[WoD] Chemistry Toolkit

[Elric VIII]

I have recently acquired the ability to create small bits of matter on my mage. My plan is to have some fun with chemistry and build up a toolkit of ideas. The game takes place in the 1880s, so some modern chemistry is unlikely (polymer chemistry, for example).

What I need is help with imagining some useful chemicals and materials that could aid in every day adventuring. One thing that I plan to do is carry around empty flasks so I can create and mix things on the go.

Some ideas so far:

Phosphorus powder is pyrophoric and hydrophobic. This makes a great way to distract and disable assailants. (I actually did this last session against some religious zealots out to kill us).

Aqua Regia is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid that can dissolve most metals.

Mercury can dissolve aluminum, if it has been scratched or the surface has been newly exposed.

Iron sulfide is another pyrophoric, hydrophobic compound.

Thermite can be made from iron oxide and aluminum powder to create a fireball that burns at thousands of degrees F.

Group 1 elements (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium and francium) combust explosively in water, good for a distraction or a light show.


Any other cool tips?

[The Rose Dragon]

Not only do the alkali metals combust in water, but they are also prone to reacting with nearly anything, and are usually kept in oil to prevent them from reacting with the air.

[erikun]

You might want to consider how much "a small bit" or matter is.

Yes, mercury and gallium can cause major problems with aluminum structures, but I doubt there are many things made out of aluminum (especially not metallic aluminum) in 1880. I'm not sure if they react much the same way to iron and brass, though.

Alkali metals (lithium and such) do cause some very spectacular explosions from small amounts of material.

However, several others you mentioned aren't going to be that useful in small quantities. Aqua Regia will dissolve most metals, but that is assuming you have enough to dissolve it in; a small flask could be used to smudge a lightly engraved (probably gold/silver) faceplate or something the size of a pin, but don't do anything meaningful to a block of gold. Phosphorus will burn in air but quickly burn itself out. A small amount of Thermite will also likely burn itself out before it does too much damage, and was discovered in 1895 anyways.

[Elric VIII]

Not only do the alkali metals combust in water, but they are also prone to reacting with nearly anything, and are usually kept in oil to prevent them from reacting with the air.

I was under the impression that they were submerged in oil to prevent reaction with the moisture naturally found in air, rather than with the air itself.


You might want to consider how much "a small bit" or matter is.

Yes, mercury and gallium can cause major problems with aluminum structures, but I doubt there are many things made out of aluminum (especially not metallic aluminum) in 1880. I'm not sure if they react much the same way to iron and brass, though.

Alkali metals (lithium and such) do cause some very spectacular explosions from small amounts of material.

However, several others you mentioned aren't going to be that useful in small quantities. Aqua Regia will dissolve most metals, but that is assuming you have enough to dissolve it in; a small flask could be used to smudge a lightly engraved (probably gold/silver) faceplate or something the size of a pin, but don't do anything meaningful to a block of gold. Phosphorus will burn in air but quickly burn itself out. A small amount of Thermite will also likely burn itself out before it does too much damage, and was discovered in 1895 anyways.

Yeah, I'm aware of the somewhat limited applications. As I mentioned above, I chose phosphorous because it reacts somewhat slowly in the relatively low-oxygen atmosphere (compared to pure O2).

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure how useful any of this will be compared to just destroying/warping things with my already high Matter and Entropy levels. The only reason I thought of this at all was because I had to deal with some people that could not be directly affected by magic.

As for Thermite, I think that it is in close enough temporal proximity to our time period. Either that or I can work on developing it via my science and academics dots.

Thanks for the insight, though.

[Knaight]

This (http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with/) archive should be helpful.

[JeenLeen]

As for Thermite, I think that it is in close enough temporal proximity to our time period. Either that or I can work on developing it via my science and academics dots.

Thanks for the insight, though.

Is this nWoD or oWoD? (I'm assuming old for the rest of this post; if new, disregard.)

Since what works in reality is contingent on belief, if you mundanely made thermite, it wouldn't do anything. However, as a mage who believes those things combine and explode, it would work if you do it as magic. Just probably be vulgar.

What Tradition or group are you? Knowing of substances that don't exist mundanely makes a lot of sense if you are any sort of technomage. I forget when the Order of Reason reformed to become the Technocracy, but I think before that happened they were less evil and I could see some of their supertech (like thermite) being known by techno-themed Tradition mages.

(I also forget when the Electrodyne Engineers defected to form the Sons of Ether. For an SoE, almost any crazy thing makes sense.)

And, of course, your GM has the final say :smallbiggrin:

[Slipperychicken]

You could create stuff that supernatural creatures are weak to, like silver or rosemary or whatever.

Also, I also have concerns about the way technology works in WoD, because if people don't yet believe the scientific principles that let it work, then it won't work.

Are you able to make poisons or serious toxins with your power? That should be pretty strong if you can apply it to weapons without hurting yourself.

Can you hollow out bullets and put something mean like poison in there to make people's lives harder? Alternatively, craft bolts, arrows, and bullets from created materials to save money on silver and whatnot.