Alchemy

"The physical world is a world of tangible things. The magical world is a world of pure energies. We call the application of the application of magical energies upon tangible objects 'sorcery'. Some use and manipulate magical energies for trivial purposes without joining in the search for knowledge. These are the vulgar, little more than charlatans. Some seek to know the nature of magic. These are called wizards. Others seek to understand the physical world. These are nature's philosophers. Alchemists are those natural philosophers who use the energies of magic to aid them in their quest for knowledge."

- from the introduction to Rudiments of Alchemy, by Achim Hase

Alchemy is a blend of what we would call magic and chemistry, although its Old World practitioners view it as one integrated field of study. Though alchemy's greatest scholars spend much of their time searching for great hidden secrets of transmutation and enternal life, in everyday use alchemy is mostly used for creating potions, chemical reagents, and explosives. Most of the spells used by alchemists are of a practical nature and have little Dark magic in them, being concerned with the cooling, heating, and manipulating of alchemical compounds.

Alchemists tend to take a practical, scientific approach to their subject. Much of their work is not magical at all, being more concerned with chemistry - though the difference between magical ingredients and purely mundane substances is hazy. Some claim to be looking for the Elixir of Life or for a way of turning lead into gold, but most are too busy earning a living to study such subjects in depth. Those who do pursue such higher goals tend to be the ones who leave pure alchemy and gravitate towards further study at the Gold College in Altdorf.

Goals of Alchemy
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Spells
Alchemy is an ancient system of magic, but is compatible with the study of battle-magic. Any Battle wizard is able to use these spells, although most of them are generally considered to be of little use outside their specialized field and are normally only taught by alchemists.

C

 * ’’’Channeled Shock’’’ – This spell creates a small electric current which lasts for an hour. It is not enough to cause any harm, but it can be used in a laboratory to perform simple electroplating. Unscrupulous alchemists will sometimes use it to electroplate cheap jewelry with gold or silver and pass it off as the real thing, to fool gullible patrons into making them think they’ve discovered the secret of True Transmutation.


 * ’’’Cool’’’ – This spell cools a multiple of 6 cubic inches of material approximately 10 degrees Centigrade. It is often used in alchemical experiments. In warm weather, this spell can also be used to manufacture lumps of ice.


 * ’’’Create Vacuum’’’ – This spell removes a multiple of 6 cubic inches of air from any given space. This is useful for removing the air from glass vessels for experimentation purposes. If the spell is used outside a closed vessel it creates a loud, distracting bang.

D

 * ’’’Distil Homunculus’’’ – This spell is used by alchemists to create a familiar. The familiar can be of any form, humanoid, animal or fantastical, but it is typically made from clay, often to the form of a manikin, and fired in an oven.

E

 * ’’’Essence of Air’’’ – This spell creates a small blast of the alchemically active portion of air. This puff can be used for various alchemical processes, but is most often used to cause small fires to flare up and burn hotter for a few seconds.

F

 * ’’’Freeze’’’ – This spell instantly chills a multiple of 6 cubic inches of material to a temperature below the freezing point of water. It is mostly used in alchemical processes but has other uses as well, particularly with the more savvy traders in perishable products.

H

 * ’’’Heat’’’ – This spell creates a small, intense flame about 3 inches long, which burns for 2 hours from the wick of a normal candle. It is used in alchemy for heating retorts (much like a gas burner). The height and heat of the spell can be increased or decreased with concentration.

I

 * ’’’Impervious Hand’’’ – This spell makes the caster’s hands impervious to heat, cold, corrosive chemicals and contact-poisons for one minute. It is useful for picking up hot flasks, handling noxious substances, etc. It does not make the caster immune to sharp objects or crushing damage, and cannot be cast on any other part of the body.

M

 * ’’’Maintain Temperature’’’ – This spell maintains the temperature of any one inanimate item up to 3 cubic feet in size, no matter how hot or cold the outside temperature. The wizard must specify the desired temperature at the time of the spell’s casting.

P

 * ’’’Pressure’’’ – If cast on a vessel no more than 6 cubic inches in volume, this spell increases the pressure within it to four times normal. This is enough to make a sealed thin glass vessel explode, and can force thicker ones to pop their corks or stoppers.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st ED -- Realms of Sorcery
 * pg. 15
 * pg. 71
 * pg. 72
 * pg. 73
 * pg. 74
 * pg. 75
 * pg. 76
 * pg. 77
 * pg. 208
 * pg. 209
 * pg. 210

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