Alchemy (FiD)

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Alchemic substances come in frail containers that must be handled with care, thence the load. For a more efficient way to carry these, see Bandolier.

Alchemic items are traditionally stored in tiny glass bottles with a shape that varied depending on the type of item, allowing identification by touch. Of course, this is just the norm, it doesn't always apply, and sometimes an alchemic item might be in a different bottle than expected or even mislabeled.

Making alchemicals requires a special ability that allows you to do so and a Formula.

Drinking a potion or alchemic item is almost instantaneous. Grenades come with Fuses need to be ignited, which needs a source of fire and takes some time unless you have a Slow Match. Applying an oil takes about a minute.

• 0 Distraction Bomb ☐: Creates a flash and a small cloud of smoke when lit—an excellent distraction. Common, Consumable.
• 0 Dream Smoke ☐: A milder formulation of black lotus. Induces a pleasant intoxication. Consumable, Medical, Volatile. Causes level 1 harm: “Stumbling.”
• 0 Holy Water ☐: Consecrated or alchemically enhanced water. A potent weapon against Spirits and creatures of Darkness.
• 0 Night Draught ☐: Drinking this potion renders you sterile and unable to gestate children for a week. Common, Consumable, Medical.
• 0 Potion of Heroism ☐: Drinking this potion makes you fearless. For the next hour, fear effects lose their effect and, at worst, are resisted with a controlled position. Volatile: You may lose all sense of self-preservation. Addictive. Common, Consumable, Medical.
• 0 Recluse Venom ☐: Injected venom from a recluse spider that causes necrosis, leading to localized tissue death and severe damage. Inflicts level 1 harm: "Rotting" at the start of each downtime action. Ends when you recover any harm. A similar effect can be achieved by rusty weapons or dipping weapons in fresh feces or rotting materials to inflict tetanus. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 0 Snake Oil ☐: A painkiller draught that makes the drinker feel fortified and able to overcome pain and aches. Suppresses level 1 or 2 harm that involves pain for an hour. See Cure-All for a reliable version. Common, Consumable, Medical, Unreliable, Volatile lose track of injury.
• 1 Acrid Smoke Grenade ☐: Creates a cloud of acrid smoke that is difficult to breathe and stings the eyes but isn’t truly dangerous. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable, Unreliable.
• 1 Alchemist's Fire Grenade ☐: Immolates a target or creates a pool of intense, quick-burning fire. Potent against regeneration and undead. Usually thrown as a grenade or set as a trap. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable.
• 1 Bloodneedle ☐: Induces fever, euphoric mania, and rampant energy. Consumable, Medical, Volatile. Causes level 2 harm: “Woozy.”
• 1 Eyeblind ☐: A powdered poison that causes momentary blindness. Common, Consumable, Medical.
• 1 Grenade ☐: Explodes in a small cloud of smoke and shrapnel. Overcomes scale. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable.
• 1 Hunter's Body Paint ☐: Smells pleasant and friendly to animals, making them treat you as one of their own. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 1 Invigorant ☐: Cacao, coffee, or tea—bitter brews cultivated in tropical areas. Restores 1 point of stress and maintains alertness for 4 hours. Common, Consumable, Medical, Volatile. Roll complexity when the effect ends: 1: Level 1 harm: "Anxiety" 2-6: No side effect.
• 1 Powder Keg ☐-☐: A small keg of gunpowder, along with a fuse that can burn for a set time. Useful as a reserve store of gunpowder but primarily used as a bomb. It can be deployed in about a minute to destroy a strong gate or masonry wall or to overcome scale. Common, Consumable.
• 1 Second Sight Potion ☐: Grants the ability to see Spirits and the invisible. Lasts several hours. Consumable, Unreliable/Volatile. You may see things that are not truly there.
• 1 Slow Match ◯: A slow-burning fuse that can burn even underwater. Commonly worn on a small rod and can be worn in many ways—Blackbeard famously wore several in his beard. Provides an instant source of fire for lighting fuses and firearms.
• 1 Spark ☐: A measure of electroplasm blended with seawater. The user feels empowered and emits mild electrical shocks. Common, Consumable.
• 1 Trance Powder ☐: A popular drug that induces an altered mental state. The victim is not fully unconscious but enters a calm, suggestible trance, similar to hypnotism. +1d on all Resolve actions against the imbiber. Common, Consumable, Unreliable.
• 2 Acid Grenade ☐: Destroys clockwork, burns bare flesh, and stops regeneration. Potent against regeneration and mechanisms. Can be thrown as a grenade. Consumable, Medical.
• 2 Antitoxin ☐: Reduces the effect of toxins for the next hour. Effective if taken within one minute of exposure. Consumable.
• 2 Bewitching Perfume ☐: Apply this perfume to gain +1d on Consort and Sway actions for the next hour and make yourself notorious. Conspicuous, Consumable, Medical.
• 2 Black Lotus ☐: A tar-like resin made from the leaves of the black lotus plant. Induces hours of stupor and visions. Adds effect to Attune rolls. Consumable, Volatile. Causes level 2 harm: "Stumbling" as the effect ends.
• 2 Candle of the Deep ◯: The flame of this candle cannot be extinguished by wind or water. It gives off light and heat like a normal candle. Consumable, Medical.
• 2 Coca Leaves ☐: Leaves grown in tropical mountains, rolled into a ball and chewed. Restores 2 points of stress and improves energy for 10 hours. Alchemy, Common, Consumable, Medical, Volatile. Roll complexity when the effect ends: 1-3: Level 2 harm: "Restless."
• 2 Cure-All ☐: A painkiller draught that makes the drinker feel fortified and able to overcome pain and aches. Suppresses level 1 or 2 harm that involves pain for an hour. Common, Consumable, Medical.
• 2 Dream Essence ☐: A distillation of a vivid, lucid dream, perfectly recreated for the user. An expensive drug. Common, Consumable, Medical.
• 2 Drown Powder ☐: A fine poison dust that incapacitates by inducing the sensation of drowning. Conspicuous, Consumable.
• 2 Incense ☐: Burns for an hour in a censer, a perforated metal bowl hung on chains. Swung in one hand, it spreads aromatic smoke. Saturating an area with incense smoke takes a minute for a large room and improves position against spiritual threats. Common, Consumable, Unreliable. Roll complexity to determine the effect: 1-3: Reveals Spirits. 4-5: Improves position against Spirits. 6: Keeps Spirits away.
• 2 Philter of Animal Friendship ☐: The next time a creature that is not sapient sees a creature within 10 minutes of drinking this philter, it becomes charmed by that creature for 1 hour. The charmer gains improved effect on any Sway action against the drinker (desperate position for a PC drinker). The muddy liquid contains tiny, suspended bits—fish scales, a hummingbird tongue, a cat claw, or a squirrel hair. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 2 Sea Wasp Venom ☐: Extracted from warm-water jellyfish, this potent venom causes immediate level 1 harm (pain) and may cause heart failure within minutes. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable, Medical, Rare, Unreliable.
• 2 Silver Bullets ☐: Cast in a holy or magical place, these silver bullets make potent firearm attacks. A similar effect for bows and crossbows can be achieved with silver-tipped arrows and bolts. You have enough silver bullets for the entire score. Alchemy, Consumable.
• 2 Skullfire ☐: Toxic fumes from overheated aberrant blood. Causes incapacitating migraines. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable, Medical, Rare. Requires aberrant flesh.
• 2 Slumber Essence ☐: A dose of slumber essence sufficient to put someone to sleep for an hour. This can be imbibed, inhaled, or applied wet for injection. The victim's sleep is deep but not supernatural—they can be roused with some effort, which inflicts level 1 harm: "Drowsy." Common, Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 2 Smoke Grenade ☐: Creates a flash and a dense cloud of smoke, serving as both a distraction and an obscuring effect. The smoke quickly disperses in any wind. Common, Conspicuous, Consumable.
• 2 Sparkler ☐: Silently spreads a cloud of glitter, creating a dazzling distraction. Common, Consumable.
• 2 Universal Solvent ☐: A tube of milky liquid with a strong alcohol smell. Instantly dissolves up to 1 square meter of adhesive, including Binding Oil. Destroys laminated objects. Consumable.
• 3 Air Bubble Potion ☐: Creates a bubble of air around your head, allowing you to breathe normally underwater. The bubble remains until you exit the water. Consumable.
• 3 Binding Oil ☐: Permanently fuses two surfaces together until dissolved by Alcahest or Universal Solvent. Often easier to break the items themselves than undo the bond. Common, Consumable.
• 3 Bottled Breath ☐: This bottle contains a breath of elemental air. You can either exhale it or hold it. If exhaled, it creates a rush of wind up to 3 meters wide and 15 meters long. If held, you can go without breathing for 1 hour. Consumable.
• 3 Caustic Smoke Grenade ☐: Creates a cloud of acrid smoke that stings the eyes, irritates the lungs, and leaves a caustic residue. Not immediately dangerous, but prolonged exposure causes nausea. Common, Consumable, Unreliable.
• 3 Conotoxin ☐: Salvaged from cone snails, this potent venom causes repeated level 1 harm: "Paralysis," again and again, with respiratory failure in minutes. Common, Consumable, Medical, Rare, Unreliable.
• 3 Drift Oil ☐: Creates neutral buoyancy when poured on an object up to horse size, causing it to float in water for an hour. Consumable.
• 3 Dust of Deliciousness ☐: A reddish-brown powder resembling ground brick. When thrown into the air, any exposed food within 3 meters is detoxified and greatly enhanced in flavor, allowing the consumption of nearly any organic matter. Consumable, Medical.
• 3 Ether Fumes ☐: When burned, these fumes are anathema to Spirits. A complexity check may be required to repel a powerful or determined spirit, especially one bound to the location. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 3 Ice Oil ☐: A white, free-flowing oil that creates a slick coating of frost or freezes water into ice. Can be thrown as an emergency cold attack to create a 2-meter-diameter puddle, or carefully spread over a minute to cover a 4-meter-diameter area.
• 3 Oil of Slipperiness ☐: Covers a creature and their equipment, preventing them from being grappled or restrained for an hour. Alternatively, pouring the oil on the ground removes friction in a 2-meter radius for 8 hours. The thick, sticky black unguent flows freely when poured. Consumable.
• 3 Philter of Love ☐: The next creature you see within 10 minutes after drinking this philter becomes your soulmate for 1 hour. They gain improved effect on any Sway action against you (PCs treat this as a desperate position). The potion is rose-hued and effervescent, with a barely visible heart-shaped bubble. Common, Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 3 Potent Oil ☐: Renders a weapon potent against supernatural creatures for an hour. Common, Consumable.
• 3 Potion of Climbing ☐: Allows the drinker to climb like a spider for a few minutes. The potion consists of brown, silver, and gray layers that do not mix when shaken. Consumable, Rare. Requires legs from a monstrous spider.
• 3 Potion of Fire Breath ☐: After drinking, you can exhale a cone of fire once, dealing fire damage that overcomes scale. The potion's orange liquid flickers, and smoke wafts from the container when opened. Conspicuous, Consumable, Volatile risk of collateral damage.
• 3 Potion of Luck ☐: Drinking this potion allows you to push your next action within the next few minutes without stress cost. Appears as a golden mist that moves and pours like water. Consumable, Volatile. Repeated doses in the same week are Unreliable and may cause bad luck.
• 3 Potion of Super-Heroism ☐: A combination painkiller and anxiety suppressant. Suppresses level 1 or 2 harm related to pain and improves position against fear effects for an hour. Consumable, Volatile. Risk of losing all sense of self-preservation. Addictive with frequent use.
• 3 Rage Essence ☐: Boosts strength, pain tolerance, and irrational aggression. Improves effect of Skirmish and Wreck actions. Consumable, Medical, Volatile cannot discern friend from foe.
• 3 Shadow Essence ☐: A distillation of the plane of shadow. Creates a cloud of unnatural pitch darkness when exposed to air or water. Consumable.
• 3 Silence Potion ☐: A vial of golden liquid that negates all sound within 5 meters of the drinker for a few moments. Consumable.
• 3 Spark Grenade ☐: Explodes in a flash of electricity, momentarily stunning those caught in the blast. Overcomes scale. Conspicuous, Consumable, Unreliable may ground early.
• 3 Spark Oil ☐: A metal weapon coated with this delivers an electric shock, stunning the target. Consumable.
• 3 Vitality Potion ☐: Accelerates healing by ticking the healing clock over a minute per tick. Made from the blood of creatures with regeneration. Consumable, Medical, Rare, Unreliable, Volatile repeated use inflicts level 1 harm: "Sore". 1-3: 1 tick. 4-5: 3 ticks. 6: 4 ticks. Critical: 6 ticks
• 4 Alcahest ☐: A fluid that nullifies the effects of any other alchemical item. Common, Consumable, Medical.
• 4 Drift Fumes ☐: Creates neutral buoyancy in air when applied to an object up to human size, causing it to float for an hour. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 4 Dust of Disappearance ☐: This fine sand-like powder, when thrown, renders all creatures and objects within 3 meters invisible until the dust wears off. Energetic movement tends to end the effect sooner. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 4 Fire Oil Grenade ☐: Ignites into a pillar of flame upon exposure to air. Usually thrown as a grenade or set as a trap. Conspicuous, Consumable.
• 4 Guaraná ☐: Jungle-grown seeds consumed as cakes or drinks. Restores 3 stress and enhances mood and endurance for 16 hours. Consumable, Medical, Rare, Unreliable/Volatile. Roll complexity when the effect ends: 1-3: Level 3 harm: "Palpitations". 4-5: Sleeplessness. 6: No side effect.
• 4 Heartcalm ☐: Feign death by slowing the heartbeat to imperceptible levels. Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 4 Pixie Dust ☐: A shimmering powder that grants hovering flight for several minutes when inhaled or thrown. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 4 Potion of Giant Size ☐: When you drink this potion, you grow to twice your normal height for a few minutes, with proportional mass and strength. You gain increased effect on melee damage and on Wreck rolls (this stacks if you use Wreck to attack) and reduce all harm from physical attacks by one level. The red in the potion’s liquid expands from a tiny bead to color the clear liquid around it. Any movement resets this process. Conspicuous, Consumable, Rare. Requires hair from a giant.
• 4 Potion of Resistance ☐: This potion comes in many variants. Select a Power when making this potion. For the next few minutes, effects using that Power always have limited effect on you, or you have a controlled position. The potion is black and tarry, and shaking it reveals signs of the Power it protects against. Each Power is a separate Formula. Consumable, Rare.
• 4 Quicksilver ☐: A toxic metallic fluid. The user's mind opens further to the ether. Gain +1d to Attune rolls upon use but suffer level 2 harm: "Stumbling." Common, Consumable.
• 4 Standstill ☐: A powder that causes temporary paralysis when inhaled, eaten, or mixed with water and injected. Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 4 Thought Essence ☐: A distillation of a ghost’s memories, allowing you to experience them as your own. Consumable, Rare a ghost. Volatile may impart ghostly personality traits.
• 4 Toxic Smoke Grenade ☐: Creates a cloud of toxic smoke that is immediately dangerous. Causes level 1 harm: "Inflammation," repeatedly if you stay in the smoke, potentially leading to death by organ failure. Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 4 Viper Potion ☐: The user's saliva and blood become highly toxic to others for an hour. Conspicuous, Consumable, Medical.
• 5 Ghost Oil ☐: A colorless fluid that causes affected material to slip into the ether until sunup. Consumable, Volatile toxic applied to living beings.
• 5 Homunculus ☐: An artificial life form, a Monster. Usually the size of a rat but can be made larger through further work. It starts out with the devotion of a child but quickly develops its own impressions and thoughts. Complex.
• 5 Ice Pillar Grenade ☐: Can be thrown as a grenade to create a 3-meter-radius pillar of dry ice. Freezes creatures that fail to dodge and blocks passage. The ice thaws on its own in an hour. Conspicuous, Consumable.
• 5 Potion of Invulnerability ☐: For a few minutes after drinking this potion, any external, physical harm you take that is not from a potent source is reduced by two levels. The potion’s syrupy liquid looks like liquefied brass. Consumable, Unreliable.
• 6 Box Jellyfish Venom ☐: Drawn from the deadly box jellyfish, this venom inflicts instant level 3 harm: Excruciating Pain, with level 4 harm Heart Failure following within minutes. It may be delivered as a venom or distilled into an inhalable mist. Its complex blend of toxins defies any known antivenom. Harvested by Tortles, who will part with it only for a purpose they deem worthy. Common, Consumable, Rare, Unreliable.
• 6 Devilroot ☐: Sap of the devilroot plant. Instantly lethal when consumed. Consumable, Medical, Unreliable.
• 6 Life Essence ☐: The essential life force in vaporous form. Consumable, Medical, Unreliable. May 4-5 delay death for a short time or 6 revive the recently deceased. Volatile attracts undead. Rare giant bee royal jelly.
• 6 Panacea ☐: Cures any disease and negates any poison in your system, as well as nullifying any lasting Power or magical effect. The potion looks, tastes, and smells like liquid honey. Consumable, Medical, Rare giant bee honey.
• 6 Potion of Giant Strength ☐: Your strength increases to that of a giant for one hour. Gain increased effect on melee damage and on Wreck rolls (this stacks if you use Wreck to attack). Your load capacity doubles while under the effect. The potion’s transparent liquid contains a floating sliver of a giant’s fingernail. Consumable, Medical, Rare giant's nail, Volatile may not realize your increased strength, Consumable.
• 6 Potion of Longevity ☐: When you drink this potion, your physical age is reduced by about a decade, to a minimum of young adulthood. Suspended in this amber liquid are a scorpion’s tail, an adder’s fang, a dead spider, and a tiny heart that is still beating. Complex, Consumable, Medical, Unreliable, Rare heart of an elf or fey. Volatile each time you drink a Potion of Longevity, there is an increasing chance that you instead negate all previous benefits from these potions.