Where have all the alchemists gone?

[Professor Death]

Since the changes to alchemy were instituted a few months back the number of people doing alchemy seems to have dropped down to near-nothing.  I cannot remember the last time I saw an herbalism or alchemy set or its remnants in game.  I've also not seen any characters using alchemy-related paraphernalia like writs, Charity or Bliss, etc.   I understand the initial reasons for the change since at the time it WAS getting a little out of hand with what was coming on the market.  But now, I ask the player base to revisit the issue -

Is anyone still fiddling with alchemy/herbalism or has it just gotten too hard/not enough payback?

Would anyone suggest another set of tweaks to bring the system back into balance so that this cool part of EFU got some more use (assuming it has gone the way of the Dodo recently)?

[Jasede]

I've seen two or three people use it first-hand; and a fourth dragged some salads into the town after an experiment gone wrong.

Alchemy seems like a great idea, but personally, as a player, I'd rather beat alchemical secrets out of others or have spies get it for me than experiment forever in front of the table. I have absolutely zero idea how to make anything.

I did see some really cool alchemical-made loot- but it was made before the remake; take that as you will.

[Random_White_Guy]

Personally I love Alchemy on EFU, even with the changes.

The simple fact though is that it is one of those things that just eats so much of a person's time in pursuit of it, not that it is a bad thing mind you since you can make some seriously awesome things through it.

The best advice I can give to anyone wanting to play an alchemist is make it the focus of your character but then build -plots- around it.

Is your PC in it for the fortune that comes with such? Then try and find yourself "Investors" who can funnel you resource wages and such that allow you to do alchemy on a regular basis, offering them a share of profits in return.

A criminal seeking to make explosives and drugs for power and influence in the criminal world? Then find yourself a sweet crew to team up with that you can interact with on a regular basis.

A lover of magic seeking to unlock the mysteries of the universe? Then scavange what ever scraps, pieces, and bits you can in pursuit of greater knowledge while trying to surround yourself with likeminded arcanists.

These ideas and more have already been seen IG, and more often than not a combination of them mixed together.

Alchemy's biggest pitfall is that people tend to get too enveloped in it and forget to involve others. If you can manage that then both PCs, Dms, and yourself are due for some very fun times.

[Adhesive]

There was a very proficient alchemist character just recently, and I'm getting into Herbalism on my ranger and have started making some interesting things. Make a sending or post on the public board looking for buddies, and I'm sure you'll find some people to do stuff with! Two alchemist are five times more fun than one!

[Yanamar]

I'll just toss my two cents in to say that I've never fiddled with alchemy, but I intend to with this newest character of mine.

[Random_White_Guy]

Not to ramble but my view of Alchemy was always like a Cold War scientist! Though I guess my first encounter lead to such an awesome depiction.

My first alchemist on EFU was originally going to be a scavanger dwelling in the old goblin town of EFU:A. He made his early fortune by pitching his ideas and offering explosives to the stygians, magics to some patricians, business with some nature folks, and more. His goal ultimately achieving his dream of "Creating anything he desired without leaving a three foot circle", and being able to use alchemy to sustain himself, entertain himself, enrich himself, and more.

However about two weeks in he was then cornered by Genteel Jim and told rather bluntly that he was now part of his gang with the simple task of creating Drugs, and was fed a regular stipend of hundreds of gold in pursuit of this task and told to find him in a week and pray I had results.

As this advanced over the weeks (And ample death threats) he found himself actually succeeding in this process, only to be identified as a weak-link in the Wizard Jim's gang as "Supplier of drugs", and was coerced even more then by the Conclave to join their ranks and help try to bring him down...or die in the process.

The result was some epic alchemic intrigue, planning, schemes, and more that eventually lead to an untimely demise.

If you find yourself with a lot of time for IG experimentation and pursuits I would definitely suggest giving Alchemy a go!

[Vlaid]

I've never really been fond of the "combine anything to get something" gambling of crafting stuff in EFU. I'm sure I would be more inclined to make an alchemist or herbalist if it seemed to have a little more sense to it and less random combining. Just my own reason why you'll never see me play either.

[Rincewind1]

Most of us just hide our secrets well.

[IxTheSpeedy]

There are definitely some Herbalists out there.  I've been tutoring two people in it IG recently.  Like RWG said though, it takes a seriously large amount of time to advance your research.

[One_With_Nature]

The system doesn't need changing, there are methods of reducing DCs on recipes. Its extremely time consuming and i can agree with RwG that you can lose sight of other goals and involving others. It is certainly worth exploring if you intend to dedicate yourself to it as a main focus. If you want to take it up seriously though i would advise focusing your feats and skills primarily on boosting your alchemy/herbalism skill.

[Ixion]

They all died from the alchemy perma-killing them.

[Professor Death]

Great feedback. I'm not interested in playing one, I was just wondering if there were still folks doing it since the alchemical sales went from medium heavy to zero.

[Howlando]

I've never really been fond of the "combine anything to get something" gambling of crafting stuff in EFU. I'm sure I would be more inclined to make an alchemist or herbalist if it seemed to have a little more sense to it and less random combining.

That's not quite accurate, the random combinations really only work for the low-tier stuff - there's more method to the madness to make more complicated things.

[Aethereal]

The simple fact though is that it is one of those things that just eats so much of a person's time in pursuit of it, not that it is a bad thing mind you since you can make some seriously awesome things through it.

I will admit I have not been active on EFU for awhile now. But, this sums up what alchemy is. It's a massive time sink, but it has rewards of equivalent value if you compare it to any other endeavour undertaken in EFU.

Frankly, the system in marvellous. And I think all of my PCs that I have pursued with motivation have made use of this crafting system. The most recent changes are a good thing for EFU crafting as well, as they remove those who have mastered the system from easy access to powerful items and make everyone, newbie or master alchemist work for (and thus motivate them to incorporate others in their work) their success.

[Aethereal]

That's not quite accurate, the random combinations really only work for the low-tier stuff - there's more method to the madness to make more complicated things.

It's not accurate at all. The crafting system is very systematic. You can work out the rules with some trial and error. Good luck and enjoy!