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 Beings with Innate Facility for Alchemy?
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore

1864 Posts

Posted - 27 Apr 2020 :  23:26:19  Show Profile  Visit Icelander's Homepage Send Icelander a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
Are there any beings, either native to Toril or summonable from other planes* that have a natural facility for Alchemy?

I'm thinking creatures like imps, quasits, mephits or the like, but I'm not particular as to their alignment.

They'd have to be bindable with sufficiently powerful magic to perform alchemical tasks, but for an epic-level generalist wizard, that ought to be doable for nearly anything.

Undead are out, for personal and philosophical reasons, but fiends, celestials and nearly anything else is fair game. Outer planar beings that do not require food are preferable.

Specifically, they'd be making chemicals to make linen into the highest quality paper and to tan goathide into fine-quality leather for bookbinding, but they don't need to worry about the actual books, they just handle processing the materials.

*I like to use the 2e Planescape Great Wheel cosmology.

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Edited by - Icelander on 27 Apr 2020 23:28:55

LordofBones
Master of Realmslore

1566 Posts

Posted - 27 Apr 2020 :  23:43:23  Show Profile Send LordofBones a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Haagenti, tanar'ri lord of alchemy.
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader

USA
3746 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  00:01:36  Show Profile Send Lord Karsus a Private Message  Reply with Quote
-Alchemy is an intelligence-based thing so the starting point would be anything with an INT bonus (whichever rules edition you use).

(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)

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Icelander
Master of Realmslore

1864 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  02:04:31  Show Profile  Visit Icelander's Homepage Send Icelander a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Karsus

-Alchemy is an intelligence-based thing so the starting point would be anything with an INT bonus (whichever rules edition you use).


I'm using GURPS to represent Forgotten Realms and Planescape lore, so the various D&D rules need only concern us in so far as they have something to say about lore.

I'm concerned with any being that is established in lore (sourcebooks, novels, the Habit/Society or Ecology sections about them, etc.) as being especially cunning alchemists.

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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore

1566 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  13:36:18  Show Profile Send LordofBones a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Again, Haagenti, tanar'ri lord of alchemy. He's just one line in FC2, so you're going to need to look at Pathfinder for his lore. 99% of it is applicable to Planescape, just change where appropriate.
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore

1864 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  13:56:57  Show Profile  Visit Icelander's Homepage Send Icelander a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by LordofBones

Again, Haagenti, tanar'ri lord of alchemy. He's just one line in FC2, so you're going to need to look at Pathfinder for his lore. 99% of it is applicable to Planescape, just change where appropriate.


Haagenti is a person, isn't he, not a race of creatures like imps, quasits, mephits or the like?

While it would not doubt be effective to bind a whole laboratory of demon lords to make alchemical paper and tanning chemicals for your library, it might require slightly more power than using less awesome beings.

I realize that any number of incredibly powerful beings might also have high Alchemy skill in D&D, but I'm looking for a type of being chiefly notable for facility with alchemy.

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Delnyn
Master of Realmslore

USA
1037 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  14:28:32  Show Profile Send Delnyn a Private Message  Reply with Quote
How about "binding" a trained, experienced gnome not through magic, but through money?
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12022 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  15:30:40  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Modrons. Given a task (especially beings like Monodrones), they will work that task until told to stop. They like your own personal "minions", and honestly if you're going to use them, I'd recommend using them in the same way. Don't let them speak common. Make them speak their native language. Have them being tasked by maybe a half dozen or so of duodrones. Then have the person who controls them have some spell which has them take on the form of a quadrone to give orders, or perhaps they take orders from a warforged wizard or cleric using some kind of spell on himself.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore

1864 Posts

Posted - 28 Apr 2020 :  22:25:36  Show Profile  Visit Icelander's Homepage Send Icelander a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn

How about "binding" a trained, experienced gnome not through magic, but through money?


The requirement is for something that doesn't need to eat and can still be functional in a millennia.

Summoned and bound planar beings are good for that.

I'm leaning toward imps and quasits administrating and organizing a society of mephits of various types.

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