Category:Alchemy: Difference between revisions

This section contains canon info from officially published sources

Ravenloft versus d20 ed. 3.5

Alchemy was a skill in 3.0 ed. Alchemy became in 3.5 ed a subcategory of the skill Craft as in Craft (alchemy) with the effective prerequisite of being a spellcaster: "To make an item using Craft (alchemy), you must have alchemical equipment and be a spellcaster." (SRD) This change has a significant impact:

• prestige classes - Black Powder Avenger, Court Poisoner, Pistoler and Scientist must either take multiple ranks in a skill that they cannot use or must be take a level of spellcaster to use those ranks; a level of spellcaster must be taken by the Black Powder Avenger and the Pistoler to make use of class abilities in respect to making gun powder and by the Court Poisoner to make alchemical poisons.

• darkords - Ivan Dilisnya, Ivana Boritsi, Dr. Frantisek Markov and Dr. Victor Mordenheim all have multiple ranks in a skill that they cannot use; in this case it is clear however that they are expected to make of alchemy;

• feat - Superior Alchemy is worthless without a level of spellcaster

• science - chemistry in Lamordia has just been cancelled

• professions - Expert (alchemist), Expert (Chemist) and Expert (gun powder maker) require a level of spellcaster which flies in the face of reason so far as Lamordia is concerned;

• industry - gun powder production in particular and chemical production in general cease in Lamordia.

The Black Powder Avenger and the Pistoleer must either take a level in a spellcasting class while acquiring sufficient ranks in Craft (Alchemy) or may simply acquire sufficient ranks in Craft (Alchemy) while in fact being unable to make gunpower and forfeiting class abilities related to its production. Neither option is a happy one, in terms of fluff and of crunch.

Lamordian scientists, and experts generally, working either in alchemy or in chemistry (as we would recognise it today) must have taken a level in a spellcasting class if they are to be productive. Granted, a purely theoretical Lamordian alchemy that is not based in magic is possible, but it would be perfectly undemonstrable. It could produce nothing but theory. The solution of accepting that Lamordian science, which is fully bigoted against magic, and Lamordian industry, which is a leading fire arms, are actually founded and reliant upon magical proficiency makes an undisguised mockery of the core beliefs of the Lamoridian. Lamordians may be wrong about the laws of the world into which they and their lands have been annexed. But upon that annexation they didn't have to retrain themselves as spellcasters to continue the manufacture of gunpowder and the exploring of the composition of material. There is then no canon solution to this aspect of the problem.

Of the myriad of possibile non-canon solutions to the entire matter two follow:

This section contains Homebrew non-canon info, created by fans

• scrap the prequisite that 3.5 ed. effectively added to the use of alchemy (evidently this is consistent with 3.0 ed. and it is consistent with Pathfinder's 3.5 ed);
• introduce a chemistry subcategory with the Craft (chemistry) skill resembling real world chemistry and consequently having no magical prerequisite (evidently this science would be able to readily make gunpower but could not produce an all purpose antitoxin let alone necromantic substances like brittlebone, ghost oil, or positoxins).