Creating Black Powder

[mwsasser]

At this point the crafting formula breaks down for me though. Because if you take a rifle of 5,000 silver and have 1 shot cost you 50sp... divide that by 5 for crafting time then you get 10 hours to make enough black powder for 1 shot.

For crafting a sword that makes sense but not black powder and if you use alchemy for black powder. Poisons take 1 week to produce with alchemy. Perhaps divide by 20 to make 6 shots? Does that seem realistic?

 

[alex_greene]

Much of chemistry these days consists not of how to create new substances, but of how to make technology that allows for a quicker, and more efficient, way of manufacturing that which is known, in order to maximise the output efficiency and minimise costs.

The first attempts to extract the chemical responsible for the scent of roses might yield a couple of jacks of rose oil and consume three fields of roses; with practice, the alchemist would have perfected his technique enough to extract enough of the essential oils from that same acreage of rose bushes to fill a couple of Mason jars.

Thus it would be with the manufacture of black powder. Once the alchemist hits the right formula, he'd set up his lab to make tons of the stuff for the local militias, while he sequesters himself in his lab looking for chemical additives to produce a more efficient, smokeless burn and inventing terms such as "deflagration," "detonation" and "brisance."

It's more than Alchemy at that point. It's Commerce and Influence, Perception and Insight, Evaluate and Craft, Engineering and Mechanisms.

This sounds like one of those things the characters could be doing during down time, perhaps.

 

[mwsasser]

I think that can over complicate a simple fantasy game. People play games to relax and not worry about the realities of economics. I know that I as a gm am more interested in my story than having to work out all those details.

 

[Mixster]

Much of chemistry these days consists not of how to create new substances, but of how to make technology that allows for a quicker, and more efficient, way of manufacturing that which is known, in order to maximise the output efficiency and minimise costs.

Apart from this I agree with all of your post.