Alchemy involves using natural materials in order to create potions and oils, which can give a temporary combat boost.
Components
Monster parts have a basic effect related to the monster. For example, cockatrice fangs affect dexterity. A secondary component will determine the nature of the effect (i.e. healing, enhancement, reduction, etc). And the base of the potion will determine its duration. An additional component may be added to increase the potency, but this does not have an effect on every kind of alchemical creation. Generally, potency will give a flat boost to restoration, save DC, or damage.
Herbs
Herbs and other naturally occuring materials have distinct effects on the potion, often determining the nature of the effect, and sometimes being able to modify the effect of an existing potion.
For example, a
nighteye potion might be created from dark mantle eyes, an enhancement based herb, and an alcoholic base.
Bases
This alchemy system roughly follows the principles of solubility chemistry. There are 5 main types of bases:
- Alkaline Hydrophillic (i.e. lye dissolved in water)
- Acidic Hydrophillic (i.e. a vial of acid)
- Neutral Hydrophillic (i.e. distilled water)
- Hyrophopic (A low viscosity oil like acetone or ether)
- Alcoholic (alcohols, which are hyrophillic and hydrophobic, allowing miscibility in both kinds of solvents)
Every recipe needs a base, and some complex recipes may require the dissolution of materials in particular kinds of bases, before combining into another base.
Types of Alchemical Creations
Oils
Oils can be applied to weapons, and last for a number of hits dependant on the strength of the base they are created from. Making an attack against any target with oil applied to a weapon will use one attack worth of the oil's duration, regardless of the target or the success of the attack. Oil can be used to coat a number of pieces of ammunition equivalent to its hit duration.
Creating the base for oil often requires processing of animal or monster fat, and the additional reagents vary depending on the kind of oil being created. Generally, oils work against a certain kind of enemy, granting a flat damage bonus depending on their potency (usually from +1 to +5). Oils may additionally prevent or inhibit certain racial traits, such as a zombie's
undead fortitude.
Oils can additionally be used to inflict ability damage, but generally have low save DCs and a damage cap, unless created with especially potent ingredients.
Potions
Potions provide temporary effects. Potions made through alchemy are generally weaker, do not last as long, and additionally have negative effects when compared to magical potions (such as a
Potion of Fire Resistance). They are also cheaper and easier to come across in the world.
For example, while a greater healing potion would heal 4d4 + 4 immediately, a strong alchemical healing potion might heal 1d4 at the start of each round for the next 4 rounds, and inflict the
sickened condition while it is healing.
Potions can also be created to heal ability damage, which can additionally be used to cure conditions based on ability damage.
For example, petrification is usually caused when a creature's dexterity drops to 0, so a potion which heals dexterity damage can usually cure petrification.
Overload Potions
Overload potions temporarily increase an ability score by +1, prevent it from being decreased, and allow boosting the score above 20.
Overload potions come in 3 tiers,
Standard,
Greater and
Supreme, with each tier granting an additional +1 bonus to the boosted stat. Standard overload potions inflict disadvantage on saving throws for a certain ability, while Greater and Supreme additionally inflict disadvantage on ability checks, and attack rolls respectively.
Recipes & Crafting Alchemical Concoctions
As you adventure, you will be able to find recipes for alchemical creations. The recipe indicates not only the specific components needed for a particular concoction, but also the specific techniques and order of steps needed for its creation. Following a recipe, if you have proficiency with alchemists supplies, you are guarunteed to successfully create the concoction.
You can attempt to create a potion without a recipe, but there is a high DC for successful creation, and failure to meet that DC will waste all ingredients with no result. You must also describe in what way you combine the base ingredients into solution. There is additionally a possibility of automatic failure if the alchemical aspects of the ingredients are incompatible, or the techniques used for creation result in an unstable mixture, as determined by the DM. Should you succeed in creating a potion, it becomes a known recipe which you can then follow to replicate the concoction.
When you find an alchemical component, you can make a Nature check (or Arcana depending on the type of component) to determine what properties it may posess, and can use that knowledge to attempt to create a concoction.
Alchemists around the world are very protective of their recipes, since that is what gives them value in society. Alchemists may be interested in exchanging recipes, or possibly selling / buying recipes for gold.
Generally, an alchemist will charge a higher fee for sharing their recipes than they are willing to pay for a new recipe, since the potential loss of losing their specialized trade outweighs the value of learning a new recipe. But this will of course vary depending on the nature of the alchemist and recipes being exchanged.
