d20 Adamant Entertainment 40 Alchemical Items.pdf

40 Alchemical

Items By Steve Honeywell

S o what good is alchemy?

Seriously. What good is it?

Wizards don’t use the Craft

(Alchemy) skill to brew potions, they

use the Brew Potion feat. Sorcerers

don’t use it to identify potions, because

Spellcraft handles that. So what can

characters do with Craft (Alchemy)? In

short, what good is it?

Well, if your PCs aren’t thrilled with

the idea of making their own sunrods

and tanglefoot bags, perhaps it isn’t

that useful. Low-level characters can

really beneﬁt from the creation of these

moderately pricey (for low-level PCs)

one-use items, but generally don’t have

enough skill to make them consistently.

On the other hand, characters with the

skill ranks necessary to craft these items

are also high enough level that they’d

rather spend their time making scrolls

or potions or other magic items.

Perhaps the solution is not to do away

with the Craft (Alchemy) skill, but to

make it more useful by increasing the

number of items that can be created

with it. After all, alchemy should be

about using rudimentary science and

pseudo-science to replicate magical

effects. And what is a sunrod if not a

long-lasting light spell?

You have before you a compendium of alchemical

items both mundane and marvelous. Several of these

items are included to add a realistic ﬂavor to any game

world while others duplicate spells or create entirely

new effects. All of them make a certain amount of

sense; alchemists would spend their time devising

potions and concoctions that mimicked spells and

gave a quick shot of power. They would likewise

create items that had more prosaic uses that would be

attractive to the everyday purchaser and elite items

that cater to the whims and desires of the nobility.

Aphrodisiac

Traditionally, aphrodisiacs increase the ingester’s sex

drive. While the alchemical version has similar effects,

they are not precisely the same. Anyone ingesting a

dose of alchemical aphrodisiac becomes much more

open to suggestions from anyone he or she would

normally be attracted to. It does not act as a charming

potion or love philter and will not force attractions

between the victim and anyone or anything he or she

is not attracted to; it merely enhances feelings already

there.

Of course, there is no reason that you need to allow

all, or any, of these items into your game world. Some

players and characters will be interested in them and

ﬁnd uses for many of these items. Others may look

for NPC Alchemists capable of crafting these elixirs,

giving you another place for them to spend their hard-

earned cash.

Alchemical aphrodisiacs are typically slipped into the

food or drink of an unsuspecting victim. It is available

in both liquid and powdered form. The powder is

easier to conceal in food and drink, and is more

difﬁcult to make than the liquid version.

In fact, getting new alchemical recipes could be as

exciting to players and characters as locating a new

spell in an old spellbook, and ultimately not very

different in effect. After all, a good alchemical recipe

offers the same pathway to power as a good spell.

The imbiber gets a Wisdom check (DC 15 for liquid

aphrodisiac, DC 20 for the powdered form) to notice

the aphrodisiac. If ingested, the victim takes a -2

circumstance penalty to all Will saves involving

anyone he or she would normally ﬁnd attractive

(similar race with a Charisma modiﬁer of +1 or better

is a good yardstick). The victim’s ability to withstand

non-magical suggestion is left up to the individual

GM, but it can be treated as a Bluff check with a -2

circumstance penalty on the opposed Sense Motive

check. These effects last for one hour. The Fortitude

save to avoid these effects is DC 17.

So enough of this! On with the bizarre and wonderful

concoctions! (...and, by the way, there are actually

42 items. We thought that “40 Alchemical Items”

sounded better.)

Acid Neutralizer

This murky white liquid is a concentrated form of

lye. It will completely neutralize up to one gallon of

strong acid, rendering it harmless. Poured into larger

quantities of acid, it can (at the GM’s discretion),

partially mitigate damage from contact.

There are almost as many different variations of

aphrodisiac formulas as there are alchemists who

create them. There is not standard in terms of

appearance, smell, and taste.

Note that basic substances like acid neutralizer are just

as dangerous to exposed skin as acid. A ﬂask of acid

neutralizer can be thrown as a grenade-link weapon.

It does 1d4 damage for three rounds (due to its sticky

nature) to the victim of a direct hit. Anyone caught in

the splash of a shattered bottle takes a single point of

damage, and only for one round.

Cost: 100gp (liquid)

Cost: 200gp (powder)

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 25 (liquid)

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 30 (powder)

Acid neutralizer is white, sticky, and viscous. A victim

of acid neutralizer can counteract it with a vial of acid.

Cost: 25gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy) DC 25

Body Dye

Bottled Lethargy

Sometimes, a disguise kit isn’t enough. For important

spying jobs or those of longer duration, a more

extensive form of make up is needed. Body dye

effectively changes the skin color of the user, allowing

a human to better pass for a half-orc, or for an elf

to disguise himself as one of his differently-hued

brethren. Body dye provides a +2 alchemical bonus to

any Disguise attempt that involves altering the user’s

skin color.

A rare item, bottled lethargy is used to sap the energy

from those tricked into drinking it. When ingested,

it causes fatigue in the victim. Already fatigued

victims become exhausted on imbibing, and exhausted

drinkers fall unconscious for 10 minutes and awaken

still exhausted. The Fortitude save to avoid these

effects is DC 20.

Bottled lethargy has a distinctive odor and taste.

Anyone eating or drinking a familiar substance laced

with bottled lethargy may make a DC 10 Wisdom

check to notice anything amiss. Anyone who has been

dosed with bottled lethargy in the past may make the

same check to notice the particular metallic scent and

ﬂavor.

This substance is semi-permanent, although it does

wear off eventually. Depending on the amount

of bathing the user does, it typically washes off

completely in 2-4 weeks. For best results, most users

reapply body dye every week.

Body dye comes in a variety of shades and pigments.

Many older courtiers use it in addition to cosmetics to

hide various signs of aging. Some alchemists make a

decent living from this fact.

Because of this drawback, alchemists have created

an improved version with both the scent and taste

signiﬁcantly reduced. The DC of the Wisdom check to

notice the improved version is 15.

Cost: 5gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 20

Cost: 100gp (normal)

Cost: 150gp (improved)

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 20 (normal)

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 25 (improved)

Caltrop Salve

Contraceptive

Stepping on a caltrop is excruciatingly painful,

frustrating, and dangerous since it greatly reduces the

ability to run away from a tough battle. Normally, the

effects of a caltrop wound last for a full day or until

the victim gets some form of treatment.

While farming families might want as many kids as

possible to help out with chores, the same isn’t true of

every family. Members of the nobility typically want

their cake and to eat it too; they want nothing more

than to have a good time without the unnecessary

children born out of wedlock. Hence the need for

contraceptive. This way, the youth of the nobility

can sow their wild oats without creating children

problematic to lines of succession or requiring the

splitting up of family fortunes.

Caltrop salve fulﬁlls this requirement for treating a

caltrop wound. While it does not restore any damage

lost from caltrops, it does allow the victim to move at

full speed again. Applying caltrop salve takes at least

one full round, more if the victim is wearing shoes and

needs to remove them ﬁrst.

Both male and female versions of contraceptive

exist. Once imbibed, the protection lasts for a full

week. Both versions of contraceptive have a bitter,

unpleasant taste, and are commonly mixed with ale or

wine to make them more potable.

Caltrop salve is a thick, green paste that smells

strongly of cloves. A single crock contains enough for

ﬁve applications.

Cost: 2gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 15

Cost: 50gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 20

De-icer

Cold Fire

Ice is not always a problem, but when it is, it’s a big

problem. De-icer comes in small packets and looks

like large grains of salt. This substance melts ice on

contact, evaporating it completely. A single packet

melts ice in a 10’ radius up to a thickness of one inch.

More concentrated use can melt a smaller hole through

thicker ice.

Cold ﬁre is a thin, pale blue liquid. Anyone or

anything doused in cold ﬁre becomes wreathed in blue

ﬂames that look dangerous but cause no damage and

give off no heat.

Generally used by anyone who wants to look

impressive, frightening, or threatening, cold ﬁre grants

a +2 alchemical bonus to Intimidate checks. More

importantly, cold ﬁre causes a -2 morale penalty on

all saves, skill checks, and attack rolls to all enemies

who can see the user (Will save DC 15 to avoid these

effects). These Intimidate bonus and morale penalty

stack. An application of cold ﬁre lasts for one minute.

One inventive use of this item is to melt through small

sections of wall of ice spells.

Cost: 1gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 20

Cost: 100gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 25

Deodorizer

Endurance Booster

Sometimes, it is important to stay on the job for longer

than seems wise or even feasible. In these situations,

endurance booster can be a real help. This is a thick,

yellow-green liquid that tastes vaguely of grass and

smells like a freshly-cut lawn.

Dungeons, caves, and musty libraries smell bad.

Often, this smell is just unpleasant and foul. Other

times, these smells can be dangerous. Deodorizer

eliminates these nasty odors not by masking them, but

by removing them completely from the air.

Deodorizer eliminates foul smells in a 30’ sphere.

Often, this merely makes an unpleasant area more

bearable. It also provides a +5 alchemical bonus to

saves against troglodyte stench, ghasts, stinking cloud

and similar effects that induce sickness. Deodorizer

provides no beneﬁt to counteracting inhaled poisons,

although it can be used to mask toxic fumes.

Anyone who drinks a vial of endurance booster is

granted the Endurance feat for one hour. At the end of

the hour, the drinker is fatigued. If already fatigued,

the drinker becomes exhausted.

There are serious side effects for anyone drinking

more than one vial of endurance booster in a day.

While the solution still works, the user must make

a DC 20 Fortitude save to remain conscious. Each

additional vial raises this DC by 5. Failure renders the

victim unconscious for one minute.

Deodorizer is a dark red liquid that evaporates

instantly upon contact with air. It is most commonly

used by smashing the bottle against the ground.

Cost: 25gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 20

Cost: 50gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 20

Desalinator

Energy Boost

Anyone who travels on the ocean must be sure to

bring enough fresh water for drinking. Desalinator can

help on longer voyages if water levels run low.

Fatigue and exhaustion are dangerous in the middle of

a ﬁght or when there is no place to rest. Energy boost

can mitigate the effects of fatigue and exhaustion

temporarily. This is a thick, orange liquid that tastes

like fruit; most drinkers ﬁnd it delicious.

One vial of this clear liquid can remove most of the

saline from a gallon of seawater. The resulting water is

perfectly drinkable, although it still retains a brackish

ﬂavor. Because of this, water treated with desalinator

is always a last choice.

Anyone who is either fatigued or exhausted and

drinks a vial of energy boost is immediately cured

of the condition. A non-fatigued drinker gains a +2

alchemical bonus to Strength and Dexterity. The effect

lasts for 10 minutes.

Some alchemists prefer to make desalinator into a ﬁne

powder rather than a liquid. This powder, which looks

like white dust, is more compact and easily transported

than the vials of liquid, but is more expensive (but no

more difﬁcult) to create. The danger with this version

is that it is completely ruined if it gets wet.

When the 10 minutes are up, an immediate price is

paid. A non-fatigued drinker becomes fatigued when

the energy boost wears off. A previously fatigued

drinker becomes exhausted, and an exhausted drinker

falls unconscious for 10 minutes (no save), and wakes

up still exhausted. Multiple potions can be used in

sequence, and the side effects are cumulative.

Many large ships carry a supply of desalinator good

enough for several days of water for the entire crew.

Cost: 5sp (liquid)

Cost: 1gp (powder)

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 15

Cost: 50gp

To Create: Craft (Alchemy)—DC 25

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: