True Alchemy System

[Nomadic]

I've seen systems that touch on potions and other substances. However every single one I have found within the pen and paper rp world is not true alchemy in the traditional sense (instead tending towards magic spells in a bottle). The alchemy systems I have used of the form I am looking for have been in games (the elder scrolls mainly) and I have greatly enjoyed them. So then I think an alchemy system would fit with the feel of Mare Eternus and would be fun to create and use... what follows are my early concepts.

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Introduction:

Alchemy involves the mixing and altering of substances (animal, mineral, plant, or otherwise) to create a final product of some form. This is often in the form of a potion that promises to enhance a person in some way. However there are also concoctions that can alter a material (lead to gold), are volatile enough to have explosive results, or do any of another number of amazing tasks. The role of the alchemist is to use their knowledge of alchemical substances in order to mix the best possible potions for whatever situation they find themselves in.

Alchemical Structure:

Potions are a mixture of so many substances, each substance chosen for its ability to alter a certain aspect of the brew. A brew has multiple aspects (some optional and some not) which come together to decide what it will do.

Suspension (Raigum): Simply the inert material that the potion is suspended in. This can be water, a form of paste or powder, or any other material that can hold the mixture.
Basal Ingredient (Aerdus): The central substance that forms a foundation for the potion. It decides what sort of potion it will be (overskill boost, overskill penalty, healing, damage, alteration).
Catalyst (Oerum): An optional ingredient which alters the structure of the Aerdus. The Oerum increases the potency of the potion at the cost of narrowing its effect. An Oerum can give a boost to a skill boost or skill penalty at the cost of only affecting one skill beneath the Aerdus designated overskill, it can allow a person to use a feat they don't have within a chosen skill tree, it can increase the power of healing at the cost of limiting who it can affect (species or another limiting factor). It can also increase the power of damaging effects by choosing a particular damage type (heat, cold, electricity, concussive, corrosive) which can be resisted in certain ways. Lastly it may boost the capabilities of its alteration, in turn limiting what materials it can alter.
Trigger (Tychis): The method by which the concoction is activated, the trigger is a required component. Usual methods for potion use include: ingestion (drink), absorption (salves/creams), injections (applications for weapons/hypodermic administration), kinetic (explosive vials/blinding powders), and so forth.

[note=A note on catalysts]
One effect of a catalyst is to make a feat unlocking potion (potion of clarity). The potion has a designated overskill and the designated skill it affects. Upon drinking the potion a person may choose a feat to use within that skill tree. By default the feat must be a level lower than their highest feat within that tree. A lesser potion is two levels below and a greater potion is the same level.
[/note]

Ingredient Design:

Potential alchemical ingredients will have certain aspects listed. An ingredient may be used to add any one of these aspects to a potion. If an ingredient has more than one desired effect, two doses of it must be used to achieve both effects. An example ingredient might look like this:

Moerphus Bloom:
Basal: Enhance Strength, Weaken Intelligence
Catalyst: +2 Damage (fire)
Trigger: Absorption

Thus an alchemist can use Moerphus Bloom in a concoction that enhances strength, weakens intelligence, increases damage of a damage potion via fire, or sets a potions trigger as absorption. If the alchemist wants the potion to do multiple (for example a strength potion absorbed through the skin) they would need two doses of Moerphus Bloom. Note that a potion can only have one of each (basal, catalyst, trigger, suspension). The exception to this rule is found in skilled alchemists who can have more than one of each effect depending upon their level of knowledge.

[LordVreeg]

It does have the right 'goggled' feeling for ME.  I like it.

[Nomadic]

Thanks vreeg, yes it certainly does have that feel to it.

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Alchemical Tools

Alchemy requires certain tools relating to the preparing and mixing of ingredients. Brand new practitioners will need access to decent quality tools, which tend to be more forgiving (And easier to use). More experienced users can often get away with much more basic equipment (truly skilled alchemists can mash up and mix together a field potion with nothing more than a few stones and a stirring stick). However skilled alchemists can make good coin and thus tend to have even higher quality tools (so as to increase their abilities to make high quality potions). This is by no means an exhaustive list. It simply details what the traveling alchemist would commonly carry and/or use in their daily practice. A full alchemical lab would have many more tools (scales, sand furnaces, centrifuges, etc).

Alembic and Retort: A glass still, the alembic allows an alchemist to purify the ingredients of a potion. By heating the mixture immediately after creation one can increase the chances of having a higher potency potion (essentially a bonus to the roll for potion creation success). The difference between an Alembic and Retort is that an Alembic collects the distilled product within another chamber while the Retort drips out its open end (thus requiring a container to catch the fluid). The alembic and the retort both include their metal bases (necessary for holding them during heating) which they are set upon and in turn which is set over a small fire during alchemical heating.

Athanor: The Athanor is an alchemical furnace designed to heat a mixture evenly, increasing the chance of a higher potency. It is more effective than an Alembic in this, however it is much too cumbersome to carry on ones person. Thus a person must use an alchemical lab to use an Athanor.

Pestle and Mortar: A thick wooden or stone piece and a heavy wooden or stone bowl used to grind up materials for use in alchemical mixtures. The Pestle and Mortar is a necessary part of alchemy as nearly all ingredients require grinding up before use. A skilled alchemist can use a pair of stones to achieve the same effect, however they will have a much higher chance of ruining the potion due to any residues on the stones or the shape and composition of the stones themselves.

Additional Tools: In addition to the alchemical tools there are several standard tools used in the process. These include stirring sticks for mixing and vials and flasks for holding the mixture.

Potion Purity:

The reason for the use of tools such as the alembic and the athanor is largely grounded in increasing potion purity. The heating process enables better blending of the ingredients and helps to burn out any impurities. It takes time but it increases the success rate.

By default there is a certain success rate for a potion based upon the level of skill the alchemist has and the complexity of the potion involved (each potion has an increased difficulty for each basal ingredient, catalyst, and trigger added to it). The higher the difficulty the more likely the potion will be weakened or even ruined. Crafted potions have different levels based upon the roll for success while created.

Ruined: The roll was failed by more than 30%; the potion is useless
Lesser: The roll was failed by 30% or less; the potion is half as powerful (rounded up)
Standard: The roll was made; the potion has standard strength
Greater: The roll was made by 30% or more; the potion is twice as powerful (rounded down)

[Nomadic]

Example:

Joseph Alberaun is a new alchemist with a little bit of experience under his belt. While walking through the forest he comes across several plants as well as a mineral deposit he recognizes. He collects and examines them, discovering exactly what they are:

Dahgun Salts
Mineral
Basal: Alteration
Catalyst: +2 damage (corrosive)
Trigger: absorption, injection

Rheaswort
Plant
Basal: Heal, Enhance Coordination
Catalyst: +3 heal (one use per week)
Trigger: thrown

Star Flower
Plant
Basal: Damage
Catalyst: +10 lbs alteration (metal)
Trigger: absorption

He decides that the woods have been a bit dangerous lately due to an over population of feral dogs so he is going to make a potion to defend himself. He lights a small fire and pulls out his tools, he grinds up the three ingredients and decides what to use for what. He picke: Basal-Star Flower (Damage), Catalyst-Dahgun Salts (+2 corrosive damage), Trigger-Rheaswort (thrown). He mixes them together and deciding that he wants a splashing effect combines them with water. He then pours the mixture into his alembic and boils it over a fire before pouring it into a vial and stoppering it with a cork. He then makes his roll.

Difficulty:
Base: 40
3 ingredients: 3 x 5% = 15
Total: 55% chance of failure (roll 45 or lower)

Bonuses:
Alchemy Level: 2 x 2% = 4
Alembic: 5% = 5
Total: +9% chance of success

Total: 45 + 9 = 54

He needs to roll a 54 or lower to succeed on making the standard strength potion. Luck is with him and he rolls very well, a 23. He succeeds in making a greater potion.

Greater Acid Potion
Thrown Weapon
Damage: 1d6 + 4 (corrosive)
Target: 1 target + half damage (splash) to anything within 5 feet.

[Nomadic]

Identification:

A person must be able to identify by themselves what an ingredient is in order to use it. Rarer and more potent ingredients are more difficult to identify. Thus a new practitioner cannot go around making powerful potions as they don't know how to use the required ingredients. It takes a master to use these.

[Llum]

This seemed to stick out to me, the more ingredients used the easier it is to succeed in creating the potion. Seems, I dunno, contrary to intuition to me.

[Nomadic]

This seemed to stick out to me, the more ingredients used the easier it is to succeed in creating the potion. Seems, I dunno, contrary to intuition to me.

It's the opposite, the more you use the more difficult it becomes (base 40% or a roll of 60 and under... each ingredient drops the roll required by 5% so 3 ingredients changes it to 55% or a roll of 45 or under). Mare Eternus uses a variation of guildschool... thus it is using the roll under system.

[Llum]

55% chance of failure means he has to roll over 55 or under 45. But you add the 9% bonus? to the 55 giving 64 total. Then say you have to roll under 64. It isn't clear at all, to me at least.

[Nomadic]

just a typo

[Superfluous Crow]

Seems like a cool idea for a system because it allows the players to get fairly creative with their potion-making skills. My only issue is that it might result in a bit of micro-managing as soon as you get hold of a lot of ingredients. On the other hand you can have a game with rare (maybe even unique) ingredients, which will make alchemy even more interesting.

[Nomadic]

Yes but then again guildschool always had some degree of micromanagement to it. It keeps from getting too complex because the average person only has about 4-6 skills that they use on a regular basis (and thus have to micromanage to any degree), and generally under 12-15 in total to even mark on their sheet.

An alchemist has to keep up with their ingredients and tools just like a warrior has to keep up with their weapons and armor or a healer has to keep up with their wraps and salves. What keeps it manageable is that you only have to manage what you know.

Oh and yes, rare ingredients will certainly be a reality. Herbs that double a potions strength or mineral salts that can create a knockout effect, etc. The possibilities are for me pretty exciting.

[Superfluous Crow]

Yeah. I once made an alchemy system for a LARP i took part in some years back which also revolved around a list of ingredients with various properties depending on how they were used and treated. The player would then combine them in some way and I'd determine the effect depending on the procedure. The only way they could figure out what they'd made was to either attempt a lengthy identification or test the recipe out on someone. There were some rather risky ingredients with some potent side-effects (and equally potent mitigating factors if used correctly). You might consider implementing some kind of similar risk system as well?