Monday, July 1, 2013

Alchemical Concoctions & Magical Fruit

There are potions, then there are potions.
(The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim)
These are potions, alchemical concoctions and magical fruit that were designed for use with the Fianyarr fantasy world setting that uses the World of Darkness rules.  Feel free to pilfer them for other game systems or to suggest your own in the comments section below.  After all even in regular World of Darkness games there comes a time when alchemical prowess can net a particular gem and some of the abilities listed below might also be found among goblin fruit or other Hedge plants.  Naturally these items should be more easily found (and with fewer side effects) in fantasy than horror.

 Potions

Potions can be made by any character who succeeds on an Alchemy roll who has collected appropriate ingredients (which could be gathered from the wilds, creature encounters or purchased from certain stalls) and has prepared the potion using an alchemy kit.  Using makeshift tools (random clay bowls and glassware) provides a -2 penalty to this roll.  These are not extended actions and each roll produces a separate potion or elixir and exhaust the ingredients listed within their entry.  The Storyteller may feel free to provide a number of different recipes according to items collected by the players during their adventures.  Perhaps that mammoth's tusk can be ground down and mixed with ectoplasmic residue from a wraith and the bone meal from a Skeletal Bugaboo to create a Sustenance Elixir.

Sustenance Elixir
The character neither grows hungry nor thirsty for a single day and can ignore existing penalties or damage caused by deprivation during this time.  At the end of this effect, unless the character has had a chance to eat and drink an adequate amount of food and water they will suffer any ill effects that were delayed during this time though they will not have to suffer ill effects accumulated during the time that the ring was activated.  Required Ingredients: Elderberries, Wynter juices, and wood ash.

Elixir of Fate
The green elixir contains a number of silver sparkles and by drinking the elixir the hands of fate themselves seem to assist you and thus your defense is increased by 2 for a scene.  Required Ingredients: Cactus Juice slashed by the spines of a Cacti Cat, Wishberries, and Scornweezle Mushrooms.

Elixir of Health Regeneration
These much sought after potions causes a person's natural healing to go into overdrive as they heal a point of bashing every round and a point of lethal every 15 minutes.  Each potion provides a single scene's worth of regeneration and thus damage dealt later on within the same scene will also heal.  The red potion is thick, viscuous and smells quite a bit like honey.  Required Ingredients: Early Morning Dew, Royal Jelly, and dust from a Unicorn's Sneeze (type of plant).

Magical Fruit

The magical fruit section covers both fruit, leaves, herbs and nuts that have mystical powers of their own.  Alongside those listed below you can also use the goblin fruit found in the Changeling: the Lost books.  There's a reference list over here and here

Scent Capture Leaf
This fetish causes the ranger's scent to emanate from itself and can therefore cause confusion to creatures attempting to follow the user by scent.  The object has to be placed somewhere (often left to drift downstream) to be of benefit.  Hide scent. 

Solace Berry 
Due to the sheer amount of trauma and terror faced by the average Exorcist, there is often a need to find some way to put off the symptoms of such mental strain.  This amulet was designed to do just that.  So long as it is worn the character can ignore the effects of his derangement.  However, if he loses the amulet he will suffer a -3 penalty to all rolls to resist his derangement.  This penalty lasts for half as much time as the object has been worn.
 
Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane can be ground into dust and blown into the target's face with a Dexterity + Brawl attack - victim's defence to force the shifter to change into their other form unless they succeed on a Stamina + Composure roll.

 Alchemical Concoctions 

Quintessence
This concoction contains the very essence of life itself and there are many different people who would claim that its origins are either good or cruel.  In truth there are probably many different ways to make this substance, most of which are unique to the individual who invented them.  It requires 30 successes worth of painstaking research simply to start figuring it out and it is quite expensive to purchase.  Quintessence can be used to return the newly dead to life (within the same scene), bring life to certain types of golem, or even cure a person of all poisons, mutilations and diseases (including congenital ones).  The ingredients required should be unique to whichever quest the Storyteller chooses to place the characters upon.

Antiplague Alchemical Charm (** or ****)
This charm protects the wearer against bacterial or viral sicknesses for weeks equal to successes gained on a Wyrd + Alchemy roll OR to allow the character to ignore an existing disease and its effects for days equal to successes.  The 2 dot version only defends against mundane illnesses while the four dot version defends against supernatural diseases as well.  In either case the amulet is rendered inert once this time period is over as the magic is expended and the charm is filled with the diseases.  It can be swapped among users during this time but its effects and protections only last on any one individual for so long as it is worn.

Purified Mandragora
Certain botanists know that a mandragora grown under certain circumstances and plucked free from the soil by a lead wrapped around the plant and attached to a dog has the ability to imbue a potion with greater potency.  Such mandragora must be prepared, ground to powder, and mixed with Aqua Vitae to produce three quarts of liquid that may be added to a potion to increase its relative potency.  It is up to the Storyteller's discretion what any such mixing might achieve ... mixing it into the Elixir of Regeneration might halve the healing times while mixing it into an Elixir of Fate might double the benefit or extend its duration.  Be sure to make the preparations a little difficult so that players don't simply amass a few dozen of them.

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