Owning and operating a laboratory

Once an alchemist or spell caster is established and has saved a good sum, building or buying a private laboratory becomes possible. A solid stone building costs 500 G.P. for every 100 sq. ft. of lab, and at least 200 sq. ft. is needed.

The furnace is the heart of the lab, since the alchemical fire must never be allowed to die. Building and installing it costs 300 G.P. plus 10-100 G.P., and it must cure for 1-4 weeks before it can be lit. Keeping the fire at the right heat costs 100 G.P. a year, and each month there is a 5% chance it goes out, reduced by 1% for every assistant on staff. A semi-skilled lab assistant is quoted at about 50 G.P. a year.

Full equipment, meaning glassware, measuring, weighing and distilling gear, shelves, tables, stools, braziers, parchment and ink, costs 2,000 G.P. plus 100-400 G.P., after which only 10-40 G.P. a year is needed for wear and broken glass.

Assistants are not apprentices but unskilled or semi-skilled help who tend the fire, run errands and clean. An alchemist who owns a lab must keep at least one for every 200 sq. ft.; without them the clutter builds up and every operation suffers a cumulative -1% chance of success each month. Such assistants usually earn 100 G.P. a year.