Friday, June 28, 2013

Fantasy Class: Alchemist

Dhampyr Alchemist (Lightning - Final Fantasy XIII)
Campaign World: Fianyarr.

Purpose: There are those among us who understand the hidden truths of the world and thus couple mysticism with science to accomplish great things.  These people aren't afraid to determine the difference between the occult and the scientific, often painstakingly cataloguing their results, as while magic often produces more incredible effects (though not always), science is more replicable and can be sold to others who don't have quite as much esoteric knowledge.

Not every alchemist spends their time researching in their labs.  Some make a point of exploring the world as botanists, anatomists, archaeologists and anthropologists, eagerly trying to determine how the world works and how best to understand it.  Some focus on the sciences of the earth or the mysticism of the stars and, though alchemists often have the generally undeserved reputation of hoarding knowledge, they often come together to share their specialised knowledge in district universities and journals.

Blessings of the Tome

Impeccable Craftsmanship: An alchemist has spent so much time building their own tools and coping with reagents that they are general experts with craftsmanship.  They gain a +2 bonus to Crafts rolls to create objects and can spend 1 Glamour to reroll failed dice on a Crafts roll. Changeling Artist kith: core rulebook page 121.

Brewer: The alchemist sometimes has to sample their own wares and some even make a point of building up their tolerance for poisons in case they make a bad batch.  Due to this they gain +4 dice to resist poisons and intoxication.  Perhaps because of this fact they can spend a point of Glamour to make a drink alcoholic.  It would be a bit expensive to get drunk otherwise.  Changeling Brewer kith: core rulebook page 121.

Technical Expertise: Alchemists know enough about the hidden properties of objects that they can improve a tool simply by spending a point of Glamour to provide the object with a +2 equipment bonus for a scene.  Changeling Smith kith: core rulebook page 122.

Way with the Written Word: Alchemists spend so much time with books, treatises, and essays in a multitude of languages (often quite archaic) that their own ability to write improves as well.  Alchemists gain an 9 Again on Expression checks when writing and can spend a glamour to roll Wits + Academics to understand any written texts in a foreign language for a day.  Changeling Author kith: Winter Masques page 95.

Class Restricted Mechanics

Restricted Class Merits: +Acid / Alkaline Recipe (*), Crafters Sense (***), EOD (**), Entheogenic Synesthesia (*), Eye for the Strange (**), Familiar (*** or ****) Informative (** or ****), +Magic Nitro Creator (**), Mystic Speech (*) (Custom: +1 bonus to psychic powers and rituals when spoken), Natural Medium (***), Relic Analyst (*), Scientist's Sense (***), Subtle Liquer (***), Technophile (* or **), Toxin Resistance (**).

Rituals: Alchemy (external) (** or ****), Alchemy (internal) (** or ****), +Animate Object (***), Countermagic (** or ****), +Transmute Into Water (**), +Discern Composition (*), Dream Travel (***), Familiar (*** or ****), Geomancy (***), Healing (****), Longevity (*****), Psychic Projection (****), Sacrifice (Spirits or Ghosts) (*), Scrying (***), Second Sight (***), See Auras (**), See Spirits (**), Soul Jar (** or ****), Warding (***), or Visionary Trances (** or ****).

Recipes

Magic Nitro Recipe: Alchemists with the Magic Nitro Recipe merit can create 1lb worth of Magic Nitro for every ten successes made on an Intelligence + Science checks.  Magic Nitro is very unstable and is prone to exploding if jostled or, especially, if dropped.  It deals 3L worth of damage for a two foot radius.  This increases by 1L and one foot for every 1lb of Magic Nitro that explodes.  Each roll to make Magic Nitro takes half an hour.

Acid / Alkaline (Recipe): These mundane chemicals can made with an Intelligence + Science roll.  It takes 5 successes to create 1 ounce of weak acid / alkaline (1L), 8 successes to create 1 ounce of moderate acid / alkaline (2L) and 12 successes to create 1 ounce of strong acid / alkaline (3L).  The acid can deal an automatic amount of damage equal to that listed but they don't stack in multiple attacks as once a person is doused it takes time for that damage to sink in (though the damage itself isn't staggered).  Each roll to make a ounce of this takes half an hour.  Every additional ounce of acid / alkaline in a bottle can cover an additional two feet in splash damage and potentially could strike another individual.  Only one dose of acid or alkaline can be used against a person in an hour no matter how many people are throwing it.

New Rituals

Transmute Liquid
Prerequisites: Alchemy **
Effect: The alchemist can turn  a single common liquid into another common liquid - such as from milk to blood or tree sap to water.  Each success is roughly equivalent to 250 grams or 1 cup of liquid.
Dice Pool: Wits + Alchemy.
Minimum Successes Required: 1 success.
Ritual Length: 1 minute per roll.
Duration: Permanent.
Cost: 1 Glamour.
Suggested Equipment: Performs this task in an astronomically significant time or location (+2); Uses the flame from a candle made from the fat of a magical (nonsentient) animal (+2).
Suggested Penalties: Lacks a makeshift alchemy kit (-5); complex liquid (-2); liquid conversion is between two highly different liquids (-2).
Ritual Details: The alchemist uses the distillation apparatus from her alchemy kit to turn one form of liquid or liquid vapor to another form of liquid. 

Discern Composition

Prerequisites: Alchemy **
Effect: The alchemist can perceive the fundamental makeup of material structures which allows them to discern their composition, weight and density.  This allows for both prosaic uses such as to investigate coin and determine if any gold is present or to locate poison in food.
Dice Pool: Wits + Alchemy.
Minimum Successes Required: 5 successes.
Ritual Length: 1 round per roll.
Duration: 1 scene.
Cost: 1 Glamour.
Suggested Equipment: Three clouded steel mirrors (+2); Using a powerful magnifying glass (+2).
Suggested Penalties: Lacks an alchemy kit (-1); Using regular glass in place of the magnifying glass (-5).
Ritual Details: The alchemist places the three steel mirrors so that they each reflect each other and then sets a candle down in the middle upon a drawn diagram that represents Understanding the Material.  The alchemist then places the magnifying glass in the middle and intones special words of power that causes the glass to float.  For one hour after the ritual is successfully completed, the magnifying glass can be used to discern the material composition of anything seen through the glass itself.
 
Animate Object

Prerequisites: Alchemy **
Effect: The alchemist can cause an object to animate which involves both movement and the performance of simple actions as well as a very rudimentary artificial intelligence according to a single command at any one time.  The object can move only those parts that could be moved externally.  Therefore a doll with articulated limbs, stuffed animal, or blanket could become animated yet a stone statue could not (at least not with this spell.  The object obeys the person who cast this spell and ignores all others.
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Alchemy.
Minimum Successes Required: 1 success per point in size.
Ritual Length: 1 minute per roll.
Duration: 1 scene.
Cost: 1 Glamour.  1 Willpower dot to make it permanent.
Suggested Equipment: Ruby (heartstone) dust (+2); Bonemeal from a magical beast's corpse (+2).
Suggested Penalties: Lacks an alchemy kit (-3); Alchemist is distracted or stressed (-1 to -3).
Ritual Details: The alchemist grinds up mandragora, rare clays and ochre that is used to form a paint which may then be used at any point within the next 24 hours to mark the object that the alchemist wishes to animate.   If a person is sacrificed with their blood and bone meal used to make the clay which paints the object than the object has the artificial intelligence of a dog and can be trained to follow a number of simple commands - including to attack.

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