Alchemy
The flora of the Sahwat Desert have evolved in an ecology polluted by Residium, and have innate magical properties. A skilled alchemist can synthesize any manner of potions and oils, given the time, knowledge, and a high constitution.
Ingredients
Every potion is made of three ingredients, all of which can be foraged from the desert, or very rarely, purchased from specialty shops. The quantity and rarity of each ingredient depends on the rarity of the potion being brewed, as does the difficulty in producing a successful brew, reflected in the number of skills checks required. The DC for each check is 10 + the total numeric rarity of all ingredients (common == 1, uncommon == 2, rare == 3, weird == 5):
| Potion Rarity | Common | Uncommon | Rare | Weird | Checks | DC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| Uncommon | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| Rare | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 |
| Very Rare | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
| Legendary | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 23 |
More common ingredients are also less potent and require more portions to be effective: 10 portions for common ingredients, 5 for uncommon, 3 for rare and 1 for weird.
Brewing
To brew a potion, the alchemist must possess:
- The necessary ingredients in sufficient quantities
- Pure water or oil
- Fire
- Alchemical Supplies
- A magical catalyst (Legendary potions only)
The alchemist assembles the necessary ingredients and equipment, and performs the number of skill checks required for the desired potion. The alchemist may use either their INT or WIS modifier for the skill checks. They may add their proficiency bonus if they are proficient with alchemist's tools.
Each skill check takes four hours of uninterrupted focus.
Example
Potion of Healing (Common)
- Ingredients: Redfoot (Common), Blackfruit Palm (Common), Gulch Thistle (Common)
- Skill Checks required: 1
- Skill DC: 10 + (3 x 1) == 13
Success, Failure, and Dubious Brews
A brew is successful if the alchemist succeeds on more skill checks than they fail. A brew with no failed checks is completed without complication. A brew with no successes fails completely and causes a Wild Magic Explosion. A successful brew with one or more failed checks creates the desired potion but with side effects, which will be unknown until consumed. These potions are referred to as a Dubious Brew.
Abandoning or interrupting a brew in progress is an automatic failure.
Recipes and Experimentation
An alchemist can brew any potion for which they know the recipe. They can also combine random ingredients in an attempt to discover new recipes, but this is dangerous: ingredient combinations that do not yield viable potions will result in a failed brew regardless of skill checks.
However, the alchemist improves their craft with each brew, regardless of success or failure, and will learn one property of every ingredient used in the brew.