From: [TBUF 76 B] at [prodigy.com] (Steven Anderson) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.gurps Subject: GURPS Alchemy for the 90s Date: 26 Dec 1995 21:15:52 GMT Azando the alchemist (skill 13) spent the last umpteen weeks making healing potions, and doing little else, war being a great reason to use up healing potions faster than they can be made. In GURPS terms, this is training experience, and Azando has some CP to spend. 4 points, as it happens. Under the rules, he can raise his alchemy skill as a whole. This will let him become expert with another elixir, and raise his skill with every elixir he already is expert with, and improve his chance of success making elixirs while reading their formulae as well. "Now HOLD ON THAR!" Azando's player shouts. Azando has only worked with healing potions, and he'd rather concentrate the skill boost those points give to the one elixir he's worked on. In just about any other aspect of GURPS, this wouldn't be a problem. Specialization rules for skills, martial arts maneuvers, the system is generally damn flexible and character conception friendly and allows to focus on specific areas of a skill or ability. But not alchemy. Here you have a rather rigid hierarchy, elixirs are lockstepped with the alchemy skill and an "expertise" system. One reason you see so few alchemist characters may be due to that regimentation. So here is a way of bringing GURPS Alchemy into the 90s. Elixirs are *maneuvers* of the Alchemy skill. All are Hard. No elixir may advance more than Alchemy +5, and GMs may wish to restrict some elixirs to lower levels. For those who lack the Martial Arts book, hard maneuvers costs are as follows: Default: 0 pts Default +1: 1 pt Default +2: 2 pts Default +3: 4 pts 2 points per additional +1. In this situation, Chiron (healing potion) has the same skill as the alchemy skill of the person making the potion. (Defaults to Alchemy skill) Instead of spending 4 pts to raise his alchemy skill to 14, Azando's Chiron maneuver is raised to 16. To minimize conflicts with existing alchemist characters, alchemists still get their alchemy skill level as a base expertise, and may purchase additional expertise for elixirs. This won't be that cheap, but remember you are expert with the first (alchemist skill level) elixirs for 0 points. It's only when you exceed that number that you begin to pay points. Cost is based on three factors: Minimum social status "needed" to know a given formula (see Magic p.88), the difficulty in making the elixir, and the legality of the elixir. Elixirs that are supposed to only be known to guildmasters or higher status alchemists add 1 point to the cost, while elixirs supposedly only known to Grand Masters add 3 points to the cost. Any elixir which is outlawed (or just extremely rare) in the area the character learns it requires 2 extra points. Rare & outlawed are not normally cumulative penalties. It is presumed the illegal sources that supply the materials have overcome the rarity problems as well as a degree of the law enforcement types trying to shut them down. That leaves the difficulty. The default elixir presumes 1 week or less to prepare it, and no modifier to the alchemy skill. Any elixir that takes longer or has a penalty to the skill is defined as difficult. TIME (up to) 2 weeks to prepare: 1 pt 3-4 weeks to prepare: 2 pts 5-6 weeks to prepare: 3 pts 7+: 4 pts SKILL For every point of penalty to the skill, add 1 pt to the cost of expertise. Example: The elixir of Ares takes 2 weeks to make (1 pt) and is at -1 skill (1 pt). Experise Cost: 2 points. Counter Example: The elixir of Ceres takes 20 weeks (4 pts) and is at -4 (4 pts). It is supposed to only be known to guildmasters or higher ranked members of the guild(s) (1 pt). It costs 9 points to become expert with it. Minimum cost for additional expertise is 1 point. (It's still advisable to put the most difficult elixirs in the "slots" provided by the alchemy skill, but there is no free ride to be found by putting non-difficult elixirs in as extras.) CRITICAL FAILURES One of the things players can do is cite the rules. (Perhaps you've encountered this phenomenon yourselves.) And one of the things a rules quoter can cite is that there is NO CHANCE whatsoever of a crit failed elixir hurting someone not present at the time the batch was screwed up. (all results have an immediate effect on the alchemist and labratory.) The following chart fixes that. Definitions: An *immediate* result means the effect occurs in the lab. A *delayed* result means the effect occurs when the elixir is used. (Yes, this is rather obvious, but some players will try to weasel their way out of a bad result by arguing that the use of the word "delayed" gives them a chance to throw the elixir away and run for cover. It does no such thing unless the result description says they can do so.) Roll 3d after a critical failure has occured making the elixir: 3-5: Immediate. Everyone within 100 yds of the lab experiences the effects of the elixir (or it's reverse 50-50 chance). 6: Delayed. As above but when the elixir is used. 7-8: Immediate. Everyone within 10 feet of the lab experiences the effects as noted for 3-5. 9-10: Delayed. Pity the poor fool who uses the elixir. Roll on the SPELL crit failure chart (Magic p.6) 11-12: Immediate. Explosion/corrosive vapors/fire destroy lab, alchemist has time to flee. 13: Delayed. Once activated, something goes wrong, along the lines of Explosion/corrosive/fire. Characters may flee, but their location at the time this occurs may bring the destruction along ( ie fire in a forest, poisonous vapor in a cavern etc.) to where they flee. 14-15: Immediate. Explosion (etc.) destroy lab, 3d to alchemist. 16-17: Delayed. Oh dear. It seems Mr. Elixir was Mr. Grenade in disguise, and not your friend after all. 3d explosive (etc.) damage to user, -1d per hex to anyone too close. 18: Immediate. As 14-15, but the alchemist takes 6d. There is no delayed 6d damage, but then the alchemist in the lab doesn't have to worry about demons popping up.