Alchemy

Extract monster essences and craft them into potions and poisons.

Requirements

To practice alchemy, you need:

  • Alchemist feat (for potions) or Poisoner feat (for poisons)
  • Alchemist’s Supplies or Poisoner’s Kit (50 gp, 10 uses)
  • Supply (base material)
  • A clean environment (camp, shelter, or better—not mid-dungeon)

The kit includes binders, bottles, and reagents. When it’s empty, buy another.

What Can Be Harvested?

If a creature has a special ability that forces a saving throw, you can probably harvest something from it.

Source Element
Basilisk eyes Petrification
Giant spider venom sacs Poison
Fire beetle glands Light
Ghast glands Paralysis, stench
Black pudding residue Acid
Gelatinous cube slime Paralysis
Dragon breath glands Fire, cold, lightning, etc.

This extends beyond monsters. Toxic mushrooms, venomous plants, dungeon slimes—if it forces a save, it likely has something worth extracting.

Harvesting

After killing a creature with a harvestable ability, anyone can attempt to extract the element.

Roll: INT or WIS check vs DC (based on creature HD)

Creature HD DC
1–4 8
5–8 12
9–12 16
13+ 20

Success: You harvest essences equal to the creature’s HD.

Failure: The element is ruined. Nothing recovered.

Time: 1 Turn (10 minutes).

The Alchemist and Poisoner feats grant Edge on this check.

Essences

Essences are raw, unstable material. They won’t keep forever—use them or lose them.

Shelf life: Essences spoil after 1 week unless preserved (referee’s discretion for preservation methods).

Combine essences into a single potion or poison for greater potency:

Essences Used Effect DC
1 DC 8
2 DC 12
3 DC 16

You choose how many essences to use when crafting.

Crafting

Crafting requires the Alchemist feat (for potions) or Poisoner feat (for poisons).

Requirements:

  • The appropriate feat
  • A safe environment (see below)
  • 1 Supply per essence used
  • 1 kit use per essence used

Environment affects the roll:

Environment Modifier
Camp or shelter Setback
Town workshop Normal
Laboratory Edge

Time: 1 Watch (4 hours) per essence used.

Roll: INT check vs DC (based on the creature’s HD, not the potency you’re creating)

Success: You create the potion or poison. It delivers the creature’s effect at the DC you chose.

Failure: The essences are lost. Supply and kit uses are consumed.

No feat? Sell your essences to an alchemist in town, or find someone with the skill.

Using Potions and Poisons

Potions: Drink as a free action on your turn. Effect is immediate.

Poisons: Apply to a weapon (1 action). The next hit with that weapon delivers the poison. Target makes a CON save vs the poison’s DC.

Doses: Each potion or poison is single-use.

Example: Basilisk

A party kills a basilisk (HD 6, DC 12 creature).

Harvest: The alchemist rolls INT vs DC 12. Success—they extract 6 essences.

Craft options:

  • Six DC 8 potions (6 essences, 6 Supply, 6 kit uses)
  • Three DC 12 potions (6 essences, 6 Supply, 6 kit uses)
  • Two DC 16 potions (6 essences, 6 Supply, 6 kit uses)

They choose two DC 16 potions. Each uses 3 essences, 3 Supply, and 3 kit uses. That’s 6 essences, 6 Supply, 6 kit uses total—plus 6 Watches (24 hours) of work.

They make two INT checks vs DC 12 (one per potion). Each success produces a potion that forces DC 16 CON or petrification.

Quick Reference

Step Check DC Time
Harvest INT or WIS By creature HD 1 Turn
Craft INT By creature HD 1 Watch per essence
Environment Modifier
Camp/shelter Setback
Town workshop Normal
Laboratory Edge
Essences Effect DC Supply Kit Uses Time
1 8 1 1 1 Watch
2 12 2 2 2 Watches
3 16 3 3 3 Watches
Creature HD DC
1–4 8
5–8 12
9–12 16
13+ 20