Alchemical Mixing System
The Crescent Wildlands are filled with strange magical reagents capable of combining into powerful potions or potent poisons with the proper distillation of an expert Alchemist. Experimental Alchemy is a rapidly advancing medium whose horizons stretch ever farther with each newfound reagent, these rules will help quantify how one may construct and brew their own custom alchemical concoctions using the reagents found during your adventures.
What is needed?
In order to brew a custom alchemical mixture three things are required, alchemist’s supplies, a container to put the mixture in, and at least one reagent. You may use more than one reagent, or multiples of the same reagent, up to a maximum of three in a single mixture. You will also need to decide how the mixture will be activated, either as it enters the bloodstream (Imbibed), upon touching exposed skin (Contact), or through inhalation (Aerosol). Every reagent within the mixture must activate under the same condition.
How to craft a Mixture
Now that you know what you need to make a cool custom potion or poison, how do you combine your ingredients together? Crafting an alchemical mixture is an Intelligence based check using alchemist’s supplies. The difficulty is determined by the combined difficulty of all parts of the mixture: reagent, container, delivery method, and takes several hours. During an eight-hour period of time an alchemist may produce up to three Alchemical Mixtures using this method, those mixtures need not be identical. The base difficulty of crafting is a DC of 10, each degree of difficulty from reagents, containers or delivery increases the difficulty of that DC by 5.
E.g. A mixture within a flask (no difficulty), with a single 1♥ difficulty reagent that will be imbibed (no difficulty), would require a DC 15 Intelligence check using alchemist supplies to complete and several hours of crafting time. Whereas a mixture within a bomb (1♥ difficulty) using two 1♥ difficulty reagents that activates on contact (no difficulty) would require a DC 25 Intelligence check using alchemist supplies and several hours of crafting time to complete.
The Intelligence check for the mixture is rolled after the crafting time has been fully complete and any reagents used in the mixture have been consumed. Should you not meet or exceed the difficulty required of the mixture then the experiment has failed and the mixture does not succeed, otherwise the process is a success.
Determining the effects of a Mixture
With the knowledge of what you need to do to combine a mixture together, now you need to know how to get the results you desire from the many components at your disposal. Some decisions must be made, which will determine much of how your custom creation is used and in what way. Foremost among them is how you plan to activate the mixture. As previously noted, all reagents within a mixture must activated with the same conditions, and some containers can only deliver mixtures in certain ways. So, first step should be to determine the activation method, then the container used to deliver the mixture, and then the reagents used within the mixture itself.
Each container has a different method of delivering a mixture, many have several ways that they can be used or configured, those specifics will be covered in more detail within the container section of this guide.
Reagent Concentration
Each reagent has a different effect upon the mixture, determined by their concentration level, these effects are listed in each individual reagent’s entry in the Alchemical Almanac. The more portions of an identical reagent that have been used in the same mixture, the higher the concentration level of that reagent. Remember that no more than three reagents, or three multiples of the same reagent may be used in any one mixture. These can be combined and mixed and matched as much as you wish, but the total amount of all reagents used within the mixture must not exceed three.
E.g. A mixture with 2 portions of Harpy Eggs and 1 Hazewood would have a Harpy Egg concentration level of 2 and a Hazewood concentration of 1. Should the mixture have 3 Harpy Egg portions it would have a Harpy Egg concentration level of 3 and would not have any more room in the mixture for additional reagents.
Some reagents have a minimum concentration level, as listed in their entry within the Alchemical Almanac. These reagents will affect the mixtures they are in even with trace amounts of their essence. A reagent with a minimum concentration level cannot ever be reduced beyond its first level of concentration, regardless of any modifiers to the mixture. For most reagents the maximum concentration level they can reach is 3, any effect or modifier that brings a reagent beyond its listed maximum provides no additional effect.
Reagent Duration
Different reagents within a mixture may have effects with different durations. Each reagent’s entry within the Alchemical Almanac will list the reagents effects and durations. Each individual effect lasts as long as it’s listed duration and must be tracked separately from any other persistent effects. Using common reagents available in all alchemist’s supplies it is possible to extend or condense other reagent’s durations. When you do so all reagents within the mixture with durations will increase or decrease in stages as shown in their entry within the Alchemical Almanac.
Containers
There are many types of containers and many methods of delivery for all kinds of wild alchemical creations. From simple flasks filled with liquid to complex needle traps to explosive bombs, the crafty alchemist can administer their potions and poisons in creative ways so long as they craft the contraption ahead of time. Containers deliver mixtures in different ways, and many of them can be used in multiple ways. How the container delivers the mixture must be determined when crafting the mix. Some have limitations while others add more difficulty to the crafting check required to make the mixture. Below are all the common containers, the difficulty of the device, the activation methods they support, and how they are used.
Vial (0♥) Imbibe, Contact, Aerosol. The most simple and common container, the vial is a versatile method to store liquid or vapor that can shatter on impact and has a cork or stopper that can be easily removed. Any test-tube, flask or bottle that fits those criteria may be used as a vial.
Imbibe: Vials may be drunk as a bonus action or fed to a willing creature as an action.
Contact: Vials may be thrown at a creature with a range of 20/60ft, activating upon a successful hit. Against a willing creature no attack roll is needed when within 20ft.
Aerosol: Vials can be uncorked and affect a 5ft radius sphere immediately around the bearer, or thrown at a visible location within 30ft where it smashes open and spreads to affect a 5ft radius sphere from that point.
Salve (0♥) Imbibe, Contact Kept in small tins or jars and used to coat weapons or apply poultices and balms, Salves are any spreadable mixture.
Imbibe: Salves that activate when imbibed must first breach the skin or enter the bloodstream in some other way to activate. As an action the mixture can be used to coat a piercing or slashing weapon or two pieces of ammunition. The next two times a weapon hits a creature or a piece of ammunition coated in the salve makes it’s mark the mixture is activated. Alternatively, an imbibed salve may be spread and consumed upon any edible substance. In either case, if the mixture is not activated within 10 min of being removed from the container, it becomes inert.
Contact: Salves that require contact with the skin may be spread upon yourself or a willing creature within 5ft as an action, at which point they will activate. They may also used to coat any weapons, objects, or ammunition as an action. Any creature that makes contact with the salve with a portion of exposed skin within 10 mins then activates the mixture. Weapons coated in the mixture will activate on the next two hits.
Trap (1♥) Contact, Aerosol, Imbibe (1♥) Devices made to trigger remotely, wither by pressure, wire, or magical command are more difficult to craft than an ordinary vial, but provide many potential advantages to the well-prepared tinkerer. You must establish the trap’s location, its triggering mechanism, and then ready the necessary components during the crafting process. Simple traps with simple triggers may be pre-constructed and carried on your person, but complicated death machines must be made on location and may require more difficult and involved construction criteria than are represented here. As for all other simple traps, an action is required to arm the device, which must be placed within 5ft of the person arming it. Once the action to arm the trap is taken any creature that satisfies the trap’s triggering conditions will activate the trap.
Contact: Once triggered the creature that activated the trap is doused in the mixture and must make a Dexterity saving throw or the mixture activates.
Aerosol: Once triggered the trap spreads the mixture as a cloud with a 15ft radius. Multiple mixtures of the same exact type may be used in the construction of the trap, roll the crafting checks separately for each instance of the identical mixture, which consumes reagents as if they were each individual instances of the same mixture. Any successfully completed mixtures may be added to the trap and will extend the duration the cloud remains by 1 round per additional mix, from instantaneous to a maximum of 1 min. Any creature within the cloud at the start of their turn will have the mixture activate upon them again.
Imbibe: Once triggered the trap uses needles to puncture the skin in one of three ways, chosen when crafting the trap. As a cone, a sphere, or a single dart. The cone is 15ft long, the sphere has a 5ft radius, and the single dart reaches 30ft. The cone and sphere deal (2d8) piercing damage and allow a Dexterity save for half damage, the needle does a single point of damage and requires a Dexterity save with disadvantage to avoid its effects entirely. Any creature that takes damage activates the mixture.
Bomb (1♥) Contact, Aerosol (1♥), Imbibe (1♥) Small containers holding a black powder charge inside with a wick or contact trigger can be tricky to make but provide a more impactful way to deliver mixtures than simply throwing a vial. To construct a bomb at least a marginal amount of black powder or saltpeter must be available, which will be consumed in the crafting process. Bombs may be thrown at any visible point within 30ft at which point they will explode and then their effects will take place.
Contact: When the bomb explodes it releases the mixture, activating upon all creatures within a 5ft radius sphere that fail a Dexterity saving throw. Friendly creatures may choose to fail this save.
Aerosol: When the bomb explodes it creates a cloud affecting all creatures within a 10ft radius. Multiple mixtures of the same exact type may be used in the construction of the bomb, roll the crafting checks separately for each instance of the identical mixture, which consumes reagents as if they were each individual instances of the same mixture. Any successfully completed mixtures may be added to the trap and will extend the duration the cloud remains by 1 round per additional mix, from instantaneous to a maximum of 2 rounds. Any creature within the cloud at the start of their turn will have the mixture activate upon them again.
Imbibe: Small needles, shards of glass or other shrapnel has been added to this bomb to allow the mixture into the bloodstream. When it explodes every creature within a 5ft radius sphere must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d4 piercing damage. Any creature that suffers damage from the blast activates the mixture.
Common Reagents
Alchemist supplies contain many commonly used reagents that can be used to modify or customize your unique alchemical mixtures. These common reagents are available in large supply and are easy to obtain, things such as solution, stabilizers, diluters, etc. Alchemist supplies are considered to have an unlimited supply of these, which may be added to any of your mixtures as if they were any other type of reagent with the following effects. Keep in mind no mixture may include more than three reagents, including common ones.
Extender (1♥): Increases the duration of every reagent with a duration in the mix by one stage.
Condenser (1♥): Decreases the duration of every reagent with a duration in the mix by one stage and increases the concentration of every reagent with a duration by one stage.
Concealer (1♥): Hides the scent, taste and removes the color of a mixture.
Multiplier (2♥♥): Increases the amount of mixture produced. Rather than one complete mixture from a successful crafting check instead create 1d3+1.
Activation Methods
In addition to how the activation method determines how the mixture is delivered in combination with the container used, each activation method affects the concentration of reagents within the mixture.
Imbibe: Does not affect the concentration of reagents within the mixture.
Contact: Reduces the concentration of all reagents in the mixture by one stage.
Aerosol: Reduces the concentration of all reagents in the mixture by two stages.
Remember some reagents have a minimum value and cannot be reduced below the first stage of concentration. Any reagent without a minimum has no effect if it is reduced to zero concentration or below. Common reagents do not have concentration levels and are therefore unaffected by modifiers.
And that’s all that is required to craft custom potions and poisons in Arvendon. If you wish to see a list of available reagents and their effects, durations, difficulties, costs and more those are available in the Alchemist Almanac, which will be posted and maintained in the Lore & Resources section of soloquest.ca.
