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Cortex Options III: Steampunk Alchemy
This series of articles, the first of which is here, covers unofficial or personally-owned (maybe, if I get around to buying a license) material I'm writing for Cortex RPG games, including new sub-systems, optional rules, and similar.
Disclaimer and notice: If I ever get around to writing my own Cortex sourcebook, I might include some of these ideas, but I put them up here for free in the hopes that they'll see use by other folk, too. Please feel free to link to them or use them yourself. If you want to repost them elsewhere, or you draw heavily on them for your own freely available work, I would both love to hear about your project and would also appreciate being given credit for whatever inspiration I provided, but don't worry about it too much. My only restriction is that you do not publish my writing for profit, or put it into something which requires a subscription or purchase to view, such as a commercial e-zine or similar. SPECIAL NOTE: This particular post also contains material I intend to use in a work of fiction, which is separate from the Cortex-specific rules. The same disclaimer applies, but there's a higher chance that this will wind up being somehow related to a published product. If you don't want to risk 'giving' me an idea that I might profit from, please don't comment, modify and repost, or otherwise communicate your ideas to me. I put this up here so it can help inspire other people, but that doesn't mean I'm not also seeking inspiration and, someday, some monetary appreciation :-)
This article consists of a very, very rough first-draft (partial first draft, even) of an alchemy system for the Cortex RPG. While I hope the system might be usable in most fantasy settings, I'm designing it for the world of a novel I'm working on. The genre is closer to 'steampunk' than it is to traditional 'sword & sworcery' fantasy. It's grittier, the technological level is closer to 1875 than 1600, and it's darker. In this case, the term 'deathpunk' might be appropriate....
Now, that's all a first draft, as I said. Not all the potions and elixers are fully described, the system could do with some playtesting, and it's generally up in the air at the moment. I hope to post a polished version someday (or publish one), but we'll see. Other possible topics for future articles along this line include the other Lesser Necromantic Art, that of Mesmerism, and Necromancy itself, both of which are involved in the novel I'm working on (well, when I'm not goofing off doing game design).
This is pretty specific stuff, but I hope someone finds a use for it, or can adapt it to their game in the meantime. I appreciate any comments, questions, or criticisms you might have, since I'm sure this is far from perfect! Thanks for reading.
Blessed be,
~Nathan
Disclaimer and notice: If I ever get around to writing my own Cortex sourcebook, I might include some of these ideas, but I put them up here for free in the hopes that they'll see use by other folk, too. Please feel free to link to them or use them yourself. If you want to repost them elsewhere, or you draw heavily on them for your own freely available work, I would both love to hear about your project and would also appreciate being given credit for whatever inspiration I provided, but don't worry about it too much. My only restriction is that you do not publish my writing for profit, or put it into something which requires a subscription or purchase to view, such as a commercial e-zine or similar. SPECIAL NOTE: This particular post also contains material I intend to use in a work of fiction, which is separate from the Cortex-specific rules. The same disclaimer applies, but there's a higher chance that this will wind up being somehow related to a published product. If you don't want to risk 'giving' me an idea that I might profit from, please don't comment, modify and repost, or otherwise communicate your ideas to me. I put this up here so it can help inspire other people, but that doesn't mean I'm not also seeking inspiration and, someday, some monetary appreciation :-)
This article consists of a very, very rough first-draft (partial first draft, even) of an alchemy system for the Cortex RPG. While I hope the system might be usable in most fantasy settings, I'm designing it for the world of a novel I'm working on. The genre is closer to 'steampunk' than it is to traditional 'sword & sworcery' fantasy. It's grittier, the technological level is closer to 1875 than 1600, and it's darker. In this case, the term 'deathpunk' might be appropriate....
Asset: Alchemist (d4) Supernatural
As a student of the Lesser Necromantic Art of Alchemy, you have learned to transmute mundane substances into more powerful potions and elixers. Fortunately, most of the equipment and ingredients you need can be found or purchased readily enough (for approximately the same price as a doctor’s bag or a chemist’s kit), but some Key Reagents are more difficult to procure.
Every Alchemical recipe requires a Key Reagent, most of which are bodily fluids and tissues from human corpses. How the aspiring Alchemist goes about acquiring their Key Reagents is their own business, but it is almost never an easy thing. While the formulae assume you will use human remains, animal remains can be substituted for potions; if they are, the potion has half its normal effectiveness, and cannot be used to craft elixers.
While a student of Alchemy may be an excellent chemist as well, the creation of potions and elixers is very different from the manufacture of normal medicine. Alchemical formulae are not precise things, and a vital ingredient in each transmutation is the life energy of the Alchemist performing the work. Because of this, formulae cannot be ‘learned;’ they must be mastered, as the Alchemist subtly alters and adapts them to utilize his particular energy. This is partly why Alchemy is known as an art, rather than a science, and also why an Alchemist may possess the recipe for a potion or elixer but be unable to craft it. The recipes may be bought, traded, invented, found, or given, but the Alchemist must spend the time and effort required to master each individually.
Few practitioners learn more than a handful of formulae throughout their careers. For every Step in Knowledge/Alchemy they possess (d2 = 1, d4 = 2, d6 = 3, d8 = 4, etc), an Alchemist can master one potion. For every three Steps in Knowledge/Alchemy, they can also master one elixer (one at d6, two at d12, three at d12 + d6, etc). Mastering a formula takes six hours of close study for a potion, or twelve for an elixer; an Alchemist cannot master an elixer until they have mastered all the potions required to craft it.
Once mastered, crafting a potion requires a basic kit of readily available medical and chemical components and equipment; these can be purchased legally in most cities, though (since Alchemy is usually illegal) care may need to be taken to avoid suspicion if the character is not a doctor or pharmacist. If the Alchemist has the necessary kit and the right Key Reagent, creating the potion is an Average Intelligence + Knowledge/Alchemy complex action, with each roll taking 30 minutes. Upon completion, the Alchemist suffers 4 Stun Damage as his reserves of energy are tapped to finish the transmutation.
Crafting elixers is more difficult, and requires a relatively full laboratory of equipment in addition to the ingredients and the normal kit. Each elixer recipe requires three specific potions, which must be crafted beforehand (and with human tissue, rather than animal), as well as a Key Reagent. Crafting the elixer is an Hard Intelligence + Knowledge/Alchemy complex action, for which each roll represents 2 hours of work. Upon completion, the Alchemist suffers 2 Wound and 2 Stun Damage as his life energy is drained.
After every 4 attempted Alchemical craftings, the basic kit must be refilled with supplies that cost 1/4 of the original price.
Potion Formulae
A repertoire of potions is listed here to provide young Alchemists with a few ideas. Each requires a basic kit, in addition to the Key Reagent listed in the description. Not all are necessarily meant to be drunk; some may be powders, inhalants, salves, or the like. However, they do all have one thing in common: less-than-desirable side effects. Of course, some of those meant to be dangerous are nothing but side effects....
Clotting Mixture: Allows the imbiber to avoid Wound damage (as if the character had an Armor Rating of 4W that does not apply against Stun as well) and prevents bleeding. Unfortunately, the thickening of their blood can be dangerous; halfway through the duration, the user must make an Average (7) Endurance roll or suffer a heart attack (requiring immediate first aid to help them survive). Lasts 4 hours. Key Reagent: congealing blood.
Focus Draught: Enhances the drinker’s perception of all things, temporarily increasing their Alertness by +4 Steps—though the heightened senses also make them more vulnerable to pain. Whenever they are injured, they take an extra amount of Stun Damage equal to the original damage total of both Stun and Wound. Lasts 8 hours. Key Reagent: eyeballs.
Nervedeath: Causes a general numbing in those who imbibe it; while it lasts, they cannot feel any pain. All Stun Damage caused by physical trauma (as opposed to fatigue) is prevented, and the character doesn’t suffer the Wound Penalty for being heavily injured. Unfortunately, the numbing effect also causes extreme drowsiness; the drinker halves (rounding down) the results of their Initiative and Perception-based rolls as long as Nervedeath lasts. Lasts 4 hours. Key Reagent: crushed vertebrae of a hanged man.
Panacea: A wondrous concoction, guaranteed to protect the drinker from the affects of poisons both natural and Alchemical. Unfortunately, it also prevents them from being affected by medicines and other beneficial potions for the duration. Drinking a Panacea cannot cure the symptoms of poison already ingested; it simply prevents any further damage or illness. Lasts 24 hours. Key Reagent: hair of someone who died to poison.
Liquid Bread: A sustaining brew that replaces regular food for a week once imbibed. However, the drinker will still require water normally, and while they are living off the effects of this potion, eating any amount of food or drinking more than a cup of something other than water will cause them to become violently ill. Lasts one week. Key Reagent: fat from an obese corpse.
Clearblood (prevents disease and infection, also stops clotting): Leper scales
Long Breath (allows holding breath, lightheadedness): Throat tissues of a drowner
Flashpowder (blinding, unstable): Gunpowder-stained tissue from a close-range killing wound
Lungrot Powder (poisonous inhalant, distinctive smell): Grave-rot tissue
Sleeping Tonic (knock-out drug, may cause coma): Tears shed for a nightmare
Stinging Gel (painful to touch, bonus Stun): Burn scar tissue
Begger’s Guise (deforms features and appearance, may become permanent): Elderly muscle
Death’s Speech (speak & understand tongue of spirits, but not the living): Tongue
Gravechill (causes shaking & shivering): Frostbitten flesh
Elixer Formulae
Elixers are more powerful than potions, and consequentially are also more dangerous to the user. Also, as they rely very heavily upon the creativity and natural inclinations of the crafting Alchemist, elixers are even more likely to be personally designed than potions are; very few Alchemists are willing to teach their own elixers to others. A few well-known examples are described below.
Second Chance: Truly, a bottled miracle! Simply pouring this mixture down the throat of a recently dead corpse will bring the dearly departed back to life. Unfortunately, it will not work on those dead for more than one lunar cycle, and, depending on how they died, they may require additional assembly before the elixer is administered. Required potions: Panacea, Clotting Mixture, Long Breath. Key Reagent: fresh human heart, from a corpse dead for a day or less at the beginning of the crafting.
No Rest for the Wicked (no sleep for a week): Nervedeath, Focus Draught, Panacea, law enforcer’s skull
Unminding (extreme suggestibility/reprogramming): Focus, Stinging, Sleeping Tonic, brain of a psychotic
Regeneration (increased healing for a week): Clotting, Clearblood, Begger’s Guise, poorly healed broken bone
As a student of the Lesser Necromantic Art of Alchemy, you have learned to transmute mundane substances into more powerful potions and elixers. Fortunately, most of the equipment and ingredients you need can be found or purchased readily enough (for approximately the same price as a doctor’s bag or a chemist’s kit), but some Key Reagents are more difficult to procure.
Every Alchemical recipe requires a Key Reagent, most of which are bodily fluids and tissues from human corpses. How the aspiring Alchemist goes about acquiring their Key Reagents is their own business, but it is almost never an easy thing. While the formulae assume you will use human remains, animal remains can be substituted for potions; if they are, the potion has half its normal effectiveness, and cannot be used to craft elixers.
While a student of Alchemy may be an excellent chemist as well, the creation of potions and elixers is very different from the manufacture of normal medicine. Alchemical formulae are not precise things, and a vital ingredient in each transmutation is the life energy of the Alchemist performing the work. Because of this, formulae cannot be ‘learned;’ they must be mastered, as the Alchemist subtly alters and adapts them to utilize his particular energy. This is partly why Alchemy is known as an art, rather than a science, and also why an Alchemist may possess the recipe for a potion or elixer but be unable to craft it. The recipes may be bought, traded, invented, found, or given, but the Alchemist must spend the time and effort required to master each individually.
Few practitioners learn more than a handful of formulae throughout their careers. For every Step in Knowledge/Alchemy they possess (d2 = 1, d4 = 2, d6 = 3, d8 = 4, etc), an Alchemist can master one potion. For every three Steps in Knowledge/Alchemy, they can also master one elixer (one at d6, two at d12, three at d12 + d6, etc). Mastering a formula takes six hours of close study for a potion, or twelve for an elixer; an Alchemist cannot master an elixer until they have mastered all the potions required to craft it.
Once mastered, crafting a potion requires a basic kit of readily available medical and chemical components and equipment; these can be purchased legally in most cities, though (since Alchemy is usually illegal) care may need to be taken to avoid suspicion if the character is not a doctor or pharmacist. If the Alchemist has the necessary kit and the right Key Reagent, creating the potion is an Average Intelligence + Knowledge/Alchemy complex action, with each roll taking 30 minutes. Upon completion, the Alchemist suffers 4 Stun Damage as his reserves of energy are tapped to finish the transmutation.
Crafting elixers is more difficult, and requires a relatively full laboratory of equipment in addition to the ingredients and the normal kit. Each elixer recipe requires three specific potions, which must be crafted beforehand (and with human tissue, rather than animal), as well as a Key Reagent. Crafting the elixer is an Hard Intelligence + Knowledge/Alchemy complex action, for which each roll represents 2 hours of work. Upon completion, the Alchemist suffers 2 Wound and 2 Stun Damage as his life energy is drained.
After every 4 attempted Alchemical craftings, the basic kit must be refilled with supplies that cost 1/4 of the original price.
Potion Formulae
A repertoire of potions is listed here to provide young Alchemists with a few ideas. Each requires a basic kit, in addition to the Key Reagent listed in the description. Not all are necessarily meant to be drunk; some may be powders, inhalants, salves, or the like. However, they do all have one thing in common: less-than-desirable side effects. Of course, some of those meant to be dangerous are nothing but side effects....
Clotting Mixture: Allows the imbiber to avoid Wound damage (as if the character had an Armor Rating of 4W that does not apply against Stun as well) and prevents bleeding. Unfortunately, the thickening of their blood can be dangerous; halfway through the duration, the user must make an Average (7) Endurance roll or suffer a heart attack (requiring immediate first aid to help them survive). Lasts 4 hours. Key Reagent: congealing blood.
Focus Draught: Enhances the drinker’s perception of all things, temporarily increasing their Alertness by +4 Steps—though the heightened senses also make them more vulnerable to pain. Whenever they are injured, they take an extra amount of Stun Damage equal to the original damage total of both Stun and Wound. Lasts 8 hours. Key Reagent: eyeballs.
Nervedeath: Causes a general numbing in those who imbibe it; while it lasts, they cannot feel any pain. All Stun Damage caused by physical trauma (as opposed to fatigue) is prevented, and the character doesn’t suffer the Wound Penalty for being heavily injured. Unfortunately, the numbing effect also causes extreme drowsiness; the drinker halves (rounding down) the results of their Initiative and Perception-based rolls as long as Nervedeath lasts. Lasts 4 hours. Key Reagent: crushed vertebrae of a hanged man.
Panacea: A wondrous concoction, guaranteed to protect the drinker from the affects of poisons both natural and Alchemical. Unfortunately, it also prevents them from being affected by medicines and other beneficial potions for the duration. Drinking a Panacea cannot cure the symptoms of poison already ingested; it simply prevents any further damage or illness. Lasts 24 hours. Key Reagent: hair of someone who died to poison.
Liquid Bread: A sustaining brew that replaces regular food for a week once imbibed. However, the drinker will still require water normally, and while they are living off the effects of this potion, eating any amount of food or drinking more than a cup of something other than water will cause them to become violently ill. Lasts one week. Key Reagent: fat from an obese corpse.
Clearblood (prevents disease and infection, also stops clotting): Leper scales
Long Breath (allows holding breath, lightheadedness): Throat tissues of a drowner
Flashpowder (blinding, unstable): Gunpowder-stained tissue from a close-range killing wound
Lungrot Powder (poisonous inhalant, distinctive smell): Grave-rot tissue
Sleeping Tonic (knock-out drug, may cause coma): Tears shed for a nightmare
Stinging Gel (painful to touch, bonus Stun): Burn scar tissue
Begger’s Guise (deforms features and appearance, may become permanent): Elderly muscle
Death’s Speech (speak & understand tongue of spirits, but not the living): Tongue
Gravechill (causes shaking & shivering): Frostbitten flesh
Elixer Formulae
Elixers are more powerful than potions, and consequentially are also more dangerous to the user. Also, as they rely very heavily upon the creativity and natural inclinations of the crafting Alchemist, elixers are even more likely to be personally designed than potions are; very few Alchemists are willing to teach their own elixers to others. A few well-known examples are described below.
Second Chance: Truly, a bottled miracle! Simply pouring this mixture down the throat of a recently dead corpse will bring the dearly departed back to life. Unfortunately, it will not work on those dead for more than one lunar cycle, and, depending on how they died, they may require additional assembly before the elixer is administered. Required potions: Panacea, Clotting Mixture, Long Breath. Key Reagent: fresh human heart, from a corpse dead for a day or less at the beginning of the crafting.
No Rest for the Wicked (no sleep for a week): Nervedeath, Focus Draught, Panacea, law enforcer’s skull
Unminding (extreme suggestibility/reprogramming): Focus, Stinging, Sleeping Tonic, brain of a psychotic
Regeneration (increased healing for a week): Clotting, Clearblood, Begger’s Guise, poorly healed broken bone
Now, that's all a first draft, as I said. Not all the potions and elixers are fully described, the system could do with some playtesting, and it's generally up in the air at the moment. I hope to post a polished version someday (or publish one), but we'll see. Other possible topics for future articles along this line include the other Lesser Necromantic Art, that of Mesmerism, and Necromancy itself, both of which are involved in the novel I'm working on (well, when I'm not goofing off doing game design).
This is pretty specific stuff, but I hope someone finds a use for it, or can adapt it to their game in the meantime. I appreciate any comments, questions, or criticisms you might have, since I'm sure this is far from perfect! Thanks for reading.
Blessed be,
~Nathan
no subject
Sting Gel, though....are you sure you need Burn Scar Tissue for the component? Just looking at the components overall, it looks like they work via a form of sympathetic magic. As such, while burns can sting, I don't see how the scar tissue itself causes the stinging.
I grok you're using body parts for the spell components, so using jellyfish tentacles are right out.
How about using sunburnt skin as an alternative? Or the charred skin off someone burned at the stake/killed in a fire? Well, no...we'd be right back to the burn scar tissue. Besides, I think it would be more useful as a component for a fireproof/protect vs. fire spell.
The reddened flesh of someone slapped during torture? Say, the victim of a whips and chains party?
**eyeroll**
Oh great. Now you've got me thinking about this stuff. Time to make a judicious exit. LOL.
Have fun with this, Nathan. You're off to a great start and I hope you get this up and running as a viable product. It sounds like the sort of thing my husband and his gaming friends would get into.
no subject
As for the sting gel, I was going for the sympathetic transfer of the sensation of burning. However, the fireproofing idea would also make sense for the same components; I'll think about that one. I may decide to knock out all the non-consumable 'potions' and the poisons and make all the recipes beneficial, rather than strictly offensive. Which would serve to differentiate between an alchemist and the more traditional role of a mage or similar.