The Alchemist
By Eric Jwo
The Alchemist is a sorcerer who spends his time researching various mixtures and solutions. He specializes in discovering and creating various potions and herbal remedies. An alchemist is more comfortable in his lab than he is mucking through a dungeon, but many alchemists can still be adventurers. With the vast knowledge of mixtures and forensics, as well as the ability to create potions and poisons, the alchemist is a welcome addition to any adventuring group.
Many institutions in the Fifth Age have many uses for the skills of an Alchemist. The Knights of Takhisis have many Thorn Knights who practice Alchemy. These Thorn Knights brew magical potions for the Lily Knights to use in combat and use their knowledge to assist in investigations. The Academy of Sorcery have an entire department devoted to the alchemists in order to further research single-use magical items. A small group of alchemists resides in the Citadel of Light and works with Goldmoon's mystics to mix magics.
Alchemist Actions
Create Cure
Difficulty: Average (8) - Impossible (24) (according to the Narrator)
Action Ability: Reason
Opposition Ability: None
An alchemist can easily identify many poions and formulate a cure in his lab. The difficulty of the action depends on the type of poison. A normal herbal poison could be cured with an average Reason action. However, a deadly magical plague might require an impossible Reason action.
Mishap: If a mishap occurs, the cure acts as a catalyst to the poison. The effects of the poison double, meaning double the damage for double the duration. If the poison has attributes that do not fit conventional description, then the cure kills the victim. Only mysticism can bring the dead victim back to life.
Create Magical Potion
Difficulty: Daunting (16) - Impossible (24) (according to the Narrator)
Action Ability: Reason
Opposition Ability: None
An alchemist can create many magical potions. In order to do so, he must possess the necessary school or sphere. For example, to create a healing potion an alchemist must know the sphere of healing. Another individual with knowledge of the required school or sphere can aid an alchemist, but both must make the action in this case. Only one potion can be made at a time. This action circumvents the rules in Heroes of Sorcery because the alchemist does not lose any spell points. However, an alchemist must use a magical battery or item in order to create magical potions. In addition to this action, the alchemist, or aid, must successfully cast the required spell, and the alchemist must succeed in a 12-25 point Enchantment spell (the exact number of points depends on thhe nature of the spell and is determined by the Narrator). The difficulty of the action depends on the type of magical potion being created. A simple could be cured with an average Reason action. However, a deadly magical plague might require an impossible Reason action.
Mishap: If a mishap occurs, the magical potion has disastrous magical effects. Instead of creating a healing potion, the potion could cause its imbiber to turn to stone! Or, the potion could simply become a deadly poison.
Create Poison
Difficulty: Challenging (12) - Impossible (24) (according to the narrator)
Action Ability: Reason
Opposition Ability: None
Although many alchemists consider beneath them to create poisons, for various reasons, some use their anility to line their pockets with steel. Poisons can do any manner of things, but the specifics should be determined by both the player and the Narrator. The difficulty is determined according to the effect of the poison.
Mishap:
If a mishap occurs, the poison is a dud and does not work. However, the alchemist does not realize this until he tests it.
Create Potion
Difficulty: Average (8) - Impossible (24) (according to the Narrator)
Action Ability: Reason
Opposition Ability: None
Alchemists can create many nonmagical potions. These can have any manner of effect, such as offering bonuses to actions to healing. Small bonuses, such as +2 to Strength action, should be average. However, potions with effects that border on the magical, such as doubling the imbiber's strength, should be impossible.
Mishap:
The potion is actually a poison, but the alchemist does not realize it.
First Aid
Difficulty: Average (8)
Action Ability: Reason
Opposition Ability: None
An alchemist can quickly give first aid to any injured person, as described in Chapter Four: Combat of the Book of the Fifth Age. A successful action restores one card to a wounded character's Hand.
Mishap:
The first aid attempt actually made the wound worse. The wounded character loses another card.
Replenish Lab
Difficulty: Challenging (12)
Action Ability: Wealth
Opposition Ability: None
If this action is successful, then the alchemist's lab is replenished. The alchemist can use his lab and gain its benefits for the entire adventure.
Mishap:
There are no consequences for a Mishap.
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Role-Playing
Alchemists are mainly studious in nature. They are most comfortable researching in their lab and disdain any serious physical work. Many might consider them lazy, but nothing could be further from the truth. Alchemists slave and toil in their labs. Instead of grappling with knights and monsters, alchemists spend their waking hours grappling with mixtures and formulae.
Preferring brain over brawn, alchemists detest physical involvement and seek to outwit their foes rather than fight them outright. Always fascinated by mystery and knowledge, the alchemist prefers rare, moldy specimens and musty tomes of forgotten lore to the chests of gold and gleaming blades that normally entice adventurers.
Alchemists tend to take life deliberately and analytically. Always careful and precise, alchemists tend to exasperate others by their slowness. Others who are in a hurry simply cannot understand how an alchemist can calmly examine a rotted piece of refuge and mutter quietly as danger charges straight at him. The alchemist's ability to immerse himself in his findings aids in his research but allows his guard to drop.
Still, the alchemist can come in handy in the field. An alchemist can analyze and, hopefully, neutralize poisons, examine and identify potions, and provide valuable nuggets of information when appropriate. Like the mages of old, alchemists tend to stay back where its safe and allow the fighters in the party to do any fighting. Many believe that this is because the alchemist has no offensive capabilities at all, but they are sadly mistaken. While alchemists disdain physical exertion, they are still sorcerers. Their magical abilities may be used to being confined in the laboratory, but once provoked, an alchemist can prove to be a deadly foe.
Requirements
An alchemist needs to be highly intelligent and capable in order to perform his work. An alchemist also needs to have a discerning eye in order to recognize the various properties of his potions and mixtures. To reflect this, an alchemist needs minimum scores of 7 in both Reason and Perception. An alchemist also needs to have quick and steady hands in order to work around such delicate materials. Therefore, an alchemist has a minimum Dexterity of 6.
Alchemists do not spend much time outdoors. Instead, they spend their time cloistered away in their labs, researching new and wonderful solutions. Therefore, an alchemist has a maximum score of 5 in both Strength and Endurance. An alchemist is also not seen as a very imposing or charismatic individual. Since they are more comfortable among books and beakers instead of people, alchemists have a maximum Presence score of 5 as well.
Alchemists are highly skilled in the art of sorcery and investigation. Therefore, an alchemist needs to have a code of "A" in Reason and a minimum code of "B" in Perception. However, alchemists never spend any time on physical pursuits. To reflect his, an alchemist has a maximum code of "D" in Strength, Endurance, and Agility. An alchmeist has a maximum code of "C" in Dexterity.
Due to the expensive nature of an alchemists lab and materials, a hero needs to have a minimum Wealth score of 5, Guildsman, in order to be an alchemist. Alchemists needs to chose either Enchantment or Hydromancy as one of their schools of sorcery. Alchemists can be of any race and the role can only be adopted during play.
Advantages
Because of their extensive background in magical potions and solutions, alchemists recieve an automatic Trump bonus to either Enchantment or Hydromancy (player's choice). Alchemists also recieve Trump bonuses to identify potions, solutions, and poisons. Alchemists can perform each of the actions listed to the right once a day. After the first time, the actions become one degree more difficult. With the aid of their labs, alchemists gain an automatic Trump bonus to the actions. Non-alchemist heroes can also perform these action, but the actions are two degrees more difficult.
Disadvantages
Due to their background in alchemy, alchemists are not very battle ready. All physical actions to harm another, not including damaging spells, are never Trump. Alchemists are also very susceptible to mysticism becuase of their devotion to sorcery. Any action to resist mysticism is never Trump becuase of this.
Alchemists Lab
Alchemists need to maintain a very expensive and fragile lab. In order to purchase a lab, an alchemist must make three successive challenging Wealth actions. A hero does not have access to a lab until he has secured his lab. With access to a lab, an alchemist gets a trump bonus to the actions listed to the right. After a lab is secured, an alchemist's Wealth score is permanently decreased by half (round down), or until the alchemist decides to change roles.
A travel lab can be secured, so that an alchemist will have access to a lab, but there are several drawbacks. This lab will decrease the alchemist's Wealth score by 1 (cumulative after the first decrease if the alchemist also purchases a normal lab). Also, since it isn't a full lab, every time an alchemist uses it, the Narrator should draw a random card from the Fate Deck. If the card is a Dragon card, then the lab does not afford the Trump bonus that it usually does.
Once every adventure, an alchemist must make a challenging Wealth action to replenish his lab's materials. If unsuccessful, then the alchemist cannot benefit from his lab for the entire adventure. Two such actions must be made if an alchemist wishes to re-stock both of his labs.
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