The Art of the Temporary Self

Alchemy & Pharmacology is the discipline of catalysts and consumables. It is the art of capturing the ephemeral properties of the universe: the hidden virtues of plants, minerals, and creatures; and distilling them into a potent, single-use form. An alchemist does not create a permanent object; they create a temporary state of being.

This discipline is the science of transformation, heavily inspired by the radical, system-breaking potential of classic RPGs like Morrowind. The path of the Alchemist is a journey from the garden to the godhead, a progression that begins with simple herbal remedies and culminates in the crafting of diabolical concoctions that can rewrite an Incarnation’s physical form or offer a fleeting taste of transcendence. It is the most dangerous and potentially the most powerful of all crafting arts.

The Alchemical Process: A Tripartite Formula

The creation of an alchemical or pharmacological product remains a precise process. Every formula is a combination of three core elements, but the quality and nature of these elements evolve dramatically with the Alchemist’s mastery and technology.

1. The Base (The Delivery Medium)

The Base determines how the final product will be used and its general nature. It is the vessel for the effect. (Examples: [Saline Solution], [Nutrient Paste], [Gas Canister], [Crystal Lattice]).

2. The Reagent (The Source of Power)

The Reagent is the core, active ingredient. It is the source of the item’s primary effect, the story it tells the body or the mind. A master Alchemist is, fundamentally, a master botanist and xenobiologist, as the rarest effects come from the most exotic life forms.

3. The Catalyst (The Refining Agent)

The Catalyst is a secondary ingredient that modifies or enhances the primary effect of the Reagent. (Examples: [Stabilizer], [Amplifier], [Purifier], [Binding Agent]).

Tier 1: The Herbalist’s Art (The Forager’s Path)

Philosophy: This is the foundational stage, rooted in the direct observation of nature. The Alchemist is a forager, a hedge-witch, a village herbalist. They are not imposing their will upon nature, but listening to its secrets. Knowledge is gained through trial, error, and tasting things you probably shouldn’t.

The Station: A simple Mortar & Pestle. Crafting is a direct, physical act of grinding and mixing.

The Process & Farming Link: At this tier, the Alchemist is entirely dependent on wild-harvested ingredients. Their core gameplay loop involves Exploration to find new plants and creatures, followed by risky experimentation. The Farming skill is crucial for creating a reliable supply of known reagents by domesticating these wild finds.

Example Creations:

• [Healing Poultice]: (Base: [Moss Paste], Reagent: [Sun-Petal Leaf]). A simple but effective salve.
• [Weak Beast-Repellent Musk]: (Base: [Animal Tallow], Reagent: [Stink-Horn Fungus]).
• [Mild Hallucinogen]: A “recreational” concoction that causes minor, temporary visual distortions in the Subjective Interface.

Tier 2: The Pharmacologist’s Science (The Laboratory Path)

Philosophy: The Alchemist is now a scientist. They are no longer content with the raw plant; they seek to isolate its active compound. This is the era of precision, refinement, and mass production. The goal is to create reliable, potent, and predictable effects.

The Station: An advanced Chemistry Station or Auto-Brewer. This allows for precise temperature control, fractional distillation, and the synthesis of complex chemical catalysts.

The Process & Farming Link: This tier demands purity. Wild-harvested ingredients are too variable. The Alchemist now relies on a highly-developed farm with fully domesticated crops to provide a steady stream of pure, high-quality reagents. The Farming skill becomes a direct support for the Alchemy skill.

Example Creations:

• [Adrenal Combat-Stim Injector]: (Base: [Saline Solution], Reagent: [Refined Apex-Predator Adrenaline], Catalyst: [Stabilizer]). Grants a significant, temporary boost to Agility and Strength.
• [Corrosive Agent Grenade]: (Base: [Gas Canister], Reagent: [Acidic Beetle Bile]). An area-of-effect weapon that melts armor.
• [Neuro-Blocker]: A sophisticated medicine that grants temporary immunity to psychic influence.

Tier 3: The Eidic Alchemist’s Heresy (The Metaphysical Path)

Philosophy: The Alchemist is now a metaphysician, a heretic meddling with the source code of reality. They have learned that a physical substance is just a vessel for a deeper, narrative essence. The goal is no longer to merely affect the body, but to rewrite it. This is where alchemy becomes truly strange, powerful, and terrifying.

The Station: An esoteric and dangerous Alembic of Souls or Eidic Resonator. This is not a machine, but a ritual space that uses focused psychic energy or paradoxical physics to transmute the very Eidos of its ingredients.

The Process & Farming Link: This tier requires impossible ingredients. The Alchemist must push farming into the realm of the unnatural, using the Hybridization skill to cross-breed plants into new, “unnatural” species that possess unique and powerful Eidic resonance. They may also need to harvest reagents from psychic entities or from places scarred by intense emotion.

The Risk of Failure: A failed craft at this tier is catastrophic. The Alembic might explode with raw narrative energy, inflicting a permanent [Psychic Scar] on the creator, summoning a hostile [Eidic Echo], or giving the player a terrifying, sanity-draining glimpse of the Fallow.

Example Creations: The Diabolical Concoctions

• [Draught of the Borrowed Skill]: A potion that temporarily grants a high level of a Skill the user has never learned, by imbuing them with the ghost-memory of a master.
• [Elixir of the Unstable Form]: A mutagenic concoction that forces a single, random, and permanent change to the user’s Vessel. It might grant them a new, powerful component like [Chitinous Plating]… or a debilitating [Tumorous Growth]. A high-stakes gamble for those desperate to rewrite their physical form.
• [Tincture of the Severed Thread]: A terrifying poison that doesn’t just kill. It attacks the target’s Metaphysical Attunement, potentially reducing their Resonance and severing their connection to their own legacy. It is a soul-killing weapon.
• [The Moment of Apotheosis] (Unique, single-use, requires legendary ingredients): The ultimate alchemical creation. A shimmering, indescribable fluid that offers a single, fleeting moment of true Transcendence. For a few seconds, the user’s Subjective Interface dissolves, and they see the Tapestry from the outside, a glimpse of the Eidolon’s perspective. The experience is permanent and transformative, granting a massive, one-time boost to Resonance and unlocking unique meta-knowledge, but it shatters the body, killing the Incarnation in the process. It is a shortcut to understanding, and the price is everything.

The path of the Alchemist is for those who are not content with the reality they were given. It is a discipline that rewards curiosity and courage with the power to brew miracles and monsters in equal measure.