Chemistry

Common skills: chemistry

Chemistry is usually an hourly extended task. Using LOGIV and various skills, characters can accomplish a variety of things. Any character can attempt to use chemistry in order to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Examples of uses of chemistry include:

• Removing a permanent condition.

• Melting a lock with acid.

• Treating a disease.

• Creating a strong glue.

• Creating a poison or an antidote (for poisons, an opposed task is needed versus the target’s Vital Defense, assuming the poison can be delivered in food or drink; it does 1d6 poison damage plus 1d6 for each die you sacrifice from your dice pool.

• Burn or combust materials like metal and stone. Like drugs, chemical concoctions can also be used to inflict conditions, thus creating a truth drug or a sleeping draught. The concoction must be delivered (imbibed by the target, or similar). A concoction which is eaten or drunk is an hourly task, a poultice, salve, or ointment costs -1d6, and a gas, incense, or smoke costs -2d6. The check is a simple opposed one versus the target’s Vital Defense, and success inflicts a condition with a critical success inflicting a severe condition.

The player(s) start by declaring their intentions. This goal may be anything they wish, although they may find some goals too hard to accomplish. It might be to devise an acid to melt the lock on a cell door, save an ally who has been poisoned by an assassin, or build an explosive. The GM sets the difficulty as normal, and characters may attempt LOGIV checks until they have reached the target number of successes (typically three successes). Chemistry is a classic example of a very simple use of the extended task mechanism.

Chemistry is an acceptable way to accomplish many tasks, even if other methods are available. A locked door can be picked or hacked by a burglar, or a chemist might attempt to open it by melting the lock with acid. The difficulty of the task does not change—if it’s a Difficult [16] task to pick the lock, then it’s a Difficult [16] chemical task also.