as at least one pound is used.  
***A mage using praum to create a construct gain a +1 bonus to the magic research throw for every 5000 gp worth of praum they use.
**Because it is created from the boiling off of excess divine power (much as salt is refined from boiling sea water) praum can also be used as a source of divine power.  Every pound of godshit produces 1000 gp of divine power.
**Refined praum can also be used in alchemical labs.  One pound of praum counts as 500 gold worth of alchemical reagents