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Alchemy & Herbalists
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<blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2009126" data-attributes="member: 9860"><p>This is not a playtest review.</p><p></p><p>Alchemy & Herbalists is another tome in Bastion's rapidly increasing line of rules-orientated accessories.</p><p></p><p>At $24.95 for 96 pages, A&H is at first sight fairly expensive for this type of sourcebook. However, the book is in full colour and space is used relatively well. Unlike previous Bastion products, the use of full colour is justified here with much better quality of artwork on the whole, much of which shows a distinct Expressionistic influence similar to Franz Marc and Kandinsky. However, some of the art is similar to previous products and really suffers in comparison to the other good pieces. Wisely, Bastion have stuck with what they're good at in this tome - rules; the writing quality reflects this approach, being concise and lucid. Editing is good.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 1: Basics of Alchemy, gives a general discussion of alchemy within the d20 rules and then begins to expand on the detail of alchemy. The Alchemists Lab of the PHB is broken down into its component parts with explanation of each item, various alchemical processes such as calcination, distillation, and cupellation are explained, and a few of the alchemists activities are discussed such as analysis and identification of potions, and designing various alchemical creations (some of which are exemplified in later chapters). The focus here is on NPC Alchemists and their use to PCs in game terms.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 2: Saragun's Alcheminary, presents a school for alchemists. The chapter is detailed, covering the building itself, the teachers, the syllabus and three alchemist prestige classes - the Black, White, and Red Alchemists. The colours do not really refer to alignment. Black alchemists concentrate on transmuting inanimate objects (e.g. lead to gold), white alchemists on transforming living organisms (e.g. potions of healing), and the red alchemist concentrates on uniting these two schools of thought (e.g. creating the philosophers stone). There are also sidebars on real world alchemy and GM guidelines for PC students of the the alcheminary. </p><p></p><p>Chapter 3: Basics of Herbalism, again discusses the items used by herbalists and helpfully gives a clear explanation of the differences between those who use Profession: Herbalist, Profession: Apothecary, Knowledge: Herbalism and Heal skills in terms of herbalism. The chapter continues with detailed information on growing, harvesting and preserving herbs, and finishes with some ideas for creating mundane herbal concoctions.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 4: Tarasta's School of Herbalism, gives a detailed example of a location where the secrets of herbalism could be taught. Like Chapter 2, information on the buildings, teachers and teaching strategies used by the school is presented. There are also sidebars covering PC students of herbalism and 'crisis creations' - short-cut herbalism using spells such as mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost and burning hands to quickly harvest and prepare components. Two prestige classes are offered - the Tarastan Herbalist and the Tarastan Apothecary, the former focusing on the tending of nature, the second focusing on healing and medicines.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 5: Herbal Catalog, details nearly 60 plants and their uses in herbalism. Each plant has a template which includes stats on its rarity (defining how easy it is to find), environment, harvest times (defining availability), cost, and its use in game terms (both mundane, and magical if relevant). Examples include plants of Earth such as wolfsbane, belladonna, holly, and mistletoe as well as fantasy plants (I think!) such as firesnap, dragons blood and magirosa. Text also includes advice for methods of harvesting and preservation, and expands on the limited game use information. There is also some information on varying costs dependent on the harvesting time for the plant compared to when its being looked for.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 6: Knowledge & Development, begins by introducing a number of new (mainly Item Creation) feats such as Craft Powders & Dusts, Craft Toxins, and Crisis Creation (see previous). There is some useful detail on synergy bonuses relating to the standard skills from the PHB. The chapter then concentrates on 'Who Makes What' - in other words, a paragraph on each type of item (from acids to potions to toxins, and some of the specialised items discussed in further chapters) in terms of which skill or feat is required to be able to create them. There is also a table summarising this section.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 7: Catalog Herbala y Alchemica, is obviously named ready for the Spanish translation of Alchemy & Herbalists. That aside, this chapter comprises a large number of new alchemical and herbal items, both magical and mundane. The chapter begins with some new types of items - Alchana (wondrous alchemical items, including such items as the Philosopher's Stone), Chymicals & Compounds (substances used in alchemical processes, such as acids, inks and solvents), Erlcana (including swathes - amalgams of still-living plants that cause magical effects, such as a cocoon swathe that provides healing to those wrapped within it), Ingestibles (such as elixirs and potions), Powders & Dusts, Toxins & Poisons, and Unguents (ointments, oils, pastes, salves and perfumes). There are treasure tables for each of the types. 120 different items are then presented, defined by type and with costings, skill check DCs, and prerequisites for each one. The list of playtesters at the beginning of the book shows that there has been attention paid to detail and balance but as always the GM should thoroughly think through the consequences of introducing some of these items to his campaign, as they could have far-reaching effects. I did notice that there is a missing table in relation to the Philosopher's Stone item. This chapter takes up nearly half of the book.</p><p></p><p>Appendix One: Monsters, gives two new monsters - the Alchemunculus (an alchemical homunculus) which can be used as an alchemist's familiar, and the Erlmantle (an intelligent bundle of thorny plants) which can also be used as a familiar, by a herbalist. A new template, Kin o' the Green, a type of half-animal/humanoid-half-plant, created by the magical process of 'greengifting' eventually develops into a kind of treant. Appendix Two gives a table of the feats introduced in the book, and their powers.</p><p></p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>Alchemy & Herbalists is a detailed and well-written book, with plenty of ideas on the subjects of the title. For those idea-starved GMs, Chapter 7 gives a wealth of new alchemical and herbal items to introduce into her campaign. The rest of the book gives plenty of background information for GMs to develop NPCs focused on alchemy and herbalism. Apart from Chapter 7, the book is less useful for players. </p><p></p><p>I found the rules to be a little too detailed for smooth PC use. For example, the entry for the plant 'Bryony' gives different DCs for saves against poison depending if the toxin was made from the roots, leaves and flowers, or berries. This unnecessary depth is a feature throughout much of the book. The detail often makes for interesting reading, but I would question how effectively the information could actually be used in-game. Instead, I would have preferred to have seen a table, much like the poison table in the DMG, listing game effects of the various plants - this could have covered more plants and would have been more useful than detail about which time of the month and with what metal the plant should be harvested. That said, the detail presented could be used to add atmosphere to a game.</p><p></p><p>Overall, this is useful only as long as you know the two subjects covered are going to be an important part of your campaign. Though well-written and with much improved artwork, its limited usefulness is reflected in my final rating.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Simon Collins, post: 2009126, member: 9860"] This is not a playtest review. Alchemy & Herbalists is another tome in Bastion's rapidly increasing line of rules-orientated accessories. At $24.95 for 96 pages, A&H is at first sight fairly expensive for this type of sourcebook. However, the book is in full colour and space is used relatively well. Unlike previous Bastion products, the use of full colour is justified here with much better quality of artwork on the whole, much of which shows a distinct Expressionistic influence similar to Franz Marc and Kandinsky. However, some of the art is similar to previous products and really suffers in comparison to the other good pieces. Wisely, Bastion have stuck with what they're good at in this tome - rules; the writing quality reflects this approach, being concise and lucid. Editing is good. Chapter 1: Basics of Alchemy, gives a general discussion of alchemy within the d20 rules and then begins to expand on the detail of alchemy. The Alchemists Lab of the PHB is broken down into its component parts with explanation of each item, various alchemical processes such as calcination, distillation, and cupellation are explained, and a few of the alchemists activities are discussed such as analysis and identification of potions, and designing various alchemical creations (some of which are exemplified in later chapters). The focus here is on NPC Alchemists and their use to PCs in game terms. Chapter 2: Saragun's Alcheminary, presents a school for alchemists. The chapter is detailed, covering the building itself, the teachers, the syllabus and three alchemist prestige classes - the Black, White, and Red Alchemists. The colours do not really refer to alignment. Black alchemists concentrate on transmuting inanimate objects (e.g. lead to gold), white alchemists on transforming living organisms (e.g. potions of healing), and the red alchemist concentrates on uniting these two schools of thought (e.g. creating the philosophers stone). There are also sidebars on real world alchemy and GM guidelines for PC students of the the alcheminary. Chapter 3: Basics of Herbalism, again discusses the items used by herbalists and helpfully gives a clear explanation of the differences between those who use Profession: Herbalist, Profession: Apothecary, Knowledge: Herbalism and Heal skills in terms of herbalism. The chapter continues with detailed information on growing, harvesting and preserving herbs, and finishes with some ideas for creating mundane herbal concoctions. Chapter 4: Tarasta's School of Herbalism, gives a detailed example of a location where the secrets of herbalism could be taught. Like Chapter 2, information on the buildings, teachers and teaching strategies used by the school is presented. There are also sidebars covering PC students of herbalism and 'crisis creations' - short-cut herbalism using spells such as mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost and burning hands to quickly harvest and prepare components. Two prestige classes are offered - the Tarastan Herbalist and the Tarastan Apothecary, the former focusing on the tending of nature, the second focusing on healing and medicines. Chapter 5: Herbal Catalog, details nearly 60 plants and their uses in herbalism. Each plant has a template which includes stats on its rarity (defining how easy it is to find), environment, harvest times (defining availability), cost, and its use in game terms (both mundane, and magical if relevant). Examples include plants of Earth such as wolfsbane, belladonna, holly, and mistletoe as well as fantasy plants (I think!) such as firesnap, dragons blood and magirosa. Text also includes advice for methods of harvesting and preservation, and expands on the limited game use information. There is also some information on varying costs dependent on the harvesting time for the plant compared to when its being looked for. Chapter 6: Knowledge & Development, begins by introducing a number of new (mainly Item Creation) feats such as Craft Powders & Dusts, Craft Toxins, and Crisis Creation (see previous). There is some useful detail on synergy bonuses relating to the standard skills from the PHB. The chapter then concentrates on 'Who Makes What' - in other words, a paragraph on each type of item (from acids to potions to toxins, and some of the specialised items discussed in further chapters) in terms of which skill or feat is required to be able to create them. There is also a table summarising this section. Chapter 7: Catalog Herbala y Alchemica, is obviously named ready for the Spanish translation of Alchemy & Herbalists. That aside, this chapter comprises a large number of new alchemical and herbal items, both magical and mundane. The chapter begins with some new types of items - Alchana (wondrous alchemical items, including such items as the Philosopher's Stone), Chymicals & Compounds (substances used in alchemical processes, such as acids, inks and solvents), Erlcana (including swathes - amalgams of still-living plants that cause magical effects, such as a cocoon swathe that provides healing to those wrapped within it), Ingestibles (such as elixirs and potions), Powders & Dusts, Toxins & Poisons, and Unguents (ointments, oils, pastes, salves and perfumes). There are treasure tables for each of the types. 120 different items are then presented, defined by type and with costings, skill check DCs, and prerequisites for each one. The list of playtesters at the beginning of the book shows that there has been attention paid to detail and balance but as always the GM should thoroughly think through the consequences of introducing some of these items to his campaign, as they could have far-reaching effects. I did notice that there is a missing table in relation to the Philosopher's Stone item. This chapter takes up nearly half of the book. Appendix One: Monsters, gives two new monsters - the Alchemunculus (an alchemical homunculus) which can be used as an alchemist's familiar, and the Erlmantle (an intelligent bundle of thorny plants) which can also be used as a familiar, by a herbalist. A new template, Kin o' the Green, a type of half-animal/humanoid-half-plant, created by the magical process of 'greengifting' eventually develops into a kind of treant. Appendix Two gives a table of the feats introduced in the book, and their powers. Conclusion: Alchemy & Herbalists is a detailed and well-written book, with plenty of ideas on the subjects of the title. For those idea-starved GMs, Chapter 7 gives a wealth of new alchemical and herbal items to introduce into her campaign. The rest of the book gives plenty of background information for GMs to develop NPCs focused on alchemy and herbalism. Apart from Chapter 7, the book is less useful for players. I found the rules to be a little too detailed for smooth PC use. For example, the entry for the plant 'Bryony' gives different DCs for saves against poison depending if the toxin was made from the roots, leaves and flowers, or berries. This unnecessary depth is a feature throughout much of the book. The detail often makes for interesting reading, but I would question how effectively the information could actually be used in-game. Instead, I would have preferred to have seen a table, much like the poison table in the DMG, listing game effects of the various plants - this could have covered more plants and would have been more useful than detail about which time of the month and with what metal the plant should be harvested. That said, the detail presented could be used to add atmosphere to a game. Overall, this is useful only as long as you know the two subjects covered are going to be an important part of your campaign. Though well-written and with much improved artwork, its limited usefulness is reflected in my final rating. [/QUOTE]
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