Alchemy is the binding of energy according to conditions. In effect, that allows the creation of items who can cause magical effect no matter who operates them. It also serves a secondary effect; the binding of curses. Any mage can cause a bad spell to affect someone; only the alchemist can cause that spell to operate according to conditions.

Awakening Alchemy is either due to intense emotion where one tries to invoke a curse or something similar, or through a deliberate attempt.

There are three things that an Alchemist needs to be able to bind energy; first of all, he needs the object or person that the magic will be bound into. Second, he needs to be able to create the effect that he wants to bind; for instance, if he wants to create a wand of fireballs, he needs to be able to CREATE a fireball. Third, he needs a source of energy; for one-use items, the energy required to cast the spell is sufficient, but for multiple-use items that is not enough.

Items thus have a limited number of uses. The more effort and power invested into an item, the longer it will survive, but eventually it will lose its power, and it will require a mage with the same combination of abilities required to make the item to recharge it.

Alchemy Scars take the form of curses related to the type of spell the mage was trying to bind.

Alchemy focuses depend directly on the spell being bound, as if that spell were being cast. In addition, a focus will be dissolved by the binding, whether it was the first time used as a focus or the fiftieth, in order to supply the energy to enforce the binding.

LEVEL ADVANCEMENTS:

None: As with all sorcery, once awakened an Alchemist proceeds directly to the Apprentice stage.

Apprentice: The apprentice is able to detect the extent of an existing binding, depending on the complexity and the extent to which the binding mage tried to conceal his intent. Thus the apprentice can determine the conditions of most curses and what effects an item may reproduce.

Journeyman: The mage may begin to bind spells into one-use items such as scrolls and potions and cast a curse that will take effect once when the conditions are met.

Mage: The mage may bind spells into multiple-use items. The energy for the first, initial binding is that required to cast the spell; after that, each 'casting' of a spell counts as two uses of the item should the creation be successful. Correspondingly, the longer a mage takes to complete an item, the more uses it will have.

Adept: The mage may bind a spell into a continual-use item. The spell will be continuously in effect, but this has a cost; the energy is either drawn from the bearer of the object, or it will gradually drain out. If it is drawn from the bearer, the spell will take effect when the bearer puts on/wields the item. At this level, the adept is skilled in the conservation of energy, so such items last a long time; they are not, however, permanent.

LOST ABILITIES: It is known for a fact that ancient mages created powerful items that did not lose energy, perhaps drawing on some unknown replenishable source; however, the means of doing so have been lost since the Scourge, and attempts to duplicate existing items have resulted in failure.