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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Galloglaich" data-source="post: 5249694" data-attributes="member: 77019">Ah... you know that kind of statement is like putting a red flag in front of a bull in this thread right? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue    :P"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" />I think the above statement is true only if you are looking at a DnD or RPG version of 'real life professions' as opposed to the actual historical one.Yeah... I'm not sure about that.  I think alchemists could be very powerful.  If for example, you handled acids realistically for example.  Al Jebir, 'The Alchemist' and Zakariya al-Razi discovered Nitric, Hydrochloric and Sulfuric acid in the 9th Century AD, and the distilation of alcohol and kerosine.  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Razi" target="_blank">Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>These chemicals were known and perfected as 'aqua regia' and 'aqua fortis' etc. during the Middle Ages in Italy when his work (and that of other Arab and Persian alchemists) was discovered.  In 'real-life' acid is not only a very formidable weapon, but it can be used for other very useful things like damaging locks, destroying various things.  Distilled Spirits / Alcohol is another extremely useful substance which, if handled realistically, could be of immense value.  I don't have to tell you how dangerous kerosine can be in the wrong hands.Gunpowder was another valuable substance "invented" by medieval Alchemists (though it was already known in China), Roger Bacon published the formula in his 'Opus Magus' in the 1267 AD.  He also outlines the uses of lenses, which again, I probably don't have to explain the tactical value of magnifying glasses, spy glasses etc. to an adventurer.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_Majus" target="_blank">Opus Majus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>Drugs, can be very potent.  Opium, hallucinogenics, and medicine all have their various uses.  A dragon which ate a sheep say, that was infused with opium, would probably be sleeping for a long time.  I don't even want to think about a Dragon which has been dosed with cylocibin cubensis or ergot (essentially LSD) or belladonna.And that is just if you use the realistic.  You don't have to have your alchemist stick to the real world.  Surviving alchemical documents include formulae for everything from summoning scorpions to raising the dead to creating artificial life.  The alchemical science of 'Takwin', which the Arab alchemists were obsessed with, dealt all to do with the creation of artificial lives:"Jābir's alchemical investigations ostensibly revolved around the  ultimate goal of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takwin" target="_blank">takwin</a> — the artificial creation of life. The Book  of Stones includes several recipes for creating creatures such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion" target="_blank">scorpions</a>,  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake" target="_blank">snakes</a>,  and even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human" target="_blank">humans</a>  in a laboratory environment, which are subject to the control of their  creator. What Jābir meant by these recipes is unknown."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C4%81bir_ibn_Hayy%C4%81n#Theories" target="_blank">JÄbir ibn HayyÄn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takwin" target="_blank">Takwin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>The most famous case of this in Europe was the Marahval of Prague in the Renaissance,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judah_Loew_ben_Bezalel" target="_blank">Judah Loew ben Bezalel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golem_of_Prague" target="_blank">Golem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>It doesn't matter if these things actually existed or not, but people then actually believed them and the stories are much more elaborate and rich than anything anybody comes up with in gaming or RPG books.And this is just scratching the surface.  The European alchemists of the Renaissance got into some really weird <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />, and this went on for centuries.  Sir Issac Newton carried out a magical war against one of his rivals.  I don't have time to get into all of it here but it's far out stuff.Anyway the bottom line is, I think there is plenty of room for a really cool alchemist class, I'd like to make one for the codex though I'm swamped with other stuff.  I'm probably going to include sort of a small prototype of one in my new canned adventure I'm working on right now.  You can 'skip ahead to the good parts' the same way you 'skip ahead' with Wizards when they are studying spells and etc., but I don't even think that is necessary.  All this stuff is plenty interesting if you dig deep enough.G.</blockquote>

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