Arms & Equipment: Sample alchemical compunds?

[nahualt]

Besides The Acids & Gunpowder from the equipment lists..is there anything akin to a healing poultice or somesort of magical potions?

 

[nahualt]

anyone?

 

[mwsasser]

I've wondered if there would be more on alchemy as well. I understand its great for enhancing your life but it seems rather narrow in scope to me.

 

[almightygm]

Yeah, I was surprised to see the alchemy section in there in the first place but it is fairly pointless. The text mentions alchemists wouldn't be good PCs, mainly, I gather, due to the immense time and expense it takes to make hardly anything. If alchemists can't be PCs, then there is little point to having the rules at all.

Additionally, the poison mechanic they have doesn't match the core rules and is apparently a copy and paste from older RQ rules. Hopefully the forthcoming errata will fix this.

That said, pages 55 and 56 of the core rulebook off some examples as well as a conditions chart to spur the imagination on what could be alchemical substances. I've started a homebrew alchemical system meant for PCs for a campaign I'm running. If it doesn't end up sucking, I'll post it.

 

[almightygm]

Yeah, I was surprised to see the alchemy section in there in the first place but it is fairly pointless. The text mentions alchemists wouldn't be good PCs, mainly, I gather, due to the immense time and expense it takes to make hardly anything. If alchemists can't be PCs, then there is little point to having the rules at all.

Additionally, the poison mechanic they have doesn't match the core rules and is apparently a copy and paste from older RQ rules. Hopefully the forthcoming errata will fix this.

That said, pages 55 and 56 of the core rulebook off some examples as well as a conditions chart to spur the imagination on what could be alchemical substances. I've started a homebrew alchemical system meant for PCs for a campaign I'm running. If it doesn't end up sucking, I'll post it.

 

[mwsasser]

Maybe it is laying the foundation for something in an upcoming supplement?

 

[Vatras]

It seems at the moment we have to invent something for it. There are lots of source materials around, which can be used as a basis, depending on how much power you want to give to alchemy. I remember some books about plants and other ingredients for alchemy, made by 3rd parties for other game systems, which could be useful, if you like it "realistic".

The Rolemaster Alchemy Companion can serve as source for ideas (only ideas, the rules are 100% incompatible), or the various potions/powders/ointments around in the incarnations of AD&D/D&D (again, only as ideas for effects).
I have not had a chance to look, but maybe books from other skill systems might help. GURPS might have something usable in it, and Das Schwarze Auge (don't know if that is available in english, should translate as The Dark Eye).

There were potions in RQ 3, but they had to be enchanted using permanent POW (and did mostly common magic stuff), which made them kind of rare, and is probably not what players would be looking for.