Alchemy

These are rules for creating magic potions that generate supernatural effects in play, a field of magic also known as "alchemy".

# Requirements

To be able to create magic potions, the character needs a new skill called "***alchemy***", and an aspect that explains how he learned this skill.

The "alchemy" skill allows the character to collect "*ingredients*" and use them to concoct magic potions. The character brews the potions in advance, but the exact use of the potions only needs to be determined when they are actually used. It is at the time of using potions that the "alchemy" skill is rolled to establish their effects and strength.

A character cannot create potions out of thin air, even if they have the proper ingredients. It is assumed that an alchemist character carries a kind of "*portable laboratory*" that contains the necessary equipment for making potions on the road. Depending on the scenario, this small lab can be anything from a rigid backpack to a carriage with an internal lab.

## Ingredients

Alchemist characters need to acquire the necessary ingredients to make their potions. Instead of keeping an extensive and exhausting list of each specific ingredient, these rules abstract these ingredients into a single parameter.

A character can collect ingredients in two ways: actively and passively. An active gathering occurs when the character uses an entire scene to go around picking up ingredients. In this case, the character manages to collect enough ingredients to make as many potions as his level in "alchemy". During the scene where the character is gathering ingredients, they are effectively out of the game.

A passive gathering occurs when the character is gathering ingredients while also doing something else, such as traveling, investigating a location, or participating in a scene. In this case, the character manages to collect enough ingredients to brew one potion per passive collection scene. Passive collections cannot happen in any location, though. A trip through the countryside, exploring a cave, or even walking through a city are places where active collection can take place. A ballroom dance or a dungeon cell are examples of places where a passive collection cannot occur.

Once a potion is consumed, the character needs to collect a new batch of ingredients in order to make it.

A character can keep a number of "ingredients" which equal their level in "alchemy".

## Turning Ingredients into Potions

Ingredients need to be converted into potions using the alchemist's equipment and knowledge. The process is simple, and requires more time than attention. Each point of "ingredients" allows the concoction of one potion. The process takes one hour, and in this time the alchemist can convert as many points of ingredients as their level in "alchemy". The alchemist needs to spend approximately 10 minutes making the potions, while the rest of the time is used to let the potions boil, or ferment, or rest, as the case may be.

During the conversion process, the character must remain in a calm place and without sudden movements.

The character can keep a number of potions equal to their level in "alchemy". Characters who are not Alchemists lack the necessary knowledge on how to handle and maintain a potion, and cannot carry them around without invariably spoiling them.

# Types of Potions

There are 2 distinct types of potions: ingested potions and thrown potions.

Ingested Potions must be consumed by a character during a scene, which uses up one of their actions in a combat turn. As soon as they are ingested, they begin to act on the character. Such potions only affect the character who ingests them.

Thrown Potions are thrown at a target and shatter on impact. They, then, affect the character as described. The throw is resolved as a "Shoot" check that can be defended by "Athletics". Typically, these potions act through an inhaled vapor or corrosive acid, so shield defenses are not always effective.

# Effects of Potions

There are several distinct effects that can be created with magic potions.

## Offensive potions

A potion can deal direct damage to the target. Ingested potions deal automatic damage, with no possibility of resistance. Damage from thrown potions can be resisted with a "Physique" check against the "Alchemy" check that created the potion.

An offensive potion causes 1 point of physical stress only. When performing the "Alchemy" check, the mage can exchange their success shifts for additional effects to the potion. This effectively reduces their success shifts, so it can make the potion easier to be resisted.

Modifications that can be applied to an offensive potion are:

* ***Extra Damage***: Every 2 success shifts can increase damage dealt by 1 point.
* ***Recurring Damage***: Every 2 success shifts can make damage last 1 turn longer.
* ***Blast Potion***: Only for thrown potions. 2 success shifts can cause it to explode on impact, affecting all targets in a zone.
* ***Exclusive Potion***: Only for thrown potions. 1 success shift can cause your damage to ignore a specific person.
* ***Corrosive Potion***: Only for thrown potions. This potion is an acid, not a vapour. If it affects a target with physical armor, it deals double damage to the armor slots.

## Defensive potions

A potion can increase a target's mental or physical stress slots. A defensive potion increases one of the stress slots by only 1 point. When performing the "Alchemy" check, the mage can exchange their success shifts for additional effects to the potion. A defensive potion's effect lasts until the end of the scene.

Modifications that can be applied to a defensive potion are:

* ***Extra Stress***: Every 2 success shifts can increase one more stress slot of a single type.
* ***Blast Potion***: Only for thrown potions. 2 success shifts can cause it to explode on impact, affecting all targets in a zone.
* ***Exclusive Potion***: Only for thrown potions. 1 success shift can cause their effect to ignore a specific person.

## Healing Potions

Some potions can recover lost stress points or even consequences. A healing potion restores 1 stress slot, plus 1 for each success shift on the "Alchemy" check. Healing potions can be ***explosive potions***.

Healing potions can be used as the condition which justifies recovery from a consequence, whether physical or mental. In this case, the alchemy roll's success shifts must be equal to or greater than the recovered consequence's value.

## Potions that create perks

This is the widest use of magic potions. The potion creates an aspect on the target with a number of free invocations equal to the success shifts on the "Alchemy" check. If the potion's effect is harmful, the target can resist with "Physique", which can reduce the aspect's free invocations, or even prevent its effect.

As for offensive potions, the alchemist can use the ***Blast Potion*** and ***Exclusive Potion*** modifications.

The effect of a potion that creates an advantage lasts until the end of the scene.

Examples of potion effects that create advantages:

* ***Bull's Strength***: The target gains the ***Strong as a Bull*** aspect which can increase their damage and "Physique" checks.
* ***Eagle Sight***: The target gains the ***Eagle Eyes*** aspect which can increase their visual "Notice" checks.
* ***Stunning Potion***: The target gains the ***Stunned*** aspect which can reduce their "Athletics" checks.

# Alchemical Secrets

Great alchemists dedicate their lives to discovering alchemical secrets. There are 4 alchemical secrets, and obtaining any of them extends the potion creation rules. Each secret is a "stunt", and they must be obtained in order.

The acquisition of any one of these secrets must be the culmination of a sequence of adventures dedicated to that end.

## Questing Potions (\*)

Alchemical secrets open up the possibility of creating potions so powerful that normal "ingredients" are not capable of producing them. Potions whose name is marked with an asterisk (\*) are "questing potions". They depend on some extremely rare and dangerous ingredient being obtained, which should be the focus of an entire game session, or more.

## The Alkahest

Regarded as the universal solvent, alkahest has the ability to reduce a substance to its fundamental components. Armed with this secret, alchemists can create potions that last for more than one scene, or that cause more intense effects than the effects of one aspect. Only characters with "Alchemy" level 2 or higher can learn the secret of the Alkahest.

This secret opens up three additional rules for creating potions:

* ***Neutralizing Potions***: The alchemist can create a potion that neutralizes the effect of other potions or even other magical effects active on the target. To do so, the neutralizing potion must have a number of success shifts equal to or greater than the magic effect it is counteracting. A neutralizing potion can eliminate one, or even all of a target's magical effects.
* ***Lasting Potions***: The alchemist can create potions whose effect lasts for an entire game session. This costs 1 fate point, but does not affect the difficulty of the test.
* ***Intensified Potions***: The alchemist can create potions that are stronger than usual. These potions drastically alter the target. Rather than creating aspects of it, they change it fundamentally. This has the effect of acting as an always-on aspect for the scene that doesn't need to be invoked, and that doesn't confer fate points on the target. Such potions have an additional difficulty of 2 points on their roll. Intensified potions also have a duration of one scene.

These 3 rules can be combined with each other.

## The Universal Panacea

The panacea is considered the cure for all ailments. This secret allows the alchemist to amplify the effects of their healing potions, as well as create extreme potions or ones that transform the target's body. Only characters with "Alchemy" level 4 or higher can learn the secret of the panacea.

This secret opens up three additional rules:

* ***Instant Healing***: The alchemist can create potions that heal consequences instantly. This has a fate point cost: 1 for mild consequences, 2 for moderate, and 3 for severe. This cost may be paid by the alchemist or the target, or a combination of both.
* ***Potions of Transformation***: The panacea allows the creation of potions that completely transform the target into certain animals. Built the animal character sheet by distributing the total success shifts (not counting the target's resistance roll) across the animal's physical skill points. Physical skills are: *Fight, Shoot, Notice, Athletics, Physique, Stealth, Burglary and Crafts*. Mental stress points are not altered, as well as mental or social skills (although the target can hardly use them). Physical stress points depend on the size of the animal: 1 for small animals (cats, mice, frogs, owls), 2 for animals close to human size (horses, tigers, zebras), 3 for large animals (bears, rhinos), 4 for huge animals (elephants, blue whales). The "Physique" skill bonus applies as normal.
* ***Extreme Potions***: The alchemist can create potions that impose extreme aspects. Such aspects confer -4 or +4 on the target. They can also be used to immediately knock out an opponent. Effects such as ***petrify a target***, ***put the target into a coma***, or ***make a target invisible*** are extreme effects . These extreme aspects last for one scene.

## The Philosopher's Stone

Regarded as the most coveted compound in alchemy, the philosopher's stone has the ability to purify any element it comes into contact with. It can also create gold. Armed with this knowledge, an alchemist can completely modify a target's body or mind, even creating permanent effects called "mutations". Only characters with "Alchemy" level 6 or higher can learn the secret of the Philosopher's Stone.

This secret opens up four additional rules:

* ***Mental Purification***: The philosopher's stone can purify a target's mind, returning it to a purer state of existence. This allows you to revert skill points into unspent points. This effect can only act on skills that can be "learned" or "studied". The target can reverse a number of skill points which equal to the alchemy roll's success shifts. This can only be used once per game session, per target.
* ***Mutagenic Potions\****: These potions alter a target permanently. They are brewed like normal potions, but their effect require the target to spend 3 fate points. A target can receive the effects of more than one mutagenic potion, but each already active mutagenic effect imposes a cumulative –2 penalty on the alchemy roll on the next mutagenic potion.
* ***Instant Wealth\****: The alchemist can make someone very, very rich. This option can instantly increase a target's "resources" skill level by one point. The difficulty is equal to the skill's current level. The target must spend 4 fate points for this effect to succeed. The alchemist can also bestow any "resource" feat on the target. In this case, the difficulty for this effect is 6 and the target must pay 3 fate points.
* ***Potion of Longevity\****: In Fate Core, longevity and immortality are cosmetic effects from a game mechanics point of view. However, socially, within a game scenario, the effect of this potion would be among the most coveted of all. The alchemist is capable of extending a person's life many times over. The difficulty of creating this potion is equal to 1/10 of the total age lived by the target. Upon ingesting the potion, the character's aging process ceases for a number of years equal to the alchemy test's success shifts times 10. At the end of this period, its effect can be extended by another potion of longevity, but each use counts as a mutagenic effect, and an extension must be ingested before the end of the previous one, since when this potion's effect wears off, the target's body rapidly ages to its current age at the rate of one year of aging per day.

## The Elixir of Immortality

Finally, alchemy's ultimate achievement, the elixir of immortality allows the alchemist to stop, or even reverse, the body's aging process. In game mechanics terms, this effect is mainly cosmetic, but this secret also allows the alchemist to enhance a target's body or mind, altering their aspects, or granting them permanent magical powers. Only characters with "Alchemy" level 8 can learn the secret of the Elixir of Immortality.

This secret opens up three additional rules:

* ***Aspects Alteration\****: This secret allows the alchemist to modify a target's propensities and personality, as well as their physical bodies, thus alterint their aspects, as long as these are strictly psychological and /or physical. The target of this potion must pay for the alteration with 5 fate points.
* ***Alchemical Powers\****: A potion that infuses a target with alchemical powers and grants them some permanent magical ability. This works as if the target gained the ability to cast a spell at any time, as an innate ability. Potions that bestow powers are also mutagenic potions, and are subject to their cumulative penalties. The difficulty of such a potion is equal to the difficulty the spell would have (or its "level", depending on the rules used). The targets' bodies always rebel against a supernatural modification of this level, so the targets always try to resist with their "Physique", even if the effect is entirely beneficial. If successful, the potion costs the target 6 fate points.
* ***Immortality Potion\****: A potion tailor-made for each target. Upon ingesting it, the target stops aging permanently. This counts as a mutagenic effect. The difficulty of creating this potion is equal to 1/10 of the target's biological age. Another variant of this potion can be brewed to alter the appearance of the target's body so that they have any desired apparent age, starting from 21 years old.