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"We're made of star-stuff."Alchemetry is the careful application of magical charges to alter the fundamental properties of materials and objects. A master of alchemetry understands materials on a very deep level, and knows how to cause drastic changes with small applications of puissance. Any engineering project which calls for materials outside of the mundane requires someone skilled in alchemetry. Alchemetry was originally conceived as a scientific offshoot of the royal art of alchemy, and bears many outward resemblances to this pseudoscience. However, alchemetry actually deals with contacting and negotiating with the spirits of everyday matter, and convincing them to change the way they form materials.

Alchemetry often involves the use of astronomic gauges and astrolabes, employed to determine the alignment of heavenly bodies, as well as more traditional alchemical supplies such as flasks and scales. Any such specialized equipment counts as a masterwork piece of equipment, and provides a +2 circumstance bonus on the Diplomacy check made to prepare an alchemetric principle. The Almagest is a mythical alchemetric treatise which is said to describe the motion of the planets in exacting detail.



Alchemetry often involves the use of astronomic gauges and astrolabes, employed to determine the alignment of heavenly bodies, as well as more traditional alchemical supplies such as flasks and scales. Any such specialized equipment counts as a masterwork piece of equipment, and provides a +2 circumstance bonus on the Diplomacy check made to prepare an alchemetric principle. The Almagest is a mythical alchemetric treatise which is said to describe the motion of the planets in exacting detail.
 

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Key Skill: Diplomacy


ALCH 101: Intro to Alchemetry
Grade: Baccalaureate
Prerequisites: None
Target: Solid material of no more than 8 cubic ft. and weighing no more than 5,000 lb
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

This principle alters the fundamental properties of material. The target must be a single body of uniform material. As part of this principle, you make a Diplomacy skill check to convince the atomic spirits of the material to rearrange themselves to your liking. At the end of the preparation, you can apply one of the following changes to the body. Any body can only have one modification to a given statistic at a time (for example, a body of iron can't have its durability raised twice).

  • Durability: The hit points per inch of thickness of the target are increased or decreased by half your Diplomacy result (minimum 1 hit point per inch).

  • Hardness: The hardness of the target is increased or decreased by one fifth of your Diplomacy result (minimum 0).

  • Heat Capacity: Somewhat less common than most operations, the target increases and decreases in temperature by a different factor than it normally would from external heat sources and temperature conditions. Divide your Diplomacy result by ten (minimum 1), and pick either that number or its inverse (1/the result) as the new heat capacity factor. All temperature changes to the body are multiplied by this factor before being applied to it. This also affects fire and cold damage sustained by the target.

  • Sturdiness: The break DC of the target can be increased or decreased by one quarter of your Diplomacy result (minimum DC 3). This change applies to anything that is made out of the material in the future.

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ALCH 112: Spooky Solvents [Specialist]
Grade: Baccalaureate
Prerequisites: Diplomacy 4 ranks
Target: Specific liquid of no more than 1 pint (or more; see description)
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

This principle distills minerals and solutes into and out of liquids. As part of this principle, you make a Diplomacy skill check to coax the atomic spirits of a pint of liquid to resolve themselves differently. This principle can be prepared on any of the following fluids in order to convince them to turn into any one of the other fluids: water (DC 10), acid (DC 20), alchemist's fire (DC 20), antitoxin (DC 15), oil (crude [DC 25] or lantern [DC 15]), and universal solvent (DC 25). Your Diplomacy skill check for this principle must meet the higher DC of the two fluid forms being referenced.

After learning at least two more ALCH principles, you can also discern methods by which to organize the spirits into a pint of salve of slipperiness (DC 30) or sovereign glue (DC 35).

This principle can also be used to purify any of the above substances, and when used in this form it can target a much greater volume, up to 8 cubic feet. A single solute of your choice with a concentration of at least 10,000 parts per million is removed from the solvent, and it ends up distilled in a space adjacent to the fluid (the exact location may be decided as a logical decision). This principle can also specifically be used to purify alkahest, reconstituting solid objects and creatures that have been dissolved in it.

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ALCH 119: Architecture of Animals 6
Prerequisites: BIOY 10
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Target: Specific solid material of no more than 8 cubic ft. and weighing no more than 5,000 lb
Tools: Enzymes and crucibles.

This course of study teaches the gramarist how to transform one organic material into another. When this course is used, you are actually using two principles from this course, one to determine the target of the "principle", and one to determine the material for the target to transform into. You cannot use a principle from this course, until you have at least two principles from this course.
 

  • Amber Alchemy: You use this course to transform organic materials into and from Amber.

  • Carapace Alchemy: You use this course to transform organic materials into and from Chitin.

  • Ebony Alchemy: You use this course to transform organic materials into and from Wood.

  • Plastic Alchemy: You use this course to transform organic materials into and from Wax.

  • Ivory Alchemy: You use this course to transform organic materials into and from Bone.

  • Woven Alchemy: You use this course to transform organic materials into and from Silk.




ALCH 202: Irregular Properties
Grade: Magisterial
Prerequisites: ALCH 101, Diplomacy 8 ranks
Target: Solid material of no more than 8 cubic ft. and weighing no more than 5,000 lb
Preparation Time: 1 hour

This principle applies strange elemental properties to a body of material. The target can be made of different materials, but must be touching while this principle is being applied. If the target is ever broken up after this point, all of the pieces carry the effect of the principle. At the end of the preparation, you can apply one of the following properties to the body. Material can only carry one of these properties at a time.

  • Buffering: The target neutralizes acids and bases on contact. Acid damage deals half damage to it just like normal energy effects. If it comes in contact with a fluid that deal acid damage and is not destroyed by it after a number of rounds equal to the number of squares the fluid could cover, the fluid is rendered pH neutral (assuming the target remains in contact with the fluid).

  • Flammability: The target becomes flammable. It loses all fire resistance or fire immunity, and fire damage ignores the hardness of the material. Fire deals full damage to the material instead of half damage.

  • Magnetism: The target becomes magnetic, and is treated as ferrous for all purposes related to magnetics. Electricity deals double its normal damage to it, which for most metals means that it deals full damage to it instead of half damage.

  • Resonance: The target hums with a resonant sensation, allowing it to transmit sound in a way most materials do not. Sonic damage no longer ignores the material's hardness, and it deals half damage just like normal energy effects.




ALCH 286: Mysterious Metallurgy [Specialist]
Grade: Magisterial
Prerequisites: ALCH 101, Diplomacy 8 ranks
Target: Solid planetary metal body of no more than 8 cubic ft. and weighing no more than 5,000 lb
Preparation Time: 2 hours

This principle uses strange procedures involving astrology to realign a material's spirit with a different planet. The target must be a single body made of one of the planetary metals. As part of this principle, you make a Diplomacy skill check to realign the metal's alignment. The principle can be applied to any of the following metals: copper, gold, lead, mercury, iron, silver, and tin. The base metal is changed into one of the other planetary metals, chosen when the preparation is complete. Each metal also has a Diplomacy DC to achieve in order to transmute into; failure indicates wasted effort. Volume is conserved in the transformation, even if the weight of the metal body changes.

The planetary metals have the following statistics:

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Copper: Copper is exceptionally conductive to electricity. Electricity deals one-quarter damage instead of half damage to it.

  • Gold: Gold created with alchemetry is real gold, but is also distinguishable from naturally occuring gold. An Appraise check (DC 20) indicates the gold's artificial nature. It is difficult enough to produce that it is often still accepted as a trade currency, albeit at a significantly lower exchange rate than natural gold. Gold is very inert, and does not rust.

  • Lead: Lead is a durable material which is fairly easy to produce, but it is also poisonous. Anyone who spends a lot of time wearing or handling lead is susceptible to lead poisoning on a daily basis, which works like a poison with a DC of 16 and which deals 1d4 Con damage as the primary and secondary damage.

  • Mercury: Note that at normal adventuring temperatures, mercury is a liquid. Mercury is a powerful poison, with a DC of 20 and dealing 1d6 Str damage as the primary and secondary damage. Mercury is exceptionally conductive to electricity. Electricity deals one-quarter damage instead of half damage to it.

  • Silver: Silver created with alchemetry is real silver, but is also distinguishable from naturally occuring silver. An Appraise check (DC 10) indicates the silver's artificial nature. Alchemetric silver is so easy to produce that it is very close to worthless as a trade material. Silver is exceptionally conductive to electricity. Electricity deals one-quarter damage instead of half damage to it.

  • Tin: Tin is an exceptionally flimsy material, but it is easy to produce. It is also very resistant to acids and corrosion; acid effects deal only a quarter of their normal damage to tin.




ALCH 325: Preternatural Fluids
Grade: Doctorate
Prerequisites: Any two ALCH principles, Diplomacy 15 ranks
Target: Material of no more than 8 cubic ft. and weighing no more than 5,000 lb
Preparation Time: 1 hour

Learning this principle allows you to affect fluid bodies with your alchemetric principles. All of your alchemetric principles can now be used to target liquid or gaseous bodies, although the fluid to be affected must be enclosed and separated from other freely moving fluids in order to alter it.

This principle in its own right allows you to convince the free spirits of fluids to change their motion slightly. As part of this principle you make a Diplomacy check. At the end of the preparation, you can apply one of the following changes to the body.

  • Density: The density of the target is altered by a factor of up to a tenth of your Diplomacy result. This changes the weight of the target by the factor specified, and causes a fluid to exert a different amount of pressure.

  • Phase Change: The melting or boiling point of the target is increased or decreased by a number of degrees Centigrade (or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit multiplied by this result), up to your Diplomacy result.




ALCH 364: Unexpected Materials [Specialist]
Grade: Doctorate
Prerequisites: Any three ALCH principles, Diplomacy 15 ranks
Target: Planetary metal body of no more than 8 cubic ft. and weighing no more than 5,000 lb
Preparation Time: 4 hours

This principle allows you to refine a planetary metal to a new level of supernatural purity. This principle targets a body made of a planetary metal, and ascends it to a higher form. As part of this principle, you make a Diplomacy check. You must meet the Diplomacy DC of the superplanetary metal you are trying to transform the material into. Each planetary metal has one higher level form which it can be turned into. These superplanetary metals have the same statistics as their normal counterparts, but gain a special property.

In addition to the normal planetary metals, this principle can target an 8th metal: platinum. Platinum is an odd case, and while it can be ascended with this principle, it is not a valid choice for ALCH 286. For all other purposes, it is treated as a planetary metal. Platinum and its ascended form have a density of 1,340 lb/cubic foot.

  • Copper: Copper ascends into carmot, which is the key element to the philosopher's stone. Consuming carmot freezes the aging process in any living thing for 24 hours. Carmot in general is an element of preservation, and anything touching carmot does not decay, rot, rust, or otherwise wear out. Carmot has a Diplomacy DC of 60.

  • Gold: Gold ascend into sunmetal, which is a radiomantic element. Radiomantic elements deal 1 negative level per round to anyone who handles them. The DC to remove a negative level from a radiomantic element is 25. If at least a cubic foot of radiomantic material is charged with at least 100 ebbs of puissance on a given round, it detonates in an explosion with a radius of 1 mile per cubic foot of metal. The explosion deals 1d10 negative levels to every living thing in the area, hellfire damage equal to the total number of ebbs channeled into the metal (Fortitude save for half damage against DC 25) and it poisons the earth; no living thing can grow there for the next 50 years. Geoccult poles in the area are affected by this. If the number of ebbs channeled in the explosion exceeds the Survival check of the pole, it is destroyed and the metal used in its construction disintegrated; other geoccult poles set up in the area in the next 50 years must beat this DC or disintegrate upon preparation. Sunmetal has a Diplomacy DC of 85.

  • Lead: Lead ascends into cursed lead, which is a protective material that has antimagical properties. Any enclosed space made of cursed lead is filled as if with an antimagic field effect. Cursed lead has a Diplomacy DC of 55.

  • Mercury: Mercury ascends into quicksilver, which carries the elemental nature of speed. Objects and structures made from quicksilver experience time at a faster rate than other materials. For all purposes, they experience two rounds for every normal round. Spaces, creatures, and objects completely enclosed by quicksilver experience the same effect, although it's usually impossible to interact with the outside world from such a location in order to take advantage of the property. Quicksilver has a Diplomacy DC of 70.

  • Iron: Iron ascends into phlogiston, which gives off heat perpetually. Phlogiston always radiates heat as if it were on fire, but it never burns up. This heat radiates out 5ft. from the phlogiston body (with an additional 5ft. for every size category of the phlogiston body above Medium). This area is raised to an arbitrary temperature of at least 1,000 degrees Centigrade at all times. Anything that burns at those temperatures must make a DC 15 Reflex save every round it remains in the area or catch on fire. Phlogiston has a Diplomacy DC of 65.

  • Platinum: Platinum ascends into orichalcum, which is the metal of the gods. It has the statistics of adamantine for all mundane purposes. Orichalcum can store gramaric energy as a battery; every cubic foot of orichalcum can hold up to 100 ebbs of puissance indefinitely; it's normally handled in beads, which can each store a single ebb. Orichalcum has a Diplomacy DC of 100.

  • Silver: Silver ascends into moonsteel. Moonsteel gives off an unearthly silver glow, and extends onto the Ethereal Plane. It interacts with both the corporeal and the incorporeal. Moonsteel has a Diplomacy DC of 55.

  • Tin: Tin ascends into alkahest, which is an agent of entropy. It has the normal statistics of tin, but breaks down in water to create an incredible solvent. This works like universal solvent, but can also dissolve any of the planetary metals. Any planetary metal body that spends time immersed in an alkahest solution takes a cumulative -1 penalty to its hardness every round. When its hardness reaches 0, it begins taking 1d6 nonlethal damage every round (even though objects don't normally take nonlethal damage). If the metal is removed before reaching 0 hit points, the nonlethal damage and penalty to hardness disappear. When the body's hit points reach 0, it is dissolved into the solution, adding its volume to the volume of the alkahest. If the alkahest solution is later dried out, dissolved metals can be retrieved in granular form from the solute. Alkahest has a Diplomacy DC of 50.

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