Official Alchemy Posts

[Fallen]

Here is a collection of posts I pulled from the officials after reading damn near 20 pages. Hope this is helpful to some.
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Re: That doesn't belong to you. · on 8/31/2007 11:00:34 PM 1078

The cauldron reps seem to be a bit confusing. Apparently all you need to do is use the appropriate ALCHEMY command. No lighting, or filling, or anything else.

Hopefully that helps.

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Naos


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The Cauldron Workshop formula has been revised to be a bit more forgiving. However, it still will be one of your more difficult tasks. (In addition, failures will now result in a reduced mana cost compared to success.) ---Mana costs for failures was brought back up to 100%-----

Global factors for success include guild rank difference (newly learned abilities are more difficult to practice) and your DIS bonus.

Factors for success when attempting SIMMER or BOIL, also include your LOG bonus and Magical Item Use training.

Factors of success for the remaining, unnamed abilities also include your profession's primary mana stat and relevant Mana Control training.

GameMaster Estild
Cleric/Empath Team

"I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly." - Michel de Montaigne


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Re: Tomes · on 9/1/2007 12:34:02 PM 1262


A note on recipes and 'learning' them.

There are only a few recipes that are 'statically' taught at certain ranks. (Those ranks where you learn specific ALCHEMY commands.)

Mechanically, there isn't any flag that says "Player X has been taught recipe Y." It's entirely up to you to keep track of your recipes, in-game or out.

This also means you can share recipes. Player X might learn a recipe Player Y didn't. It depends on the whim (and absentmindedness) of skilled masters, as they could potentially teach you the same recipe twice (unlikely, but entirely possible.)

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Naos

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<< But we can only discover new ones when we are assigned to masters right? >>

Well, you can technically discover new recipes through experimentation, but it's a shot in the dark. The majority of recipes will enter the game via skilled masters teaching them to people during training.

<< Is there are specific ingredient or number of ingredients required for it to count as a tough task for second rank potions for instance? >>

'Tough' recipes are based on your current skill rank, and the rank at which a recipe is taught at. The recipes you learn at rank 1 should last you through about rank 10, which should be more than enough time for you to gather more recipes, either via others or via skilled master training.

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Naos

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Re: The "experiment and see what you can make" task... · on 9/1/2007 5:30:37 PM 1385


"The primary purpose of Alchemy is, of course, to create. Go out on your own and follow some recipes that are a challenge for you and see what you can make."

It's just telling to make some stuff using recipes that are a 'challenge' for you. Recently learned recipes, within 10 ranks or so, are a safe bet.

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Naos


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Re: any hints (ayana leaf) · on 9/1/2007 6:04:00 PM 1408

"Ayana" is the Elven word for "mana" or "essence".

The elves named these leaves, and other natural plant parts, for their peculiar properties of having absorbed a not inconsequential amount of essence during growth.

These leaves would often appear randomly, growing on plants of wide variety, apparently transformed from their mundane counterparts by the raw magical power of the essence.

As such, these leaves grew nearly anywhere one might experience a natural increase in the ambient essence.

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Naos, cryptic because telling wouldn't be fun!

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Guild Shop Bases (Re: Wand oil) · on 9/1/2007 7:17:18 PM 1441


Doop. I meant to work out a good way to reference this...and forgot. Wand oil is the amber-hued oil in the guild shop.

Other bases of note:

viscous liquid = crystalline solution
sand-like liquid = powder solution
pearlescent oil = trinket oil

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Naos


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Re: 2nd release · on 9/1/2007 8:39:27 PM 1482

<<Question was: Is what is currently available the First Phase of Alchemy, is more to come? >>

Correct. This is essentially Alchemy phase 1. Phase 2 will mostly be recipes, though, with no real mechanical changes or additions.

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Naos


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IOI: 4

>Also, will there be ways to find recipes via boxes/loot, etc? As unique drops 'n all?

The major reason for having alchemy recipes be non-mechanical knowledge (and thus the alchemy tomes, so the system isn't unwieldy) is that we wanted to make it so that it was possible for recipes to come from almost anywhere.

For instance, we could release a recipe (or even three quarters of a recipe) as just a piece of paper in a box. The player who found it then has all sorts of options of what to do with it. They could tell everyone, or keep it to themselves and have a monopoly on the product, or auction it off, or whatever.

Suppose they decided to keep it for themselves and have a monopoly on the product. Then, some intrepid alchemist could follow them around and try to figure out what they were foraging for (or listen to what they're shopping for on the amunet), then go back to the lab and attempt to figure out the process by experimentation. Once they have it, they can write it down in their tome and do what they will with it.

There's a lot of neat options available. An early idea was to release the system with a number of recipes that are not taught by the masters and let the researchers have some fun trying to find them, but with the number of ingredients that there are, that wasn't really tenable. Such things are possible with the system, though.

- Ildran

[Kembal]

Thanks Evarin...it's a lot of info that's good to keep track of.

[Drew]

I still have no idea what you can make.

[thefarmer]

Me either. Or what exactly you can 'experiment' with ingredients wise. Is there a set list of things that can be used? Or can I use a troll tooth that weird ayathingamajig, tkarro root and a kobold skull to make.. who knows?

[Fallen]

So far the things I have seen you can make are tinctures of all herbs, Aish'vrak potions, and silvery potions (which I think cast 401). People are much farther than this, but likely are too busy trying to be the first to master to take the time to post what they can make.

Here is a useful link for recipies: http://www.virilneus.com/recipes.php

While nothing more than I have listed is on the site, give it time and I am sure it will be fleshed out.

[Danical]

good work.

[Fallen]

Re: Task Distinction Bug &#183; on 9/2/2007 2:35:56 PM 1702


Reply

IOI: 4

>Rules aren't different in Plat - I'm guessing those stats are from a Sorcerer, and I do believe it is a known bug - likely something to do with sorcerers being the only ones with another Guild skill (via Illusions).

If it's a Sorcerer with ranks in Illusions, it's not a bug. The diversity requirements aren't for Alchemy, they're standard rules that apply guild wide. For every 4 ranks in a skill, you have to have at least 1 rank in other skills. Illusions is a perfectly valid way to fulfill that requirement.

- Ildran

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yay us.

[Fallen]

Re: Not getting ranks &#183; on 9/2/2007 5:18:01 PM 1737

Eugenides, The Legend
As much as I'd hate to think it, for a few characters, some tasks might actually be near impossible to complete.
An example for comparison is Cheapshots in the Rogue's guild, where poor stat placement and skill training lead to 0%-2% chance to stomp the Footpad's toes on the first assignment ever in the skill (open rolls excluded).


There is a healthy minimum chance to succeed, which was increased with the last formula revision. It can be quite tough for some players, but it's not impossible.

GameMaster Estild
Cleric/Empath Team

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Distill/Extract and Sea Salt Recipe &#183; on 9/2/2007 5:43:28 PM 1739

Alright, I've looked into the distill and extract issues further. They should be resolved.

The sea salt recipe given was incorrect, and should be fixed for future teachings. The correct recipe given is as follows: add salt water and extract using a crucible.

Distill and Extract recipes will always be in this format. One ingredient, and the process, which yields a new ingredient usually.

So, in this case, get some salt water, find a workshop with a crucible, hold it in your right hand, and use ALCHEMY EXTRACT. For DISTILL, you'll need an empty flask to collect the results.

Distilling or extracting items does NOT count for the 'tough recipe' tasks as item creation.

Finally, salt water can be obtained where you'd expect. The ocean and other bodies of salt water. The vials which Sorcerers have been using for this purpose are what you need.

Happy hunting!

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Naos

[Fallen]

<< At 2 ranks in potions acantha or ambrom should be plenty hard enough to count for a potion task rep. However because of the overlapping general task at the same time that is much harder, it will not let me get any reps for anything at 2 ranks in potions. >>

A recipe is considered tough when the rank your character has in the skill which they learned the recipe for is within a certain range. Not when the rank of the skill they're training in is withing a certain range of the rank at which the recipe was learned.

So, in your example, the recipe for tincture of acantha is taught at rank 1 of General Alchemy. You have 16 ranks in General Alchemy, so the recipe is no longer considered 'tough' for you, regardless of what skill you're training for.

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Naos

[Fallen]

Hah. This is a good one too.
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<< Is it intended that non-alchemists can use alchemy examine? If so, awesome. If not >>

No, and it's been fixed. Thanks for the heads up.

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Naos