alchemist
DescriptionAn alchemist is really a man or woman who has stepped the fine line between science and magic. alchemists are all about looking at the supernatural with a scientist's way of thinking; therefore, they are not the best of magically attuned people in the world. Their way of looking at magic is skewed, meaning their magical powers are significantly lesser then the other classes. However, given the right ingredients, they can unleash devestating attacks on their foes.
Alchemy however requires proper tools, vials, bekers, firestarting impliments and other assorted tools. The various tools in any chemist's workshop are carried by alchemists.
Abilities:
Imbue Object: Given enough time and the proper ingredients, it is possible to enchant and infuse an object with power that is generally associated with the ingredients. For instance, it is possible to give a sword red alignment. The more time involved in imbuing the object, the more powerful it becomes. Also, the larger the object, the more time it can take to imbue it.
Disimbue Object: The opposite of Imbue Object, generally done by a lengthy process involving ingredients that go against the alignment of the object. The time it takes to disimbue an object is equal to how powerful it is.
Transmute Object: By using ingredients of a certain alignment, it is possible to change an object's alignment. Usually, this process is MUCH quicker then the previous two, but care must be taken. It is not possible to transmute an object from one alignment to an "opposing" alignment. An object can only be one alignment
Artificial Spellcasting: alchemists have a poor view of magic. They see it more scientifically then other mages, and as such, are incapable of normal spellcasting. However, by combining the correct ingredients from different alignments, then intoning the correct magical words, it is possible to use "mixed" attacks. For instance, using a blue aligned ingredient and a silver aligned ingredient might produce an air and ice attack. These forms of attacks are generally weaker then a "pure" attack, but have different effects. It is even possible for an alchemist to mix opposing aligned ingredients to produce devastating but chaotic attacks. However, this power is not available right away- one must complete a quest first. Mixing opposite alignments together requires much more magical energy and time to master. Whatever the case a circle is still the center of spellcasting. Creating a circle of magic with ingrediants serving as points, will be what creates a spell. The number of points unlike other forms of magic however is not clearly defined, making this form of spellcasting far more freeform, if somewhat haphazard.
Using alchemical magic isn't very easy. It requires a steady hand, a keen eye, and a LOT of imagination.
Alchemists are not very well suited to be a support class. Rather, they are almost purely attack-oriented in terms of their magic- the majority of their team-supporting powers come from their ability to imbue objects with an alignment. This means that their artificial spellcasting is usually fairly limited- and always just a smidgen less powerful than normal spellcasters. The use of reagents also highly limits even the most powerful alchemist. In the long run, Alchemists are powerful in the beginning but are less powerful as time goes on- the most powerful alchemical reagent ever found could only achieve results equal to a Tier 2 Sigil.
Alchemic spellcasting utilizes a circle of six points. Within this circle two to six of these points are filled with an ingrediant. Fewer ingredients result in more predictable and controlable results, however more ingredients can produce far more varied results.
Mixed spellcasting is prepared as follows: Two to six materials placed within an alchemic circle. The magic is channeled between the two reagents, causing them to merge together. Once merged, magic is pumped into each object. The objects- as well as the caster's hands- cycle and ricochet the magic back and forth within, finally releasing the innate magic of the objects in one burst. This is the reason why most alchemical magic is attack magic- it's usually very brief. Achieving a supporting alchemical magic spell requires a lot more preparation and skill, as well as highly different reagents.
Chaotic attacks- that is, the mixing of two elements that are directly opposed to each other on the alignment scale- often causes some kind of negative backlash to the caster or the target. This could mean actual spell failure, increased chances of missing a target, or even just plain getting hurt by your own spell.
It stands to reason that the more rare and unique the object, the more powerful it is. This may not always be the case, but it's the general rule of thumb. For instance, a simple rock may have more green magic within it than a tree- but it's not likely, as the tree is alive. Likewise, the reactive mix of gunpowder will have more red magic within it than coal.
Generally speaking, however, most alchemical materials obtained from humans are weak. It's only by searching far and wide in the field can alchemists find truly powerful reagents. When an alchemic spell is cast, the ingredients are used up and turn to dust.
Alchemic Catylist: The ultimate power of alchemy's scientific side is in the abillity to trigger chemical reactions instantaneously with the use of a chemical catylist. The Alchemic Catylist must be created in advance and is extremely difficult to create. Unlike most abillities which are used in quests, this particular abillity requires role playing outside of quests to create. The Catylyst can only be made in small amounts; one fluid ounce per day, and requires some of the alchemist's own life force to do it. It must remain stable for the course of the day, though once started it can be left alone.
In order to use the Catylyst, simply splash a little on the materials you wish to react, and concentrate on the reaction you are trying to trigger. It is recomended you fully understand the chemical reaction taking place, in order for it to be properly carried out. So long as all the materials are present nearly any substance can be created this way.
This abillity is not available from the outset. It must be unlocked by purchasing a book on the subject and spending three days in role play time reading in order to unlock it. The book is available in the marketplace.
Transfiguration: There are tales of Alchemists who can create anything through sheer force of will. Well that isn't entirely exact but the ability to synthesize materials from base components is possible with an extreme amount of preperation. Transfiguration involves combining the alchemic spellcasting ability with the alchemic catylist. Place the components to transfigure within an alchemic circle, then add one drop of catylist per component used to the center and focus. This will then channel the alchemist's will through the circle allowing the catylist to react with the components and combine them into something that contains the properties of all components. This can mean something such as combining wood and iron to create a hammer, or could be used to repair something that's been broken. It requires extreme uninterrupted focus, otherwise the whole thing could explode in your face. A transfiguration requires that the alchemist has a full understanding of the components and the finished product. It's impossible to transfigure something if the alchemist doesn't know how the resulting object will function on every level. Additionally the new product must contain all of the substances which make up the component parts. This is the path to advanced alchemy that is spoken of in legend.
Alchemical Cant: An alchemist has to keep his/her notes secret- so all alchemists have developed a certain method of shorthand writing to describe their findings. Most codes are similar, usually dealing with zodiacal signs, greek letters, and a bank of arcane symbols. Though each alchemist has a different way of writing in this cant, another alchemist can decode their writing given enough time.
Forbidden Alchemy
There are certain practices in alchemy which in all schools are considered forbidden. As such the knowledge of how to peform these blasphemies is also forbidden, however the rules make very clear what these actions are. They include:
Reduction: The practice of reducing a living being to its "essential salts" in other words a non living chemical mixture still imbued with that creature's life force, for storage and later restoration as a servant. This blasphemous act carries the loss of an alchemist's license for an animal an immediate sentence of death for a human, if cought in the act.
Creation of a Homunculus: The attempt to create a human life from nothing but basic chemicals is strictly forbidden in all schools of alchemy. Anyone heard of to create or attempt creating a homunculus will quickly find himself at the attention of the inquisition.
Counterfieting Money: Although the attempt to create gold is not forbidden as it is considered, by this point, to be impossible anyway, the use of alchemy to counterfiet any country's currency is strictly forbidden due to its economical dangers. An Alchemist cought doing this may be fined heavilly, up to all of his money and posessions.
Qualities:
Critical Eye: alchemists instinctively know the alignment of any raw ingredient they find. This is more difficult then it sounds- for instance, any fool knows that a leaf would represent green magic, but what of certain metals or other chemicals? This is extremely important for alchemists- most alchemists-in-training accidentally die by mixing the wrong ingredients. Also, normally mundane objects that are imbued with magical power are instantly and instinctively recognized. So, what looks like a normal ruby to one person might actually be incredibly useful for red magical spells. This allows most alchemists to find useful ingredients almost anywhere- anything and everything can be used by a savvy alchemist. Of course, the rarer the material, the more powerful an ingredient it is.
Chemical Knowledge: alchemists were originally chemists, and have good ideas about how chemistry works as a whole. However, their training is imperfect due to their magical dabblings, so they're not quite as knowledgeable as a normal chemist.
Item Packing: An alchemist typically carries tons of tools of the trade. Pots, cauldrons, beakers, pouches, firestarting gear, nets, some common emergency ingredients, etc. So, most alchemists learn- and learn quickly- how to lug around their gear with minimum of fuss.
Dexterity: Like craftsmen alchemists have incredibly steady and prescise hands, perfect for delicate operations. When used in combination with other classes this can be used to make other skills nearly perfect.
Alchemist's license: All alchemists after completing their training are given a license to freely practice alchemy. This license though only endorsed by alchemic schools, and no country, gives an alchemist a degree of respect among other alchemists, the scientific community, and a level of trust by common people.
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