Alchemy and Herbalism Expanded

Alchemy and herbalism are key tools in Athasian life, allowing for the creation of a variety of substances, from healing balms to deadly poisons. Under the standard 2e rules, these skills are governed by the corresponding non-weapon proficiencies.

This document gives rules for crafting alchemical and herbal items, lists several concoctions and poisons for use in your game, and adds a master list of ingredients and what substances they are used to create.

This blog is an expansion and revision of a previous blog on the same subject (Blog #7 from Season 1 of To Tame A Land). Since that blog was published, we’ve added a few new alchemical and herbal items and overhauled the poison system. For that reason, we’re also including most of the material on poison that was in last week’s blog, Poisons Revisited, for the sake of completeness.

Alchemy

Alchemy is the creation of special substances using complicated formulae and processes. Although related to herbalism (see below), it does not necessarily make use of plants and organic components. Instead, minerals, oils, extracts, and other ingredients may also be used to create useful and dangerous compounds.

The key necessity for an alchemist is the laboratory - a workshop where the character can carry out activities safely and securely. Setting up and stocking a workshop costs 2,000 cp. The alchemist can then use the laboratory to create and identify alchemical substances.

Create Substances: The alchemist can create acids, incendiaries, and pyrotechnics from readily-available ingredients.

If the alchemist has access to more specialised ingredients (listed below), they can also make alchemist’s light, alchemist’s shadow, Balican fire, cave fisher adhesive, gaund egg slime, intoxicants, kip pheromone, painkillers, pakubrazi serum, stimulants, and tari disease infusion.

Creating alchemical compounds takes 1d3 days per vial, or 1d4+1 days per flask. The cost for creating the compound is half its market price, listed in the table below.

The alchemist must pass an alchemy non-weapon proficiency check in order to successfully manufacture the substance. Failing the proficiency check with a natural 20 results in an explosion or other mishap that exposes the character to the effects of their work and damages the laboratory for 10%–60% (1d6 x 10%) of its construction value.

Alchemical items are permanent – they do not expire like herbal concoctions.

Identify Substances: The alchemist can identify unknown elements or compounds with a successful proficiency check. Identifying samples requires 1d4 days.

Simple materials, such as powdered minerals or ores, provide the alchemist with a +1 to +4 bonus on his check. Rare, complex, damaged, or incomplete samples might impose a –1 to –4 penalty.

Herbalism

Unlike alchemy, herbalism does not require the use of a laboratory – a simple kitchen provides sufficient tools to carry out the herbalist’s art.

A character with this skill can improve their use of the healing proficiency, identify plants and fungi, prepare herbal brews, and prepare poisons. The herbalist can fulfil these functions with common ingredients. If the character does not have such ingredients, it takes a day of searching the local environment to refresh their supply.

Identify Plants: A successful proficiency check will reveal a plant’s most common names and whether or not it is edible, poisonous, or medicinal. It also allows the herbalist to know where a certain plant grows and to find it if any are growing nearby.

Improve Healing: The herbalist can add an extra hit point per day to the healing that resting patients receive from the successful use of the healing proficiency, treat ingested and contact poisons, and improve treatment of non-magical diseases with healing proficiency, granting a +2 bonus to the check.

Prepare Brews: A successful proficiency check creates one dose of a battlefield balm, healing salve, painkiller, or poison antidote that lasts for 1d3 days. It takes 1 hour to make the dose and costs half the brew’s market price. The herbalist can make these from readily available ingredients.

If the herbalist has access to the special ingredients listed below, they can make arena powder, draxia ointment, emetics, fordorran musk, healing infusions, intoxicants, ranike sap, strong painkillers, and stimulants.

Prepare Poisons: A successful check means the character makes a single dose of poison that lasts for 24 hours. It costs half the poison’s market price and takes 24 hours to make the dose – the herbalist spends 4 hours preparing the poison, after which the mixture must brew for 20 hours before it is ready. There is a 5% chance the character poisons themselves accidentally while preparing the poison (unless they are a bard or a trader).

See the Poison section below for further details on the processes involved in making poisons.

Poison

As noted above, poison is crafted using the herbalism non-weapon proficiency. It can also be gathered from certain monsters using the animal lore non-weapon proficiency. Although generally frowned upon, poison is readily available and rarely illegal in the city-states of Athas.

Poisons are divided into Contact, Ingested, and Injury delivery methods, with different onset times and Strengths, and with a letter class for use by the DM.

A dose of poison will coat two small weapons or one medium weapon, while two doses are required to coat a large weapon. Each dose lasts 24 hours unless crafted by a poison master (a bard of 10th level or higher – see below). Such poisons last 72 hours and cost five times the listed price if purchased.

Poison placed on weapons wears off with use. The first hit deals full poison damage and its effects last their full duration. The second hit deals half damage and any effects have their duration halved as the poison starts to evaporate. From the third hit onwards, the poison is ineffective.

Partially used injury poisons also grant victims a +4 on their save to resist the poison’s effects – so while a lethal poison will still be lethal on the second strike, victims of that lethal poison save at +4 because less of it remains on the weapon.

When using poison, most characters have a 5% chance of poisoning themselves and grant victims a +2 bonus on saving throws to resist the poison. Bards and traders, however, never run this risk and poisons administered by them do not grant a saving throw bonus.

Poisons come in different strengths. See the poisons table below for details. Listed poisons are full-strength. A weak version costs 3/4 the normal price and grants victims a +2 bonus on saving throws against the poison. A very weak version costs 1/2 the normal price and grants victims a +4 bonus on saving throws against the poison. A strong poison costs 5 times the normal price and imposes a –2 penalty on saving throws against the poison, and a very strong poison costs 10 times the normal price and imposes a –4 penalty on saving throws against the poison.

Poison deals the listed damage in hit points or imposes a special poison effect. Effects listed before the slash on the poisons table apply on a failed saving throw vs. poison and effects listed after the slash apply on a passed saving throw.

Poison Effects

• Ability Damage: The victim loses points from one ability score (chosen when the poison is crafted). Ability points return at the rate of one per day or through the use of a restoration spell or similar effect.
• Blindness: The victim is blinded for the listed duration.
• Death: The victim is killed outright.
• Debilitation: The victim’s movement and ability scores are halved for 1d3 days and they cannot heal by any means until the poison is neutralized or its duration elapses.
• Hallucination: The victim is overcome by bewildering hallucinations – treat as the confusion spell for the duration.
• Paralysis: The victim is paralyzed for 2d6 rounds.
• Sleep: The victim falls asleep for the duration but can be woken normally.

Bards and Traders

These classes are the most skilled users of poison on Athas – the former more so than the latter. Both acquire the ability to craft poison as part of their class abilities, and both learn how to craft additional types of poison as they advance in levels.

At each level, a bard or trader rolls 1d4, adds the result to their level, and consults the poisons table to determine which new poison they have learned.

If the bard or trader has already learned the indicated poison, they gain no new poison but may alter a known poison so that all saves against that poison are at –2. If the total is 30 or higher, the bard or trader may choose any poison on the list.

Once learned, the character can make a single dose of the poison every day using easily obtained materials at no cost, without needing to make a proficiency check. Each dose of poison lasts for 24 hours before becoming inert.

If the bard or trader has the herbalism non-weapon proficiency (see below), they can use this to craft additional doses of any poison they know using the normal rules for that non-weapon proficiency.

Bards and traders never risk poisoning themselves when crafting or handling poisons.

Poison Mastery: A bard of 10th level or higher can study poison-making under a more experienced bard (at least 15th level). This study takes 2d4 weeks and costs 1,000 cp per week. At the end of this period, the bard will be a master of poisons and can alter any poison they know as follows:
• Change onset time to anything from instantaneous to 1d4 hours.
• Change the poison so it builds up after repeated doses and kills 1d10 days after the final dose.
• Allow a dose to last for 72 hours instead of 24 hours.
• Change the delivery method from one type to another.
Altering a poison costs one-half its market price.

Crafting Poison with Herbalism

Any character with the herbalism non-weapon proficiency can prepare poisons with common ingredients. If the character does not have such ingredients, it takes a day of searching the local environment to refresh their stocks.

A successful herbalism check means the character makes a single dose of poison that lasts for 24 hours. This costs the amount listed on the table opposite and takes 24 hours to make the dose – the herbalist spends 4 hours preparing the poison, following which the mixture must brew for 20 hours before it is ready. There is a 5% chance the character poisons themself accidentally while preparing the poison (unless they are a bard or a trader).

The herbalist can make type A, K, O, and G poison from easily obtainable ingredients (specifically, cha’thrang lime, redleaf paste, kank venom, and redleaf sap).

If they have access to specialised ingredients, they can also create types I, M, C, and P (desert mastyrial extract, gray root, barbed scorpion venom, and siltweed extract).

The knowledge of how to make these poisons is possessed by all characters with basic herbalism skills. The crafting section below includes more detailed descriptions of all the known types of poison that can be crafted by bards, traders, and herbalists. A character with the herbalism non-weapon proficiency may learn how to craft these additional types of poison at the DM’s discretion. Otherwise, the DM should feel free to restrict these types to bards and traders only.

Gathering Poison with Animal Lore

The animal lore non-weapon proficiency allows a character to harvest poison from creatures with a successful proficiency check. Failure means that the attempt fails and the body part in question is ruined.

The herbalism and survival non-weapon proficiencies are both sufficient to allow a character to identify and gather poisons from plants and other sources in the wild. The DM may require a non-weapon proficiency check in such cases if desired.

Treating Poison with Healing

A character with the healing non-weapon proficiency can treat injury poison without a proficiency check immediately after poisoning. The healer must tend the patient for 5 rounds. Following this, the patient makes their poison saving throw with a +2 bonus. If care is interrupted, the patient makes their save immediately with no bonus. If the healer also has herbalism, they can also treat ingested and contact poisons.

Poisons Table

Item Descriptions

The following items all require the alchemy non-weapon proficiency to create. See below for recommended ingredients and crafting processes. As noted, alchemical items do not expire.

Acid: Acid inflicts 1d3 points of damage per vial, or 2d4 points of damage per flask when used as a weapon. On the second round, acid from a vial inflicts 1 damage, or 1d3 damage if from a flask. A flask affects all creatures within five feet. Acid can burn out a lock or clasp, forcing an item saving throw.

Alchemist’s Light: This concoction consists of two chemicals that, when mixed together, glow with enough light to read by. The two vials are usually swirled into a transparent glass globe – the resultant mix gives off a faint glow with 20 feet radius for 1d4+1 turns. Staves with a special attachment to easily carry a globe of alchemist’s light are commonly available for purchase.

Alchemist’s Shadow: This alchemical compound creates a burst of smoky darkness when exposed to air – it is usually sold in ceramic pots or glass bottles. The smoky darkness expands to cover an area 10 feet across and persists for 1d4+1 rounds.

Balican Fire: This is a sticky compound of oil and chemicals, highly flammable and difficult to extinguish. It has a 100% chance of igniting, and burns for four rounds, dealing 2d6 damage per round for the first two rounds and 1d6 damage per round thereafter.

Cave Fisher Adhesive: The sticky secretions of this subterranean predator can be alchemically treated and added to gloves and boots to grant a +10% bonus on the climb walls rogue skill for one hour.

Gaund Egg Slime: The egg of the reptilian gaund is covered in a clear, spicy-smelling slime. This can be smeared onto a flammable object to grant it a permanent +3 bonus on saves vs. fire. A dose of the slime can also neutralise nearly any acid.

Incendiary: Incendiaries are powders, fluids, and other concoctions which ignite when exposed to air. A flask of incendiary liquid inflicts damage as burning oil (2d6 points in the first round, 1d6 in the second). Incendiary powders or liquids can easily start fires if used on buildings, dry brush, or other flammable materials.

Intoxicant: The drinker loses 1d4 points from one ability score for one hour (save vs. poison to avoid).

Kip Pheromone: Kip pheromone is known for its powerful effects on the mind. Creatures exposed to this gas must save vs. poison or cease caring about anything, including drinking water, for 1d8 turns. They can be herded along or made to drink, but otherwise remain apathetic. Dwarves receive a +4 bonus on their save.

Painkiller: A painkiller can be administered as a salve, infusion, potion, or added to food. When used, it restores 1d4 hit points for 1d3+1 hours. If the patient participates in combat during this period, they lose an additional 1d4 hit points when the painkiller wears off. After the painkiller wears off, the user can take another to extend the benefits for another 1d3+1 hours. If someone uses painkillers more than three times in a week, they must save vs. poison every time they use a painkiller or lose 1d4 Constitution.

Painkiller, Strong: A strong painkiller is administered in the same way as a regular painkiller, but is more potent. In addition to the effects of a regular painkiller, the strong painkiller allows the recipient to remain active at negative hit points (death still occurs at –10).

Pakubrazi Serum: Made from the blood of the shape-shifting pakubrazi, this serum is added to food or drink, usually as a horrifying form of revenge. When imbibed, the victim suffers the effects of pakubrazi taint, possibly changing shape and being overcome by bloodlust when under stress. The DM will provide details as needed.

Pyrotechnics: Pyrotechnics resemble incendiaries, but create clouds of billowing smoke of a variety of colours, or bright flashes of light when added to an existing fire. A vial creates a cloud of smoke 5 feet in diameter, while a flask creates a cloud of smoke 10 feet in diameter. The cloud obscures vision and persists for 1d3 rounds, depending on the wind and other conditions.

Stimulant: A character taking an alchemical stimulant gains a point of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution for one hour and will not sleep for 1d6+6 hours. For the six hours after this period, they lose 1d4 points from the same ability and must save vs. poison every hour or fall asleep.

Tari Disease Infusion: Made from the disease glands of the tari, this alchemical infusion is added to food or drink. Those consuming it must save vs. poison or suffer the effects of tari disease (feverish and incapacitated within 1d6 hours, after the third day lose 1d3 hp per day until subject to cure disease – the hit point loss is permanent).

Herbal Items

The following items all require the herbalism non-weapon proficiency to create. See below for recommended ingredients and crafting processes for these items. As noted above, herbal items expire shortly after being crafted. For most items (marked with a † on the table), expiration occurs in 1d3 days. Other items (marked with a *) expire in 24 hours.

Arena Powder: A dirty trick used in the arena involves the use of irritants and powdered peppers, mixed to induce nausea or inflame eyes and breathing passages. A gladiator will use the spices to blind or distract an opponent. The mix is carefully placed in a small sealed bag or a reed blow pipe and then thrown or blown at the target. The target saves against poison or suffers the effect of the powder:

• Kuzza pepper: Inflamed eyes and breathing passages, –2 on all rolls for 1d4 rounds • Dried stinkweed: Nauseated and retching, can either move or act but cannot do both for 1d3 rounds • Siltflower pollen: Fine dust that fills the eyes, blinds the target for one round

Battlefield Balm: This is applied to a patient at the same time as they are receiving battlefield healing. It heals the patient of an extra 1d3 hit points in addition to the amount provided by the battlefield healing.

Draxia Ointment: Draxia is a weed that grows on the islands of the Sea of Silt. When the juice of the draxia plant is rubbed on the skin, it repels silt spawn. For the next two hours, they won’t come within 10 feet of a creature coated with the substance.

If treated herbally and left to stew and reduce, the juice can be made into an ointment that repels silt spawn and irritates mature silt horrors. While adult silt horrors don’t like the smell of draxia, they can ignore it and attack as usual in its presence. Many times the irritation caused by the plant’s juice simply serves to infuriate a fully-grown silt horror. There is a 60% chance that a silt horror will ignore other targets to attack a character who smells of draxia weed.

Emetic: This herbal compound induces vomiting when ingested. This can be helpful if a character swallows an ingested poison. If administered during the onset period, the recipient receives another saving throw. The recipient suffers 1d3-1 damage from any induced vomiting.

Fordorran Musk: Fordorran musk can be harvested from their glands and made into a vapour with a stench comparable to that of the parent creature. Normally delivered via a glass vial, any creature within 10 feet of the vapour must save vs. poison or gag and retch for 1d3 rounds. Affected victims move at one third normal speed, but may save each round to throw off the effect.

Healing Infusion: The recipient of a healing infusion regains 1d4 hit points immediately. A patient can only benefit from one healing infusion per day – further doses have no effect.

Healing Salve: The recipient of a healing salve heals 1 hit point per day, even if not resting. The character will heal 1d4 hit points per day of non-strenuous activity and 1d4+2 hit points for each day of complete bed rest. One dose is good for a single day.

Intoxicant: The drinker loses 1d4 points from one ability score for one hour (save vs. poison to avoid).

Painkiller: A painkiller can be administered as a salve, infusion, potion, or added to food. When used, it restores 1d4 hit points for 1d3+1 hours. If the patient participates in combat during this period, they lose an additional 1d4 hit points when the painkiller wears off.

After the painkiller wears off, the user can take another to extend the benefits another 1d3+1 hours. If someone uses painkillers more than three times in a week, they must save vs. poison every time they use a painkiller or lose 1d4 Constitution.

Painkiller, Strong: A strong painkiller is administered in the same way as a regular painkiller, but is more potent. In addition to the effects of a regular painkiller, the strong painkiller allows the recipient to remain active at negative hit points (death still occurs at –10).

Poison: The herbal items table lists the most commonly available poisons. Other poisons are available, but characters would need contacts among the bard or trader community to acquire such items.

Any character using poison has a 5% chance of poisoning themselves. Bards and traders never run this risk. See the poison table above for details on poison potencies.

Poison, Monster: Occasionally, venom from a creature of the desert may be available for purchase. Adventurers may also seek to sell venom or venom glands harvested from creatures they have encountered. Consult your kind and generous DM for details.

Poison Antidote: If administered immediately to someone who has been affected by poison, the patient gains +2 on their poison saving throw. This stacks with the bonus granted by someone using the herbalism non-weapon proficiency on the patient.

Ranike Sap Smoke: The smoke of the sap of the ranike tree is repulsive to insectoids – including thri-kreen. An adult ranike tree yields enough sap to make a ball two inches in diameter; extracting this sap from the tree takes 2d4 hours and a successful herbalism non-weapon proficiency check.

The ball burns for 1d4+2 hours, and its smoke permeates an area with a 60-foot radius (barring strong winds). Entering the smoke requires an insectoid to make a Wisdom check. Each round spent in the area, the creature must save vs. poison or suffer a –2 penalty to attack rolls, saves, and Dexterity bonuses to AC. The penalties end one round after leaving the area.

Stimulant: A character taking a herbal stimulant gains a point of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution for one hour and will not sleep for 1d6+6 hours. For the six hours after this, they lose 1d4 points from the same ability and must save vs. poison every hour or fall asleep.

Crafting Alchemical Items

The information below presents common methods and ingredients for crafting the various alchemical items listed above.

Acid: The most common form of acid is vitriol, made from sulphur, vanadia, and water, through a simple process of burning and hydration. Mix the vitriol with salt, then add water to make muriatic acid. A weaker phosphoric acid can be made by reacting the vitriol with phosphate rock.

Alchemist’s Light: This requires the mixture of two alchemical compounds. One is composed of water and crushed lumiphase – a rock found in subterranean grottoes – and the other is a compound of copper and sulphur ground and heated in a kiln. When these two compounds are combined and swirled gently, they begin to glow.

Alchemist’s Shadow: Charcoal is slowly roasted to bond with the featherplume pollen in order to create this rapidly expanding compound.

Balican Fire: This flammable and long-burning concoction is made from pine resin (obtained from the Crescent Forest, the Forest Ridge, or similar terrain) and crude oil mixed with sulphur and quicklime (derived from limestone heated in a kiln), a heated compound of chalk and phosphate rock.

Cave Fisher Adhesive: When treated with cinnabar and diluted vitriol, the adhesive of the cave fisher becomes sufficiently pliable to apply to gloves and boots, granting the appropriate bonus to the climb walls rogue skill.

Gaund Egg Slime: The slime of the gaund egg requires only dilution with water in order to prepare it for application to objects.

Incendiary: Igniting on contact with air, incendiaries are made by heating phosphate rock with carbon and silica, collecting the resulting vapour under phosphoric acid (itself made by reacting phosphate rock with vitriol) and storing the resulting compound in a vial or flask until needed.

Intoxicant: Alchemical intoxicants can be created by mixing alcohol with vitriol. This requires a special combustion chamber that will burn additional alcohol as a fuel for cold flame at a low temperature. High temperatures will ruin the mixture.

Kip Pheromone: When stabilised with ammonia fumes, kip pheromone can be stored in vials and bottles for later deployment against suitable targets.

Painkiller: An alchemical painkiller can be manufactured from the natural acids of the thale cress plant, vitriol, and the use of a special combustion chamber that mixes high temperature with high atmospheric pressure.

Pyrotechnics: There are two types of pyrotechnics that can be made with common alchemical processes – billowing smoke and flash powder. Mix ammonia (from animal dung) and muriatic acid to create billowing smoke, or mix silica and periclase together with crystals extracted from dried bat guano to make flash powder.

Stimulant: Mix benzene (from crude oil) with allyl salts and react the resulting compound with ammonia to produce the stimulant. Allyl salts are very hard to make, with their own lengthy production process involving allyl alcohol, phosphate rock, and brine.

Crafting Herbal Brews

The information below presents the most common methods and ingredients for crafting the various herbal items listed above.

Arena Powder: All arena powder requires a stabilising and binding agent before it can be deployed against a target. This is usually the juice of the cloud moss tree, which only grows in the higher valleys of the Ringing Mountains and is correspondingly hard to obtain. Beyond that, the powder uses kuzza pepper, dried stinkweed, or siltflower pollen as desired.

Battlefield Balm: Battlefield balm is made from extracts of the kola berry and the oils of the copra nut, forming a paste that can be slathered over injuries.

Draxia Ointment: The leaves of the draxia weed are crushed and mixed with copra nut oil to form the ointment. Draxia weed only grows on islands in the Sea of Silt and so is very hard to come by.

Emetic: A mixture of water and ground copper and sulphur heated together in a kiln will create a fluid that is guaranteed to induce violent vomiting. The mixture is stored in a vial or flask and imbibed when needed to produce the desired result.

Healing Infusion: Kola berry extracts are mixed with diluted barbed scorpion venom to produce an infusion that can heal minor injuries. Taking more than one infusion per day risks overdose from the venom, which would counteract the healing effect.

Healing Salve: Thale cress and kola berry extracts are mixed with erdlu fat to create a stable salve suitable for long-term application.

Intoxicant: An illicit substance in every city state and very hard to come by, black lotus makes a powerful intoxicant. Usually powdered and added to another substance for delivery, its effects are unmistakable.

Painkiller: The pulp of the coiled fist cactus is a natural painkiller that can be brewed into a palatable tonic.

Painkiller, Strong: For a stronger painkiller, the pulp of the coiled fist cactus is mixed with the juice of the whitestone berry. As the whitestone plant only grows on volcanic terrain, acquiring it can prove difficult.

Poison Antidote: A mixture of charcoal and crushed mandrake root is infused into water and forms the basis of the standard poison antidote.

Ranike Sap Smoke: The sap of the ranike tree is soaked in brine, fashioned into a ball and dried to produce a gummy globule that can be burned to ward off insectoids.

Stimulant: The leaves of the chama bush, when properly dried and chewed, have a strong stimulating property. These only grow in the Crescent Forest, so obtaining them can prove difficult.

Crafting Poisons

The following information presents the most common methods and ingredients for crafting the poison types listed above. As noted above, any character who is not a bard or a trader runs a 5% chance of poisoning themselves whenever they handle or attempt to craft any type of poison.

Class A: Cha’thrang lime is used in construction to stabilise soil for foundations, roads, etc. and is easy to obtain. A herbalist can boil an infusion with kuzza peppers to create a paste that will adhere to weapons.

Mulworms are common pests that can be found in many trees and cacti. When several are slowly squeezed in a specially prepared press over the course of several hours, the resulting juices can be strained and dried in the sun. If mixed with simple lamp oil, this produces a modest poison that can be smeared on an object to be absorbed through the skin of anyone touching it.

When ingested or delivered through an injury, mulworm slime is far more potent and is treated as a Class J poison – see below for more details.

Class B: Megapede venom, assuming you can acquire some, can be mixed with faro flour to create a paste that can be placed on a weapon or other delivery system.

Widow’s bile is made from the widow’s kiss cactus – a common cactus that is not safe to eat. Skilled herbalists know that it can be stewed with the juice of the blueflower cactus over several hours to properly activate the poison.

Class C: Barbed scorpion venom is used by many healers in weakened solution form as a disinfectant. This is a specialised ingredient that is not commonly for sale – the character needs access to a healer or a well-stocked apothecary in order to obtain it.

If the character acquires some, boils, and reduces it in a solution several times over several hours in the right quantities, they can extract a usable dose of the venom.

Class D: Antloid venom is gathered by most elven tribes from abandoned antloid hives on their travels through the deserts and sold at their markets. A lengthy distillation process will produce a dose of the venom that can be applied to a weapon.

Gold scorpions are not hard to locate on the outskirts of cities. Their venom can actually be extracted from their eggs, avoiding encounters with an adult. Crushing several of these eggs together in the juice of a welela gourd will create a solution that bears the venom.

Class E: Crystal spider venom is very hard to obtain in its natural state but can be rendered into a usable dose that can be applied to a weapon by distillation.

The venom of dark spider queens can actually be obtained from the dark spiders, who trade it with the creatures of the surface world for slaves and other goods. Several large trading houses will sell the raw venom to those they trust. If mixed with alcohol and boiled, it produces a dose that can be used on a weapon.

Silt serpent venom is used as an ingredient in several tanning and leather curing processes. If a character buys large quantities of the tanning agent and mixes it with alcohol and crushed salt, and the leaves it in the sun, they will then be able to extract the venom in enough quantities to make a worthwhile dose.

Class F: A less potent version than the venom of their queen, dark spider venom is similarly traded with the creatures of the surface world. As with dark spider queen venom, certain trading houses will sell the raw venom to those they trust. Deriving a useful dose requires the same process as the queen’s venom – it should be mixed with alcohol and boiled to produce a dose that can be used on a weapon.

Class G: The redleaf cactus is known to be poisonous – when eaten, its sap induces nausea and vomiting but nothing worse. This active ingredient can be extracted by carefully boiling the leaves in kola tea, which produces a fine and toxic powder when dried.

Class H: The musk of the kivit can actually be “milked” from the animal in minute amounts. Over time, enough of this musk can be gathered and slowly stewed in water in order to produce a dose of the poison.

Class I: Similar to barbed scorpion venom, the venom of the desert mastyrial is used by healers as a disinfectant and antiseptic – and it is similarly difficult to obtain without the right connections. When distilled in large enough quantities and mixed with fermented kank honey, it produces a dose of a potent poison.

Class J: Methelinoc is a purple herb found only in the Ringing Mountains but, if obtained, its berries can be crushed to produce a juice that is mixed with water and left to infuse. The leaves and stems of the plant are discarded. The result is a lethal toxin. For some reason, it does not affect elves or kanks.

As noted above, mulworm slime is far more potent when ingested or delivered via an injury. It is obtained by the usual method – slowly squeezing several of the grubs in a specially prepared press and straining and drying the resulting juices in the sun. This produces a powerful toxin that can be added to other ingredients without taste or odour or applied to a weapon as needed.

Class K: While the sap of the redleaf cactus can be used to make a strong ingested poison, herbalists also know how to make it into a paste that can poison someone through their skin. The active ingredient can be extracted by carefully boiling the leaves in kola tea and then crushing the resulting fine powder into the oil of the copra nut. This oil can be smeared on an object – anyone touching it will adsorb the poison through their skin.

Class L: Bittershine powder is created by combining small amounts of weak acid with the sap of three different common cacti (whitebud, star cactus, and jhakar’s paw). The resulting greasy solution can be smeared on a surface or object.

Class M: Gray root is a weed that grows in the dung of carru, sygra, and other domestic herd animals. Its sticky sap can be extracted by crushing the leaves. Mixing it with brine and ground phosphate rock produces a thin slime that can be applied to objects as a contact poison.

Class N: Black lotus is famous as a powerful intoxicant, chewed for its psychogenic properties. When brewed in large amounts, and distilled with siltweed juice, however, it becomes an incredibly potent slime that can be applied as a lethal contact poison.

Class O: Kank venom, while not hard to obtain, needs various stabilising ingredients to retain its potency outside of a kank’s mandibles. When combined with these – berill moss and rock cactus juice – it can be rendered into a paralytic poison suitable for applying to weapons.

Harder to obtain is the venom of the mountain spider. This is more stable but deactivates almost immediately on exposure to the air and so must be rendered into a solution over several hours in order to be useful.

Class P: Siltweed extract is procured relatively easily through a crushing and boiling process over a few hours. When combined with cinnabar, the resulting toxin can be delivered through a wound and will eventually debilitate its victim with cramps, fever, and overwhelmingly powerful tremors.

Class Q: Bloodgrass is a blood-drinking plant seen as a weed by many but cultivated as a watchdog by others. Its sap can be extracted and rendered into a sticky paste by mixing it with kank honey or a similar substance. The resulting substance is ideal for applying to weapons.

Class R: The tylatch plant grows in a variety of high-altitude locations, making its acquisition hazardous. The plant’s sap can be distilled in acid to produce a paste that can readily be applied to a weapon.

Class S: Valex is a mineral that is found in certain caverns and is hazardous if it gets into the bloodstream. It can be Combined with acid and alcohol to produce a poison that causes terrible mental and physical degradation.

Class T: The frailbud is a common plant at most oases that defends itself by rendering those who eat it blind. When crushed, dried, and combined with benzene as a binding agent, it produces a venom that can be delivered without rousing suspicion.

Class U: The tylatch plant can be crushed and dried to produce a powder that blends with any food and drink without altering its taste.

Class V: The praka plant is a powerful hallucinogen used in many city-states as a source of escapist indulgence. When sun-dried, its potency intensifies to startling levels.

Class W: Valex can be crushed until it is rendered into glittering crystals that will dissolve in water or other fluids. When ingested, they deliver their terrible effects. Class X: Silver lotus is extremely rare and highly illegal due to the debilitating nature of its pollen. If carefully harvested, this pollen makes a useful poison.

Class Y: The sap of the praka plant carries its main hallucinogenic properties. Although these only last for a short duration when delivered in this form, they can be absorbed through the skin, making this a useful contact poison.

Class Z: The most refined version of the valex mineral, valex powder is created by infusing valex crystals with alcohol and subjecting it to a repeated distillation process until only a fine powder remains. This can be applied to any surface as a terrible contact poison.

Ingredient Master List

This list summarises the various crafting ingredients listed above for ease of reference.

Acid: Primary ingredient in Class L poison (bittershine powder). Secondary ingredient in pyrotechnics, cave fisher adhesive, Class R poison (tylatch sap), and Class S poison (valex extract).

Alcohol: Secondary ingredient in Class E poison (dark spider queen venom, silt serpent venom), Class F poison (dark spider venom), Class S poison (valex extract), and Class Z poison (valex powder).

Allyl Salts: Secondary ingredient in alchemical stimulant.

Ammonia: Primary ingredient in pyrotechnics. Secondary ingredient in alchemical stimulant and kip pheromone.

Antloid Venom: Primary ingredient in Class D poison (antloid venom).

Benzene: Primary ingredient in alchemical stimulant. Secondary ingredient in Class T poison (frailbud poweder).

Berill Moss: Secondary ingredient in Class O poison (kank venom).

Black Lotus: Primary ingredient in Class N poison (black lotus) and herbal intoxicant.

Bloodgrass: Primary ingredient in Class Q poison (bloodgrass sap).

Brine: Secondary ingredient in Class M poison (gray root). Secondary ingredient in ranike sap smoke.

Cactus, Blueflower: Secondary ingredient in Class B poison (widow’s bile).

Cactus, Coiled Fist: Primary ingredient in painkiller and strong painkiller.

Cactus, Jhakar’s Paw: Secondary ingredient in Class L poison (bittershine powder).

Cactus, Redleaf: Primary ingredient in Class G poison (redleaf sap) and Class K poison (redleaf paste).

Cactus, Rock: Secondary ingredient in Class O poison (kank venom).

Cactus, Star: Secondary ingredient in Class L poison (bittershine powder).

Cactus, Whiteflower: Secondary ingredient in Class L poison (bittershine powder).

Cactus, Widow’s Kiss: Primary ingredient in Class B poison (widow’s bile).

Carbon: Secondary ingredient in incendiaries.

Cave Fisher Adhesive: Primary ingredient in cave fisher adhesive.

Chalk: Secondary ingredient in Balican fire.

Chama Bush: Primary ingredient in stimulant.

Charcoal: Primary ingredient in poison antidote. Secondary ingredient in alchemist’s shadow.

Cha’thrang Lime: Primary ingredient in Class A poison.

Cinnabar: Secondary ingredient in Class P poison (siltweed extract) and cave fisher adhesive.

Cloud Moss Tree: Secondary ingredient in arena powder.

Copper: Primary ingedient in emetic. Secondary ingredient in alchemist’s light.

Copra Nut: Secondary ingredient in Class K poison (redleaf paste), battlefield balm, and draxia ointment.

Draxia Weed: Primary ingredient in draxia ointment.

Erdlu Fat: Secondary ingredient in healing salve.

Featherplume Pollen: Secondary ingredient in alchemist’s shadow.

Flour, Faro: Secondary ingredient in Class B poison (megapede venom).

Frailbud: Primary ingredient in Class T poison (frailbud powder).

Gaund Egg: Primary ingredient in gaund egg slime.

Gray Root: Primary ingredient in Class M poison (gray root).

Guano: Secondary ingredient in pyrotechnic flashpowder.

Kank Honey: Secondary ingredient in Class Q poison (bloodgrass sap).

Kank Honey, Fermented: Secondary ingredient in Class I poison (desert mastyrial extract).

Kank Venom: Primary ingredient in Class O poison (kank venom).

Kip Pheromone: Primary ingredient in kip pheromone.

Kivit Musk: Primary ingredient in Class H poison (kivit musk).

Kola Berry: Primary ingredient in battlefield balm and healing infusion. Secondary ingredient in healing salve.

Kola Tea: Secondary ingredient in Class G poison (redleaf sap) and Class K poison (redleaf paste).

Kuzza Peppers: Primary ingredient in arena powder. Secondary ingredient in Class A poison (cha’thrang lime).

Limestone: Secondary ingredient in Balican fire.

Lumiphase: Secondary ingredient in alchemist’s light.

Magnesium: Secondary ingredient in pyrotechnic flashpowder.

Mandrake Root: Primary ingredient in poison antidote.

Megapede venom: Primary ingredient in Class B poison (megapede venom).

Methelinoc: Primary ingredient in Class J poison (methelinoc).

Mulworm Juice: Primary ingredient in Class A and J poison (mulworm slime).

Oil, Crude: Primary ingredient in Balican fire.

Oil, Lamp: Secondary ingredient in Class A poison (mulworm slime).

Periclase: Secondary ingredient in pyrotechnic flashpowder.

Phosphate: Primary ingredient in phosphoric acid and incendiaries. Secondary ingredient in Balican fire and Class M poison (gray root).

Pine Resin: Primary ingredient in Balican fire.

Praka: Primary ingredient in Class V poison (praka weed) and Class Y poison (praka sap).

Quicklime: Secondary ingredient in Balican fire.

Ranike Sap: Primary ingredient in ranike sap smoke.

Salt: Secondary ingredient in Class E poison (silt serpent venom) and muriatic acid.

Scorpion Venom, Barbed: Primary ingredient in Class C poison (barbed scorpion venom). Secondary ingredient in disinfectant and healing infusion.

Scorpion Venom, Desert Mastyrial: Primary ingredient in Class I poison (desert mastyrial extract). Secondary ingredient in disinfectant.

Scorpion Venom, Gold: Primary ingredient in Class D poison (gold scorpion venom).

Serpent Venom, Silt: Primary ingredient in Class E poison (silt serpent venom).

Silica: Secondary ingredient in incendiaries and pyrotechnic flashpowder.

Siltflower Pollen: Primary ingredient in arena powder.

Siltweed Juice: Primary ingredient in Class P poison (siltweed extract). Secondary ingredient in Class N poison (black lotus).

Silver Lotus: Primary ingredient in Class X poison (silver lotus pollen).

Spider Venom, Crystal: Primary ingredient in Class E poison (crystal spider venom).

Spider Venom, Dark: Primary ingredient in Class F poison (dark spider venom).

Spider Venom, Dark Queen: Primary ingredient in Class E poison (dark spider queen venom).

Spider Venom, Mountain: Primary ingredient in Class O poison (mountain spider venom).

Stinkweed: Primary ingredient in arena powder.

Sulphur: Primary ingredient in acid and emetic. Secondary ingredient in alchemist’s light and Balican fire.

Thale Cress: Primary ingredient in alchemical painkiller and healing salve.

Tylatch: Primary ingredient in Class R poison (tylatch sap) and Class U poison (tylatch powder).

Valex: Primary ingredient in Class S poison (valex extract), Class W poison (valex crystals), and Class Z poison (valex powder).

Vanadia: Secondary ingredient in acid.

Water: Secondary ingredient in Class H poison (kivit musk), Class J poison (methelinoc), acid, gaund egg slime, Class W poison (valex crystals), alchemist’s light, and emetic.

Welela Gourd: Secondary ingredient in Class D poison (gold scorpion venom).

Whitestone Berry: Secondary ingredient in strong painkiller.