Help finding an Actual alchemy handbook

[Promethean]

Why is it so hard to find a "handbook" style commentary on alchemy and alchemical items?

This is kinda weird to me, everything else from items to feats to poisons is covered by various posters across the 3.P forums if only to point out which options are secretly traps. Yet alchemy, one of the most used skills in D&D supplements, containing new related items and uses in almost every supplement, and one of the most interesting concepts I've seen, has next to no guides for it.

Why is this? Am I just blind? Why don't there seem to be any "Alchemy Handbooks"? Is there a secret alchemy guide and index with helpful color coding, book references, and insightful commentary on each items usefulness that everyone else knows about and I somehow missed?

[Darrin]

There are a few reasons we don't have a good alchemy handbook:

1) Alchemical items are sporadically tucked away in a lot of different sourcebooks, many of which are campaign-specific. It's not clear if some of the campaign-specific stuff is transferable to different campaign worlds, some of which have different levels of technology/magic/scarcity/etc.

2) A lot of alchemical items were printed in sources that would be considered of "dubious legality", or put another way, "Dragon Magazine material". Many DMs either restrict or outright ban these sources.

3) Alchemical items do not scale *at all*. They are useful at low levels (1-4), but are considered garbage once 3rd level spells are easily available. There have been attempts to fix this, but they may involve rebalancing the economic systems in the campaign world, reconstructing the skill system, or deeper fundamental changes to the rules mechanics. You will also need considerable DM buy-in, and some DMs may not want to bother.

[Efrate]

I think there is a bit in the alchemist handbook that highlights a few, and maybe something in arsenic and old lace. Bunko`s bargain basement has a few decent ones as well iirc. Maybe in the utility belt too.

[Promethean]

There are a few reasons we don't have a good alchemy handbook:

1) Alchemical items are sporadically tucked away in a lot of different sourcebooks, many of which are campaign-specific. It's not clear if some of the campaign-specific stuff is transferable to different campaign worlds, some of which have different levels of technology/magic/scarcity/etc.

2) A lot of alchemical items were printed in sources that would be considered of "dubious legality", or put another way, "Dragon Magazine material". Many DMs either restrict or outright ban these sources.

3) Alchemical items do not scale *at all*. They are useful at low levels (1-4), but are considered garbage once 3rd level spells are easily available. There have been attempts to fix this, but they may involve rebalancing the economic systems in the campaign world, reconstructing the skill system, or deeper fundamental changes to the rules mechanics. You will also need considerable DM buy-in, and some DMs may not want to bother.

Some of this is patch-able with DM help, like making the "Augment Alchemy" feat non-epic(why was this epic in the First place?), Talking with the DM beforehand on their ban policy(I never understood the "This entire book/magazine/series is banned regardless of which material you're using and it's balance" mindset), and using helpful online tools that pool alchemy resources into one place(It's what we do for obscure feats, weapons, spells, etc. not sure why alchemical items and plants are an exception to that).


I think there is a bit in the alchemist handbook that highlights a few, and maybe something in arsenic and old lace. Bunko`s bargain basement has a few decent ones as well iirc. Maybe in the utility belt too.

There's an alchemist handbook for 3.5? :smallconfused:

[Efrate]

Meant artificier. My mistake.

[Thurbane]

To be honest, alchemy and alchemical items in 3.5 just aren't that great. Probably why no-one has written a full handbook.

[jdizzlean]

there's a few possible things you can pull from. First this is (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?448496-Alchemy-(content-from-Wizards-community-forum)) probably the closest you're going to get to one.

as mentioned already, you can use some of Bunko's (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1002) or Arsenic and Old Lace. (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2714)


Really, there is far more handbooks/guides for poison making than straight alchemy. an alchemist can make any poison w/ -4 to their craft check however, so there are several sources you can find for that i'm sure.

[Falontani]

there's a few possible things you can pull from. First this is (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?448496-Alchemy-(content-from-Wizards-community-forum)) probably the closest you're going to get to one.

as mentioned already, you can use some of Bunko's (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1002) or Arsenic and Old Lace. (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2714)


Really, there is far more handbooks/guides for poison making than straight alchemy. an alchemist can make any poison w/ -4 to their craft check however, so there are several sources you can find for that i'm sure.

Idr exactly what it was, but wasn't there a way to increase the craft dc to make it faster, more potent, or last longer? Would that work on poisons made with alchemy?

[Blackhawk748]

Idr exactly what it was, but wasn't there a way to increase the craft dc to make it faster, more potent, or last longer? Would that work on poisons made with alchemy?

Don't see why it wouldn't, it's just that that penalty is gonna suck a bit more because you're already eating a -4.

As others have said, Alchemy doesn't scale (unless your DM is sane abd let's you take that one Epic Feat that shouldn't be Epic) and outside of eggshell grenades are usually eclipsed by spells.

Now, there should be one, even if it is only useful in e6. I'd be happy to help if anyone wants to make it