Enchant: Alchemy (Specialization)

s Alchemy [Magic] is the process by which a short-term magical effect can be imbued within an anchor — it’s called a Preparation. While potions are the most common form, the Alchemical concoctions can be made to Enchant other items like projectiles, tassels on one’s cloak, a small woven bag full of grains, or whatever else the creator wishes.

some important Enchant: Alchemy terms:

Reagents: refined materials usually from naturally occurring materials which have innate magical energies — used in a variety of ways in the Enchant Skill;
Preparation: a one-use item (usually temporarily) imbued with magical energy through the use of Enchant: Alchemy [Magic];
Lynchpin: the object intended to hold the enchantment;
Formula: the Alchemy-based version of a Spell; these can be learned for 5 XP once found/bought, and cost less if you already know the corresponding Sorcery: Spellcast version.

Step 1) choose an Alchemical Formula known by the Alchemist, the lynchpin (receptacle for the enchantment), and set its intended Force;
Step 2) Modifiers and Triggers alter the Preparation Drain Code. Using Metamagic to manipulate the effect of the Spell Formula increases the DC by +1. Sustained spells, which will last for Potency minutes when activated, increase the DC by +2.

One of the following three Triggers must be chosen:

Command: use a Simple Action to psychically make the effect happen; increases Drain Code by +2;

Contact: it takes effect when the next living thing touches it (often used on the liquid portion of potions and the like increases Drain Code by +1;

Time: it acts as a countdown clock with the Alchemist being more familiar with the end of the countdown with greater accuracy as shorter times; increases Drain Code by +2.

Step 3) create the Preparation, with an Enchanting: Alchemy + Magic Test Opposed by the Potency Drain Code of the Preparation (rolled by the GM). Net hits on this Test become the Potency. It takes a number of half hours equal to the total drain of the Spell / Formula after modifiers like the trigger have been included, minus an hour per point of Potency (minimum one half hour). Drams of Reagents can be used to reduce the Drain Code at a one-to-one ratio (to a minimum of DC 2), but this doesn’t affect the time required. You can simultaneously work on a number of Preparations equal to your ranks in Enchant: Alchemy but all must be declared before rolling begins.
Step 4) Resist the Drain as with Spellcasting — this is the Alchemist’s + Willpower. The Drain is Stun damage unless the resulting Drain Code is above the Alchemist’s Magic Attribute.
The resulting Preparation holds its full strength for Potency x 2 hours, during which time activation of the Spell/Formula will mean the creator will roll Potency + their Magic Attribute in place of the Sorcery: Spellcast + Magic Test. After this time, its Potency reduces by 1 for each additional interval until it reaches 0 and becomes inert.

an Enchanting: Alchemy example…

Mesmeri, a zold draak (green draconian) Priest of Mazzel {link} (Anaptun Abran god of Fortune, symbolized as a large black cat standing on its hindquarters) awakens in her cheap apartment of the Falls District in the city of Mohács, Anaptun Abra, and has an odd feeling that this is just going to be one of those days… she’s probably going to run into all sorts of characters she’s played pranks on and that foulness in the air means people might get confrontational.
“Can’t have that now, can we, Mazzel,” she quietly rasps.
Before washing her face or scrambling about the kitchen corner for something to quiet the growling stomach, Mesmeri takes a step leftward to her small alchemical laboratory. The small standing black metal figure of Mazzel (the Lynchpin) is removed from her tarnished silver box chain necklace and is placed on the table.
On days like these, she always crafts a little Preparation of the Formula for Mask, an Illusion Spell which makes you look like someone else. Not the strongest caster, she decides on a Force 3 version of the spell — it’s a Sustained Spell, the Command Trigger, and the Metamagic effect of adding a second sense (scent) to the illusion (Potency Drain Code 8 from 3 + 2 + 2 + 1). The Sorcery: Metamagic 5 + Magic 4 and its threshold of 2 is a piece of cake. Rolling Enchanting: Alchemy 5 + Magic 4 + Magical Lodge 4 yields 13 dice and she gets an expected 4 successes. The GM rolls the 8 dice of the Potency Drain Code and gets only 2 successes, but Mesmeri spends 2 points of Current Luck and forces the GM to reroll one of the successes… he rerolls the 6 and gets… another 6! Yes, it’s not going to be her day today. It will take 1 hour (6 base half hours minus 2 net success hours) and only have a Potency of 2. She had decided to make a couple other illusory Preparations during this time as well (not listed here), and will perhaps sell them for coin or give the less dangerous ones to kids for a giggle. The Drain Resistance Test is Mesmeri’s Charisma 4 + Willpower 7 for 11 dice and 4 successes against the 6 Stun Drain Code — she takes a couple points of Stun, but it’s nothing to really worry about.
Still it’s better than nothing and might be just what she needs… running away to get some distance and ducking into an alleyway only to make herself appear as a filthy drunken eszaki ember (northern human)… and smell like it, too, which is important to cover her natural acrid scent. Having exhausted her ever-limited food stores during the Preparation’s completion, she gets her things together and heads out, hoping to make some coin doing this or that. If she runs into trouble, she can quickly hide and activate the Preparation with Potency 2 + Magic 4 dice over the next four hours, or Potency 1 for the four hours after that — it will only last a minute or two, but hopefully that’s enough to evade pursuers.

another Enchanting: Alchemy example…

The dwergachtig wizard Axel Jaager (pictured above) of the Magic College of Nagykaros, Gloridia, has been asked to lead a group of soldiers south of the city to drive out (or preferably exterminate) some giant spiders which have made their way from the west. Knowing that he may need to do a lot of spell slinging during the encounter, he decides to make a Preparation of a potion-bomb of Lightning Ball, a Combat Spell with which he is very familiar. He has also learned this Preparation’s Alchemical Formula, making them a few times, mostly with good result… (note his left pinky was blown half off many years ago from a failed attempt).
He decides on Force 4 to ensure that it will pack a punch and last long enough to be useful; this sets the base Drain Code to 8 (Force + 4). To elaborate on his accident, he was making such an explosive and used a Contact Trigger, but it suddenly went off for unknown reasons… since then, he uses a Command Trigger on the like. This further increases the Potency Drain Code to 10 — a feat for only overambitious Mages. He decides to ‘spend’ Reagents on reducing the Potency Drain Code from 10 to 5 since he doesn’t want to knock himself out. His player rolls Enchant 7 + Alchemy Expertise 3 + Magic 6 + Force of his Magical Lodge 6, for a total of 22 dice, and gets 7 successes. The GM rolls dice equal to the Potency Drain Code, or 10 dice, and gets 3 successes for a net of resulting Potency 4.
This Preparation will take 2 hours of attention (base 10 half hours minus Potency 4 hours) and while he could make other, similar Alchemical items, he knows the Drain will likely be difficult to deal with and just spends his down time refining Reagents, resting, and studying his Spells. Every Potency x 2 hours will weaken the effective Potency by 1, down from its initial Force 4.
To resist the Drain Code of 5 (10 - 5 from Reagents), the player rolls Axle’s Logic 6 + Willpower 7 and gets 4 successes. Since the modified Potency Drain Code 5 is less than his Magic Attribute of 6, the single point of Damage is Stun. He checks on everything in his laboratory, feeds his monkey familiar and goes to sleep, hoping things will go well for the group on the morrow. When used, it will be ‘cast’ with Potency 4 (-1 for every 8 hours which have passed) + Magic 6 for 10 dice and a maximum Force of 4.