Alchemy

Alchemy

The closest to esoteric magic among the “mundane” arts, alchemy exploits the magical properties of herbs, venoms and other natural substances. Alchemists reduce, transform and combine these ingredients to produce potent potions, lethal poisons and other preparations with near-magical effects. With rare and special ingredients, taken from the bodies of powerful beasts or harvested from other worlds, alchemy can produce truly miraculous formulas.

The general skill of Alchemist allows the character to refine magically rich ingredients into essences and separate blood into the three humours. They can also brew any recipe from the Alchemist list, or identify any substance made with this skill or any of the below skills.

Alchemist is the prerequisite of the following archetype skills:

Apothecary: An apothecary can brew more complex beneficial potions, per the Apothecary list. This skill is also the prerequisite for the skill Concoction, which enables them to improvise unstable brews in the field.

Imbuer: An imbuer can brew more complex formulas that affect, alter or enrich mundane materials rather than living bodies, per the Imbuer list. This skill is also the prerequisite for the skill Amalgams, which allows them to make powerful magical alloys.

Poisoner: A poisoner can brew more complex poisons and antidotes, per the Poisoner list. This skill is also the prerequisite for the skill Antidotes, which enables them to improvise antidotes for poisons in the field.

In addition, an alchemist schooled in any two of the above three skills can learn the Analysis (skill), which allows them to test the properties of alchemical ingredients in their laboratories.

Creative Method

Although alchemy, crafting and surgery are constrained by the natural laws within which they work, they are still strongly shaped by the creator’s beliefs and worldview, much as a magician’s arts are.

One creator might be stringently theoretical, analysing and measuring everything before picking up a tool; another might be wildly experimental, trialing every idea as it comes to mind. One might think exclusively in terms of the flows of magic from one form or state to another, while another might concern themselves entirely with the materials with which they are working, and a third might obsess over form and structure.

The fae were said to transcend the difference between mundane and magical working, changing a thing’s underlying pattern through pure will.

Mechanically, a crafter’s, alchemist’s or surgeon’s method has little effect on the game, but it can influence what tools they use and generate roleplay, and will play a significant role in research.

Identifying Alchemical Items

Any alchemist can, after a few seconds’ handling and examination, identify alchemically brewed items: if they know how to brew the item, they recognise exactly what it is, including the ingredients and work units required to make it, and any specific mechanical effects it has. If they don’t know how to brew it, they know if it’s a potion, a poison, an ink or enhancement, and a brief summary of its effects.

Example. Kharan Melloch, an alchemist and apothecary, is examining a blade venom that will paralyse the victim for one minute. Kharan knows it’s a blade venom that causes a body effect, but they don’t know the specific mechanical effects.

LABORATORIES

Any use of any alchemy skills that expends work units or study units, including brewing, analysis or research, requires the use of a suitably equipped alchemist’s laboratory. As with all equipment, a standard quality laboratory has no in-character cost; all that’s needed is a physical representation. Higher-quality laboratories must be bought or made in play and provided with item cards. Research specifically requires a superior or higher quality laboratory.

Although consisting of several parts, a laboratory is treated as a single item in game; a higher quality laboratory receives a single item card to track its existence, which must be attached to the work surface (table, bench etc.).

Representing a Laboratory

At minimum, a phys rep of a laboratory must consist of a surface to work on – a table, bench or bed, or even a roll-up mat or blanket – and at least three appropriate tools or fixtures, including mortar and pestle, retorts, retort stands and burners, alembics, cauldrons and other bowls or vessels.

Tools do not necessary have to be constructed to the same standards as LARP weapons, but should be safe and suitable for use in play, e.g. blades or glass items must only ever be used in camp, at the alchemist’s laboratory, and away from areas where fighting is likely to occur.

Very enthusiastic players may wish to bring phys reps that incorporate real fire, moving water, smoke or other practical effects. Anything along these lines must be submitted to the player’s faction command and members of the event team to ensure they are safe and that suitable precautions (including e.g. access to fire extinguishers) are being taken, and must never be left unattended.

Note: The intent is to promote an engaging and immersive experience, not to present an insurmountable barrier! As with all phys reps, any sincere effort will be accommodated, and other players and staff may be able to lend props or give advice on how to source them.

Laboratory Quality

Like all equipment, laboratories vary in quality. Like a crafter’s workshop, a higher-quality laboratory can be configured by its owner, optimising it for their creative method and granting the owner bonuses for certain actions. Other characters can still use the laboratory (i.e. can make use of the phys rep), but gain no benefits from it.

Transporting a Laboratory

Transporting a laboratory (e.g. to steal it) does not require any special skills or numbers of people; as long as the players carrying the laboratory can physically move it, they can move it in character. Note that transporting a laboratory requires transporting the table, bench or mat and at least three tools or fixtures, although it is permissible to pack it up or carry it in parts.

Making a Laboratory

Any alchemist can make their own laboratory, at a cost in materials and work units.

Items	Skill	Costs	WU
Superior Laboratory	Alchemist	2 wood (O), 2 metal (H)	20
Mastercrafted Laboratory	Apothecary / Imuer / Poisoner	2 wood (O), 3 metal (H), 6 glass (H), 3 charcoal, 6 sand	40

Note that all designs using charcoal yield 1 unit of ash as a byproduct (p. 00), and all designs using metal yield one unit of powdered metal.

Tools

By default, an alchemist’s tools don’t receive separate item cards from their laboratory; in game terms, the tools are part of the laboratory. That said, some of an alchemist’s actions can be performed away from their laboratory, e.g. with the Antidotes (p. 00) or Concoction (p. 00) skills; this requires some phys reps of suitable tools, which need not be carded. A creator may make an individual high-quality tool, if wished (e.g. so that the tool can be enchanted). By default, this has no mechanical effect when using a laboratory.

Alchemy Ingredients

Alchemy makes use of a range of ingredients available in the Renewal campaign, substances rich in magic from the natural world, which alchemy extracts, refines and combines to great effect.

There are two main types of ingredients in the game: raw ingredients, which can be gathered in the wild in play; and finished ingredients, which may be created in game through various skills, or produced as a byproduct of other processes.

All ingredients can also be received via the Resources skill, bought from traders, received as a reward in plot or otherwise acquired in play.

Alchemical Traits

Alchemy ingredients have three mystical alchemical traits: one primary, one secondary and one tertiary. Traits include the spheres of magic, mystical aspects (similar to ether, p. 00) or other properties, e.g. a herb might have the traits “corporeal/healing,” “anti-hope” and “sorrow.” These traits will suggest how best to use the ingredient in brewing and research.

The Analysis skill allows the character to identify an ingredient’s alchemical traits.

Raw Ingredients

Raw ingredients can be gathered in play using the Foraging and Gathering skills.

A list of standard raw ingredients follow, chiefly herbs that grow in the wild; a few other ingredients, including some venoms, bloods and animal parts, are also shown. Others exist, but may be harder to source, or require specific in character actions such as harvesting the bodies of fallen foes (see Butchery and Bloodletting).

Alchemists can refine these materials in various ways, creating finished ingredients; some recipes for doing so are listed in the next section below.

Rarity

A resource’s rarity is a measure of how common it is. Standard creation materials come in four degrees of rarity:

• very common (VC)
• common (C)
• uncommon (UC)
• rare (R)

Rarity serves as a general indicator of value; as a very rough guide, very common resources are worth around 1 copper coin each, common resources around 1 silver coin each, uncommon resources around 3-4 silver coins each, and rare resources around 9-12 silver coins.

Material	Rarity	Material	Rarity	Material	Rarity
Abscess Root	C	Digitalis	C	Moon flower seeds	C
Acacia	C	Fenugreek	C	Nux vomica	C
Acorn	C	Fireweed	C	Oidium sano	C
Agaric	C	Gelsemium	C	Rosemary	C
Agrimony	C	Gentian	C	Scarlet radish	C
Amaranth	C	Grave root	C	Scopolia	C
Ammoniacum	C	Hawthorn	C	Scullcap	C
Belladonna	C	Hellebore	C	Spikenard	C
Benne	C	Hemlock	C	Sweet geranium	C
Beth root	C	Hyssop	C	White bryony	C
Black horehound	C	Jambul seeds	C	White horehound	C
Black mushroom	C	Jewel weed	C	Yellow fungus	C
Box leaves	C	Lotus Leaves	C
Bugle	C	Lucerne	C	Other
Cayenne	C	Lycopodium	C	Raknid blood	C
Chokeweed	C	Majoram	C	Spider venom	C
Colewort	C	Muira puama	C	Unicorn horn	C
Comfrey	C	Master wort	C	Stag horn	C
Cumin seeds	C	Mistletoe	C	Viper venom	C