Shadowrun Play > Rules and such
Does alchemy suck?
Chalkarts:
I’m intrigued by alchemy.
I’ve got someone brewing in the in my back brain but was wondering about alchemy, preparations, artificing and such.
Do any of you play heavily with alchemy?
Jack_Spade:
It took three books to make Alchemy somewhat viable.
The biggest drawback is that you need about a three times as large dp as a spell slinger for the same result.
But since Forbidden Arcana made longterm storage of preparations possible, at least now you can use downtime to prepare
HP15BS:
--- Quote from: Jack_Spade on ---The biggest drawback is that you need about a three times as large dp as a spell slinger for the same result.
--- End quote ---
Without Practiced Alchemist, that's basically true. But with it, a fairly high initiate grade will be enough to bring your final pool up to par.
(6Mag+6Alchemy= 4 average; 6Force= 2 average resist → 4-2 = 2 Potency
↳ 6Force+2Potency+1 Practiced Alchemist+3 initiate grade = final pool of 12)
Add Firebringer mentor spirit and a spec in the appropriate trigger, and you get those 12 dice at initiate grade 2 instead (grade 1 for manipulation spells). Which is good, because there aren't all that many metamagics that a dedicated alchemist would want.
As you probably know, alchemy has two main benefits over sorcery to compensate for the lack of flexibility and raw power: Deal with all of your drain before the run, and Sustain spells for a few minutes without penalty.
These two points together mean that the best use of alchemy is to amass a bunch of buffs (for yourself and the rest of your team) like Deflection. Also, to avoid resisted rolls wherever possible (cuz lower spell dicepools→ fewer hits→ no effect at all).
There are some specifics that will be GM-dependent, like whether you can decide anything about the spell after the prep is created. For example, could you make a pair of gloves be the lynchpin of a Magic Fingers prep, and set the prep so that the conjured hands mimic the movements of those gloves?
- The books don't say, so that kind of thing will be up to the GM.
Chalkarts:
Can reagents be used to buff a preparation?
The seeming weakness of alchemy is kind of what draws me to it. I like challenges.
I’m now trying to decide if an aspected mage artificer could really make an impact.
Id have to check with the dm about 1 idea, a type of timed trigger set to a hi-bounce ball so that after 3 bounces the spell pops.
fseperent:
Step 5 of creating the preparation:
You can use reagents in the crafting of a preparation.
They are expended in crafting (as inks, attached tchotchkes,
etc.), and the number of drams of reagents used then
becomes the limit instead of Force (see Reagents, p. 316).
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