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Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2008 by Geoff Habiger and Tangent Games.POD ISBN: 978-1-932926-04-0 First Print Edition. Third Edition overall.

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher except for content marked as Open Gaming Content and is covered under the provisions of the Open Gaming License.

Author’s Note: This entire product is considered to be Open Game Content (OGC) and is governed by the Open Gaming License (OGL) version 1.0.

Cover Image: The Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, by Joseph Wright, 1771 (The image is in the public domain.)

Edited by: Coy KisseeCover & Interior Layout: Geoff Habiger

Tangent Games7808 Monrovia StLenexa, KS 66216

www.tangent-games.com Taking Games in a New Direction

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Table of Contents

THE ALCHEMIST ............................................................................................................. 4

Strong Acids: ............................................................................................... 6Average Acids: ............................................................................................ 7Weak Acids: ................................................................................................ 7

Strong Bases: .............................................................................................. 9Average Bases: .......................................................................................... 10Weak Bases: .............................................................................................. 10

NATURAL ELEMENTS AND OTHER ALCHEMICAL ITEMS .................................. 11Antimony (Sb): ......................................................................................... 12Arsenic (As): ............................................................................................. 12Bromine (Br): ............................................................................................ 13Chlorine (Cl): ............................................................................................ 13Magnesium (Mg): ..................................................................................... 14Mercury (Hg): ........................................................................................... 16Phosphorus (P): ......................................................................................... 17Aqua Regia: .............................................................................................. 18Herbicide: .................................................................................................. 19Pesticide: ................................................................................................... 19

TABLE 1: ACIDS AND BASES ...................................................................................... 20TABLE 2: NATURAL ELEMENTS AND OTHER ITEMS ............................................ 21OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a ............................................................................. 22

ACIDS ................................................................................................................................ 5

BASES ............................................................................................................................... 8

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The bell above the door jingled as I entered the alchemist’s shop. The shop was poorly lit by dozens of candles and smelled of dust and numerous pungent odors I couldn’t begin to describe. A wizened man with long and unkempt white hair looked up from the small table covered in parchment at the back of the room, his fingers black from ink. “May I help you?” His voice was raspy and held an edge that seemed to say it was obvious that I was in need of help.

“Yes,” I stammered. I adjusted my sword and tried to stand straighter. “I heard I could find some acids here.”

“Ah,” the voice rang with recognition. “Going after the trolls in the Grey Caverns.”

It was a statement of fact. I hadn’t thought it would be so obvious, but I guess this old man had seen enough people like me to put two and two together.

“Yes,” I replied, walking toward the old man. “Do you have any acids or not?” I put an edge to my voice to show I wasn’t scared about the trolls..“Heh,” it sounded like a cough but I think he was laughing at me. “Mighty brave aren’t you, with your sword and armor? Very nasty, those trolls can be, and your fancy armor won’t help when those trolls just keep coming and coming. Well, if you want to live, you’ll listen to ol’ Glennon and keep your temper in check!” He pointed a gnarled finger at me and I took an involuntary step back. Glennon laughed again, “Heh, heh. You’ll be in need of some good acid to keep those nasty trolls from coming back. I’m sure I have something that will suit your need.”

He rose with a series of popping joints and walked over to a cluttered cabinet filled with all sizes and shapes of colored bottles. “Definitely don’t want something weak, like formic acid. Just make‘em mad is all that’ll do, heh, heh.” He coughed as he laughed. “Maybe something stronger, like hydrochloric.” He reached for a brown-colored bottle.

“Hi dro chloric.” The alchemical name tasted foreign in my mouth. “And that is the strongest acid you have?” I didn’t want to take any chances with the trolls.

“The lad wants something stronger?” He gave me a wise glance from behind locks of his hair that had fallen over his eyes. “Smart lad you are, but how smart? It’ll cost you, you know. It takes considerable time and resources to make the strongest acids. They aren’t cheap.”

“I’m willing to pay,” I pulled out my money pouch from the inside folds of my cloak and tossed it on the table. It landed with a deep thud and the chink of coins.

“Well then,” the alchemist put the brown bottle back and reached for a key around his neck. “Lets see if the sulfuric will do the trick. Nasty stuff, sulfuric is, nice and thick. Makes real horrible burns.” He unlocked a high cabinet and I could see a ragged burn scar on his right forearm, obviously the result of an acid burn, as he pulled out a large bottle with a greenish hue. He set the bottle on the table and reached for some smaller clay flasks. “Now, how much is it worth to you to survive your foray into the Grey Caverns?”

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The AlchemistAlchemists spend their lives in pursuit of chemical knowledge. Their days are spent cloistered away in dark and musty rooms where they divine the secrets of the universe; in the process, they find new and useful ways to apply chemistry to our everyday lives. Sometimes the alchemist comes across unexpected items while searching for a solution to another problem. One alchemist, attempting to find a way to make gold out of the mud near his king’s castle discovered porcelain instead!

Alchemists are known for their wondrous creations to aid the stalwart adventurer. Often the alchemist is sought after for their skill in crafting alternative weapons, such as acids and alchemist’s fire. In their pursuit of chemical knowledge, many alchemists have discovered different corrosive and caustic substances that are hazardous to all manner of creatures. Acids, and their counterpart bases, are hazardous substances that make excellent splash weapons and traps.

Along with acids and bases, alchemists have also discovered natural elements, like chlorine, that have dangerous effects. Using their finely-honed skills, alchemists learn to extract these elements and jealously guard the secrets of crafting them.

What follows are descriptions for different types of acids, bases, and natural elements. Each description covers, in brief, the type of chemical substance, followed by a description of different types of these alchemical items and how they can be incorporated into your campaign world. Descriptions are given not only for basic splash damage, but also for damage caused by inhalation, ingestion, and the result of getting the acid, base, or element splashed in your eyes. Using these rules can add many new dimensions to your game and help to liven up the often-mundane world of the alchemist.

Craft (Alchemy) Skill:In addition to using the Craft (Alchemy) skill to create the different acids, bases, and other alchemical items in this book, a PC with the skill can attempt to identify an alchemical substance by making a skill check. When doing this, the alchemist must make a skill check equal to the craft DC for the item being identified to properly identify the substance. If the substance is stored in a container that bears an alchemical mark, as listed with many of the items in this book, then the alchemist receives a +5 circumstance bonus to the check.

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AcidsThe simple chemistry definition of an acid is any corrosive liquid that reacts with metals or alkaline substances (bases) to form salts. This chemical reaction gives off energy in the form of heat and gases. It is the heat and fumes produced from acids that make them dangerous.

There are many types of acids, and while they all have slightly different properties, most acids can be categorized as being strong, average, or weak. Strong acids are liquids like sulfuric acid. They cause severe burns and blistering to the skin, and often lead to death if inhaled or ingested. Average acids are liquids like hydrochloric acid that can cause burns and blisters on the skin and are dangerous if inhaled or ingested. Weak acids are liquids like boric acid and are often more irritating than harmful, though in large quantities can still be dangerous.

Acids may seem like an all-powerful weapon, but the strength of an acid can be neutralized with a base or other alkali substance. In most cases, water is the best substance for neutralizing an acid. The safest way to neutralize the acid is to add the acid to the water. Adding water directly to the acid results in heat and the violent expansion of the acid, which erupts out of the container it was in. This causes damage to the unfortunate individual doing the mixing equal to the normal splash damage dealt by the acid. It takes five times the volume of the acid to neutralize it to a non-hazardous point with water. (For example: 1 flask of acid requires 5 flasks of water to make it non-hazardous.)

General Game Rules for AcidsBelow are optional game rules for incorporating strong, average, and weak acids into your campaign. Along with making excellent splash weapons, acids can be used as traps, as tools for assassinations, or as new natural or magical attacks for monsters. In all cases, a flask is considered to be a glass or clay vessel that holds approximately 100 mL of liquid and weighs 1 pound. Each entry also lists the Craft (Alchemy) skill check needed to manufacture the acid, the cost in materials to make it, and the market value of the acid.

Splash damage occurs when the acid comes in contact with the body – either by having acid spray onto the body, being hit with an acid flask that breaks open, or other method. Most clothing and armor does not protect a person from the acid unless it has been specially prepared to be impermeable to liquids.

Eye contact damage is applied when the acid damages a person’s eyes. This can be done through well-thrown flasks. A critical hit with an acid usually indicates that the acid made contact with the eyes. Along with the eye contact, splash damage is also applied to the victim along with any damage done to the eyes.

Inhalation effects occur if the listed amount of acid is exposed to the person, such as having a flask of acid burst on your person, or in the square where you are standing. Inhalation effects also occur with large amounts of acid in closed rooms. Usually an open barrel (about 25 gallons) in a 10 x 10 foot room is enough to cause the listed damage within 1d4 rounds of exposure.

Ingestion can occur from drinking the acid, being dunked under a large vat, or falling into

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a lake or pool of acid. To calculate damage from being immersed in acid (such as a vat or lake) multiply the damage result by 10 for each round of exposure.

Acids can affect creatures with immunity to bases.

Strong Acids:These are the most dangerous types of acids. They cause the most severe burns and damage to exposed skin, and have been known to cause death when ingested. They often have very strong and overpowering odors. Types of strong acids include: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrofluoric acid. Alchemists sometimes call strong acids by their alchemical names, vitriol or aqua fortis. Strong acids make the best splash weapons, dealing the most splash damage. Their pungent odor and strong fumes also make them excellent acids to use in traps, though this odor often precludes strong acids from being ‘accidentally’ ingested in the hopes of poisoning a victim.

Strong Acid Effects:Splash Damage: A flask of strong acid thrown as a splash weapon will deal 2d4 points of splash damage per round of exposure. A person hit by a strong acid, or standing in the same square where a flask of strong acid burst, must also make a save for inhalation damage as well as the splash damage.Eye Contact: A well-aimed throw (generally a critical hit) with a flask of strong acid can strike the eyes of the victim. The victim must make a

Fortitude save (DC 18) or suffer permanent blindness in addition to the listed splash damage. A remove blindness spell can cure permanent blindness caused by the acid. A successful save still results in the damage and the victim is blinded for 1d10 minutes. Creatures that are immune to blinding effects, or that function without sight, are immune to the blinding effects of the acid, though they still take the splash damage.Ingestion: A victim that ingests a strong acid must make a Fortitude save (DC 10) or take 3d6 points of Constitution damage. A successful save deals 2d8 points of damage, and 1 point of Constitution drain. Inhalation: A person that inhales the fumes of a strong acid must make a Fortitude save (DC 14) or suffer 1d8 points of damage and 1 point of Constitution drain. Half damage and no Constitution drain on a successful save.

Craft (Alchemy) skill check: DC 20.Cost to create: 100 sp in supplies. Market Price: 20 gp per flask.

Vitriol

Aqua Fortis

Nitric Acid

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