Adventures with an alchemy theme

[Tonguez]

I have three players who are wanting to be alchemist (of the seven classic operations, weird chemistry and flask-grenade throwing type) and I need to gt my head around how to structure a series of adventures and campaign around an 'alchemy theme'.

1. I'll probably have them start as apprentices under the same Master (probabaly at a University) and thus do missions for the Master.

2. How would you integrate the fun of fantasy adventurer with lab technician?

3. What are some appropriate missions, encounters and challenges for these alchemist?

4. What kind of BBEG might exist for them to uncover?

5. what would be the best game/system to run this under?

Your ideas much appreciated

 

[Cor_Malek]

Well, while GURPS can be made into just about anything and Call of Cthulhu is good with professor-types...

I can't help but to nudge you towards Pathfinder and it's new class - The Alchemist. It's free for grab in the Advanced Player's Guide Final Class Playtest PDF. It's pretty much the only profession from this excerpt that seems to me to be fun to play with (as opposed to fun for NPC's).

At the very least, take a look at it, it might give you some interesting ideas.


As to adventure itself, I'm sure some will be able to recommend Paizo adventures that would work in that theme - and I daresay that Paizo makes some publishings that are alluring even to people used to relying on own ideas.


K... ideas then

2. - Bah, how do you separate the two! There are laboratories and libraries within University that are off-limits for mere apprentices and they still need to use them. They are a great connection to the world of scholars for any secret agent/mobster/cultist who wants to access something. They meet on daily basis the greatest of the land, as well as the craziest (often - same person). If a loner-type genius alchemician gets framed/murdered/kidnapped - who is gonna aid him if not his lovable rascals in burned labcoats? Maybe the university suddenly kicks out all non-humans? What caused the sudden change of mind?

3. Think - "forensics". On top of that, it's not easy to get all the equipment and chemicals in medieval-themed society. Especially for projects that are not kingdom-sanctioned. And sometimes prohibited by very specific edicts. And in pre- genius bar ages, the beret and goatee type of people tended to form all kinds of secret societies.

4. The lovable teacher might be manipulative villain, there are the aforementioned secret societies, and secret agents. But most common type are... other professors. Envy, grief, jealousy - there is plenty of reasons to go around. Truly, you'd rather expose your back around assassins - at least they back-stab you only of they got paid.


Damn that's a fun subject! I think I'm gonna get backl at this in a couple of hours

 

[Gilladian]

Definitely the classic sort of "fetch and carry" adventure - "go visit the fire swamp and bring me the blood of an R.O.U.S." works very well for an alchemical group.

Also the "oops, only the ground bones of a roc can cure the horrid wilting you just created with that failed potion" sort of thing.

But also, hunting for the lost lore of the ancients is good; I've got a dwarf technodelver in my campaign who has gone on two major missions to locate parts of an ancient gnome clockwork academy. He's still intent on getting into the third, now that he knows where it is, as well.

Also, maybe another professor at the University (or his students) could make a bad error in summoning, and the PCs are forced to deal with the results; imagine having to lead an impromptu defense and rescue mission through the grounds of the campus. There was an old Dungeon adventure, I think, about an Academy that was invaded by evil...

As far as choosing a system - choose the one you like running the best!

 

[Aeolius]

Two Words: Potion Miscibility

 

[Whisper72]

Your professor succeeded in solving the mystery of immortality! Only catch is, there's only enough material to give the potion of everlasting life to a few people. Everybody wants it.... everybody is out to get him. The professor already disappeared. Is he dead? In hiding? Nobody knows, but you, the apprentice, MUST know more... now everybody is out to get YOU!

Trying to find some new formula, a rare book is opened. It appears that it is not what was expected. It contains a deadly, disastrous secret. Upon reading the tome, SOMETHING escaped. People start dropping dead all over town. There is a connection, but what is it, and how will it help to find the escaped being? What is it trying to accomplish. Maybe it should not be stopped at all?

 

[malcolypse]

quest for knowledge leads to professor's quest for immortality leads to professor lich leads to oh, dear gods, this is our fault leads to final battle to save the land from professor lich and redemption for the chaos unleashed.

best immortality formula ever was on babylon 5. the secret ingredient was the lifeforce of another sentient being, so for one to live forever another must be killed. give them one of these situations and they won't want to use the secret they helped uncover and watch them scramble to put a stop to what they've unleashed.

 

[Tonguez]

Great ideas - please keep them coming

One idea I did have was for the BBEG to create a 'blood crucible' - a vat that a person could immerse themselves in inorder to restore his youth. The only catch being that the main ingredient in the mixture is human(oid) blood.

I was also discussing alchemist archetypes and the idea of a disease alchemist (who brews his own diseases) came up - so perhaps a BBEG atempting to create a sentient miasma...

 

[MichaelSomething]

You could try readin' up on Fullmetal Alchemist. It's a anime/manga largely about alchemy.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

If you can find The Complete Alchemist by Bard Games (I think, long out of print.), you might want to look at it. Long lists of reagents and such. The class had kinda a weird progression of levels though. And you might also look for Lost in Translation by Margaret Ball. Not about alcemists per se, but it does have some intetesting ideas on a magical acadamy with a professor as the BBEG, who believes that he's working for the common good, if only those pesky laws didn't keep getting in the way!

 

[arscott]

Do your players want to play the sort of alchemists who solve problems with their keen intellect and understanding of elemental theory? or the sort of alchemist who solves problems with explosions? Because those dictate very different sorts of campaigns.

For the thinky side of things, I'd recommend Harry Potter as an inspiration--mostly mystery and political type stories, with actual combat popping up only on occasion. Ars Magica might be a good starting point, system wise.

For the blow-em-up style, d20 or similar should work great. Aquisition of power as the goal for both the party and the villians--battling over hard to find reagents and lost alchemic formulae.