Class Feature Friday: Alchemy Subdomain (Apocryphal Subdomain of Artifice or Magic)
So soon after Divine Anthology was released, we’ve got our very first apocryphal subdomain! These subdomains, as their name suggests, are part of divine lore that is not normally considered canon to the deities that grant it.
This could be for several reasons. The subdomain in question might derive from the teachings of a deity or faith and how it applies to a region or a group of people, who have their own needs, which might not align perfectly with the ordinary party line. In other cases, it might be an outright heretical interpretation of scripture, practiced by secretive sects rejected by the main church.
Typically, player characters have to spend a trait to gain an apocryphal subdomain, but just as NPCs can take them without the associated trait, I feel that with adequate backstory, PCs might be able to skip the trait as well.
Today also introduces us to the idea of subdomains associated with more than one core domain. Normally this happens mostly with subdomains associated with outsider species and the various alignment domains associated with them. Regardless, such subdomains always include full instructions on what abilities they replace in both domains.
Anyway, today we’re looking at the alchemy subdomain. Straddling the fence of applied science and magical force of will, it only makes sense that this is a subdomain of both artifice and magic. Though typically not full alchemists themselves unless they multiclass, divine casters who utilize the domain no doubt have many ranks in craft alchemy, and are quite skilled at creating more mundane alchemical creations.
I see this subdomain being popular in sects where alchemy is a popular option, of course, as well as faiths that use scientific or magical research as a way to feel closer to their deity. Certain gods of magic, particularly in settings where magic is thought of as in direct opposition to science, might view the union of the two as blasphemous, and vice versa.
A humble bottle of water can be quite potent indeed in the hands of one of these clerics or inquisitors, for they can imbue them with divine energy, essentially imbuing them with a spell in their daily arsenal so that it can be drunk as a potion or extract. However, such concoctions are temporary, fading over time. However, they do have the advantage of functioning as extracts for the purposes of certain domain spells this subdomain grants.
These new spells include storing various liquids, both helpful and harmful, in ones body to inject with a touch, amplifying the power of potions and elixers, and delaying the consumption of another extract for when it is most needed.
Interested in adding some potion-based strategy to your divine caster? This is certainly a way to go about it, doling out potion versions of your spells to allies to consume at their leisure, as well as gain some of the utility of those divine spells, clerics being able to inject poisons or even harmful spells with a touch, buff their potions and elixers, and of course set up contingency effects. I highly recommend this for the party healer, particularly if they are also acting as the potion bank of the party. Unfortunately, inquisitors lose out on the spells, so they are regulated to doling out potions to allies.
Keep in mind that even if they are not true alchemists, these mystics still likely practice mundane alchemy, so there’s no reason not to also stock up on various concoctions, and why they might also pack an alchemy kit of their own, and be very knowledgeable of alchemical lore, more so than the average layperson, anyway.
Alchemy is everywhere in the city of Bar Shannad, but they remain as expensive as ever. However, the church of The Great Maker do provide a useful service, creating ready-made, but temporary potions, at a discounted price, for the arena competitor who wants a little holy edge to their blade, or the courtier who desires a little more charm. However, they always warn that these potions are only useful on the day they are made.
Many consider the philosopher’s stone to be the pinnacle of alchemical mastery. For some, this is a religious journey, with its own priests and churches. Those who lack the talent for alchemy, but have the passion to pursue it often become clerics devoted to it, while others become inquisitors, zealously hunting for any sort of information on the stone.
Feeling lost without their water naga goddess, now deceased, the nagaji of the isolated community of Jikaiss have turned to alchemy and religion for a solution. Without the means to resurrect her, some have tried to find a way to turn one of their own into a true naga to replace her, with the blessing of the gods, alchemy, or both.