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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Radiating Gnome" data-source="post: 5845382" data-attributes="member: 150">I like a lot of the ideas here -- using a minor action could work.  One other thing you might want to do is allow the PC to replace the static attack bonus with their own (probably highest ability mod) if they're actively attacking with the stuff.  So, alchemists fire would use it's static attack bonus only if the PC is actively targeting -- if it drops on the target, etc. Also, remove the requirement to have the formula -- let them mix all common and uncommon alchemical concoctions without the formula.  Maybe, to make it easier to make bunches of the stuff, every time they mix up a potion they produce 1d6 doses, rather than just one.I think, though, that the challenge with alchemy is more a function of the style of typical 4e encounters. 4e, by removing the need to spend a few rounds "buffing" before (or early in) an encounter, by making it much less of a disadvantage to just charge into an encounter and start swinging -- made it much less likely that items that are best used through preparation and foreknowledge like alchemical items will be of much use.  I don't know -- rituals are also hard to use and very, very rarely used in our games. I'm kicking around an idea for rituals that might work for alchemy, too -- just treat it all ask skill challenges.  So, allow the PC to come up with something they'd like to try to mix up -- a batch of rocket fuel alchemist's fire -- and then have them complete a skill challenge to pull it off. But the challenge isn't just making their arcana checks to mix the stuff -- they have to use other skills to do things like find ingredients, etc.  Require symbolic ingredients (let the PC come up with what they are) so alchemy starts to involve some sympathetic magic, too.    So, for example, the PC wants to make a potion of Jump. They need to find crickets, frog legs, rabbits feet, or some other symbolic ingredient to go into the potion. Gathering that requires a skill check of some sort (streetwise to find it in local shops, nature to find them in the wild, etc). I dunno.  That's not a whole idea yet, just a spark. -j</blockquote>

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