Hermetic Principals of Alchemy

Hermetic Principals of Alchemy is a research tome recovered from the Ender Temple. Another copy was subsequently located over a hundred years later at Malacholar's Pinnacle.

## Description

Detailing the findings of the research carried out by the alchemist Yaktlu, Hermetic Principals of Alchemy is the culmination of their studies. Researching the potential of botanical and zoological reagents to help and harm alike, most of their experiments seems to have been carried out on willing and unwilling volunteers alike. Later compiled for sake of dissemination to other cells of Ophidian worshippers, one such copy being discovered in the Ender Temple in possession of an Yuan-Ti Malison.

**Any individual undertaking the *Training* downtime to gain proficiency in Poisoner's Kit requires only half the requisite downtime to gain said proficiency whilst they have access to this book.** **Gold cost per day is unaffected.**

## Research

### Completed by Fafnir Lutgehr

Alchemical concoctions, whether intended to aid and bolster or incapacitate, maim or kill their target fundamentally fall under four broad categories, as defined by their method of administration. Each will be discussed in turn, and potent examples provided for sake of documentation, education and replication.

#### Contact

Contact reagents can be carefully smeared and spread on the intended target, or placed upon a surface that they are to later come into contact with. Contact substances are reliant on exposure of an epithelial membrane sufficiently permeable to facilitate diffusive transfer - and while most commonly this is an exposed skin surface, it can be other mucous membranes. The duration for which an intended target must be in contact with the substance varies significantly from mixture to mixture, but most concoctions in this category are created to be fast-acting with minimal contact.

#### Ingestion

Delivered into the body through means of the digestive tract, ingested substances rely on consumption of the intended dosage in order to have their effects. More so than some other methods of administration, mixtures of this type are particularly variable in viability dependent on the target's constitution, regardless of whether they are provisioned through food, drink or an alternative method. Partial dosages, such as if the target fails to consume the entirety of a laced drink, may have no effect at all, or instead may only result in only a reduced result - and therefore is more likely to be resisted. As such, when provisioning ingested mixtures, adulterants are often also added to hide aberrant tastes, smells or colours, or otherwise rely on carriers of significant pungency themselves. An white liquid with an acidic tang is more likely to go unnoticed in a cup of fermented goat's milk than it is a goblet of white wine, for instance. In addition, it should be noted that most ingested substances are adversely affected by the cooking process, and as such should be added at the last available opportunity.

#### Inhalation

Arguably most useful for guarding large areas or targetting several individuals in unison, inhaled substances most commonly take the form of powders that are ignited, blown or otherwise dispersed airborne towards their intended subject. While usually the fastest dissipating of the four categories, the addition of further reagents such fumewort and resset can create a sustained cloud of a substance, lingering near indefinitely in areas of no immediate airflow. The commonfolk tell tales of avoiding all manner of inhaled substances through urea-soaked rags pressed to the mouth and nose, although this is an inaccuracy - and so should be continued to be encoruaged where possible to facilitate further confusion and ineptitude at dealing with such tactics. In truth, just like contact mixtures, inhaled concoctions can act through any exposed mucous membrane, including the nasal passages, tear ducts, open wounds, as well as the mouth and lungs themselves. A niche variation of inhalation substances are the aquatoxins, a group of poisons that instead dissolve and spread through liquids in place of air, and thus have particular potency against aquatic creatures. Most commonly, these are used to drive waterbreathing creatures either to the surface or onto surrounding land, where they can be more easily countered.

#### Injury

Injury reagents are effectively a subcategory of contact substances, but in exchange for greatly increased potency have lost their penetrating diffusive qualities and thus rely on direct administration via use of a piercing weapon, tool or structure. Often delivered directly into well-vasculated musculature or organ-dense area, substances of this type often act faster to much more significant effect, though whether this is localised or further disseminated for systemic somatic results does vary.

#### Alchemical Concoctions

***Name:*** Amber Ivy Paste (Contact)

***Ingredients:*** Amber Ivy, Burdock

***Production Difficulty:*** Uncommon (DC 15)

***Effect:*** Grainy and sticky, a creature subjected to this orange-coloured poison must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) poison damage. The paste retains its potency until an action is used to wash the poison away, or it deals at least 10 damage.

***Name:*** Boiling Blood Blend (Injury)

***Ingredients:*** Duneskater Drake Liver

***Production Difficulty:*** Rare (DC 16)

***Effect:*** A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) fire damage on a failed save, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the creature takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. After three successful saves, the poison ends. This effect ignores a creature's immunity to poison, but cannot affect a creature without blood. A stronger variety of Boiling Blood Blend can be created using the liver from a red dragon in place of a sanddrake's. For each successive increasing age of the red dragon, the DCs for production and subsequent saving throw increase by two above the base as detailed above, and the damage increases by 2d10 initially and 1d10 for each subsequent round.

***Name:*** Dawn Matron's Embrace (Ingested)

***Ingredients:*** Kava, Breadseed Poppy Sap, Sheep Milk

***Production Difficulty:*** Uncommon (DC 13)

***Effect:*** Most commonly used to ease the passing of the mortally wounded or infirm, Dawn Matron's Embrace slowly drains the remaining bodily strength of a creature until their lose consciousness, dying peacefully and without pain shortly afterwards. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, becoming poisoned on a failed save, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. While poisoned in this way, the creature's Constitution score decreases by 2. On each successive failed save, the creature's Constitution score is further reduced by 1. If a creature's Constitution score is reduced to 0 in this way, it dies. After two successful saves, the poison ends and the creature's Constitution score is restored.

***Name:*** Faerie's Dance (Inhaled)

***Ingredients:*** Faerie Dragon Blood

***Production Difficulty:*** Rare (DC 17)

***Effect:*** A creature that inhales this glittering powder must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, it acts as if under the effect of the *Confusion* spell.

***Name:*** Feverfear Root (Ingested or Inhaled)

***Ingredients:*** Feverfear Root Seeds (Ground)

***Production Difficulty:*** Rare (DC 19)

***Effect:*** A creature that ingests or inhales this colourless and odourless powder must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, or be subject to haunting memories of a combination of their greatest fears, sorrows and guilts next time they dream or trance. An affected creature does not gain the benefits of a long rest, and therefore gains a point of exhaustion at the beginning of the next day. Unless a creature is re-exposed to a further dosage, the poison leaves the creature's system 24 hours after exposure.

***Name:*** Gill's Bane (Inhaled, Aquatoxin)

***Ingredients:*** Bitumen, Bryozoa Crown, Triggerfish Roe Oil

***Production Difficulty:*** Uncommon (DC 15)

***Effect:*** A creature that inhales water tainted with Gill's Bane must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the creature loses any ability to breath underwater.

***Name:*** Malice (Inhaled)

***Ingredients:*** Mandrake Root (Powdered)

***Production Difficulty:*** Rare (DC 17)

***Effect:*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. The poisoned creature is blinded.

***Name:*** Moonlight Sorrow (Ingested)

***Ingredients:*** Mercy's Touch, Sourgrass, Purple Sorrel

***Production Difficulty:*** Rare (DC 20)

***Effect:*** A creature that ingests this sour green-hued poison suffers no effect until the stroke of midnight. If the poison has not been neutralized before then, the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

***Name:*** Night Lotus Extract (Contact)

***Ingredients:*** Night Lotus Nectar

***Production Difficulty:*** Legendary (DC 26)

***Effect:*** Appearing similar in hue and viscosity to coagulated blood, a creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or take 82 (24d6) poison damage, taking half damage on a successful save.

***Name:*** One Last Kiss (Contact)

***Ingredients:*** Griffon's Tallow, Moonlight Sorrow

***Production Difficulty:*** Very Rare (DC 21)

***Effect:*** Use of griffon tallow in the production process of Moonlight Sorrow creates a salve that can be safely applied to the lips of the poisoner, allowing for the transfer of the poison as a contact poison instead of an ingested mixture.

***Name:*** Soothing Salve (Contact)

***Ingredients:*** Sourgrass

***Production Difficulty:*** Uncommon (DC 11)

***Effect:*** A salve of acrid cream that can be applied to wounds to aid in the healing process. When applied as part of a short rest, whenever you expend hit dice to recover hit points in the next hour, you recover an additional 3 hit points for each hit dice expended.

***Name:*** Tea of Enlivening (Ingested)

***Ingredients:*** Holy Water, Pausare Leaf

***Production Difficulty:*** Uncommon (DC 13)

***Effect:*** A fiery warm tea capable of reinvigorating even the most weary souls. Consuming a full brew of Tea of Enlivening over a long rest removes two level of exhaustion instead of one from whoever drinks it and provides them with 1d6 temporary hit points.

***Name:*** Torpor (Ingested)

***Ingredients:*** Distilled Ethanol, Kamadan Gullet (Powdered)

***Production Difficulty:*** Uncommon (DC 12)

***Effect:*** A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 4d6 hours. The poisoned creature is incapacitated.