Popular fiction is filled with examples of medicine men and wise women mixing various bits of barely identifiable components into a variety of concoctions from healing salves to cures for poisons, to Miracle Max’s cure for being “almost” dead. When magic is rare or unavailable, it makes sense that such a craft would be popular. An alchemist’s lab will be filled with such staples as eye of newt, lizard tails, various leaves and herbs and samples of different minerals.
As written, the alchemy skill is the territory of spellcasters. However, the art of alchemy exists in our world, so it seems that potency with arcane or divine magic should not be a prerequisite. In a world where powerful mages and clerics do not exist, a party of PCs would come to depend on a skilled alchemist for a variety of reasons. My intent here is to expand the utility of the alchemist, especially in relation to campaign worlds otherwise devoid of magic. The major change is to remove the requirement that a character be a spellcaster in order to craft alchemical items. This makes the craft (alchemy) skill appealing to all classes.
The cost of creating alchemical potions
While the items created are not magical and do not radiate any sort of magical aura, it is simplest to refer to caster level and spell level as with normal potion rules. Caster level is the level needed to produce the given effect. For example, a cure light wounds potion that heals 1d8+1 hit points would be caster level 1 while one that heals 1d8+5 would be caster level 5. Spell level is simply the level of the spell used. The raw materials for crafting an alchemical potion cost 25 gp x [caster level] x [spell level], plus the cost of any expensive material component required by the spell. Thus, the raw materials for crafting a 1st level potion of cure light wounds are 25 gp, while the raw materials for crafting a potion of lesser restoration are 150 gp. In addition, the DM may determine that materials for a particular potion (especially those with costly components) are rare enough to require the party to acquire them personally. Unlike standard D20 magical potions, alchemical potions have no XP cost.
Determining the craft DC
To determine the craft (alchemy) DC, multiply the level of spell being used by five and add twenty. So, a cure light wounds potion’s DC would be (5x1)+20 or 25. As with magical potions, the maximum spell level that can be crafted is 3, so the maximum Craft (alchemy) DC would be 35. The maximum caster level that can be produced is equal to the alchemist’s total class levels, so a level 2 expert could create potions of cure light wounds that heal up to 1d8+2 hit points. If a monster has craft (alchemy) among the skills listed in its Monster Manual entry, add its HD to any class levels to determine maximum caster level.
Identifying alchemical potions
When attempting to determine the value of an alchemical potion with the appraise skill, a successful DC 15 check will reveal the concoction has some unusual value. A successful DC 20 check will identify the function of the potion.
The form of a given potion need not be consistent. A healing potion could take the form of an ingested oil, a gritty paste, or an incense that must be burned and inhaled. Potions that only affect objects must be in a form that is applied, such as soaking the item in a vat of liquid or smearing on a paste.
