Potion Special Ingredients

Special ingredients for potions are usually a combination or distillation of certain rare and expensive compounds. Though alchemy is fairly widespread throughout the Empire, its practice is still a closely guarded and regulated secret by the Guild of Physicks. This regulation prevents the undue attention of the Church and Emperor, as well the ire of the populace and Inquisition. Special ingredients in portions used for potions have little or no weight/encumbrance. It’s left up to the Keeper to determine when a given amount of an ingredient will add to a character’s encumbrance.

Using the Table

To find a given ingredient in a town, city, or caravan, the Keeper should make an Availability check: – d20+CF => 12. The buyer then makes a Charisma check to determine the price. A failure adds the Variable Cost to the Base Cost, a success subtracts the Variable Cost from the Base Cost.

-          The Rarity column is a simple notation of rarity based on the original Darklands manual and is simply a guide for Keepers.

-          Availability lists the Challenge Factor to apply to the Availability roll.

-          Base Cost and Variable Cost are in pfennigs.

NOTE: This table is derived from two sources: The Darklands Manual and a playtester’s report. The oddity of the combination of these two data sources is that some components are listed in the manual as common, yet the cost is very high (Solanceae) or exceedingly rare and cheap (White Cinnabar). The explanation of these inconsistencies is not clear, though I explain it this way: Solanceae is a distillation of nightshade – a common plant, but dangerous to handle. White Cinnabar is arsenic – commonly used in glassmaking and thus cheap, but rare due to its common need in glassmaking… dunno. Medieval economics are not modern economics…

NOTE: Pure Gold is a distillation of gold, which often has a number of impurities when coined or used in other applications. Only one potion uses pure gold: Transformation; a potion whose recipe is lost to the ages.

Special Ingredients Descriptions

These descriptions are from the original Darklands manual.

MARSH VAPOR: A natural gas, whose medieval admixture produced a sharp smell. Acquiring and containing this vapor was extremely difficult because it is virtually colorless. It is also known as methane.

NAPHTHA: First used by the Arabs in incendiary devices, it is a highly volatile, inflammable oil. Various types can be distilled from wood, coal, and petroleum.

MANGANES: A rare ore that, when refined, purified, and heated, burns quite brightly. It is also known as magnesium.

ORPIMENT: This sulfur-arsenic compound is bright yellow, can appear in large masses, and frequently figured in important alchemical reactions. It is also known as trisulfide of arsenic.

WHITE CINNABAR: This silvery-white metal is usually found as a powder, because it is extremely brittle. It is also extremely poisonous, but still useful (in small quantities) as a compound in certain medicines. Sometimes used in glassmaking, it is also known as arsenic.

BLACK BEAN: This material, originally acquired from the East, is reddish-brown. It has a strong taste and certain unique but temporary stimulating effects on the body. It is also known as cocoa.

ZINKBLENDE: This clear, cleavable ore can yield a wide variety of results in various situations. It is also known as sphalerite, or zinc sulfide.

ANTIMONI: This silvery-white powder is very brittle, and invariably contains other trace elements. It is resistant to certain chemicals, can be used as a hardening agent, and is also known as antimony.

AQUA REGIA: A very strong, volatile and dangerous acid, this can dissolve almost anything, including people. It is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.

GUM: A sticky, resilient and strong material, it often includes pitch or resin. The purer forms generally were imported from the Middle East.

MONDRAGORA: A natural substance, reputedly from a plant, with many mystical properties.

ALUM: A very astringent powder, used in dyes and baking powders, or alone to induce vomiting. At this time the only known sources were in Italy and Asia Minor (Turkey). It is also known as ammonium bisulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, or sometimes (incorrectly) as aluminum sulfate.

CHAMOMILE: A supposedly rare plant whose dried leaves have various properties, often medicinal. Actually, it is fairly common, but easily mistaken.

PITCHBLENDE: A mineral that is a lustrous brownish-black. When added to certain procedures, it can produce a slightly glowing material. It is also known as uranium oxide or radium oxide.

ZINKEN: A bluish-white salt that can improve metals, especially steel. It also has various medicinal properties. It is also known as zinc.

NIKEL: A hard, silver-white material that can be formed into a metal. It is much more useful when mixed with other materials, such as steel, where it adds strength and durability. It is also known as nickel.

BRIMSTONE: Pale yellow crystals that burn with a blue flame and emit a horrible stench (like rotten eggs). It is sometimes associated with demons and Hell. It is useful in many compounds, including gunpowder. It is also known as sulfur.

PURE GOLD: A dark yellow metal that is very soft and heavy. It is considered extremely valuable. At somewhat lesser purity it is formed in bars or small, thin round coins for monetary purposes.

MELANCHOLIC (MELANC) BASE: A variety of plants considered useful in alchemy, such as bell mushrooms, belladonna, camphor, hemlock, seed of sea holly, nightshade, thorn apple, henbane, turpentine, etc.

SANGUINE BASE: A variety of animal materials, such as eye of newt, toad tongues, bat claws, powdered unicorn horn, etc.

CHOLERIC BASE: A variety of acids and other liquids considered useful, including aqua fortis, vitriol and Roman vitriol, alcohol, distilled water, etc.

PHLEGMATIC BASE: A variety of common minerals, such as kupfer (copper), lead, lime (calcium oxide), quicksilver, and kohle (coal).

SOLANCEAE: Similar to Melanc Base, however, Solanceae is a distillation of somewhat toxic plants such as jimson weed, mandrake, belladonna, paprika, chili pepper, and tobacco.

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