Alchemy?
- Thread starter Mac V
- Start date
Alchemy is tricky. RQ2 style alchemy won't work with RQM, it never really worked with RQ3. Some alchemy can be used from the main rules, so a Spell Casting Potion can be made using standard rules. Poison effects are dealt with in the main rulebook, as is disease. But, creating the potions themselves isn't.
It would be nice to see, but in the meantime why not just have an Alchemy/Potions skill and use similar rules to the Enchantment/Runecasting skills. It's not ideal, but it'll get you started until something better comes along.
It would be nice to see, but in the meantime why not just have an Alchemy/Potions skill and use similar rules to the Enchantment/Runecasting skills. It's not ideal, but it'll get you started until something better comes along.
CharlieMonster
Mongoose
I seem to remember asking this question about a month ago, but nobody ever listens to me
How about an answer from da goosey guys? I'd settle for an article in S&P
GOD...i have seen this often here... "GLORANTHA"!! not "GLORTHANA" or some other crap...1 or 2 is a mistake, more than 2 times is bullshit.
No matter though, we all understand what you mean but it is like "UNIDET SATES OF AMECIRA"...sounds pretty stupid to me
WAH!, take a pill.
I thought someone asked before, I'm sure we'll see something if it's mention snuck into the main rules.
CharlieMonster
Mongoose
but it is like "UNIDET SATES OF AMECIRA"...sounds pretty stupid to me
I'm not sure "United States of America" sounds any better :lol:
I quite like "Untied States of America" though
Gregory Privat
Mongoose
Hoitsu said:
Of course, you were meaning GlorOntha, as in first printing of the RQ2 rules, right ?
CharlieMonster
Mongoose
Back to the original thread, just to remind you :lol: :-
I got an e-mail from one of the "Gooseys" saying they felt it needed more work and is slated for a later release once the wrinkles are ironed out.
They never said when or in what though. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if we get a Companion style of book at some point in the New Year, but who can say? Well technically I guess anyone can say, but it's whether or not they are right. Just goes to show what a daft expression it is. Honestly sometimes I don't know why I bother. Heigh Ho!
I got an e-mail from one of the "Gooseys" saying they felt it needed more work and is slated for a later release once the wrinkles are ironed out.
They never said when or in what though. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if we get a Companion style of book at some point in the New Year, but who can say? Well technically I guess anyone can say, but it's whether or not they are right. Just goes to show what a daft expression it is. Honestly sometimes I don't know why I bother. Heigh Ho!
Alchemy is a tricky one...
I am sure they left it out, because it opens some cans of worms. If you just use a skill (and ingredients), you can practically get magic without having the several skills/MP/dedicated POW yourself. Of course you could not duplicate many spells, but all those pertaining to the body (all healing spells, transmutations and enhancements) and some of the environmental things (transmuting one material into another e.g.) are viable. There are also several other options like the elixir of youth, the poisons, drugs, medicine and miscellaneous stuff (greek fire, porcelain, improvements like hardening armor, etc.) which need to be covered by the alchemy rules.
My answer to the thing in would be to have a set of alchemy skills: Alchemy (potions), Alchemy (materials), Alchemy (medicine), and so on. The effect of a concoction is determined on the sorcery table using the skill in question. The material determines the maximum effect anything can do (using troll blood for healing potions is good, using that of a hydra is better). By giving the ingredients values you can keep control about an alchemist running wild (some of the stuff must also be fresh, collected at a certain time, and so on...besides that this was done during our own dark ages, it is also a good way to make sure the PC alchemist has to get his stuff himself instead of buying it by the ton on the market before settling down to get industrialized). You do not have to write up all stuff in advance, but set a lower and a upper limit and fit stuff between that when it comes up (it is only important to know in advance what the limit will be and then make sure to never cross the line; e.g. to make greek fire you have to use at least petroleum (1) and the best basis would be fire demon blood (10), everything else like dragons blood would get somewhere between).
Second all products which are downright magical (like shapechanging, granting inhuman stats, full healing, etc.) require the alchemist to sacrifice POW similar to an enchantment.
You have also to determine the length of time it takes to make a potion or a batch thereof.
All of that stuff should tie in with the game world. People are supposed to be able to afford an alchemists products (otherwise he is out of business), but they *are* usually expensive. So you must find a formula how to price the stuff too.
The whole theme of alchemy can fill books by itself - and already did on the d20 license - if you want to do it right, and this is probably the main reason it got skipped so far.
I will for myself use houserules for it, based upon my d20 book (I bought it after all and most of it is not dependent on the rule system). I have had houserules on alchemy for AD&D and RQ 3 and it worked well.
(My players still remember fondly after 14 years the NPC alchemist they encountered first in RQ, when they wanted to find out about where to buy potions, what they cost and how many where for sale. After meeting him and seeing his workshop and what passes there for everyday life they decided to leave alchemy alone (it didnt keep them from doing deals with him
) and never argued about prices and availability. So I count him a success, at least for RP purposes
I am sure they left it out, because it opens some cans of worms. If you just use a skill (and ingredients), you can practically get magic without having the several skills/MP/dedicated POW yourself. Of course you could not duplicate many spells, but all those pertaining to the body (all healing spells, transmutations and enhancements) and some of the environmental things (transmuting one material into another e.g.) are viable. There are also several other options like the elixir of youth, the poisons, drugs, medicine and miscellaneous stuff (greek fire, porcelain, improvements like hardening armor, etc.) which need to be covered by the alchemy rules.
My answer to the thing in would be to have a set of alchemy skills: Alchemy (potions), Alchemy (materials), Alchemy (medicine), and so on. The effect of a concoction is determined on the sorcery table using the skill in question. The material determines the maximum effect anything can do (using troll blood for healing potions is good, using that of a hydra is better). By giving the ingredients values you can keep control about an alchemist running wild (some of the stuff must also be fresh, collected at a certain time, and so on...besides that this was done during our own dark ages, it is also a good way to make sure the PC alchemist has to get his stuff himself instead of buying it by the ton on the market before settling down to get industrialized). You do not have to write up all stuff in advance, but set a lower and a upper limit and fit stuff between that when it comes up (it is only important to know in advance what the limit will be and then make sure to never cross the line; e.g. to make greek fire you have to use at least petroleum (1) and the best basis would be fire demon blood (10), everything else like dragons blood would get somewhere between).
Second all products which are downright magical (like shapechanging, granting inhuman stats, full healing, etc.) require the alchemist to sacrifice POW similar to an enchantment.
You have also to determine the length of time it takes to make a potion or a batch thereof.
All of that stuff should tie in with the game world. People are supposed to be able to afford an alchemists products (otherwise he is out of business), but they *are* usually expensive. So you must find a formula how to price the stuff too.
The whole theme of alchemy can fill books by itself - and already did on the d20 license - if you want to do it right, and this is probably the main reason it got skipped so far.
I will for myself use houserules for it, based upon my d20 book (I bought it after all and most of it is not dependent on the rule system). I have had houserules on alchemy for AD&D and RQ 3 and it worked well.
(My players still remember fondly after 14 years the NPC alchemist they encountered first in RQ, when they wanted to find out about where to buy potions, what they cost and how many where for sale. After meeting him and seeing his workshop and what passes there for everyday life they decided to leave alchemy alone (it didnt keep them from doing deals with him
) and never argued about prices and availability. So I count him a success, at least for RP purposes CharlieMonster
Mongoose
The original RQ Alchemy was pretty basic but workable and made each "Recipe" a separate skill (albeit with no score or % roll for some bizarre reason). I think that might be the way to go. I seem to remember the RQ Digest having a Fan written set of Rules for RQ3, I must dig them out and see if they would work with MRQ. Posions & venom would probably need some adaptation given they've had their teeth pulled somewhat in this incarnation.
