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For my beloved nieces and nephews
As you all know from indulging this old man's war stories, I once lived a life by the sword. It was a violent, brutish, and all-too-often short life which I was glad to be rid of in my middle age. Yet despite my most fervent warnings, you have all been taken far too much with the romance of the stories I told you on my knee, and have, to the last, elected to repeat my mistakes.
I had much hoped you would take up my example and see how I am much happier in my current profession, yet the drum of the march and camaraderie in blood have taken over each and every one of your thoughts. I mince no words to say I am disappointed, but I shall not leave you out in the cold. I shall give unto you the arts which I learned in my campaigns, and which I refined and formalized to become one of the foremost practitioners in the Empire. The same art which each and every one of you has pointedly refused to take up in favor of clubs and bolts of fire.
I speak, of course, about Alchemy.
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But not the expensive, formal, apprenticed and time-consuming science of True Alchemy, which you will hopefully see the sense in practicing by the time you pluck out a gray hair or two. No, I mean the down-and-dirty craft of Field Alchemy. Not the organized shelves of ingredients amid purifiers and calcinators, but the process of stirring strange mixtures of herbs, river water and elemental dusts in your helmet, and hoping the resulting concoction doesn't kill you.
I will be the first to admit that the cavalier attitude that must be practiced by field alchemists fills one with childlike glee in experimentation. I will also recommend you forgo it entirely in place of a proper laboratory in a safe city, and save yourself many stomachaches and perils. But, if this is your desire, I will not deny you the craft that may also save your life in the wild.
Fundamentals in Alchemy
You may be so ignorant as to confuse Alchemy with Herbalism, when the latter is a pale shadow of the former. The mixtures of herbs alone produces only mild medicinal or poisonous properties (as you will soon learn, the distinction between the two is most often one of dose). As anybody familiar with the stories of Asliel Direnni knows, creating truly mystical or potent effects requires much rarer and more special ingredients, and the understanding of how to use them.
The prime difference between Herbalism and Alchemy is the inclusion of the Mystic Essence, which must be derived from an ingredient touched in some way by Oblivion. The remains of Daedra are ideal, but rare and dangerous. The dust of a willow-the-wisp or vampire works as well, though it is equally elusive. The greatest share making up the price of a concoction is the cost of acquiring the Mystic Essence, and without it, one differs from a brewer only by the bad taste of one's concoctions.
Once it has been acquired, the other ingredients define the concoction. To an alchemist of culture and precision, every ingredient is uniquely distinct, bearing its own subtleties that can totally redefine a concoction. For your purposes, those subtleties will be lost. You must concern yourself only with its classification. Is it Animal, Mineral, or Herbal?
The eye of newt, the tail of rat, the wind of dragonfly, all these are Animal Ingredients. Lead powder, bronze shavings and diamond dust are all Mineral. And of course, redwort, black lichen and such are Herbal. The commonalities between these seemingly disparate ingredients are to do with what they represent in their cosmic, metaphysical sense, and as I can already hear you crying out in boredom, I shall move on.
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You need know only that Animal ingredients are linked to white souls, thus imbued with a vital energy readily manipulated with magic. Mineral ingredients are linked to Mundus itself, which you must know was formed by the very Aedra, and so carries its own special power. Finally, Herbs represent the most basic interplay of active Aedric energy (entering Mundus through the Sun, the portal of Magnus) and the dormant Aedric potential of the very earth.
In addition, some ingredients blur these categories. The chitin of a dreugh, for example, may be mineral or animal. Likewise, the Moon Sugar the Khajiit are so fond of may be mineral or herbal, and certain rare fungi and lichens blur the line as well. These ingredients are more valuable for their versatility, and differentiating their essence requires only a trivial application of thaumaturgy, which you or one of your compatriots doubtlessly know.
Making Potions
It is the combination of Animal, Mineral or Herbal ingredients, in conjunction with Mystic Essence and proper thaumaturgic care which produces a concoction, even one as simple and unpredictable as can be made in the field. Without the tools and education of a professional alchemist, you will have no way of knowing the effect of your concoction until you have tested a sample of it, most easily by ingestion. However, you can know its general function.
The combination of vegetable and mineral ingredients will produce, in the parlance of a field alchemist, a booster. These concoctions apply magical effects directly to the consumer, such as invisibility, levitation, and some forms of teleportation.
The combination of animal and vegetable ingredients will produce what are traditionally referred to as medicines, though be sure that not all of their effects are beneficial to the consumer. These may be cures or poisons, helpful or harmful to the consumer.
The combination of animal and mineral ingredients produce what are often called utilities. Like the Mystic school of magic, the effects of utilities are highly varied and seem to not be connected by rhyme or reason. They include powerful acids, love potions and shrinking concoctions. Take care that the effects of these concoctions are often unpredictable and dangerous to the user.
Mind that a concoction need not be a bottle of liquid, the common potion. One may also make them as ointments, powders, gels and the like. And do not think that just because a certain combination of ingredients produced an effect once, it will do so again. The alchemical process in influenced not just by the ingredients, but by the emotional states of the people involved, the local environment and the motions of the spheres. A proper alchemist has to align their calcinator with the moon in order to get consistent results, which field alchemy does not have the time for. The randomness is key to the swiftness of the process.
Refining Potions
This process is all very chaotic, and you will be pleased to learn it can be guided. For each additional pair of ingredients of the same kind added to the cauldron, the brewer gains more control over the final result. The brewer may also make the concoction more powerful by adding more of the Mystical Essence.
The key difference between potions and magic scrolls, though many of the same effects can be produced by both, is that potions are bulkier, but do not fail. They are substantially more reliable, but one may carry fewer of them at a time.
Finally, let me finally warn you against the use of human, elven, or beastmen parts in the creation of a potion. These are not by any means equivalent to animal ingredients in a potion. The black soul energy lingering in the flesh of a sentient creature is a contaminant of the alchemical process, producing only twisted and unnatural effects in a concoction. The employ of an elf ear or a human heart in a ritual is the domain of daedra worshipers and necromancers, not safe or suitable for god-fearing alchemists such as yourselves.
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The System
With the in-character explanation out of the way, here's the condensed version.
Concoctions take up 1 inventory slot, and can be anything from a potion to a gel and so on. They never fizzle. They are priced like scrolls. 20*MDgp from a direct commission, which requires a good relationship with the Guild, 30*MDgp from a store. Mystic ingredients, such as daedra hearts and vampire dust are rare and valuable, going for about 10gp each.
A potion is equivalent to a scroll, with the number of MD decided by the number of Mystic ingredients, up to 4.
The first 4 rolls on the Medicine table can be applied to weapons and take effect on the next person struck.
Curing medicines are not enhanced by additional Mystic ingredients, rather more doses are made.
Making a concoction with field alchemy takes a short rest, or part of a long rest. It requires a Mystic ingredient, and two ingredients of different types. Roll on the appropriate table. For each additional pair of mundane ingredients added, roll again and take your choice of the rolls.
Boosters(Vegetable and Mineral)
- Levitate
- Resist [Element, d3 fire, frost, shock]
- Slowfall
- Night Eye
- Invisibility
- Almsivi/Daedric Intervention
- Divine Intervention
- Reflect
- Telekinesis
- Courage
- Fortify Health
- Feather
Medicines(Animal and Vegetable)
- Poison
- Paralysis
- Silence
- Blind
- Cure Blight
- Cure Common Disease
- Cure Paralysis
- Cure Poison
- Heroism
- Fortify Attribute
- Restore Health
- Restore Attribute
Utilities(Animal and Mineral)
- Implacable Adhesive
- Universal Solvent
- Total Acid
- Love Potion
- Polymorph Potion
- Roiling Polymorph Potion
- Light
- Dispel
- Residual Poison
- Echolocation
- Dwarfism
- Giantism
The potions are either taken from the spell list or adapted from Arnold K's Potions list. I'll write out the effects of the latter, as the former can be referenced under their relevant spell lists.
Resist [Element]
Creature gains resistance to an element (fire, frost, poison, shock, normal weapons) of your choice for 1 hour. They take half damage and have +4 to related Saves. More mystic essences make more doses.If they take 4 doses, they are immune and automatically succeed on their Saves.
Courage
Creature becomes brave and foolhardy, gaining +4 to Saves vs fear for 1 hour. More mystic essences make more doses. If they take 4 doses, they are immune and automatically succeed on their Saves.
Poison
Deals [dice] poison damage for [sum] rounds to the consumer.
Feather
Grants the consumer [sum] additional inventory slots for 1 hour.
Implacable Adhesive
Elemental stickiness. Glues anything to anything, forever. Very difficult to see if spread on a surface. More mystic essences make more doses.
Universal Solvent
Dissolves any adhesive. Neutralizes sovereign glue and sovereign grease. Causes hard materials to become softer. (Stone becomes like clay, adamantine becomes as soft as normal steel.) Don't get it on your hands. More mystic essences make more doses.
Total Acid
Elemental acid. Will melt through anything except glass and adamantine, and will eventually melt a hole all the way down to Hell. If poured on a stone floor, hole is 1' wide and narrows as it goes down. Lethal (and messily so) if drank.
Love Potions
You fall in love with the first person you see after drinking this potion. No save. Lasts(MD) 1. 1 hour 2. 1 day 3. 1 year 4. Permanent.
Polymorph Potion
You transform into the creature whose body part you used. You transform into an exact copy of that creature. Multiple donors creates chimeras. Lasts 30 minutes if same species or 1d6 rounds if different species. Each additional mystic essence adds another HD to the transformation.
Roiling Polymorph Potion
You transform into a random creature, and then another in 1d6 rounds. Roll randomly for each transformation, and Save each time. Once you succeed the Save, you remain as that creature for a day or until cured with powerful magic.
Light
The consumer or object it is drenched in illuminates like a torch for 3 hours with a radius 20+[dice]x10'. If you invest four or more MD, the light has all the properties of natural sunlight. You may choose the color of the light.
Residual Poison
The consumer of this poison incorporates it into their body's natural order for the rest of their lives. They require daily cures for poison, or else will die. May be cured with very powerful magic.
Echolocation
You gain echolocation 40+[dice]x10'. You are blind. Lasts 30 minutes.
Dwarfism
You shrink to a twelfth of your normal size. (Feet becomes inches.) Your Strength is 1, all of your attacks deal a single point of damage, and you take double damage from physical sources. Lasts 30 minutes. Alternatively, it can be poured on an object or part of an object to make it shrink down. Anything smaller than a couch can fit in your pocket. Lasts 30 minutes. More mystic essences make more doses.
Giantism
You grow [dice]x2'. Your physical attacks deal +[dice]x2 damage and damage from physical sources is reduced by [dice]. When making Strength checks, treat your Strength as 16+[dice]x2. Lasts 1d6 rounds. Alternatively, it can be poured on an object or part of an object to make it triple in size. Lasts 30 minutes.
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