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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next [OC profession improvement] Alchemist profession for D&D 5th edition.



AshLake
2017-10-31, 02:47 PM
Hello fellow D&D players, made an account just to post this (and made 10 posts just so i could post the link to the document...), when i first started playing i wanted to have an interesting profession. When reading about tools i where dissapointed with the non-existant rules about the creation of potions (hopefully it will come in Xanathars book), but it spurred me to create something i could use myself in multiple campaigns.

And after 5 months of work, playtesting and trying to get several DM's to agree on balancing i am now releasing my creation to you in hopes of feedback and hopefully making your D&D experience a little bit more fun. It is currently accepted by 3 DM's, if more DM's want to support it, just say so and i will add whatever name you want on the document.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uUkPq91v8YOne2q7x2vhTFcEMrtdNqXgoRT2IxCRJQw/edit?usp=sharing

Arte
2017-10-31, 06:27 PM
Okay so I'm reading through it and I get what you are aiming to do. As a fellow creator I also know you spent a lot of time on this so take this as something coming from a place of helpfulness.

Pros:
1. There is a lot here and its very interesting
2. This could be useful as a supplement when mixed with the herbologist guide version 1.2 that is floating around.

Cons:
1. The terms used mechanically are unfamiliar such as double proficiency on attack rolls. Why not a +2 or +5 or advantage instead. I'm not sure if anything else gives double proficiency on attack rolls.
2. Inconsistency, so at one point there is too much flavor and at another point there is not enough. You could look at how potions are described in the DMG and go with that method, its useful.


Outside of that great stuff and keep at it, when you get a bit further I can take another look at it but so far you've taken a big first step.

AshLake
2017-11-01, 05:57 AM
Okay so I'm reading through it and I get what you are aiming to do. As a fellow creator I also know you spent a lot of time on this so take this as something coming from a place of helpfulness.

Pros:
1. There is a lot here and its very interesting
2. This could be useful as a supplement when mixed with the herbologist guide version 1.2 that is floating around.

Cons:
1. The terms used mechanically are unfamiliar such as double proficiency on attack rolls. Why not a +2 or +5 or advantage instead. I'm not sure if anything else gives double proficiency on attack rolls.
2. Inconsistency, so at one point there is too much flavor and at another point there is not enough. You could look at how potions are described in the DMG and go with that method, its useful.


Outside of that great stuff and keep at it, when you get a bit further I can take another look at it but so far you've taken a big first step.

Yes! finally, thank you! I have posted this on 3 forums and you are the first to finally give me some feedback, thank you for taking the time and reading it and giving me something to work with!

How do you mean in supplement with herbologist guide? should my document be the alchemy part and the herbologist guide give rules for finding the herbs? Personally while the guide is very profesionally made i resent the fact that you need to be either high wisdom or intellect to use the profession, everyone should be able to make these potions not only spellcasters.... I am not that smart or wise but i can brew homemade wine.

So while the guide looks really nice (those fonts looks amazing, how do i get those?) and have very many rules my document is more made to pick up and use by everyone. Also something i really don't like is that you have to be in a certain enviroment to find certain herbs, while nice detail it is not fun to travel all the way to a desert to find a herb you are looking for, it takes away from the game. Sure if you are in a desert odds are the DM will say that you are not gonna find much herbs, but that is more common sense and up too the DM right?

Also it's very strenous for a DM to keep in mind all the flowers and combination to make those potions, in my document that is bypassed as you only have herbs and the amount of herbs in price worth. This is intentional to not make the same misstake as the Herbalogist guide of being way to advanced to actually be practical. When say you want to make a health potion with my rules it is, have you learnt how to make it? do you have 25gp worth of herbs? Have you already made a potion this day? And last mix it and wait, since it is time gated potions won't have to cost 500gp to make, what do you think of my system?

I can change the doubling/trippling mechanic, it where made like that so that the damage would increase with the characters total level, what do you think would be suitable boost to a potion for slaying say a dragon and ancient dragon and using it's blood in the potion?

Can you please elaborate on the flavoring misstakes, do you feel the potions have to little and the constructs have to much? I will look in the DMG but pointing me in the right direction or giving me an example would help me immensely as i am very close to the project and have problem to see my misstakes and have literly no one in my vicinity interested in discussing this document with me.

Thank you again lastly for for taking your time and helping me. :)

Arte
2017-11-03, 04:46 PM
Yes! finally, thank you! I have posted this on 3 forums and you are the first to finally give me some feedback, thank you for taking the time and reading it and giving me something to work with!


Sorry to hear that but yea I understand where you are coming from.



How do you mean in supplement with herbologist guide? should my document be the alchemy part and the herbologist guide give rules for finding the herbs? Personally while the guide is very profesionally made i resent the fact that you need to be either high wisdom or intellect to use the profession, everyone should be able to make these potions not only spellcasters.... I am not that smart or wise but i can brew homemade wine.


That's not really the case though, sure if you are a top shelf blood you can craft the best stuff but really proficiency represents experience with that task... which in 5e makes up the slack a lot. So in a sense the higher the PC level the better they get at crafting. Maybe they can do an Alchemists feat that doubles proficiency if they are really into it.



So while the guide looks really nice (those fonts looks amazing, how do i get those?) and have very many rules my document is more made to pick up and use by everyone. Also something i really don't like is that you have to be in a certain enviroment to find certain herbs, while nice detail it is not fun to travel all the way to a desert to find a herb you are looking for, it takes away from the game. Sure if you are in a desert odds are the DM will say that you are not gonna find much herbs, but that is more common sense and up too the DM right?

Also it's very strenous for a DM to keep in mind all the flowers and combination to make those potions, in my document that is bypassed as you only have herbs and the amount of herbs in price worth. This is intentional to not make the same misstake as the Herbalogist guide of being way to advanced to actually be practical. When say you want to make a health potion with my rules it is, have you learnt how to make it? do you have 25gp worth of herbs? Have you already made a potion this day? And last mix it and wait, since it is time gated potions won't have to cost 500gp to make, what do you think of my system?



Okay so one of the things missing would be tables, this simplifies the life of the DM, its a bit tricky to start one but once you do its golden. The party is in a Desert and that PC is looking for herbs okay. Roll n the table and see what's around. So lets say you make 10 Herbs for a desert, you can have a DC table each option giving varied combinations of those 10 Herbs in that enviornment.

For quick reference the usage of * or color text may be something good to help DMs speed up how they describe the results of a check for herbs.

Traditionally its gold(the best), sky blue, blue(strong), black (not bad), purple, red (not good).

So a DM can decide if they want to go against the dice results if they want to.



I can change the doubling/trippling mechanic, it where made like that so that the damage would increase with the characters total level, what do you think would be suitable boost to a potion for slaying say a dragon and ancient dragon and using it's blood in the potion?


This is your idea but if you are asking I'd go with the obvious fire breath. Maybe a poison like dousing on the weapons blade and instead of doing poison they do fire damage. You can use the various poisons in the PHB as a rubric for how to deal damage.



Can you please elaborate on the flavoring misstakes, do you feel the potions have to little and the constructs have to much? I will look in the DMG but pointing me in the right direction or giving me an example would help me immensely as i am very close to the project and have problem to see my misstakes and have literly no one in my vicinity interested in discussing this document with me.


Not really mistakes just inconsistencies, sec... https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7CIGCMCtoETVmhDNEZMbUVweTg/view

Okay check that out as an example of consistency in potion/herb descriptions. One second you go all out with flavor and next second its just mechanics. I get that one set of alchemic results are doing something far different but potions need love too.