![[Blue Room GURPS: The Craig Roth Collection]](craig-logo.gif) Elixirs
of Utility:
Fantasy Alchemists Do More than
Potions
The repertoire of the alchemist as defined by GURPS Magic is varied
and useful, but a few important things are missing. The elixirs therein
are limited to those creations which affect living things directly, but
traditional fantasy alchemists could produce far more. Three of these ``utilitarian''
alchemical products are detailed here.
Acids
Foul, bubbling concoctions that dissolve steel or flesh; these are powerful
and useful items. They are always liquid; ignore the rules for elixir forms.
One ``dose'' of alchemical acid (about an ounce) will do 3d+15 damage to
the object or creature it is poured upon, if it care is taken to apply
it in a single location (you can't just throw it on). Application takes
5 seconds per ounce. Taking less time causes acid to splash away wastefully,
which can also be dangerous! Tossing an ounce of acid on a living thing
will do only 1d+2 damage if successful. DR applies for both living things
and inanimate objects (see p.B125 for the attributes of various inanimate
objects). Thus, it would take an average of 2 doses to get through an inch
of steel cable. One dose will ruin the average lock. Glassware is generally
immune to alchemical acids, so it can be stored safely! Exposure to air
will give a -1 per dose damage penalty per hour. $70
in materials; 2 weeks. Cost: $400/$700.
Magic Glue
This strange adhesive is common in fantasy novels and games, more often
for humor than utility, but it can be useful. It is difficult to make and
expensive, and must be kept tightly sealed. A ``dose'' of Glue is an amount
sufficient to coat about 100 square inches (this process takes 1 second
per 5 square inches. The cost of the Glue includes a 1'' wide brush which
must be thrown away after a single use). 2d+30 seconds after being exposed
to air, the Glue will dry, bonding permanently any objects joined by it,
even if they are exceptionally porous. Note that the bond is often stronger
than the things being bonded! You could Glue a hobgoblin to the ceiling
by his hair, but the hobgoblin would still fall (ouch). The bond can only
be dissolved by an anti-elixir, which is as difficult and costly to make
as the Glue, but quicker (only a week). $900 in materials;
2 weeks; -1 to skill. Cost: $1,250/$4,400.
Smoke Bombs
A liquid that, when exposed to air, forms a dark, oily cloud that obscures
vision. Commonly sold to traveling magicians for impressing the naive,
these have an obvious use to adventurers! They are sold in the forms of
small bottles, which may either be opened for effect or thrown, grenade-style,
to be broken on the ground. Either method produces the same effect: the
cloud immediately fills the hex it is opened in, and grows larger each
round by 1 hex (see p.B150 for an illustration of this). It grows until
it has attained a 5-hex diameter (the ``3'' in the illustration). Smaller
clouds can often be specified when purchasing from the alchemist, at the
same cost. The cloud is about 3 yards tall, and totally obscures vision
in it and through it (treat as total darkness, a -10 penalty to attacks).
The cloud will last 15 seconds in still air before thinning out (the cloud
rises when it thins, it does not spread outward). If it is important, assume
the cloud loses one penalty level per 5 seconds after 15 (thus, it takes
65 seconds to completely dissapear). The cloud can be moved with air spells
or steady breezes; the effects of this are left to the GM. $30
in materials; 2 days; +3 to skill. Cost: $80/$530.
Lesser Elixirs
Another good way to broaden the capabilities of the Alchemist is to
permit the creation of lesser versions of existing elixirs. Simply reduce
the time to make the elixir relative to the reduced effectiveness. Thus,
a death elixir doing 1d instead of 4d would take 4 days instead of two
weeks. Material costs do not change. Always round to the worst for the
alchemist or customer in time or effectiveness. No skill modifiers.
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