Alchemy
Alchemy is a hard science on Korrenth in which elementally aligned herbs, fungi, bark, and animal parts are used to make potions, oils, and grenades. Alchemical items are never quite as strong as spells, but they are immensely useful to anyone.
Alchemical Ingredients
Every alchemical ingredient carries an affinity for one of the nine elements. An ingredient's affinity determines the effects it can produce when properly refined, combined, or prepared.
The following are non-exhaustive examples of elementally aligned ingredients.
General Purpose Examples
| Element | Herbs | Fungi | Barks | Animal Organs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | Whistlestem | Cloudcap | Galepeel | Aero Gland |
| Death | Widow's Rue | Corpsecap | Gravewillow | Death Pit |
| Earth | Stonewort | Iron Shelf | Deepoak | Salt Vesicle |
| Fire | Emberleaf | Cinder Morel | Charpine | Fire Sac |
| Force | Hammergrass | Thunderball Fungus | Striking Ash | Force Cuttle |
| Ice | Frostmint | Rimecap | Winterbirch | Ice Blood |
| Life | Heartbloom | Saint's Parasol | Springwillow | Ever Healing Plate |
| Void | Starless Bell | Hollowcap | Nightwood | Nullifiers |
| Water | Riverlace | Weeping Gill | Tidewillow | Acid Duct |
Crafting Alchemical Items
Ingredient Quality
Ingredients are rated as Poor, Average, Good, Excellent, or Flawless. Ingredient quality determines the quality and strength of the finished alchemical item.
| Quality | Craft (Alchemy) DC | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | 10 | Damaged, improperly gathered, stale, or weak material |
| Average | 15 | Ordinary material gathered and stored competently |
| Good | 22 | Healthy material gathered at an advantageous time or from a strong specimen |
| Excellent | 32 | Exceptionally potent material requiring considerable skill to prepare |
| Flawless | 45 | Nearly perfect material possessing the strongest attainable elemental affinity |
A character must select the intended quality before beginning to craft an alchemical item. The recipe must contain enough ingredients of that quality to supply every required portion.
Ingredients of different qualities may be combined. The finished item uses the quality of its lowest-quality portion, so higher-quality ingredients may be used to create an item of lower quality.
Recipe Complexity
The listed quality DC assumes a simple recipe containing one or two portions of a single element. More complicated recipes increase the Craft (Alchemy) DC.
| Recipe Feature | DC Modifier |
|---|---|
| Each portion beyond the second | +1 |
| Each additional element beyond the first | +1 |
| Recipe contains an opposed pair of elements | +2 |
| Recipe contains Void and any other element | +2 |
Only apply the modifier for an additional element once, regardless of how many portions of that element are used.
The total Recipe Complexity modifier cannot exceed +7.
Void suppresses, removes, or severs magical effects. It is difficult to combine with other elements because it naturally attempts to neutralize their affinities.
Opposed Elements
Elemental opposition is directional and not reciprocal. Read each relationship from left to right: the element in the first column is opposed to the element in the second column.
| Element Type | Opposite |
|---|---|
| Air (Electric) | Ice (Cold) |
| Death (Negative) | Life (Positive) |
| Earth (Desiccation) | Sonic |
| Fire (Heat) | Water (Corrosive) |
| Force | Void (Entropic) |
| Ice (Cold) | Fire (Heat) |
| Life (Positive) | Death (Negative) |
| Void (Entropic) | Force |
| Water (Corrosive) | Earth (Desiccation) |
Crafting Procedure
To craft a potion, grenade, or oil:
- Select a recipe and its intended quality.
- Supply the required elemental portions using ingredients of the selected quality.
- Determine the Craft (Alchemy) DC from the ingredient quality and recipe complexity.
- Attempt a Craft (Alchemy) check.
- On a success, the ingredients produce one potion, grenade, or application of oil.
Potion Recipes
Potion of Healing
A Potion of Healing accelerates natural recovery and closes recent injuries.
Recipe: 2 Life portions
| Quality | Effect |
|---|---|
| Poor | Restores 1d10 Hit Points |
| Average | Restores 2d10 Hit Points |
| Good | Restores 3d12 Hit Points |
| Excellent | Restores 5d12 Hit Points |
| Flawless | Restores 8d12 Hit Points |
Potion of Cure Disease
A Potion of Cure Disease helps the body identify and destroy infection, parasites, and other diseases.
Recipe: 2 Death portions and 1 Life portion
Complexity Modifier: +4 DC
Life strengthens the body while the controlled portion of Death attacks or arrests the foreign organism.
| Quality | Effect |
|---|---|
| Poor | Grants a +2 bonus to the next Fortitude save against one disease |
| Average | Grants a +4 bonus to all Fortitude saves against one disease for 24 hours |
| Good | Immediately allows a new Fortitude save against one disease with a +6 bonus |
| Excellent | Cures one nonmagical disease |
| Flawless | Cures one disease, including a magically created disease |
Fortifying Potions
The following potions use the same progression for their bonuses and durations.
| Quality | Bonus | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | +1 | 3 rounds |
| Average | +2 | 1 minute |
| Good | +4 | 1 minute |
| Excellent | +5 | 10 minutes |
| Flawless | +7 | 1 hour |
Potion of Natural Armor
A Potion of Natural Armor temporarily hardens the drinker's skin, scales, hide, or outer tissues.
Recipe: 2 Earth portions and 1 Life portion
Complexity Modifier: +2 DC
Effect: Grants the listed Natural Armor Enhancement for the listed duration.
Potion of Ego
A Potion of Ego reinforces the drinker's identity and mental boundaries.
Recipe: 2 Force portions and 1 Life portion
Complexity Modifier: +2 DC
Effect: Grants the listed resistance bonus to Ego saves for the listed duration.
Potion of Fortitude
A Potion of Fortitude reinforces the drinker's body against poison, disease, physical transformation, and similar assaults.
Recipe: 2 Life portions and 1 Earth portion
Complexity Modifier: +2 DC
Effect: Grants the listed resistance bonus to Fortitude saves for the listed duration.
Potion of Reflex
A Potion of Reflex sharpens reactions and allows the drinker's body to move before conscious thought catches up.
Recipe: 2 Air portions and 1 Force portion
Complexity Modifier: +2 DC
Effect: Grants the listed resistance bonus to Reflex saves for the listed duration.
Potion of Will
A Potion of Will steadies the drinker's thoughts and reinforces their mind against confusion, deception, and unwanted influence.
Recipe: 2 Force portions and 1 Void portion
Complexity Modifier: +6 DC
Effect: Grants the listed resistance bonus to Will saves for the listed duration.
Force reinforces the drinker's mental discipline while a carefully controlled amount of Void suppresses outside influence.
Potion of Soothed Fear
A Potion of Soothed Fear suppresses panic and steadies an overwhelmed mind without deadening awareness.
Recipe: 1 Life portion, 1 Earth portion, and 1 Force portion
Complexity Modifier: +3 DC
| Quality | Effect |
|---|---|
| Poor | Grants a +2 bonus to the next Ego save against fear made within 1 minute |
| Average | Grants a +3 bonus to Ego saves against fear for 10 minutes |
| Good | Immediately allows a new save against one fear effect with a +5 bonus |
| Excellent | Removes one nonmagical fear effect and grants +4 against fear for 10 minutes |
| Flawless | Removes one fear effect and grants immunity to fear for 10 minutes |
Potion of Elemental Resistance
A Potion of Elemental Resistance protects the drinker from damage associated with a particular element.
Recipe: 2 portions of the resisted element and 1 Life portion
Complexity Modifier: +2 DC
The elemental portions teach the potion what energy it must recognize, while Life allows the drinker's body to survive exposure to it. The portions used must match the element being resisted.
A Potion of Life Resistance uses 3 Life portions. Because it contains only one element, its Complexity Modifier is +1 DC instead of +2 DC.
| Quality | Resistance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | 5 | 3 rounds |
| Average | 10 | 1 minute |
| Good | 20 | 10 minutes |
| Excellent | 35 | 1 hour |
| Flawless | 50 | 8 hours |
A creature can benefit from multiple different Elemental Resistance potions. Drinking another potion for the same element replaces the previous potion rather than stacking with it.
Potion of Magical Purging
A Potion of Magical Purging uses Void to weaken or remove magic affecting the drinker.
Recipe: 2 Void portions, 1 Life portion, and 1 Force portion
Complexity Modifier: +7 DC
| Quality | Effect |
|---|---|
| Poor | Grants a +2 bonus to the next save against a spell or magical effect made within 1 minute |
| Average | Grants a +3 bonus to saves against spells and magical effects for 1 minute |
| Good | Allows a new save against one ongoing magical effect with a +5 bonus |
| Excellent | 2d10 spell levels negated on the drinker |
| Flawless | Removes all hostile ongoing magical effects affecting the drinker |
Alchemical Grenades
Alchemical grenades are sealed ampules approximately the size of a full-grown human male's pinky. The ampule shatters on impact and releases its contents over a small area.
Throwing a grenade is a standard action and requires a ranged Martial Touch attack against the intended target or square. A grenade has a range increment of 20 ft.
On a successful attack, the grenade affects the target struck and everything within a 5 ft. radius. On a missed attack, the grenade lands in a randomly determined adjacent square and releases its effect there.
Each grenade recipe specifies the save used to resist its effect. A Reflex save represents avoiding the released effect; a creature directly struck by a grenade does not receive a Reflex save unless the recipe states otherwise. Other save types represent resisting the effect after release and may be attempted even by a directly struck target. Unless otherwise stated, a successful save negates the grenade's effect. Damage-dealing grenades state whether a successful save reduces their damage.
The save DC of a grenade is determined by its quality.
| Quality | Save DC |
|---|---|
| Poor | 11 |
| Average | 14 |
| Good | 18 |
| Excellent | 23 |
| Flawless | 30 |
Grenade Recipes
Elemental Grenade
An Elemental Grenade violently releases a concentrated amount of elemental energy.
Recipe: 2 portions of the chosen element
| Quality | Damage |
|---|---|
| Poor | 1d10 |
| Average | 2d10 |
| Good | 4d10 |
| Excellent | 7d10 |
| Flawless | 12d10 |
The grenade deals damage corresponding to the element used in its creation.
| Element | Damage Type |
|---|---|
| Air | Electric |
| Death | Negative |
| Earth | Desiccation |
| Fire | Heat |
| Force | Force |
| Ice | Cold |
| Life | Positive |
| Void | Entropic |
| Water | Corrosive |
A creature directly struck by the grenade does not receive a Reflex save against its damage. Other creatures within the grenade's radius may make a Reflex save for half damage.
Dispelling Grenade
A Dispelling Grenade releases a burst of Void that severs ongoing magical effects. It can be thrown at a creature, object, or unattended square.
Recipe: 2 Void portions and 1 Force portion
Complexity Modifier: +6 DC
| Quality | Effect |
|---|---|
| Poor | Nullifies 1d4 spell levels |
| Average | Nullifies 1d6 spell levels |
| Good | Nullifies 1d10 spell levels |
| Excellent | Nullifies 2d10 spell levels |
| Flawless | Nullifies 4d10 spell levels |
Every creature and object within the grenade's 5 ft. radius is affected. A creature may make a Will save to negate the effect. Objects receive no save.
A willing creature may choose which magical effects are nullified first. For an unwilling creature or unattended object, the highest-level magical effects are nullified first. The grenade does not distinguish between helpful and hostile magic.
Slow Grenade
A Slow Grenade coats affected creatures in an alchemical mixture that interferes with movement, reactions, and coordination.
Recipe: 1 Earth portion, 1 Ice portion, and 1 Force portion
Complexity Modifier: +3 DC
Every creature within the grenade's 5 ft. radius must make a Will save or become slowed.
A slowed creature has its movement speed halved or reduced to 15 ft., whichever is slower. It also suffers a -1 haste penalty to attackDeaths, AC, and Reflex saves and can make only one attack during a round.
Haste immediately ends the grenade's Slow effect.
| Quality | Duration |
|---|---|
| Poor | 1 round |
| Average | 2 rounds |
| Good | 3 rounds |
| Excellent | 5 rounds |
| Flawless | 10 rounds |
Bad Luck Grenade
A Bad Luck Grenade releases a clinging alchemical haze that twists probability against affected creatures.
Recipe: 1 Void portion, 1 Force portion, and 1 Death portion
Complexity Modifier: +7 DC
Every creature within the grenade's 5 ft. radius must make a Reflex save or suffer from Bad Luck. While affected by Bad Luck, all damage dice rolled by the creature produce their minimum possible values.
For example, an affected creature dealing 3d10 + 6 damage deals 9 damage.
| Quality | Duration |
|---|---|
| Poor | 1 round |
| Average | 2 rounds |
| Good | 3 rounds |
| Excellent | 5 rounds |
| Flawless | 10 rounds |
Alchemical Oils
Alchemical oils are compounds applied to weapons, ammunition, or other attacking implements. An oil affects only the item to which it is applied.
Applying an oil is a swift action. Unless otherwise stated, an oil remains active until the beginning of the user's next turn. Only one alchemical oil can be active on an item at a time. Applying another oil immediately ends the previous oil's effect.
An oil applied to a weapon affects every attack made with that weapon for its duration. An oil applied to a piece of ammunition affects only the attack made using that ammunition.
Oil Recipes
Elemental Weapon Oil
An Elemental Weapon Oil briefly coats a weapon in concentrated elemental energy.
Recipe: 2 portions of the chosen element
Successful attacks made with the treated weapon deal additional elemental damage.
| Quality | Additional Damage |
|---|---|
| Poor | 1d4 |
| Average | 1d8 |
| Good | 2d8 |
| Excellent | 3d10 |
| Flawless | 5d10 |
The additional damage corresponds to the element used in the oil and is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Keen Oil
Keen Oil sharpens the effective striking edge or point of a weapon beyond what its physical construction would ordinarily allow.
Recipe: 1 Force portion and 1 Air portion
Complexity Modifier: +1 DC
The critical range of the treated weapon increases by 2. For example, a weapon with a critical range of 20 gains a critical range of 18–20.
| Quality | Duration |
|---|---|
| Poor | Until the first attack made with the weapon |
| Average | 1 round |
| Good | 3 rounds |
| Excellent | 1 minute |
| Flawless | 10 minutes |
Keen Oil does not stack with other effects that increase a weapon's critical range. It has no effect on a weapon that cannot deal critical hits.
Dispelling Oil
Dispelling Oil coats a weapon in a thin layer of unstable Void. When the weapon strikes, the Void transfers into the target and severs ongoing magical effects.
Recipe: 2 Void portions and 1 Force portion
Complexity Modifier: +6 DC
The first successful attack made with the treated weapon consumes the oil and nullifies spell levels affecting the target.
| Quality | Spell Levels Nullified |
|---|---|
| Poor | 1d4 |
| Average | 1d6 |
| Good | 1d10 |
| Excellent | 2d10 |
| Flawless | 4d10 |
The highest-level magical effects are nullified first. The target does not receive a save against the dispelling effect because the weapon attack has already delivered the oil.
Dispelling Oil does not deal additional damage and does not distinguish between helpful and hostile magical effects.
Driving Oil
Driving Oil releases a concentrated burst of Force when the treated weapon strikes, throwing the target off balance and driving it backward.
Recipe: 2 Force portions and 1 Air portion
Complexity Modifier: +2 DC
Once while the oil is active, after the treated weapon successfully hits a creature, the attacker may immediately initiate a Shove attempt against that creature as a free action.
The successful weapon attack satisfies the Shove's Martial Touch attack. Skip directly to the opposed Strength checks. Size modifiers apply normally. The attacker gains the oil's listed alchemical bonus to this check.
If the attacker succeeds, the target is pushed 5 ft., plus an additional distance determined by the oil's quality. This replaces the normal additional distance gained from exceeding the defender's Strength check.
| Quality | Opposed Strength Bonus | Maximum Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | +0 | 5 ft. |
| Average | +1 | 10 ft. |
| Good | +2 | 15 ft. |
| Excellent | +3 | 20 ft. |
| Flawless | +5 | 30 ft. |
The attacker does not provoke an attack of opportunity for the Shove initiated by the oil.
Crafting DC Quick Reference
Potion Crafting DCs
| Potion | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent | Flawless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potion of Healing | 10 | 15 | 22 | 32 | 45 |
| Potion of Cure Disease | 14 | 19 | 26 | 36 | 49 |
| Potion of Natural Armor | 12 | 17 | 24 | 34 | 47 |
| Potion of Ego | 12 | 17 | 24 | 34 | 47 |
| Potion of Fortitude | 12 | 17 | 24 | 34 | 47 |
| Potion of Reflex | 12 | 17 | 24 | 34 | 47 |
| Potion of Will | 16 | 21 | 28 | 38 | 51 |
| Potion of Soothed Fear | 13 | 18 | 25 | 35 | 48 |
| Potion of Elemental Resistance | 12 | 17 | 24 | 34 | 47 |
| Potion of Elemental Resistance (Life) | 11 | 16 | 23 | 33 | 46 |
| Potion of Magical Purging | 17 | 22 | 29 | 39 | 52 |
Grenade Crafting DCs
| Grenade | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent | Flawless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elemental Grenade | 10 | 15 | 22 | 32 | 45 |
| Dispelling Grenade | 16 | 21 | 28 | 38 | 51 |
| Slow Grenade | 13 | 18 | 25 | 35 | 48 |
| Bad Luck Grenade | 17 | 22 | 29 | 39 | 52 |
Oil Crafting DCs
| Oil | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent | Flawless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elemental Weapon Oil | 10 | 15 | 22 | 32 | 45 |
| Keen Oil | 11 | 16 | 23 | 33 | 46 |
| Dispelling Oil | 16 | 21 | 28 | 38 | 51 |
| Driving Oil | 12 | 17 | 24 | 34 | 47 |