The tables below assume a fairly typical fantasy setting with elves, dwarves, vampires, sorcerers, dragons, magic crystals, etc. Specific ingredient names can, and should, be changed where they are inappropriate for your setting. If you have no dwarves in your game, for example, rename Dwarven Powder to reflect its otherwise foreign origin.
Roll on the potion, oil, or explosive table as required (depending if you want to drink, apply, or explode the concoction when it is finished). Where a table has more than one column of results, roll on each column separately. You may want to roll on the Uncommon Formula Table if you want something unconventional. Finding or preparing some of these ingredients may be an adventure in itself.
1:1 POTION
| D6 | Potion Base | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | water | plant |
| 2 | alcohol | animal |
| 3 | milk | mineral |
| 4 | plant oil | special condition and roll again |
| 5 | fruit juice | special ingredient |
| 6 | special potion base | roll two results |
Alcohol: roll a d6: 1-2 weak (cider, beer, mead); 3-4 medium (wine); 5-6 strong (spirits)
Milk: you can assume this is the milk of the most common dairy-related animal in the region, or you can roll on the animal table below
Fruit Juice: this might be more or less difficult to source depending on the climate and time of year
2:1 OIL
| D6 | Oil Base | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | common fat | plant |
| 2 | rare fat | animal |
| 3 | plant oil | mineral |
| 4 | tree sap | special condition and roll again |
| 5 | beeswax | special ingredient |
| 6 | special oil base | roll two results |
Common Fat: lard, goose fat, butter, etc.
Rare Fat: bear fat, whale blubber, gelatinous cube jelly, etc.
Plant Oil: oil pressed from sunflowers, olives, coconuts, etc.
3:1 EXPLOSIVE
| D6 | Explosive Base | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | sulphur | plant |
| 2 | saltpetre | animal |
| 3 | ash | mineral |
| 4 | coal | special condition and roll again |
| 5 | dwarven powder | special ingredient |
| 6 | special explosive base | roll two results |
Sulphur: if sulphur seems too mainstream, substitute with any relatively-abundant element of your choice
Saltpetre: game mechanic-wise, this is essentially souped-up sulphur - more reactive but not as common, possibly requiring a mixture of more common elements
Ash: you might require ash from a specific source (burned oak wood, ash from a blacksmith's forge, ash from a dragon's breath victim, etc.) or just any old ash
Coal: coal from the earth or charcoal, either will do so long as it can be used as fuel in a fire
Dwarven Powder: an alloy of minerals available only at remote sites, such as dwarf fortresses, elven enclaves, or from foreign merchants
4:1 UNCOMMON FORMULA
| D3 | Delivery | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | inhaled | as potion |
| 2 | dissolved | as oil |
| 3 | ingested | as explosive |
Inhaled: includes incense, candles, snuff, pipe weed, etc.
Dissolved: must be mixed with water, then applied to the body, item, or area; includes soap, tablets, liquid solutions, tea, etc.
Ingested: roll a d6: 1-3 formula creates tiny pills; 4-6 formula creates cakes or scones
Feel free to add your own unusual formulas; alchemical butter, alchemical tattoo ink, alchemical bubble bath, alchemical injections, the list is surely endless...
1:2 POTION BASE (SPECIAL)
| D4 | Special Potion Base |
|---|---|
| 1 | pure alchemical base |
| 2 | strong acid |
| 3 | king's blood |
| 4 | ghostly tears |
Pure Alchemical Base: a liquid from distilled alchemical ingredients, which can only be created by a skilled alchemist in a well-equipped laboratory or workshop
Strong Acid: might eat through certain containers, or cause troublesome fumes; roll a d6: 1-3 acid; 4-6 alkaline
King's Blood: accessing this ingredient might be seen as a hostile action (which might genuinely be the case) and would require earning (or bypassing) the trust of one or more very influential people
Ghostly Tears: come on, that ghost has been through enough, do you really want to make them cry ghostly tears into your reagent bottle? If you do it too much, the ghost will run out of emotional energy and dissipate, which means you'll have to go find another ghost and find out what gets an emotional reaction out of them - or worse, the ghost will stop being melancholy and start to get vengeful…
2:2 OIL BASE (SPECIAL)
| D4 | Special Oil Base |
|---|---|
| 1 | pure alchemical paste |
| 2 | dryad sap |
| 3 | kraken blubber |
| 4 | ectoplasm |
Pure Alchemical Paste: the base requires a distilled form of paste, something that only a skilled alchemist can create with good equipment and high-quality ingredients
Dryad Sap: the base requires a substance that can only be obtained through favour or diplomacy, such as the heart-sap of a dryad's favourite tree which is spoiled if the tree is tapped or cut into
Kraken Blubber: the base must be made from the rendered fat of a unique monster such as a mutated troll, overgrown sea monster, or other forgotten beast
Ectoplasm: this base is found only where the veil between worlds is thin, allowing entities not native to this plane to pass through
3:2 EXPLOSIVE BASE (SPECIAL)
| D4 | Special Explosive Base |
|---|---|
| 1 | pure alchemical powder |
| 2 | ground unicorn horn |
| 3 | volcanic ash |
| 4 | the sands of time |
Pure Alchemical Powder: a mix of high-quality alchemical ingredients, mixed into a fine powder; this can only be made by a skilled alchemist with a well-stocked laboratory
Ground Unicorn Horn: the processed body part of a legendary creature that would be difficult to find, very difficult to acquire, and would potentially make the PCs a lot of enemies in the process; this includes a specific dragon's bones, the elf queen's unicorn's horn, the claws of the emerald sphinx, etc.
Volcanic Ash: the fresher the better
The Sands of Time: found in an enchanted hour glass, in the ruined city of Quattarn, at the bottom of Surra's Lament Lake, guarded by a tribe of xenophobic fish-people
5:1 INGREDIENT: PLANT
| D8 | Plant Type | Special Properties |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | aquatic | remote |
| 2 | fungi | toxic |
| 3 | root | hallucinogenic |
| 4 | flowering | sentient |
| 5 | fruit-bearing | protected |
| 6 | leafy | mobile |
| 7 | thorny | reclusive |
| 8 | parasitic | defensive |
Aquatic: seaweed, pondweed, coral, etc.
Fungi: mushrooms, toadstools, mould, lichen etc.
Root: includes tubers
Flowering: includes grass and moss
Fruit-Bearing: includes fleshy fruit, vegetables, nuts, beans, etc.
Seeds: includes spores, seed pods, etc.
Leaf: includes ferns, bushes, trees, etc.
Thorny: a plant adapted to defending itself from grazers
Parasitic: grows as an attachment to another plant
Special Properties
Remote: can only be found atop distant mountains, in the burning desert, on a lone island in the middle of the ocean, etc.
Toxic: roll a d6: 1-2 irritant; 3-4 debilitating; 5-6 deadly
Hallucinogenic: could be entertaining, dangerous, or both
Sentient: it might be persuaded to give you what you want, or it might simply scream as you harvest from it
Protected: roll a d6: 1-3 protected by animals; 4-6 protected by sentient beings
Mobile: it was here yesterday, I swear!
Reclusive: only bears its fruit (or whatever) during the full moon, on the warmest day of summer, or after devouring a flesh-and-blood creature
Defensive: roll a d6: 1-2 lashing tendrils; 3-4 toxic fumes; 5 thorn projectiles; 6 psychic trilling
5:2 INGREDIENT: ANIMAL
| D10 | Creature Type | Extract |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | abomination | bone |
| 2 | fey | internal organ |
| 3 | humanoid | skin |
| 4 | magical | egg |
| 5 | undead | sensory organ |
| 6 | extra-planar | extremity |
| 7 | giant | secretions |
| 8 | beast | tooth |
| 9 | ooze | blood |
| 10 | dragon | product |
Abomination: a creature so strange and horrible that it can truly be described as an abomination
Fey: these creatures might not be especially difficult to overcome, but finding and catching them is often a greater challenge
Humanoid: orcs, goblins, serpent-people, fish-people, people-people, beastmen, etc.
Magical: this category includes creatures that rely on magic to function, are highly magical in nature, or were created by magic, such as elementals, golems, etc.
Undead: vampire saliva, zombie brains, mummy wrappings, there are lots of potential ingredients amongst the walking dead
Extra-Planar: roll a d6: 1-2 divine; 3-4 demonic; 5-6 other
Giant: trolls, ogres, forest titans, giant spiders, etc.
Beast: non-sapient creatures like dire wolves, brightly-coloured frogs, chimeras, stegosaurus, etc.
Ooze: all those treacherous puddings, oozes, slimes, cubes, etc.
Dragon: this could include dragon-like creatures of a lesser form, depending on your campaign material
Extract
Bone: roll a d6: 1-2 whole; 3-4 powdered; 5-6 marrow
Internal Organ: roll a d6: 1-2 heart; 3 liver; 4 gland; 5-6 brain
Skin: includes hide, shell, hair/fur, scales, and feathers
Egg: includes embryos for creatures that do not lay eggs
Sensory Organ: creature's primary sensory organs, includes eyes, ears, nose, fingers, antennae, etc.
Extremity: includes toes, hooves, tails, and claws
Secretions: includes dust, slime, ooze, venom, webs, saliva, etc.
Tooth: includes fangs, beaks, tongues, etc.
Blood: includes resin or other fluids for creatures with unconventional body compositions
Product: something created by the creature such as honey, dung, pearls, kidney stones, etc.
5:3 INGREDIENT: MINERAL
| D4 | Mineral Type | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | precious | requires special preparation |
| 2 | enchanted | unstable |
| 3 | extra-planetary | perishable |
| 4 | crystallised element | illegal |
Precious: rare and expensive, includes diamonds, rubies, emeralds, etc.
Enchanted: naturally infused with magic
Extra-Planetary: this mineral, salt, or stone can only be found on Mars, in craters formed by meteorites, or by visiting asteroids in the dark void between worlds
Crystallised Element: base element (earth, air, fire, water, etc.) crystallised by magic into a pure form
Properties
Requires Special Preparation: must be cut to a specific shape, treated with acid, or specifically processed in some way
Unstable: don't drop it or it might explode!
Perishable: the ingredient will decay rapidly
Illegal: the mineral might be dangerous, taboo, restricted to a specific social class, or simply taxed so heavily that only certain people can afford it
5:4 INGREDIENT: SPECIAL
| D4 | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1 | spiritual essence |
| 2 | emotional essence |
| 3 | conceptual essence |
| 4 | philospher's stone |
Spiritual Essence: roll a d6: 1 a soul or spirit in full; 2-5 one twelfth of a soul; 6 roll a d100, the formula requires this percentage of the alchemist's soul
Emotional Essence: extracted agony, bottled joy, powdered rage, etc.
Conceptual Essence: an enemy's forgiveness, a lover's scorn, a king's humility, etc.
Philosopher's Stone: a near-unique reagent prized by all alchemists, this might include an enchanted bottle, an alembic made from the bones of a god, or time spent cooking in the fires of creation
6:1 SPECIAL CONDITION
| D6 | Condition |
|---|---|
| 1 | illumination |
| 2 | celestial event |
| 3 | temperature |
| 4 | extra-planar assistance |
| 5 | mark of death |
| 6 | touched by the gods |
Illumination: roll a d6: 1-3 must be kept in the dark; 4-6 must be constantly exposed to light
Celestial Event: must be created during a specific celestial event, roll a d6: 1 full moon; 2 lunar eclipse; 3 equinox; 4 solar eclipse; 5 solstice; 6 planetary alignment
Temperature: roll a d6: 1-3 must be kept cold; 4-6 must be kept warm
Extra-Planar Assistance: roll a d6: 1-2 divine; 3-4 demonic; 5-6 other
Mark of Death: the formula can only be prepared by someone who has died (undead, resurrected, etc.) or is very close to death (i.e. mortally wounded, terminally ill, an extremely old mortal, etc.)
Touched by the Divine*: roll a d6: 1-3 formula must be blessed; 4-6 formula must be cursed
Example: An alchemist wants to create a healing potion. They roll on both columns of the potion table and get a 2 (alcohol) and a 1 (plant). The alcohol description requests another roll which comes up as a 2 (weak). Rolling on both columns of the plant table we get a 4 (flowering) and an 8 (defensive), we roll for the defensive description and get a 3 (toxic fumes).
From this we can say that the healing potion requires a base of kvass, a weak alcoholic beverage made from bread; and that the main ingredient is the bright red petals of the kuryamma flower, a beautiful plant but one with a deadly perfume that paralyses any who come too close (turning would-be grazing animals into the flower's fertiliser, perhaps) - much more interesting than just 25gp worth of ingredients.
* Normally I would prefer to avoid mixing alchemy and religion, so I was tempted to leave this one out; but I also like the idea of PCs sneaking into a temple to steal a dead saint's thigh bone so they can use it in their new bomb recipe.
No comments:
Post a Comment