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Alchemy Rules

Alchemy Rules

Alchemy is the ability to brew a variety of potions and liquids from various ingredients that have a variety of effects.

Applying potions

Potions can affect a target through the following delivery methods:

  • Ingestion – This is the most common method, in which the potion is taken internally in its entirety. All potions can be ingested for their full effect; however, some potions may also be delivered via other means.
  • Blade Venoms – This method is used to apply a variety of potions to the target. Venom can be applied to any weapon or arrow/bolt. To apply a venom successfully requires the “Use Venom” skill. Once applied, the venom lasts until either the weapon is sheathed; the next blow is struck with the weapon; any other appropriate roleplay (such as wiping the blade) is carried out; or for the next five minutes: whichever is soonest. The blow that delivers the potion must deal hit point damage for the potion to be effective. Once envenomed, the weapon may be wielded by any character.
    It may be possible to invent blade venom versions of potions, such as Heart’s Desire (in this case the call to apply this would be VENOM HEART’S DESIRE) – this can be done via the normal Invention system.
  • Throwable – Some potions take effect when thrown at a target. These should be physrepped by a safe thrown projectile.

Potion volume

Potions have a volume of 10ml. Each potion must be kept in a separate container.

Potion duration

When consumed, healing, venoms, and poisons are instantaneous. All other potions, when consumed, have a duration of 5 minutes, unless otherwise stated.

If a potion is not consumed within 30 minutes of manufacture, it curdles and becomes useless.

If you add stabilising salts equal to the number of ingredients used in the potion during this time, this time is extended to 1 week.

Potions can only be stabilised or extended by alchemists who can make them.

The same number of stabilising salts can be re-added to a stabilised potion to extend it to lasting a week. A character with the “Advanced Potion Stabilisation” skill may instead use half the number of ingredients needed to make it (rounded down) instead of the salts.

Adding a preserving pickle when initially stabilising makes the potion last two weeks instead of one, and last two weeks instead of one whenever extended.

Manufacture

Each character with the Alchemy skill has a garden which produces, for free and without their interaction, 7*alchemy level ingredients at the start of each event they attend. These ingredients expire at the next refresh unless in a stabilised potion. A character may not stabilise more than a single refresh-worth of their ingredients in a week.

Ingredients can only be used by the person whose garden they come from. Multiple alchemists working together can combine their ingredients to make or extend any potion any of them can make. (Generic ingredients able to be used by any alchemist may exist, and might be found by adventuring.)

Potions can be made either in uptime or downtime, and take 1 minute to manufacture. Making a potion requires a number of ingredients equal to the level of the potion + 1 (so a 4th level potion requires 5 ingredients).

For descriptions of the effects of specific potions, see the Potion List document.

Invention

An alchemist may use an Invention Action in downtime to design a previously unknown potion based on the known principles of alchemy (a Bespoke Creation). They should explain to the refs in the Invention Action what they want the potion to do. A simple example of a Bespoke Creation would be a potion which strengthens the drinker’s limbs such that they gain +1 hit/loc on the limbs for 5 minutes. The refs will respond with whether or not this is possible, the circle of the resultant potion, and how many weeks the invention will take. The character may then continue taking Invention Actions focused on this potion for the set number of weeks, after which the potion will have been invented and the recipe may be learnt by the character in the normal manner.

Potions can only be invented if the character has the requisite level of Potion Lore, and, where relevant, Healing or Poison Lore, – 1. Thus, a 5th circle custom potion may be invented by an alchemist with Potion Lore 4, but not by an alchemist with Potion Lore 3. If an alchemist with Potion Lore 3 attempts to invent a 5th circle potion (not knowing that the refs will determine that it is 5th circle), they will be told it will be 5th circle and that this will count towards the first week of invention for it, but they will be unable to progress further until they have bought Potion Lore 4.

In general, a potion will take a number of weeks to invent equal to its circle. Thus, a 4th circle potion will take 4 weeks to invent, while a 7th circle potion will take 7 weeks. The refs may alter this time for a particular potion at their discretion.
Bespoke Creation potions may be taught to other characters as a minor action by both characters in downtime, assuming that the student character has the relevant prerequisites.
This does not stack with Invention Actions granted by other skills, i.e. you may only take one Invention Action per week.