Artifice and Alchemy

Artificers and Alchemists make use of the same basis of Reagents and Catalysts as do mages, but rather than manifest power from "thin air" as do practioners of the Art and the Way, artificers create Inventions and alchemists create Elixirs.

Being Prepared

Rather than rituals or rotes, practitioners of the Craft instead invent (sometimes literal) solutions to any problems they might face in some form of lab. These might just as easily be full of bubbling beakers as arcing electricity, but will certainly be unique to the practitioner's preferred methods of mayhem.

In a sense, everything a practitioner of the Craft does is ritual magic, but all of the applications of their work tend to be much more instantaneous. Each catalyst involved the mix will require one full day of labor. The artificer or alchemist may receive assistance from other practitioners of their Craft which will reduce the total creation time by 10% per successful assistant and increase creation time by 50% per failure.

A completed creation process will produce one magical item or five potions. Failures may produce either nothing that works or, more interestingly, something that works incorrectly, like a rampaging automaton or a healing potion that has the side effect of causing the healed to spontaneously grow a tail and turn bright purple. Surely the alchemist can create something to fix that, right?

Once created, magical items and potions will remain available to the creator as long as they remain whole in the case of inventions and unused in the case of elixirs. Treat inventions like Powers even up to the point of selecting an appropriate power that accomplishes the artificer's goal.

Even the best inventions tend to fail eventually, often spectatularly. Whenever you fail a roll while using an invention, you must overcome Fair (+2) opposition or the invention explodes, implodes or otherwise becomes totally unusable and inflicts 2 physical Stress if the artificer is in the same zone as it comes apart.

For potions, depending on the desired effect and target, you may treat these as Powers as above that last until the end of the scene. Healing and damage potions will tend to be instantaneous effects.

Reagents and Catalysts

Items marked exclusive to extended creation require one week per catalyst in the formula to produce. Creation time may be reduced with help as explained above.

Progression

Artificers and alchemists level up similarly to practitioners of the Warrior's Way, gaining access by way of an aspect dedicated to the study and then purchased with Stunts and Refresh (The Basics - Character Creation for more info). Purchase of two level 1 catalysts for one stunt or refresh point each grants access to level 2. Level 2 catalysts cost two points and purchasing two opens up level 3 catalysts for purchase.

At each level of skill increase including level 1, the practitioner of the Craft may gain access to one reagent.

Each level of skill in the Craft gives a +2 bonus to rolls involving that Craft, including both item creation rolls and knowledge rolls. This bonus also applies to the application of inventions if there is not a Power that can model the desired behavior.

Apprentice

Possession of level one methods makes a character an Apprentice. Apprentices of the Craft receive +2 to any roll involving the use of their skill. They may only employ one catalyst combined with one reagent at a time.

Adept

Those who have learned level two methods are Adepts. Adept artificers and alchemists have +4 to any roll involving the use of their Craft. They may combine two catalysts and two reagents to produce a much greater variety of effects.

Master

Attaining a third level catalyst denotes the skill of a Master. Master artificers and alchemists receive a total of +6 to their item creation rolls. They may combine up to three catalysts and three reagents in a single incantation.