Chapter 2: Alchemy

Alchemy is a singular term that refers to two different practices: the brewing of concoctions, which are fluids that hold special properties; and the enchanting of items, granting otherwise normal and mundane items arcane enhancements.

Concoctions

When Aetherite is distilled and mixed with other resources, such as various plants, herbs, and other liquids, it becomes not only safe to drink, but the brew takes on special supernatural properties. These fluids are referred to as concoctions, of which there are three different types, classified according to their primary use and described here:

• Elixirs, which can be thought of as the “miscellaneous” category of concoctions - their effects vary greatly and usually don’t share a common theme;
• Poisons, which are used to kill, harm, sicken, curse, or otherwise impede or damage living beings;
• and Potions, which restore Health & Mana and cure diseases & poisons.

In addition to the three concoction archetypes listed above, each brew is further classified by its strength, of which there are four denominations:

• weak concoctions are the simplest and easiest to brew, and their effects are only just strong enough to be helpful;
• moderate brews are a bit more complex than weak ones, and as a result are more expensive and take more time and skill to cook up;
• strong mixtures do take quite a bit of resources to make, but their effects are powerful and immediately quite helpful;
• lastly, exceptional solutions are incredibly strong, but require a great deal of resources and skill to make, and as such are quite rare.

When labelling concoctions, the brew’s strength is usually followed by its type, e.g. a weak Potion of Healing will be called just that. For concoctions of strong strength or weaker, Neutral Aetherite can be used, but for exceptional tinctures, at least half of the Aetherite used must be elementally-aligned; which element the Aetherite must be aligned with will vary depending on the nature of the drink.

For a complete list of concoctions both common and rare included in this rulebook, see here. The guidelines to brew concoctions of your own design are given below.

Brewing Concoctions

Concoctions require ingredients such as special plants & herbs, monster parts, Aetherite, time, etc. Given here is a list of different types and strengths of concoctions, along with the necessary resources, pounds of Aetherite required, and the Alchemy Supplies DR that must be passed to do so successfully. When determining the DR, subtract the pounds of Aetherite in your possession from the number given. During the actual act of brewing, for each day after the first, the brew does not constantly need to be attended to, only maintained a couple of times a day, allowing the alchemist to perform other activities (like brewing other concoctions). Only a single concoction can be started during a night's rest, whereas over the course of a day's rest an alchemist can start and maintain a number of concoctions up to their Alchemy Supplies proficiency. Each concoction being brewed takes up its own set of alchemy supplies while it is being made.

Gathering Ingredients

In addition to Aetherite, concoctions require a handful of other resources to be made (weak concoctions exclusively require these resources). These ingredients can be bought, assuming there is an apothecary or other appropriate store nearby, or they can be gathered by the alchemist themself. This can be done whilst out adventuring in the wilderness, or a character can dedicate their downtime to it, the details for which are covered here.

Each type of concoction also has its own dedicated type of ingredients: basically, Elixirs require Elixir Ingredients, Poisons require Poison Ingredients, and Potions require Potion Ingredients. The costs of these Ingredients are as follows:

• Elixir Ingredients cost 3 Aeons each;
• Poison Ingredients cost 5 Aeons each.
• Potion Ingredients cost 2 Aeons each;

The exact nature of these ingredients - that is, what exactly they are - is up to your GM.

Brewing Requirements

Enchanted Items (Enchants)

The process of infusing arcane powers and qualities into otherwise normal and unremarkable items is known as enchanting, and it is also an alchemical process, and so also requires Alchemy Supplies. Also like brewing concoctions, for each day after the first, the enchanting process does not constantly require the enchanter's attention, and only needs to be maintained a couple of times a day, allowing the enchanter to perform other activities during this time.

Enchanted items – more frequently known as enchants – have 3 different categorizations, described here:

• Arcane Items are otherwise ordinary items that have been enchanted with special properties, such as a hat that changes the wearer’s appearance instantly;
• Armors are enchanted armors that bestow some sort of supernatural boon to the wearer in addition to the normal Armor Bonus;
• Weapons are weapons that have been enchanted so that they wield great arcane powers.

In addition to their classification, enchants are also defined by their power level, which gives a general idea of their power. There are 5 power levels, given here:

• 1st level enchants are pretty weak and relatively easy to come by and create, provided you know what you’re doing;
• 2nd level items possess respectable and noteworthy power, and require some skill to make;
• 3rd level enchanted items are quite powerful and subsequently quite difficult to come by, and as such are highly sought after;
• 4th level enchants possess wondrous power that would be coveted by any who come across them, and are exceedingly rare and valuable;
• finally, artifacts are exceptionally rare, usually one-or-two-of-a-kind items of great and incredible power that are in a league of their own.

An item’s power level can increase given the proper amount of time, Aetherite, and work. An enchant does not need to go through all previous power levels to reach a given power level, i.e., a 1st level enchant does not need to become 2nd level to reach 3rd level, it can simply go straight from 1st to 3rd, or 4th, or become an artifact. Neutral Aetherite can be used to enchant items up to 3rd level, but elementally-aligned Aetherite is needed for enchanting an item to 4th level or to make it an artifact. In these cases, only half of the required Aetherite needs to be elementally-aligned, the rest can be Neutral.

Enchanting Items

Enchanting items is less costly in terms of resources than brewing concoctions, however the cost is made up for in time and amount of skill needed to perform the enchantment successfully. The exact process of enchanting an item is largely mechanically unimportant, though any exceptions to this rule will be specified in the item’s description. Because of this, you or your GM are free to describe how you wish to perform the enchantment: do you hammer small bits of Aetherite into the item until the enchantment is complete? Do you soak the item in liquid Aetherite for the amount of time needed? Does the item need to be cooked above boiling Aetherite, soaking up the arcane haze at an unnaturally slow pace? The only limits are your imagination.

Given here is the amount of time, Aetherite, and skill needed to create an enchant of a given power level. When enchanting items of 4th level or higher, the type of Aetherite needed will vary, so discuss with your GM which type(s) of Aetherite seem(s) appropriate for the enchant you are trying to make, and refer to the examples in the following chapter. Only one check using Alchemy Supplies is needed to enchant an item; if you fail this check, the amount of time you spent is lost, as is the Aetherite – however, the process of enchanting the item has already begun, and you can try again, this time requiring half the time and Aetherite.

Finally, an Elemancer (of the appropriate type if necessary) or an Arcanist must also be involved in the process – not for the entire time, but they must be an active presence in the enchanting, as they must impart their will into the the item to aid it in bonding with the Aetherite and producing the desired enchantment.

Enchanting Requirements

Enchanting Versus Tinkering

To acquire/create items with special, unique properties, enchantment is certainly a viable method of doing so, and may be your first instinct when looking to make interesting equipment. That being said, it isn't the only avenue by which to make special equipment, and depending on what you are trying to do, it may be more complicated than the alternative: tinkering and engineering.

As an example, take the Arcane Item "Liar's Die"; while one could use Aetherite and a few days to enchant a regular die, one could also simply make a loaded die, perhaps one that could be designed to display different numbers according to the user's desire. If your character is more mechanically inclined than arcanely, consider working with your GM on how you could engineer your own special items rather than enchant them.