[Christopher R. Rice]

As my moniker suggests (and my multiple articles on the subject) - I like alchemy. I've read hundreds of books on the subject from the West and the East. I have maybe a dozen unsubmitted Pyramid articles on the subject as well detailing new systems, particular forms (I've got one I'm particularly proud of regarding "Eastern Alchemy"). So...I biased. Alchemy is always used in my games because I provide both time and incentive. It's not often used in game play - well - the old Magic system wasn't - but I use Time Use/Study sheets so my players devote time there between story arcs. In my current campaign, I have a player character who is shaping up to be some sort of alchemical genius (he keeps critting his Alchemy rolls with natural rolls of 3) and he's devoted lots of his points that way. I don't typically have multiple forms of alchemy in my campaigns (or magic systems) - I don't like the way it makes the setting feel branched. As for uses of alchemy, last game session one of the players created ques a form of incense thought to be invented by the Egyptians, that is an acidic corrosive to those with Nephilitic blood (angels, half-angels, some of Jewish descent, etc.) and in my games affects the Forsaken (werewolves, vampires, succubi, etc.) because they are descended from fallen angels. He wanted 6 ounces and got 3 lbs of the stuff because of multiple critical successes. Alchemy could be expanded and indeed, one of the things I'd like to do is write a supplement doing exactly that for every magic system currently supported and maybe add some new ones.