STRONGHOLD: THE ALCHEMY LAB (Level 1)
An alchemy lab provides a place for your herbalists and alchemists to conjure up traditional salves. But it is also a place where you can privately experiment, creating new and fantastical items. It also doubles as a small library, where you can research and investigate lore and history.
BENEFIT #1:
Demesne Effects
The alchemist's lab is a bastion of knowledge and research. Plants and animals become more plentiful in the area to provide new ingredients. It creates the following effects:
- Stags, harts, and other game are always plentiful in the demesne, but they are larger and fiercer than normal. Plants are more readily available.
- The library of the alchemy lab has a copy of every non-magical book anyone brings into the demesne.
- Once per day, the lab can affect the local weather by releasing alchemic gas into the air. The player doesn’t have to be in their demesne to do this. The effect is otherwise the same as the control weather spell.
BENEFIT #2:
Stronghold Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the player can take a stronghold action to cause one of the following effects. They must be in the same hex or province as their stronghold, and can’t use the same effect until after a short or long rest. (If multiple players share this stronghold, these actions exist as a pool for the group, not per each individual):
- You alchemically generate a fog cloud in a 60-foot radius that lasts for 1 minute. You and your allies can see through this fog as though it were merely a hazy mist that did not obscure vision.
- You find additional potions on your person that you forgot you had. They are equal to the number of potions you could typically create after an extended rest (equal to spellcasting ability modifier).
- Until initiative count 20 on the next turn, all of your successful attacks are coated in an alchemical substance, causing the target to bleed. A bleeding creature takes 3d8 slashing damage at the start of each of its following turns, and can make a DC 18 Constitution save at the end of each of its turns to end the bleeding.
BENEFIT #3:
Class Feature Improvement
Alchemy Master
You have mastered using potions and salves in battle, and can use two instead of one per action. You can do this a number of times equal to your stronghold level, after which you must take an extended rest to refresh this ability.
BENEFIT #4:
Customizing Potions
You will find your creativity knows no bounds! Experimenting can be fun, and sometimes dangerous. Follow the steps below to create new and exciting materials in the lab.
Using Your New Creations
Once the player has their own alchemy creation, you can use it in the field! Special notes about using said potions:
- If the target saves against it, the modifier automatically fails along with it. Effects of modified alchemy cannot stack. Time limits used for alchemical "spells" (such as rituals) still retain the amount of time needed to prepare and use the item.
- Amounts: the alchemist can only create and carry a number of alchemical potions/salves/etc. equal to their spellcasting ability modifier. Once they run out, they must take an extended rest if they want to craft more of them.
- Once the item has been tested thoroughly in the field, it is possible that the potion is now well studied and available for other alchemists to learn how to make it! It can be written down in books and scrolls for distribution.
Creating Damage Dealing Potions
Step 1: Plan Your Attack
If you would rather not spend time augmenting some strange new creation, you can spend your time creating a damaging type of potion. Find your damage type on the list below.
• (Acid) Melting: Objects carried by the target are hit and take damage equal to the spell’s damage.
• (Bludgeoning) Sundering: Armor worn by the targets degrades by 2. Sundering effects do not stack.
• (Cold) Chilling: Affected targets are grappled by quick-forming ice until the end of their next turn.
• (Fire) Incinerating: Affected targets continue to burn, taking an extra 1d6 damage at the start of each round until they spend an action extinguishing the flames.
• (Force) Detonating: Affected targets are knocked prone. On their next turn, they must make a Wisdom saving throw to stand up. On their following turn, they may stand up normally without making a save.
• (Lightning) Shocking: Affected targets have disadvantage on all saving throws until the end of your next turn.
• (Piercing) Puncturing: For 10 minutes, weapon attacks against affected targets score critical hits on attack rolls of 15 or higher. (In other words, your spell creates a "weak spot" in the target's armor or hide that others can exploit).
• (Poison) Nauseating: Affected targets forgo their next turn, spending it vomiting.
• (Psychic) Hallucinating: On their next turn, the targets perceive allies as enemies and enemies as allies, and act accordingly.
• (Radiant) Dazzling: Each target is blind until the end of its next turn.
• (Slashing) Wounding: Each target takes 1d10 damage at the end of its next turn.
• (Thunder) Concussive: The targets are pushed 20 feet back.
Step 2: Research the Material
Research takes time. Many potential components must be tested to determine which is the proper one for this new concoction. Special tomes must be procured
that describe the creation of the original potion, and help point the way toward a means to modify it.
The time spent is 8 hours of every day, 6 days a week. The alchemist can take breaks a few times each day to speak with their lieutenant, command their followers, and oversee the construction of their fortification, but they spend the required time in research. If this time is interrupted, the new idea slips from their mind and they must start again.
To conduct new alchemical research, the player must spend 1 month, plus 1 week per level of the item (spell), minus 1 week per level of their alchemy lab.
Creating Strange New Potions
Step 1: Pick the Existing Alchemical Base
Choose an existing alchemical potion or salve that can be made (or alchemical variation of any arcane spell appropriate for your level with DM approval) to conduct new research on it and enhance it into something even more exciting!
Step 2: Pick the Target
Choose from one of the following categories for your alchemic experiment (this will determine which chart you use down below):
• Yourself or one ally
• One enemy
• All bad guys in an area
• All allies in an area
Roll a d8 on the chart corresponding to its effect to discover the result of their research. This is the default use of these rules and tends to produce the best result.
THE SPELL TARGETS YOU OR ONE ALLY
D8 SPELL EFFECT
1. Empowering: for 10 minutes, a random ability score of the target changes to 20 if it is below 20.
2. Regenerating: for the item’s duration, the target regains hit points equal to your spellcasting ability modifier at the start of each of its turns.
3. Mindful: for 10 minutes, the target may use your spellcasting ability modifier on any saving throws.
4. Omniscient: for 10 minutes, the target becomes acutely aware of its surroundings. This reveals hidden, disguised, and invisible creatures within 60 feet, but not objects on other planes.
5. Quickening: for 10 minutes, the target’s move speed increases by 50 feet.
6. Invulnerable: until the end of its next turn, the target is immune to all damage.
7. Topologically ambiguous: for 10 minutes, the target has a 33% chance at the start of each of its turns to leap to a new space within 10 feet as a bonus action. These odds are cumulative (33% chance on The first Turn, 66% on second, 100% on third), but the odds reset To 33% each time the target leaps. The target can choose not to leap, but the odds still reset.
8. Blazing: until the end of its next turn, the target’s movement leaves a trail of fire that lasts for the item’s duration. It deals 3d6 damage (dexterity save for half) to any creature who begins its turn in the fire or moves into or through it.
THE SPELL TARGETS SEVERAL ALLIES
D8 SPELL EFFECT
1. Dexterous: for 10 minutes, a target’s movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
2. Accelerating: for 10 minutes, before taking an action, a target can Move an extra half of its movement.
3. Energizing: until the end of its next turn, a target adds your spellcasting ability modifier to its attack rolls and spellcasting DC.
4. Oracular: for 10 minutes, a target can see which items within 60 feet are alchemical or magical, can see the effects of persistent spells, and can make a DC 15 intelligence (arcana) check to know exactly what those items or spells are.
5. Fated: until the end of its next turn, a target may reroll damage rolls and may take the new roll.
6. Vengeful: for 10 minutes, a target gains a reaction that it may use to attack any enemies who hit it.
7. Revealing: until the end of its next turn, a target always rolls 20s on wisdom (perception) checks.
8. Gloating: for 10 minutes, a target who drops an enemy to 0 hit points can take a dash or attack action.
THE SPELL TARGETS ONE ENEMY
D8 SPELL EFFECT
1. Betraying: The target immediately attacks another target of your choice.
2. Beguiling: The target does not recognize you as an enemy. Until the end of your next turn, your attacks against the target have advantage, and the target has disadvantage on saving throws against you.
3. Distracting: On its next turn, the target can move or take an action, but not both.
4. Elucidating: The target blurts out a closely held secret.
5. Stupefying: The target’s intelligence score decreases to 3 until the end of its next turn.
6. Illuminating: Until the end of its next turn, the target glows, granting advantage on all attacks against it and illuminating any hidden allies adjacent to it.
7. Confusing: The target’s next attack targets a random legal creature. The target will use its movement on its next turn to get closer to that creature if necessary.
8. Exposing: The target’s armor (if any) is knocked clear from the target for one turn. Adjust its AC and abilities accordingly.
THE SPELL TARGETS SEVERAL ENEMIES
D8 SPELL EFFECT
1. Overwhelming: a target is knocked prone.
2. Thunderous: a target is pushed 10 feet back.
3. Defiling: roll 1d6. A target takes that much necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to the total
damage done to all the targets.
4. Immobilizing: a target is held in place and grappled until the end of its next turn.
5. Blinding: the fumes and material from this potion makes the target’s eyes water horridly. It is blind for 1 round per alchemy lab level.
6. Tremoring: until the end of its next turn, a target’s arms seize up and shake, causing it to drop its weapons. If a
target does not have arms, it flails ineffectually, missing attacks, and failing to cast spells.
7. Enfeebling: a target gains vulnerability to fire, cold, lightning, or acid—chosen each time you use a potion—for 1
round per alchemy lab level.
8. Blasting: Move all targets 10 feet in the same direction. If moved up, a target takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage
when it falls back down and must make a DC 10 dexterity (acrobatics) check or fall prone.
Step 3: Research the Material
Research takes time. Many potential components must be tested to determine which is the proper one for this new concoction. Special tomes must be procured
that describe the creation of the original potion, and help point the way toward a means to modify it.
The time spent is 8 hours of every day, 6 days a week. The alchemist can take breaks a few times each day to speak with their lieutenant, command their followers, and oversee the construction of their fortification, but they spend the required time in research. If this time is interrupted, the new idea slips from their mind and they must start again.
To conduct new alchemical research, the player must spend 1 month, plus 1 week per level of the item (spell), minus 1 week per level of their alchemy lab.
Some of these results are weird. This is by design, meant to reinforce the idea that curating alchemy can be unpredictable.
Step 4: New Research
A given alchemical item can only be modified by research once, and a given player can only modify a number of them equal to their alchemy lab level.
(Research cannot grant you access to spell levels your class does not have, either. For example, you may research a 4th-level spell to produce a 5th-level spell you cannot use yet, but will be able to once you level up—your research shows the spell exists, but you haven’t properly mastered it yet. However, you cannot
research a 5th-level spell, producing a 6th-level spell, if your class can never access 6th-level spells.)
Besides these limits, the player is free to do more research later. You can play with your new alchemical item for a while, and if you don’t like the result, “scrap” (forget) that research and work on another.
If the player likes the result, they are free to choose the same modifier for subsequent research. For example:
Reginam researches arcane eye (spell affects yourself or an ally), rolls on the appropriate chart, and gets a 4. Omniscient! Perfect! She now has Reginam’s omniscient eye, and the effects dovetail well. Upon returning to her tower after adventuring, she decides to research haste, and after spending the time researching it, she simply chooses to apply omniscient to haste without rolling, because her player feels like it makes a good combo.