Alchemical Research and Experimentation

Creating a new alchemical substance resembles magical research but follows rules of its own. Apart from herbal remedies, elixirs, powders and venoms, all of this work requires a completely equipped laboratory or workroom with 200 ft. of work space or more, furnished with at least 3,000 G.P. worth of gear such as scales and measures, stills, a furnace, tables, shelving, braziers, glassware and tools. Replacing broken glassware and maintaining the equipment typically costs another 10-100 G.P. per year.

An alchemist need not pay a consultant beforehand but must still hand the Game Judge a written account of the proposed substance or device and its intended purpose. Research always lasts 2-8 weeks, the precise length known to the Judge alone, and it may be interrupted and taken up again without penalty.

Once research ends, experimentation starts. An experiment lasts as long as producing a similar known substance would, or as long as the Judge decides for something entirely new. After every experiment the Judge rolls a save vs the alchemist's Intelligence, applying a penalty based on complexity: -2 for a fairly simple invention, -4 for an average one and -6 for a highly complex one. A success means the substance or device performs as intended; a failure just means further experimenting, which may be repeated any number of times.