Alchemical boons

[Boci]

So my players are hopefully going to pass some challenge and get to meet a race of powerful alchemists, and they will be offered some goodies, including an elixir that will grant a permanent benefit. I'd like to give them a choice of 3, they only get 1 each, and they can choose the same as each other or different. Right now I'm thinking:

Option A: You become tougher, bones thicken slightly, and your blood becomes better at carrying oxygen. Increases your constitution score by 2

Option B: Your body adapts to take reduced damage from certain sources. Choose a non-weapon type of damage, you gain resistance to it.

Option C: Your hide becomes tough, like a small layer of armour. Your AC increases by 1. This stacks with your dexterity bonus, armour, shield, secondary stat to AC and all other bonuses.

I'll give them some better names later. The idea is that they should be relevantly balanced against each other, and be effects that drinking an alchemical elixir could conceivably grant. Do any of the 3 options above seem bad or too good compared to the others?

I'm not committed to these 3, I did consider something to boost healing during rests, making it so you never rolled hitdie and instead just taking the maximum result instead. I also thought of giving something that gaze a more proactiver option, like a breath attack. Are there any other options that would be fun and in line with the first 3?

[Mjolnirbear]

So my players are hopefully going to pass some challenge and get to meet a race of powerful alchemists, and they will be offered some goodies, including an elixir that will grant a permanent benefit. I'd like to give them a choice of 3, they only get 1 each, and they can choose the same as each other or different. Right now I'm thinking:

Option A: You become tougher, bones thicken slightly, and your blood becomes better at carrying oxygen. Increases your constitution score by 2

Option B: Your body adapts to take reduced damage from certain sources. Choose a non-weapon type of damage, you gain resistance to it.

Option C: Your hide becomes tough, like a small layer of armour. Your AC increases by 1. This stacks with your dexterity bonus, armour, shield, secondary stat to AC and all other bonuses.

I'll give them some better names later. The idea is that they should be relevantly balanced against each other, and be effects that drinking an alchemical elixir could conceivably grant. Do any of the 3 options above seem bad or too good compared to the others?

I'm not committed to these 3, I did consider something to boost healing during rests, making it so you never rolled hitdie and instead just taking the maximum result instead. I also thought of giving something that gaze a more proactiver option, like a breath attack. Are there any other options that would be fun and in line with the first 3?

Check the list of boons if you haven't already. DMG in the rewards chapter IIRC.

Also,

* when you roll to regain health, roll twice and take the better roll
* you may shape change at-will into (choose from familiar list when you get the boon)
* once per day, a resource that recharges on a Long Rest may recharge on a Short Rest.
* learn X spell (such as dragons breath)

[PhantomSoul]

I'd tend to have "thick-flesh" not benefit your AC if you're wearing Armor (and benefiting from it), but that's more for flavour/feel than for actual balance. I'd also tend not to have +CON in a general list, even if I might offer it at my table... but I think it opens the door for a question about what you want it to feel like: a permanent CON bonus is likely to be forgotten, whereas something that comes up at the table overtly (resistance, or especially an active perk) will remind you of the source more effectively (IMO/IMEx). Also note for the CON one that you didn't retain a cap at 20; worth considering!

It seems like there's a durability/longevity/buffness theme, so: (probably taking only non-ASI for Feats)
- You need to accumulate four Death Saving Throw Failures instead of three before Dying. (Alt: It's their Con Mod.)
- Tough Feat
- Durable Feat
- Advantage/+1d4 to avoid being subjected to Forced Movement, or flat immunity to it
- Bonus Action Healing (Temp HP?) or Reaction Damage Negation (both using Hit Dice, if it fits your table)
- Reduce Exhaustion Levels more quickly/easily
- Resilience against Extreme Climates, especially for temperatures
- Unarmed Damage boost, and/or dealing Damage when Pushing (potentially only Unarmed)

[Boci]

Check the list of boons if you haven't already. DMG in the rewards chapter IIRC.

Yeah, I should have. Looks like they have similar ideas, though I'm not sure how to evaluate +2 con (can break the 20 cap) vs. +2 con (maximum not raised).


Also,

* when you roll to regain health, roll twice and take the better roll
* you may shape change at-will into (choose from familiar list when you get the boon)
* once per day, a resource that recharges on a Long Rest may recharge on a Short Rest.
* learn X spell (such as dragons breath)

Not sure about the spells one, just from the perspective of alchemy giving those abilities permanently. The rest I feel can fit. I considered giving some anti ageing effect as an option after the philosopher's stone abilities in pop fiction, but wasn't sure how to make it relevant enough.

Would "when you roll to regain health, roll twice and take the better roll" be equal to "+2 con" or "damage resistance to a single energy type" do you think?


I'd tend to have "thick-flesh" not benefit your AC if you're wearing Armor (and benefiting from it), but that's more for flavour/feel than for actual balance. I'd also tend not to have +CON in a general list, even if I might offer it at my table... but I think it opens the door for a question about what you want it to feel like: a permanent CON bonus is likely to be forgotten, whereas something that comes up at the table overtly (resistance, or especially an active perk) will remind you of the source more effectively (IMO/IMEx). Also note for the CON one that you didn't retain a cap at 20; worth considering!

The theme I want is permanent boosts that feel alchemical in nature, or can fit at least. I'm not too bothered about how visible the bonuses are once picked, as long as they all benefit it doesn't matter if one is more notable and the other more subtle. I feel the choice should matter when they are initially presented. I'll be happy as long as long as the players consider each options, feeling they are roughly equal.


It seems like there's a durability/longevity/buffness theme, so: (probably taking only non-ASI for Feats)
- You need to accumulate four Death Saving Throw Failures instead of three before Dying. (Alt: It's their Con Mod.)
- Tough Feat
- Durable Feat
- Advantage/+1d4 to avoid being subjected to Forced Movement, or flat immunity to it
- Bonus Action Healing (Temp HP?) or Reaction Damage Negation (both using Hit Dice, if it fits your table)
- Reduce Exhaustion Levels more quickly/easily
- Resilience against Extreme Climates, especially for temperatures
- Unarmed Damage boost, and/or dealing Damage when Pushing (potentially only Unarmed)

These are good. Some a bit situational, but I could always roll several into one. Thank you for the suggestions.

And yeah, there's a theme of being tough, but that's just because those were the permanent bonuses that seemed the most conceivable to come from alchemy. I'm not against more offensive options, as long as they feel thematically fitting.