Highspire War Alchemist
Highspire alchemists embody the crisis of conscience of any researcher who knows their work could be used for military ends. Struggling with what to reveal to their superiors in the hopes of rewards and what to keep hidden for fear of the consequences can be a major moral conundrum for characters with this background. Of course, others will simply ship home anything they find and damn the consequences. Their careers will advance quickly and they may have access to rare materials when they need it, but they'll eventually need to return home, where they may have to witness firsthand what it is their work has allowed the college to create.
GMs should keep in mind that if war alchemists are obtaining disproportionate resources from their backgrounds compared to other characters, that those resources come with a price tag in the form of obligations to send money or information back to Highspire. The colleges may even have assignments or errands for the characters, which can be a great way to introduce quest hooks.
Though the Highspire military is smaller than many others on the continent, what they lack in quantity you help make up for in quality. From deadly grenades to healing solutions, from dangerous combat drugs to alchemical siege engines you and your fellows are one of the reasons Highspire has never been successfully invaded.
Because Highspire values merit so highly, war alchemists can be from any economic background. Publicly available testing aims to find talent early, and the alchemy colleges carefully cultivate any young person who shows signs of potential. Not all alchemists go into military service, but as a condition of their scholarships all alchemists are "on call" by the military at all times and expected to devote a portion of their research to projects specified by the military research and development complex.
Those who dislike being forced to design such weapons often find an excuse to head out on the road for some "field research," and a life of adventuring. They walk a fine line, however, since failing to send back enough resources and information to placate their colleagues could get their access to materials and facilities revoked or even lead to them becoming wanted by the authorities.
Career
Other Benefits
Access to rare materials, new research schema, and access to arcane and scientific secrets are just a few of the benefits of being a war alchemist.
Comments