Alchemy

Alchemy is the mystical counterpart to Scholarship, providing transformational and creative power of the inanimate world. This includes, but is not limited to, crafting potions and salves, changing objects properties, and creating a philosopher's stone.

All entries come from Legends of Anglerre pages 120 - 122.

The character can analyze and identify substances, including poisons. This can be used for assessments and declarations.

The character can detect a given substance with a base difficulty of Mediocre(+0) for a single element. Obscure compounds and magical substances are more difficult to detect.

You can make a potion for which you already have a power skill or stunt. As an example you must have the Life power to create healing potions. Roll Alchemy against Mediocre(+0) quality, the shifts generated indicate the potion quality up to a maximum of your Alchemy or power skill level minus 1, or the quality of your alchemical laboratory; whichever is lower. The quality of a potion indicates the level of the power skill or stunt it contains. You can make 3 does of a power skill potion or 2 doses of a stunt and it takes half a day to craft.

Removes impurities, poisons, and diseases in liquids or foods; acting as a dispel against the effects.

Similar to the Personal Magical Item stunt from Crafts, this allows you to create a potion for a power skill you already know, or to have a potion created by someone else. You have three advances, usually used to increase potion quality (so up to Good (+3) for a simple potion like a Potion of Healing), although you may spend an advance to create a potion for a stunt. You may take this stunt multiple times to increase the advances available. You may use the potion once per scene.

The potion version of the Universal Magical Item stunt (see Craftsman), this gives you two advances, usually used to increase potion quality, though you may spend an advance to create a potion for a stunt. You may take this stunt multiple times to increase the advances available. Once defined, the potion is locked in for the remainder of the session; you may use it once per scene.

You can modify an inanimate object’s aspects; one aspect is affected per use. Each “step” of change costs 1 manipulation; changing a “Stone Floor” to “Quicksand” would be 2 steps; changing it to “Pool of Water” would be 3. Unlike the Transmutation power skill this actually changes a thing; it’s not an illusion or temporary reality (i.e. a dispel has no effect). The difficulty equals the scale or cost/quality of the object, whichever is higher; an object held by another may use the bearer’s Athletics or even Resolve to resist instead, at the Story Teller’s discretion. All usual manipulations apply: without further manipulation, the effect only lasts a few minutes, for example.

Requires Change Object

For a Fate point, the caster can create an object from thin air, with a -2 manipulation per descriptor.

Requires Create Object

This is a “dispel” version of Create Object which destroys rather than creates, again for the power’s duration.

Requires Create Object

The alchemist can animate an object as Minions] or [[Followers#Companion, creating animated statues, puppets, etc. These objects are alive, and can’t be dispelled. This works as a Lesser Summoning stunt (see Summoning), except the object is animated, not summoned.

Requires Animate Lesser Object

The alchemist can create golems, etc. This works as a Greater Summoning stunt (see Summoning), except the object is animated, not summoned; it’s often performed as a ritual and a group working.

Requires Animate Greater Object and One or more story elements

At the end of a long and difficult quest, the alchemist creates a touchstone, a powerful alchemical item capable of transforming reality. It allows the wielder to modify aspects of other characters, creatures, items, even locations, at a +1 difficulty for each “step” of modification (you could shrink a person to scale 1 at a +1 difficulty, or vaporize a rock (solid to liquid to gas) at a +2). The touchstone can be resisted, usually as a Composure conflict, and all range, scale, target and duration manipulations apply.

With a touchstone, the alchemist enters an entirely new stage of his mystical explorations. In game terms, this unlocks the restricted occupation “Discoverer of Secrets”, which the alchemist can embark upon by taking a corresponding aspect.