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View Full Version : [3.5 - Feat and Item] Alchemical Marvels! (PEACH)



arguskos
2009-12-03, 12:24 AM
New Feat

Alchemical Prodigy
Crafting alchemical items is now much more expedient and easier for you.
Prerequisites: Craft (Alchemy) 4 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 4 ranks, Skill Focus (Craft [Alchemy])
Benefit: You no longer use the standard Craft rules for making alchemical items. Instead, when you use the Craft skill to construct an alchemical item, you pay 1/3 of the items GP cost, and make a Craft check. If your Craft check equals or exceeds the items DC, you complete the item. You may use Craft in this manner to create up to 100 gp worth of alchemical items in a day.
Special: At their discretion, Wizards may swap Scribe Scroll for Alchemical Prodigy at level 1.

New Item:

Cauldron of Alchemy
This large brass cauldron is pitted and scarred on the interior. When the command word is given, it begins to produce a random alchemical substance from the following list. It will produce this substance at a rate of 10 doses per hour till the cauldron is filled (100 vials worth of any). The items produced last only until the cauldron is activated again. The cauldron may be activated once per week.

List of Creatable Items (roll a d4):
{table=head]Die Result | Alchemical Item
1 | Alchemist's Fire
2 | Acid
3 | Thunderstones (the liquid solidifies into 100)
4 | Tanglefoot Bag substance (can be doled into 20 bags)[/table]

Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, Alchemical Prodigy, fabricate, CL 9th
Cost to Create: 2,500 gp, however much XP and time is normal for that cost.

Thoughts?

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-12-03, 12:42 AM
I think alchemy needs much more of a rewrite. As-is, the item's damage and saves don't scale at all, there is a lack of effects that magic hasn't done earlier and better, and there are no high-level alchemical items. The system needs to be scrapped and rewritten.

That said, the feat seems balanced at low levels(though I can't see using it after 5). The cauldron appears less so. It seems too cheap for the amount you get out of it. Each week it's producing 2,000 GP worth of items. That's too good for 2,500 GP even if the items can't be sold.

Also, how long does it take to fill, and can you just dump it on someone rather than go to the effort of bottling it?

arguskos
2009-12-03, 01:27 AM
Huh. I just eyeballed the price. I might bump it to 4,000 gp or so. As for the time, uh.. yes, yes, it takes some time! I'd say it generates 10 doses of whatever in an hour (this means it makes Tanglefoot Bags very rapidly).

Concerning dumping it on someone, um, I guess? I have no idea what the effects of being hit with 100 Thunderstones might be though. :smalleek:

Milskidasith
2009-12-03, 01:51 AM
I'd imagine it would be about 20 decibels (100x) louder than a regular thunderstone. Since a commoner fails his save about 25% of the time, and it's probably as loud as a firecracker, let's say that it is, in fact, firecracker to the ear level sound (140 decibels). That's enough to cause physical pain and possibly permanent hearing loss, although RL firecrackers could cause more permanent deafness. 160 will cause your eardrums to rupture and is actually loud enough to, with prolonged exposure, kill mice.

So, considering the catgirl killing I've done, I'd estimate that you are deafened for at least an hour on a passed save (DC 18 or so? Maybe 19?) and permanently deafened and stunned for a few rounds on a failed save. And if you are tiny size or smaller, you make another save or you die.

arguskos
2009-12-03, 01:53 AM
That's... uh... impressive, actually. I just learned far more than I ever knew about loud noises. To be fair, I never really knew much about them to start with. :smallcool:

Any other thoughts about the feat? That was the real kicker I had here.

Oh, and yeah, I'm gonna be working up a broad spectrum fix for alchemical items eventually anyways, since I love them so.

Milskidasith
2009-12-03, 01:55 AM
Well, I'd probably lower the effect for 100 thunderstones, just because they won't all go off at the same time, so the general level would be reduced. I would still have it be a "save or be deafened for pretty long time" or "save or get a permanent -X on hearing checks."

I'm not really an expert on sound, though, I just looked up all the stats I needed to answer your question. And kill catgirls.