Curious Pastimes - Rules: Alchemy

Player Alchemy Rules

These are the player rules for Alchemists. These work in conjunction with the Referees guidelines for the creation of potions and research of new potions. Players are reminded that they are presented here for the information of those who wish to play such a character, the following guidelines are not common knowledge to those characters who are not Alchemists. Please remember your role playing obligations when encountering potions and poisons. Players should also note that Alchemy is a demanding activity both in terms of character creation and role playing requirements, but the rewards can be considerable.

For clarity in these rules all poisons and potions will be referred to as potions.

To become an Alchemist your character must have the skills Poison Lore 1 and 2 and Potion Lore 1 and 2 and the skill Alchemy (see: Basic Skills; Lore Skills). An Alchemist is able to brew and research new potions. Alchemists may collect a lore sheet from the event desk during an event detailing how to do this.

All Alchemical activity will require the expenditure of Work Units (WU), for brewing, researching and teaching. The number of WU available to an Alchemist will depend on the type of laboratory they have access to.

Alchemist Register

All Alchemists will be entered in a register held by the Referees. This register will record all the activities of the individual Alchemist. This will enable accurate bookkeeping and record of activities. Anything not recorded in the register will not be considered to have taken place within the game.

All Alchemists will have an individual entry in the Alchemists register. This will contain all the player and character details. The register will also have the following.

Recipes known by the individuals
Current Brewing Activity
Current Research Activity
Group Activities Contribution (to complex Research Activities)
The register will be an active document in which all Alchemical activities will be recorded during their character's life.

Work Units

All Alchemists have 6 work units (WU) a day every day of an event (irrespective of 'half days'). Work units cannot be saved for another day nor can they be given to another Alchemist. If an Alchemist takes the battlefield then they will forfeit 2 work points for that day.

The brewing of potions or research activity requires the expenditure of work units. All brewing or research activities are rated in WU. To complete an activity an Alchemist (or a collection of Alchemists) need to expend an amount equal to or greater than the work unit value of the potion or task set.

Owning a laboratory will increase the number of WU you may have available.

Attendance

Alchemists can only undertake their profession at events they attend. Whilst at an event work units can only be allocated to a task if the Alchemist, Coven or Collaboration is attending in person.

Covens and Collaborations

Alchemists can organise themselves into Covens. A Coven consists of three Alchemists. It cannot consist of two Alchemists. It cannot contain more than three Alchemists.

A Collaboration is a number of Covens working together on the same task. Any number of Covens can form a Collaboration.

A Coven, or Collaboration of Covens, needs a named leader. If the leader dies or ceases to participate in any way then the Covens or collaborations work is ruined and all work to date is lost.

A Coven can be convened for any period of time. It can be started at the beginning of a registered activity (brewing or researching), and is considered terminated at the end of that activity, unless otherwise stated by all the Alchemists involved.

A Covens activity can be terminated whenever any individual of that Coven wishes. If this occurs then all the work units contributed by the individual (prior to the event included) are permanently lost. This may lead to a setback in the work to date by the Coven. A new Alchemist is required to join the Coven and contribute work units before the coven can continue it's work.

A Coven can pool its members work units to brew a potion, undertake a research project or both if points allow. This can give a greater number of work units per day, and enable the brewing of a complicated potion, or a more complex programme of research. Whilst a Coven or Collaboration is progressing work all points within a Coven or a Collaboration must be committed within the group. They cannot be allocated outside a Coven or Collaboration, if they are not used then they are lost.

More than one task may be undertaken by an Alchemist, Coven or a Collaboration, at any one time, as long as the work units are available.

Poison and Potions

All Alchemists will receive a Basic List of known potions (including poisons). Without researching or learning other potions Alchemists will be unable to brew any other potions except those off the Basic List.

Through the research rules Alchemists can learn more Alchemical recipes. Initially only the Alchemist who has completed the research (or the Coven or lead Coven in the case of Collaborations) will know the recipe. If the Alchemist wishes to teach another Alchemist their recipe then they must expend work units teaching another Alchemist.

Teaching Recipes

To teach another Alchemist a recipe then the Alchemist who knows the recipe must spend half the potions WU teaching the recipe. At the same time the Alchemist who is learning the recipe must spend half the potions WU learning it.

For example if an Alchemist knows a 6 WU potion recipe, and wishes to teach another Alchemist that recipe. Then they both must spend 3 WU each in order to successfully pass on the recipe.

This is cumulative i.e. to teach two Alchemists an Alchemist would have to expend half the potions WU value twice, and so on.

Potions and Ingredients

Potions made from readily available herbs give general non-magical effects. Herbal only potions will generally bestow an effect which can be found in the natura world such as healing balms or poisons. They do not replicate magical and extra normal effects. Potions which do replicate such effects will require special ingredients.

Both passive and active ingredients can be gained by those with the skill to Forage (see Basic Skills: Ranger 1 and Veteran Skills: Forage).These individuals are skilled in arts of searching the wild for the necessary ingredients for brewing potions.

Passive ingredients are those which make the 'carrier' for the potion. These can be liquids, creams or powders. In most cases they can be used in any way towards making a potion.

Active ingredients are those which give the potion its effect. Every potion will have the necessary active ingredients listed with it.

Ingredients

There are a lot of ingredients known to those who forage, though not all have a readily apparent use without further research. Even those without a known use have some element of value to them.

Most valuable are unique ingredients which are occasionally found or acquired. With diligent research these may form the basis of truly unique potions.

Player please note, do not start asking for every scrap you find to be given a laminate card. When potential ingredients are valuable they will have a card with them.

Potency

All potions and poisons off the Basic List have a potency value of 4. Player generated potions may have a higher potency level. NB: Basic List poisons that have been created with a higher potency, will not be considered 'Basic List' for the purposes of curing only. Thereby requiring additional Corporeal cards to be spent on Purge Poison. The higher potency will be related during the casting of Discern Nature of Poison. (See: Corporeal Spells; Discern Nature of Poison and Purge Poison.)

Standard Volume

The standard volume of a potion off the Basic List is 30ml, i.e. a good mouthful. The standard volume for a player-researched potion is 125ml, a wineglass full. In the course of their research Alchemists may seek to reduce this standard volume.

Laboratories

All Alchemists need some kind of apparatus in order to brew potions. Even the most basic of potion brewing takes a small amount of equipment. All Alchemical equipment owned by an Alchemist will be entered in the Alchemists register. These are considered to be In Character and should spend some amount of game time in play. The term laboratory is used to denote all equipment used to brew potions, it may take many forms from a witch's cauldron, copper pressure vessels to complex glass alembics and similar equipment. It should reflect the general nature of your character. Note that the 'no laboratory' column below means you do not have a carded laboratory. However, you will still need some Phys Reps to undertake brewing Basic potions, you cannot have absolutely nothing.

 
No lab
Standard lab
Superior lab
Master Crafted lab
Brewing
0 WU modifier
0 WU modifier
+1 WU per day
+ 2 WU per day
Researching
Not allowed
0 WU Modifier
+1 WU per day
+2 WU per day
Cost
Free
150 sp
200 sp
450 sp

 
 
 
 
 
An Alchemist, Coven or Collaboration can use a number of laboratories on a number of different tasks if they have access to them subject to the absolute minimum of 1 lab per alchemist per day. Accordingley each covern may use a maximum of 3 labs per day.

Laboratories cannot be bought at the event desk. A supplier for a laboratory will have to be found In Character.

Research

This can be undertaken by an individual, Coven or Collaboration. In order to instigate a research programme the Alchemist(s) in question will need to agree it with the Referee responsible for Alchemy. A research target will be agreed upon and the method of how this should be gained.

Initially players should feel free to inquire about any possible research activity and offer ideas how they think it may be achieved.

Players should be aware there will always be a small chance that the research will fail. In the majority of cases the failure will mean a simple setback, a few may have more nasty consequences.

A research target will be expressed as a number of work units an Alchemist will need to accrue in order to be successful. Research will also require an amount of role-playing too. This will usually be Refereed and judged, giving a contributory WU value. Research will require a lot of role-playing and not just number crunching.

A research programme will require the minimum use of a standard lab. If the Alchemist has no access to a lab then they cannot undertake any research.

A research programme may entail some or all of the following activities depending upon the difficulty of the research.

The acquisition of some special ingredients
The acquisition of some unique knowledge
The contribution of standard WU
Special adventures
When the research profile is set by the Referee they will decide how many research points can be gained by which manner. For example

Points needed through WU
Points needed through special activities (adventures, rituals, role-playing)
Points needed/ given through special ingredients and knowledge.
The player will have some idea what they need to do before they attempt any research.

As with a lot of basic research, an example of something akin to what you are searching for can be very advantageous.

If a Coven researches a recipe then all three Alchemist will know the recipe. If a Collaboration of Covens researches a recipe then only one of the Covens involved (three Alchemists) will know the recipe on completion. The rest of the Collaboration will need to learn the recipe as detailed above.

The minimum WU for any player created potion is 6, as players create more potent potions the WU cost is likely to be considerably higher.

Enacting the Affects of Poisons and Potions

All poisons and potions will require a physical representation. They will also require the card denoting them to be present. When administered the onus is on poisoner to relate to the player what the effect is. Whether this is done in person or via a Referee is dependant upon the situation. If there is any doubt in the situation the decision will go in the favour of the victim. (see: Corporeal Spells; Purge Poison).

All Phys. Reps. of potions must have their identification cards with them. If not attached to the container then a discrete label should give the contents unique identity code.

When you are creating a physical representation of a potion remember to use a substance not likely to cause irritation like pure water, hypo allergenic cream or plain talc. Ingested potions do not need to be actually ingested, simply poured on the floor will suffice.. With regard to a blade venom, the poison's identification cards must be transferred from the container to the weapon being used to represent the placing of the poison, and the fact that if someone examines the blade, they are likely to notice 'something' on it. Please note however, that once a blade venom has been transferred to a weapon, it will be lost if that weapon is then scabbarded.

For an ingestive potion to have any effect, all of the potion must be swallowed. For potions (predominantly poisons) of a 'contact' nature, they must connect with bare flesh in order to have any effect.

Blade venoms may only be used on melee weapons. Not arrows/bolts or thrown weapons. The poison is only good for one hit, and you must be sure to strike the target on an unarmoured location. The only exception is if the poison is spread on a weapon using the call Through, in which case the target will be affected by both the weapon and the poison (see: Damage Calls; Through).

Potion Lore and Poison Lore Skills.

Poison Lore 1

Players will receive the basic poison lore sheet from the event desk. From this they will be able to identify and name the poisons off the Basic List. They will not necessarily know exactly the poisons effects, but they will have a general idea of the effectiveness of a poison (from a Referee) when confronted with it (i.e. wounding, crippling or deadly). If the character is faced with an unknown poison they will simply know that it appears poisonous. If the character comes across a potion (i.e. a beneficial item) then they will simply know it is not poisonous (i.e. immediately harmful to the drinker). A Referee may be required. Ask for a Level 1 Lore Sheet at the Event Desk.

Poison Lore 2

Poison Lore 1 is a pre-requisite for this skill.

Players will receive the Level 2 poison lore list which gives the full details of all the Basic List poisons. From this they will be able to identify, name and know the effects of any poison from the Basic List. When faced with an unknown poison they will not be able to identify it without Alchemical research. If a victim is under the effects of the unknown poison the Alchemist able to accurately describe the symptoms (effects) and relate these to any known antidotes they possess in order to evaluate their potential effectiveness. This will require a Referee to be present and their on the spot discretion will be used. (see Corporeal Spells: Purge Poison and Player Alchemy Rules; Potency).

Ask for a Level 2 Lore Sheet at the Event Desk.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.