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Thrawn4
2015-06-26, 06:15 AM
Hi everyone.
So, in my fantasy setting magic can not be stored in bottles, which makes me wonder whether an alchemy skill is useful at all if I have a skill for herblore that can cover potions from plants. Of course there can be things like glass or oil, but that does not make it viable for an adventurer.
tldr: How could a PC find alchemy useful without magic or plants?

Maglubiyet
2015-06-26, 06:42 AM
Doesn't sound like it will be particularly useful.

Do you have gunpowder in your game? Or Greek fire?

Thrawn4
2015-06-26, 07:50 AM
Doesn't sound like it will be particularly useful.

Do you have gunpowder in your game? Or Greek fire?

No gunpowder. Haven't decided on the Greek fire yet.

ZeroGear
2015-06-26, 08:05 AM
Minerals. Alchemy is more than just plants, it's essentially a archaic form of chemistry. Now, herblore may be useful in identifying certain oils from plants, but alchemy is used for combing venoms, ground up rocks, animal extracts, salts, and other products, possibly with processed herbs, to create unique creations. It is not a stretch to imagine someone using alchemy to coat coins and amulets in gold, refine mercury for weapons, mix bombs and powders, and a whole host of other things.
Just because you have her lore does not mean alchemy is useless, just that it's used for other products.

Actually, if I may split some hairs, herb lore would only be useful for identifying natural plants, possibly making teas. It's not exactly useful for refining plants, extracting oils, and making potions. Think more that herblore = horticulture medicine while alchemy = processed medicine.

Storm_Of_Snow
2015-06-26, 08:09 AM
Unless you include bits of creatures (which could include things like snake venom or anti-coagulants from leeches and blood-consuming bats, as well as knowing that certain organs from certain animals contain toxic levels of whatever and thus shouldn't be eaten), you're basically into what'll become chemistry.

Although herblore could simply cover identifying which plants/fungi etc are useful for what purpose, which are toxic, and alchemy could cover actually extracting the stuff you want without the stuff you don't.

Edit: Ninja'd :smallsmile:

Honest Tiefling
2015-06-26, 03:25 PM
What about poisons? Not all of them come from plants, and arsenic, poison of kings, is a good mineral-based poison. Extracting and refining ores would be quite profitable, especially if the group needs silver badly because there's some undead or lycanthropes nearby.