Alchemy
Various alchemical fundaments contain magical power that can be unlocked through careful preparation and recombination. Listed below are various alchemical items that a hero may purchase in Zekaria.
Many entries refer to the mixture’s quality. This is equal to the Intelligence modifier of the alchemist who created the mixture + their proficiency bonus.
Adamantine – Rare. 3c per pound. An exceptionally hard, steel-grey metal that is typically brittle and hard to work. It is found in small amount alongside veins of gold, quartz, and tin, and is used almost exclusively in metallurgy to create the alloy darksteel. Armor and weapons made from darksteel weighs half-again what iron arms do, but they do not degrade in quality when used with the Broken Blades & Shattered Shields rules.
Alum – Uncommon. 10c per Dose. A powdery white mineral that forms the crystalline lattice of beryl, emerald, jade, ruby, and sapphire. It is used to make pigments, to set dyes, as an abrasive, and for various other alchemical processes. Alum is anathema and toxic to undead beings.
Ambrosia – Uncommon. 10c per Dose. A thick, sweet tasting amber syrup. Often used as a flavoring in cooking. A dose of refined ambrosia can be added to ten pounds of food; enough to feed three heroes for a day. Anyone consuming this food as part of a short rest adds the mixture’s quality to each hit die they roll to regain hit points.
Antimony – Uncommon. 10c per Dose. A lustrous gray metal found alongside tin deposits and used to make the cosmetic kohl, flame retardants, as a hardening component for lead alloys, and in medicine as an emetic and antiseptic. It is alchemically valuable as a magical inhibitor, readily impeding the flow of magic, making it useful for amplifying Abjuration spells.
Aqua Vitae – Uncommon. 10c per Dose. A clear, flammable liquid that smells sweetly astringent. Often used as an ingredient in potion recipes, as a grease remover, and to clean wounds. The bearer can use an action to drink a dose of refined aqua vitae, gaining temporary hit points equal to the mixture’s quality. As long as they have these temporary hit points, they have advantage on saving throws made to resist being frightened or rattled.
Arsenic – Uncommon. 10c per Dose. A dull gray metal used to harden bronze, to create green pigments, to preserve wood, in glassmaking, as an insecticide and poison, and in medicine as an antiseptic and stimulant. It is extracted from realgar or “fool’s ruby”, which is found alongside antimony, calcite, gold, lead, and silver deposits. Arsenic is anathema and toxic to mortal beings.
Ether – Uncommon. 10c per dose. A clear, volatile, flammable liquid created by steeping brimstone in aqua vitae. Used as a general anesthetic, solvent, and accelerant. When consumed in large quantities, it can produce an excited euphoria, deaden pain, or amplify spells from the subschool of Telepathy.
A bearer can spend one minute soaking a rag or other solvent in ether. They can then hold this over the mouth and nose of an adjacent, restrained enemy to induce unconsciousness. A living creature restrained this way can’t speak and falls unconscious at the end of their turn unless they pass a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + the mixture’s quality). A creature rendered unconscious this way remains so for six hours.
Firepot – Common. 3c apiece. A clay pot filled with flammable accelerant such as aqua vitae or lamp oil and stopped with a rage that is used as a wick. A bearer that is holding or adjacent to an open flame can use an action to light and throw the firepot into a square within 10 yards that they can see. On impact, the pot bursts into flame, covering a 3-yard square for 1 minute.
The first time a creature enters the area on a turn (or starts their turn in it), they make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + the mixture’s quality). On a failure, they take 1d6 fire damage and start burning. On a pass, they take half as much damage and do not start burning. Unattended cloth and wooden objects in the area will catch fire, prolonging the duration of the flames.
Gold – Rare. 10c per ounce. A lustrous, yellow metal valued as currency. Charlatans may try to pass brass and pyrite as gold. When crafting a masterwork metal item, an artificer can inlay gold into the work. Golden items can be used to store any spell.
Jade – Rare. 10c per ounce. A tough, green, metamorphic rock valued for its beauty as well as its alchemical properties. Charlatans may try to pass fool’s jade and serpentine as true jade. This material is anathema to infernal and undead creatures.
A hero can spend ten minutes mixing an ounce of powdered jade into a paste. They can then spend 1 minute applying that paste to one melee weapon or three projectiles. For one hour, those weapons are considered jade for the purposes of overcoming a creature’s resistance to damage. This effect ends early one minute after the first hit from such a weapon.
When crafting a masterwork weapon, an artificer can inlay jade into the striking head, allowing the weapon to overcome an infernal or undead creature’s resistance to weapon dmaage.
Jade jewelry can be used to store spells that are amplified by jade.
Ma-Huang Tea. Common. 1c per Dose. A bitter, clear, astringent tincture made from the yellow horse plant. Often found in healer’s kits and used in small quantities to treat headaches, lethargy, and breathing issues. When consumed in large quantities, it can cause vivid hallucinations and amplify spells from the subschool of Precognition.
A healer can spend ten minutes assessing a patient’s condition and attempt a DC 11 Wisdom (Medicine) check to administer a dose of ma-huang tea. On a pass, the patient gains temporary hit points equal to the mixture’s quality and reduces their exhaustion by one step for six hours. On a failure, the patient is reduced to 0 hit points unless they pass a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + the mixture’s quality). A creature reduced to 0 hit points this way can’t regain hit points until they stabilize.
Ores. Varies. An ore is a catchall term for natural or supernatural mineral deposits that can be refined into alchemical components. An alchemist can spend an hour and use alchemist’s vials to refine a pound of ore, making a Wisdom (Alchemist’s Vials) check. The yield is a number of doses equal to one-third their result.