The System
Alchemy
Alchemy is the practice of extracting magical elemental energy - called Essence - from raw materials and transforming it into potions, elixirs, and enchanted objects. An alchemist is both a crafter and the primary supplier of Essence for all other magical disciplines.
Extracting Essence
The foundation of alchemy is extraction: breaking down raw materials - herbs, minerals, monster parts, and other components - to distil their elemental Essence into usable vials. Different source materials yield different elemental types of Essence. An alchemist's skill rank determines how efficiently they can extract Essence.
Essence does not degrade, so an alchemist can build a stockpile over time. They also serve as the primary Essence source for spellcasters and summoners in the party.
Potions and Elixirs
The most common alchemical products are potions - drinkable preparations that produce an effect when consumed. Potions cover a wide range of uses: healing, temporary attribute bonuses, antidotes, resistance to elemental damage, and more. Elixirs are less potent preparations with weaker and often shorter-lasting effects, requiring fewer ingredients and less skill.
The potency of a brewed potion scales with the alchemist's rank. A high-rank alchemist produces superior healing potions and can brew complex multi-effect preparations that a novice could not attempt.
Infusion and Enchanting
Beyond consumables, alchemy allows infusion: permanently imbuing an object with elemental Essence to give it a lasting magical property. An infused weapon might deal bonus fire damage on each hit; an infused piece of armour might provide resistance to a specific element. Infusion requires concentrated Essence and time, but produces items that remain useful indefinitely.
At higher ranks, alchemists can infuse objects with more complex or powerful properties, and can layer multiple infusions onto a single item - though each additional infusion is harder to set than the last.
Witchcraft Support
Alchemy and the Spellwork, Runecraft, and Summoning skills are deeply linked: all three witchcraft disciplines consume Essence, which only alchemy can produce. A character investing in both Alchemy and a witchcraft skill is fully self-sufficient; a pure spellcaster must source Essence from an alchemist or purchase it.
Because of this, alchemists are valued members of any group that includes magical practitioners, and the Alchemy skill is a natural companion to any magic-focused character build.