StalkerofShadows/Alchemicals

This is StalkerofShadows quick guide to Alchemicals. I made this for my gaming group, but now I share the wealth. This is a condensed series of emails, so the formatted order might not make sense.

You get 3 caste attributes (decided by your caste of course) 3 favored you pick and 3 unfavored. You get 9/6/4 dots respectively to put in each. There isn't a physical/social/mental split. If you have caste: dex and favor strength and stamina, you could pretty well fill up all the dots in physical but be as dumb and attractive as a doorknob.

Alchemicals can spend 3/die to raise an attribute for their essence in rounds. They also have caste powers that they activate for 5 motes/scene:

orichalum- add essence to damage moonsilver - add essence to initiative jade - add essence to soak starmetal - add essence/2 to damage, accuracy, initative soulsteel - attackers subract essence/2 successes from rolls

Alchemicals are the artifact monsters. You get your dots x 3 in artifact rating. Since their cyberware is actually artifacts, you can buy even more charms at a cost of rating = minimum attribute needed to use the charm (other than the 4 or 5 bonus points you can also spend for more charms).

There are NO manses or demenses in Autochthonia, you can't get dots in either unless you visit Creation.

Alchemicals are allowed to purchase awesome familiars.

Charms:

The speedbumps for each attribute are sustained augmentation of (attribute) or temporary augmentation of (attribute). The sustained gives you a permanent +1 to an attribute (you can only take once per attribute) or temporary reduces the cost/die to increase an attribute by 1 (you can only take this once per attribute as well).

Their Ox-body equivalents are quite good. They also have armor they can install (think sub-dermal armor) that doesn't count as armor. I think its 3/2 soak for obvious cyberware and 2/1 per purchase for non-visible.

They have a soak charm that is basically a force shield. It is very good, TAKE IT!

They don't have persistents or perfect effects. No heavenly guardian defense, no flow like blood!

They use a different type of sorcery. Dont worry, its just as good if not better (but has no Solar or Void circle level).

They basically pay horrible horrible amounts of xp to learn martial arts. The playtesters found that attribute based (Lunars or Alchemicals) with martial arts are horribly broken (think what you could do with a martial artist that can double all his attributes and buy permanent 16/12 natural armor!) Thus you'll never live long enough to get good at them.

The most varied (and one of the best) charm trees is the plasma blaster one. Its basically MegaMan weapons.

They actually get very good combos. You can put cyberware together into an "assembly" and by spending a willpower, you can make any legal combo out of it for a round.

Alchemicals become huge ungodly mechs as they advance in essence. When you essence goes up, your size increases after a refit. Alchemicals also get an additional -2 health level for every dot of essence they have. Essence 2-3: man-sized Essence 4: Shadowrun troll-sized (Thus if you buy 2 dots of essence you will be pretty big) Essence 5: DnD giant sized Essence 6: about 40 feet tall Essence 7: Godzilla sized Essence 8+: You need to request from the big guy personally to advance. Then you become the core of a new city if you are given permission.

Appearance: These are the stereotype appearances, you don't need to follow them Orichalum: Human with shiny gold cyberware Moonsilver: Flowing moonsilver skin, like to use a lot of disguise charms so anything goes Starmetal: Human with very thin, wirey silver cyberware installed Jade: Roughly-carved statue Soulsteel: Sooty black metal parts nailed on with rivets.

Society: Alchemicals start with Class ***. This is basically a combination of followers/backing/contacts/etc. Most mortals look at you as gods (sort of like Dragonbloods, but even moreso). The lower classes just do their jobs everyday, think the Proles in 1984. Mid-class are managers. High-class are the theocrats that run everything. Autochthon has component souls like the Yozi. These are all independant gods that people worship. Think any idea that doesn't involve the wilderness, and you have a god for it somewhere.

The cool stuff: artifacts

Alchemicals are masters of artifacts, they get 3 dots of artifacts per dot of background! The problem quickly runs into committing essence. Sure, you can have super-heavy plate and 2 beamklaives, but that’s almost 25 motes down the tube!

Signature weapon: beam weapons

Any non-archery weapon can be a beam weapon for an additional *** artifact rating. These are basically light sabers. The cool stuff they do is you can cut through stuff like with a lightsaber. Non-artifact weapons that you parry or are used to parry a beam weapon are destroyed! They also destroy the soak of non-artifact armor. However, magical materials block them as usual. They cost the normal commitment, plus to turn on the beam you need to spend 5motes per scene! They are very cool, but I think they are too pricey.

Essence capacitors: wanna-be hearthstones.

Essence capacitors range from * to *****. They add their (rating) in motes to your essence regeneration per hour. However, they run out of juice after a day and take 2 days to recharge. They have no nifty benefits like hearthstones.

In addition, think any of the “other gear” from Shadowrun. Respirators, flare compensators, environmental suits, there is an artifact version of everything.

You want weapons with piercing damage. The random monster in Autochthonia is a machine, and thus armored.

Charms

When an Alchemical uses its innate ability to increase an attribute, that counts towards pool maximums for charms. Plus, Alchemicals can only double their attribute rating, not attribute + ability. Thus, you want huge attributes, not necessarily huge skills.

Some charms have upgrades. These are like half-charms that add to the cost but make the main charm better.

These are just quick descriptions, look at the book for prerequisites.

Catch-all charms:

Sustained augmentation of (attribute): Adds a permanent +1 to an attribute. You can only take this once per attribute.

Transitory augmentation of (attribute): Adds +1 die to an action per mote for one attribute. Additionally, reduces the cost for increasing an attribute with your anima from 3 to 2 motes per die.

Auxillary essence storage: Give up 1 personal essence to add 10 peripheral essence, permanently.

Man-machine protocol: Learn Terrestrial Circle

God-machine protocol: Learn Celestial Circle

Melee charms:

Tactical Analysis: learn one fact from a character’s sheet per round

Accelerated Response: Learn Dipping Swallow Defense or Reed in Wind (one purchase per)

Dynamic Reaction: Add +2 initiative per mote

Celerity: Extra actions equal to essence or persistent defense against one opponent (can only activate 1/round, don’t need to buy twice)

Joint Bearings: adds +3 to escape and similar rolls. Upgrade: become omnidextrous and use off-hand or feet for free.

Limb Extension: You can grow your limbs to essencex2 yards

Multilimb: Get one extra pair of limbs per purchase. If you have sustained augmentation of wits, you have no off-hand penalty

Tentacles: One pair of Doc-Oc tentacles per purchase. They have no off-hand penalty and make great weapons. You can spend 1W 8E to have a tentacle act on its full pool on your turn, no matter how many other actions you used.

Arsenal: You can turn one limb into a weapon (non-artifact) (and back) per purchase

Synthesis: Use essence to add the MM bonus to your Arsenal (again, after the original bonus) once per strike.

Transcendant Arsenal: Turn one limb into an artifact weapon and back per purchase

Electrification: You can zap people with electricity in melee (on a melee hit)

Chemical fog: Make various kinds of fog. Smoke, poison, knock-out gas, etc. Requires additional points per type of gas.

Lotus matrix: You are allowed to learn/use Exalted martial arts, which you learn from the central database (I know kung-fu!)

Ranged combat

This is the Alchemical bread and butter. The plasma blasters are very adaptable, but have a low rate of fire (so buy several if you want). The crossbow ones have the 2 best charms in the book (rail-gun and automatic spray), but both are essence 5!

Notes on the plasma gun tree:

The basic version is very obvious. Think conceable: trenchcoat only. Typically these are arm-mounted (like MegaMan) or shoulder-mounted (like the Predator).

Aim-calibration: Eliminate 2 die of environmental penalties per mote.

Tether beam: name says it all

Pulse cannon: Have a plasma cannon installed. Stats: range increment of 50 yards, accuracy +1, rate of (essence x times installed), base damage of 2L per mote spent. Note: this means you must have essence to shoot essence bolts!

Upgrades:

Discreet: harder to detect, usually hidden in palm or eyes.

Laser sight: + 2 accuracy, but perceptive people can see the aiming dot.

Battery: reserve of 8 motes

Precision beam: Decreases damage by 2L, but damage is piercing

Shockwave: hurls target back

Stunning: does bashing

Detonation: does splash damage

Dampening: kills enemy’s essence store

Energy Drain: as dampening, but you get the essence

Pattern disruptor: damage becomes 1A per mote

Siege cannon: Turns arm into buster cannon, does 3L per mote but only 1 shot per round

Interceptor: shoot down incoming missles

Pulseweb: shoot a web

(next ones are crossbow charms)

Ammo replicator: make bolts out of essence

Repeating bow: put a crossbow on your arm. Damage = strength, accuracy = essence, range increment = 100, rate = unlimited.

Upgrade: laser sighting

Upgrade: store 6 essence arrows

Rail-gun: Use willpower/shot to shoot rail-gun bolts. Goes through target and hits next if not soaked to 0 (and the bolt does strength + (essencex2)L). Range increment: 1 mile. Note the minimum essence requirement of 4.

Strafing: hit everything in a 90-degree arc. Essence 4.

Transmodal targeting: lets you hit multiple targets with 1 shot

Dedicated Target: your projectile teleports to inches of the target, cant hit unintended objects.

Might and Mobility charms

Strain Resistant Chassis: Ox-body

Pain Suppression: reduces wounded penalties

Armor Plating: subcutaneous for 2L/3B per purchase or exoskeleton of 3L/4B per purchase. Natural soak!

Aegis Integration: Reduces armor penalty

Essence Shield: for 1W and then 1 mote per 1L/1B, gain soak for a scene (capped by stamina + essence. Or create a weapon-sized shield (no upgrade necessary)

Element Inured Frame: Gain immunity to an Autochthonian element. Can only be purchased once, ever.

Insectile Locomotion: Replace your legs with a spider carapace for athletics and other bonuses.

Reinforced Flesh: Add 1/1 to your soak and dice you add to acts of strength are doubled.

Gravity Manipulation: Change the direction of gravity so you can walk on walls and ceilings.

Leap Overcharger: Levitate

Plasma Thruster: Allows you to fly fast at motes/round, fly slower at motes/hour or do a rocket-boost that doubles your damage for 1W+4E

Fluidic Impeller: free action spell (as per the D & D) while underwater

Control Spurs: Lets you better control devices used with ride.

Universal Key: Take over a machine

Social charms

Pattern facilitation: bueracracy charm that gets people to do what you want

Synergy Promotion: Give anyone working with you +1 die at one mote/person

Perfection of Assembly: Create a hive-mind with other Alchemicals

Thousand-fold Courtesan Calculations: The Autochthonia sexual database. Allows you to addict people to having sex with you.

Body Electric: Become a master of non-verbal communication

Empathy Simulation: reduces your effective clarity

Brutality Programming: get bonus in intimidating non-machines

Conceptual Entropy: Similar to pattern facilitation

Motivational Vocorder: Get Darth Vader’s voice, scare people

Personality Override: Screw with someone’s brain

Mind-Ripping Probe: upgrade to Override

Memory Implantation Surge: Rewrite someone’s memories

Stealth

Integrated Artifacts: sucks the metal into the meat so you look human

Essence Dormancy: Reduce your essence signature to mage sight

Hulk-Sculpting: look like someone else

Voice Distortion: Perfectly mimic voices

Phermone regulation: add to social rolls

Optical Shroud: Excellent camoflauge

Aura-Dampening: gain the Night Caste ability to dampen essence

Dynamic Cloaking: Predator invisibility

Essence Veil: improved aura dampening

Sensory and Spirit

Optical Enhancement: cybereyes, use upgrades for effects:

Flash shutters

Low-light vision

Microscope

Telescope

360 vision

Thermal vision

X-ray vision

Mobile Drone: your eyes are little robots, you can add these powerful upgrades:

Autonomous

Communication (you can speak through it)

Hovering

Injection needle

Playback

Stealth

Flesh-burrowing

Chemical Analysis: makes your nose analyze chemicals

Tympanal Receptor: improved hearing

Deception Recognition: your ears are lie-dectetors

Interpolative Processor: improves all senses

Soulgem detector: as per the name

Cross-Phase Scanner: extend one of your senses into the spirit world.

Transphase Engine: You gain Shadowcat’s ability to phase. You can go through walls with athletics or dodge with dodge. This is close to a perfect defense as Alchemicals get, as if the thing swinging at you can’t hit spirits, he automatically misses.

God-Ward: ward away spirits

Medicine

Sustenance Replenishment: you need to eat less

Biofunction Inhibitor: you need to sleep less

Toxic Filter: add essence to resist toxins

Restorative Fusion: Heal faster

Body-Reweaving: regenerate

Diagnosis: diagnose disease/damage faster

Biosight: Detect the Living

Biostasis Projector: place a patient in stasis

Hypodermic Apparatus: choose from a wide array of drugs (including poisons)

Essence Tranfusion: Heal mortals faster or transfer essence

Metabolic Injection: gives a mortal instant super-steroids

Cognitive charms

Imprinted Data Cluster: Store up to 3 specialties in memory (this is a great charm)

Data Assimilator: replace an ability with clarity for one roll

Abacus Implant: add to logics rolls.

Upgrade: bonus to linguistics

Tech Analysis: Helps you understand artifacts

Omnitool: you can turn your fingers into any appropriately sized tool

Synaptic Acceleration: Add essence to mental tasks

Efficiency Upgrade: Learn skills as fast as Lt. Data.

Logic Engineering: Ponder a task and reduce the difficulty of the roll if you go through with your plan

Eidetic Processing: Eidetic memory