Roleplay Resource: Alchemy Guide

Vildrel is a world with magical potions and tonics that can be made by players and sold by NPCs. This article will explain the process of creating potions, both in lore and in game mechanics.
 

How Alchemy Works

An alchemist is a type of Essence artisan, but alchemists do not need to be shapers in order to practice the craft. In fact, most shapers do not learn alchemy since it requires study and specialization to master, and shapers to study their own craft instead.
  To perform alchemy, an artisan requires an item called an aether focus, a small, ring shaped, metal implement made of Aether. The ring is placed around the lip of a flask before the ingredients are funneled into the flask. The ring then must stay attached to the flask during the infusion process.
  Alchemy is broken into three phases: Preparation, distillation, and infusion.
 

Preparation

During preparation, the ingredients are prepared, cut, mixed, and heated in accordance with the potions recipe. This is usually done in a vat or cauldron. Even potions that do not use Temethus energy still require the cauldron to be boiling during this phase.
  Before the ingredients are prepared and added, the cauldron is filled with a base solution based on the potions recipe. This is always liquid, usually water, wine or oil.
  The preparation phase is where most of the alchemists skill and knowledge come into play. A slight miscalculation could render the potion useless or worse: give it an unforseen effect.
 

Distillation

Distillation is done by leaving the solution boiling at a specific temperature for a specific amount of time, depending on the potion's recipe. After the potion is cooled in the cauldron, it is poured through a funnel into a flask. The flask much have an aether focus clamped to the lip, or the potion will become mundane.
 

Infusion

Infusion is the final step of potion making that sets Vildrel's potion system appart from others. During infusion, a source of natrual energy connected to one of The Five Reaches is applied to the solution in the flask. Some potions don't require a specific kind of infusion, and can be created with any method the alchemist prefers. Others require a specific type of infusion in order to work. The methods of infusion are Kinethus, Temethus, Avenethus, and Vitethus. Intethmus cannot be used in alchemy.
 

Kinethus

To infuse a potion with kinethus, leave the aether focus on the lip of the flask and vibrate the flask. This much easier to do with a special mechanical rig called a Jacob's Plate, which is wound up with a crank and then released to vibrate the flask.
 

Temethus

To infuse a potion with temethus, leave the aether focus on the lip of the flask, then simply heat the flask with a flame. Stronger potions require a greater intensity. Temethus infusion is the most commonly practiced form of alchemy.
 

Avenethus

To infuse a potion with avenethus, remove the aether focus from the lip of the flask and place the focus ontop of a radiant furnace, then place the potion on top of the aether focus. The potion must be left on the furnace for several hours or sometimes longer than a day in order for the infusion to take place.
  A radiant furnace is lead box with walls one inch thick on all sides. A piece of radioactive material is placed inside of the box and then the potion and focus ring are placed on its lid. The lid of the box is made of something that will not block the radiactive energy, usually wood. Larger furnaces can be made to infuse several potions at once, but this comes at the cost of requiring more radioactive material.
 

Vitethus

To infuse a potion with vitethus, leave the aether focus on the lip of the flask, then add a drop of life blood. No simple blood will do. In order to obtain a drop of life blood, it must be spilled the moment a living being dies. More potent blood can be obtained by stabbing a person or creature in the heart, and drawing a drop from the blade.
  Most vitethus potions don't require the blood of a sapient being, and can be crafted by sacrificing a small animal instead. However, more potent potions do call for human blood.
  Vitethus infused potions are outlawed in all Atovist societies. Because healing potions can only be created with vitethus infusion, most of Vildrel relies on traditional medicine for hospital care.
 

Brewing Mechanics

Difficulty

Potions are created by doing an alchemy skill check. The skill check is made as soon as a player starts making a potion, but may not be told until after the process is finished. If the DC of the skill roll is met or succeeded, the potion is created successfully. If the check fails, a mundane potion with no effects is created. If the failure is less than half of the potion's DC, a potion with unknown side effects will be created. Players may not be told if a potion succeeded or failed!
 

Rolls

The skill check DC is determined by the complexity of a potion.

• A very simple potion has a DC of 6
• An average potion has a DC of 11
• A complicated potion has a DC of 16
• A very complicated potion has a DC of 21
• A mastercraft potion has a DC of 26

If potions are brewed in batches, only one roll is made for the entire batch at a +1 DC for each potion added.
  Potion brewing rolls cannot be "critically failed." If an alchemist's skills are high enough, they can succeed even with a roll of 1.
 

Bonuses

Some potions are impossible to create without bonuses. Bonuses add to your final skill check roll and are mainly determined at a GM's discression. Some examples of bonuses include, but aren't limited to: a character's skill in alchemy, having a book or reference material at hand, having high quality equipment, having high quality ingredients, having extra ingredients on hand, having a second alchemist assisting the process, etc.
  With the right preparation work, an alchemist can essentially guarantee a potion will succeed without worrying about a bad roll.