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Alchemy
A seminal path, Alchemy has its basis in the Hermetic practices of the earliest Tremere and is mostly overlooked by thaumaturges of the 20th century. With tonight's technology at their disposal, many Tremere disdain this path as inefficient and outmoded; however, a handful of elders still teach this path as a reminder of the principles modern blood magic is built on. Alchemy deals with Hermetic "ideals," not realistic interpretations of such, so while it is possible for a thaumaturge to turn lead into gold, she cannot turn lead blocks into a pile of gold coins or melt the resulting gold down to make something else; all the thaumaturge can do is work with raw elements in their "natural" states. Anyone attempting to use Alchemy must first have detailed knowledge of the elements involved (requiring at least two levels of Science or Science: Chemistry) and must work in a controlled environment. Alchemy is a highly exacting process that cannot be realistically accomplished outside of a laboratory-type setting. The path's effects make no distinction between natural or man-made elements; it will affect helium
or Holmesian equally. The level of Alchemy the Tremere possesses determines how greatly he may alter a given element; note that before the thaumaturge may alter a substance, he must first be aware of every element in the compound, and Alchemy does not work on animate ideals (no attempting to change a vampire into salt element by element). Alchemy takes one hour per level to work, at the end of which the Tremere must succeed in a Static Mental Challenge (with the difficulty being at the Storyteller's discretion). The path of Alchemy retests with the Science Ability.
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basic alchemy |
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Commuta |
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Changes in state - solid to liquid, liquid to gas, etc. |
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Simple changes in form - water to separate into amorphous clouds of hydrogen and oxygen, liquid to a desired shape of solid (note that it will remain the same element), etc. |
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intermediate alchemy |
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Scinde |
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Complex changes to form - water into breathable oxygen and loose hydrogen, compounds into their separate elements, etc.
Minor shifts in composition, such as changing a given element into another (up to five greater or five less than its original place on the Periodic Table of Elements).
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advanced alchemy |
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Transmutate |
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Radical shifts in composition - any element can be transformed into any other (note that the state and form of the transmuted element will become that of the new element's "natural" composition).
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