Scientific

A
Sorcery
lchemy occupies a special place in the world of
  fantasy roleplaying games. In worlds dominated by
   magic and dragons and gods that shake the
writing Matt Roth
color art Nick Cramp
foundations of reality, alchemy seems but a simple science. In our Jen Tracy
own world, alchemy was the first step into the far less mystical editing James J. Haeck
world of modern chemistry. In these fantastic worlds of fiction, layout Eric Life-Putnam
alchemy can be so much more. Below is a way to define alchemy
not as a single class, but rather as a diverse toolkit of possibility.
Study in this ambitious science brings new perspective, bridging
that vast gap between magic and science.

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New Background Feature: Chemical Exposure
As an alchemist, you’ve likely been exposed to a
Alchemist’s Apprentice wide range of chemicals by design or otherwise.
You are an alchemist of some renown, having Consequently, you’ve learned to quickly identify
established yourself in the field after a lengthy what properties a nonmagical substance might
apprenticeship to a well-established master. have—ideally before it causes any damage to you
Forgoing the mercantile side of the profession, or your work by sampling a portion or inhaling
you’ve lived your life tinkering, experimenting, the scent. Your experience limits accidental injury
and improving upon alchemical concoctions. during such analyses. At the GM’s discretion, this
While lacking the support of a guild, your feature may work with magical substances, but
master’s teachings advanced your mastery of the accidental exposure is much more likely.
art. You may not have the mercantile success that
comes with guild membership, but that’s allowed Suggested Characteristics
the freedom to ponder new ways to improve each Alchemists are well known for their hard work
tincture you brew. and obsessive nature. Even non-adventuring
alchemists are eccentric at best. They value science
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Nature and knowledge above almost all else, and are
Tool Proficiencies: Alchemist’s supplies particularly vulnerable to blurring the lines of
Language: One of your choice morality if it means furthering their craft.
Equipment: A set of alchemist’s supplies, one
vial of acid, a set of common clothes, and a belt d6 Personality Trait
pouch containing four empty vials and 5 gp. 1 The past is the greatest teacher, the future the worst
student.
Alchemical Specialization 2 I deal in facts and only facts, though I may often with-
Alchemists generally dwell in large cities where hold them when speaking to my rivals.
they can develop and enhance their craft, but it 3 I’ll readily curry favor with others... if I think I can use
is not unusual to find them even in the smallest them later.
of villages. Often eccentric and obsessed with a 4 I am a stickler for the fine line between alchemy and
particular field of study, most alchemists choose magic.
a specialty to master. Choose or randomly 5 Through discovery, I discover myself.
determine your specialization. 6 Nature provides for me; I innovate for it.

d8 Alchemical Specialization d6 Ideal

1 Snake oils and “miracle” cures 1 Scientific Method. Structured learning is key to soci-
2 Deadly toxins etal and social success. (Lawful)
3 Restorative elixirs 2 Treatment. Innumerable people can benefit from my
4 Explosives and inflammables talents. (Good)
5 Glues, solvents, and similar agents 3 Experimentation. Imagination is boundless. The law
6 Acids, bases, and everything in between is not. (Chaotic)
7 Cosmetic aids and alterations 4 Greed. Wealth is worth any of its consequences. (Evil)
8 Hangover cures and minor medicinals 5 Knowledge. A day’s learning is never done. (Neutral)
6 Mastery. Only in the relentless pursuit of perfection
can one achieve excellence. (Any)

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d6 Bond
1 My master’s reputation was falsely ruined. I just need
to prove it.
2 Alchemy may always be evolving, but I want to revo-
lutionize it.
3 The thieves that stole my greatest work don’t know
that I’m still after them.
4 The natural world is the source of my reagents, so my
work must help protect it.
5 I know my craft can help heal and protect the meek.
6 I am a living library of knowledge, and seek an ap-
prentice of my own.

d6 Flaw
1 For all my work, I can’t save two coppers!
2 I’ll do whatever it takes to be the best and stay there.
3 I need to keep notes for everything, or I’m bound to
forget.
4 Everything I’ve learned I stole from someone else.
5 Alchemy was not my first love, but it will be my last.
6 The accident that caused my master’s death wasn’t
her fault—it was mine.

Variant Alchemist’s Apprentice:

Self‑Made Master
Not every alchemist is fortunate enough to earn
an apprenticeship. Instead, you may simply have
an innate knack for alchemy or learn it through
extensive trial and error. You might never have
had someone teaching you the ropes, but you’ve Variant Feature: Unorthodox Alchemy
learned them the hard way—your way. As a You may select this background feature instead of
result of your unorthodox education in alchemy, Chemical Exposure.
however, you tend to approach problems a little   Your alchemy is a little different from everyone
differently. Your acids are just as caustic, your else, but that’s what makes it special. Your
poisons as deadly, and your tonics as soothing, unique way of approaching the science grants
but you lack the careful, practiced methodology you an esoteric knowledge of the world. When
that apprenticeship teaches. attempting to recall a piece of Arcana or Nature
  If you wish to be a self-made master, use lore, you often have an idea on how to learn
the Unorthodox Alchemy feature, below. You more, even if you don’t know anything specific.
may trade your skill proficiency with Medicine Usually, this method involves experimental, time-
for Survival, if you learned your trade in the consuming, and potentially dangerous alchemy.
wilderness, or for Deception, if you practiced it in Your GM might rule that there are certain things
secret. you cannot know nor further explore via alchemy.

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New Alchemical Items 1 minute of work, you can use facemold paste to
Alchemists are masters of haphazard create a convincing disguise, even if you are not
improvisation and calculated improvement. Even proficient with or lack a disguise kit. When using
lacking the right tool, the alchemist is almost facemold paste, you may add twice your proficiency
always working up a new concoction. Here you’ll bonus to any check made to make or maintain
find a few new items to add to the alchemist’s the disguise. Facemold paste remains convincing
arsenal, and a new variant rule for crafting them. for only 3 hours before starting to flake off and is
  On an average day, a craftsman produces immediately identifiable as fake upon touch.
about 5 gp worth of marketable goods. Alchemy
is no different—but oftentimes, alchemists lack Glacial Effector
the required downtime. To quickly produce Cost 100 gp; Weight 1 lb.
alchemical items, you may make a DC 10   The shard of porous material within this flask
Intelligence (Alchemist’s Tools) check. Your daily explodes into a violent endothermic reaction upon
progress is doubled for every 5 points by which exposure to air. As an action, you can throw this
you exceed this DC. If you fail by 5 or more, flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a
you ruin the day’s ingredients, losing the day’s ranged attack against a creature or object, treating
raw materials and 5 gp of progress. You may the glacial effector as an improvised weapon. On
attempt to craft during an adventuring day, but a hit, the target takes 1d4 cold damage and must
doing so imposes disadvantage on your crafting make a DC 10 Strength saving throw or be flash-
check to represent various complications and frozen. On a failure, its speed is halved and it can
interruptions. use either an action or a bonus action on its turn,
not both. A creature can end this effect by using
Alchemical Torch its action to make a DC 10 Strength check to break
Cost 25 gp; Weight 1 lb. free of the ice.
  The rough, sticky tar at the end of this torch
traps air, keeping it burning through even the Midnight Dust
most adverse conditions. An alchemical torch Cost 75 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
burns for 1 hour and continues to smolder in   This powdered substance reacts with natural
heavy rains, strong winds, and underwater (albeit light, significantly dimming the area around it.
poorly when submerged, shedding only dim light As an action, you can throw a pouch of midnight
in a 5-foot radius). Dimmer than a normal torch, dust into the air, creating an area of darkness (as
it burns for 1 hour and sheds bright light in a the darkness spell) within a 20-foot cube. The dust
10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 remains in the air for 1 minute or until a wind of
feet. If you make a melee attack with a burning moderate or greater speed disperses it, and has no
alchemical torch and hit, the tar binds to the target, effect on magical light.
dealing 1 fire damage at the start of each of its
turns. A creature can end this damage by using Smoke Bomb
its action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to Cost 100 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
extinguish the flames.   This metal sphere’s casing is pockmarked with
holes and capped with a thick fuse. When lit, it
Facemold Paste spews suffocating black smoke, heavily obscuring
Cost 50 gp; Weight 1 lb. a 10-foot cube for 1 minute. Air-breathing
  This thick clay can be produced in any color creatures within the smoke must make a DC 10
and is easily moldable over skin. After it sets, it is Constitution saving throw, or have disadvantage
almost indistinguishable from the real thing. With on all rolls made while breathing the fumes.

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A wind of moderate or greater speed suppresses Expeditious Alchemy
the smoke effect. Rounds where the smoke is You can produce alchemical items much more
suppressed still count against the effect’s 1-minute quickly than normal.
duration.   As part of a short or long rest, you can produce
a single unstable alchemical item. An unstable
Sparksprig alchemical item functions in all ways like its
Cost 75 gp; Weight 2 lbs. normal counterpart, except it remains potent
  Wire coiled around this short length of charred for only 24 hours. Items crafted in this way
wood crackles with electricity, rapidly discharging cost no gold pieces, but their volatile nature
when snapped. As an action, you can snap a prevents you from carrying more than one at a
sparksprig to create a stroke of lightning 20 feet time. Crafting a new unstable alchemical item
long and 5 feet wide, arcing out from you in the immediately renders the previous one inert. You
direction you choose. Each creature in the line must be proficient with and have access to a set of
must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or alchemist’s tools to benefit from this feat.
take 1d4 lightning damage and be stunned for 1
round. Pernicious Poisoner
You have trained in the art of poison, gaining the
following benefits:
New Feats ▶▶ You gain proficiency with poisoner’s kits,
While alchemy is a broad science, not every and may treat alchemist’s supplies as a
alchemist displays their prowess in the same poisoner’s kit.
way. The following feats represent only a few of ▶▶ You craft poisons twice as quickly as normal,
the many disparate specialties in alchemy, and doubling all daily progress made while
offer new and unique bonuses for prospective crafting.
alchemists. ▶▶ You may create concentrated poisons
by mixing two doses of the same poison
Alchemical Artillerist together, imposing disadvantage on all
You have specialized in the numerous dangerous saving throws to resist the poison.
chemicals at the alchemist’s fingertips, gaining the ▶▶ You always have advantage on saving
following benefits: throws against poison effects.
▶▶ Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a
maximum of 20.
▶▶ You may treat thrown alchemical weapons as
simple ranged weapons with the finesse and
thrown (range 20/60) qualities, instead of as
improvised weapons.
▶▶ Throwing alchemical weapons at long range
doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged
weapon attack rolls.
▶▶ When attacking with alchemical weapons,
you deal 1 additional die of damage.

EN World EN5IDER  |  Scientific Sorcery