tl;dr version - I'm trying to come up with a good way to change this house rule to keep the basic flavor of it while also making it more useful to divine classes.
Regular version - I need some advice on a house rule I've got. It's for a set of magic rules that I call Alchemical Secrets, basically ways that players can get a little more mileage out of their Brew Potion feat and Alchemy skills. They're pieces of knowledge that take up the same "space" as known spells without actually being spells themselves. Here's an example of a simple one:
Delta Potion
CL 7th
Price: 4000 gp
Description:
This Alchemical Secret allows for the creation of Delta Potions, which is to say potions or oils that reproduce the effects of 4th level spells (as opposed to Alpha, Beta and Gamma potions, which represent 1st, 2nd and 3rd level spells, respectively. 0th level spells are typically called Minor Potions by those who use this naming scheme.) The formula for determining the market price of Delta Potions is the same as the market price for regular potions: Spell Level x Caster Level x 50. Apart from the spell level, this potion behaves in all ways like a traditional potion created through the Brew Potion feat.
Construction
Requirements: Brew Potion, Craft (Alchemy) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks, Crafter must succeed at a DC 24 Craft (Alchemy) check to learn this secret, using the standard rules for item crafting.
Cost 1333 gp, 3 sp, 3 cp; replaces 4th level spell known
Failure Chance 10%
Basically, the "Delta Potion" secret lets a user know how to create potions of fourth level spells. You have to "craft" this knowledge using a craft check that represents the experiments and calculations of the alchemist at work. In keeping with the lore of more traditional stories of alchemy, I have a "Failure Chance" where the alchemist has a chance of being wrong even if absolutely everything goes right (the Delta Potion, being one of the most basic and well known "secrets", has a relatively low failure chance.) Once known, a person can prepare this secret in a spell slot for every day of crafting.
Now, this was designed as a kind of "secret of wizardry", since the image of a wizard pouring over ancient books while brewing a potion is the standard one. It's also possible for a sorcerer or bard to learn one of these, but it's incredibly costly (though I've generally got Knowstones or Pages of Spell Knowledge to give to them if they really want one.) Witches or Alchemists are even easier: I just let them learn a secret as a Hex or a Discovery.
The real problem comes from Divine classes who have access to their entire spell list like the Cleric or Druid (or from any class that has access to its entire spell list, such as if I import the Artificer from 3.5) A Cleric or Druid brewing some of these secrets might be less common than a Wizard working away in an alchemical laboratory, but it's still something that could come up. Case in point: if I let a member of the Alchemist class learn it as a formula instead of as a Discovery, there's no real cost to them outside of the crafting cost (which is arguably appropriate for that class, but a little weird for most others.) Any thoughts on how to make this a little more accessible for my All-Spells-Known players?
If I've not been very clear on how these Alchemical Secrets work, I've got a few example posts from my blog that you could see here, here or here. That second one is a little rough as I didn't include a failure chance (since it's mainly meant for NPCs to use Blood Cauldrons and the War Ink alchemical secret) but hopefully it'll help.
Well, thematically I would change the crafting check to a religion KNOW or perform (ritual) check. And I would have this as a research project, to represent them delving into the secrets of their chosen order to learn a divine secret kept from most.
Clerics do not KNOW all of their spells, they simply pray for power and they get what they get, they can pray for specific designs of power, but it is technically out of their control. It is through study, faith and practice that they come to understand what gifts their gods are willing to grant them, and what they are allowed to ask for (and be granted).
I see leveling for divines as their god releasing new gifts (and unlocking secrets) to the character as they move closer to divinity.
I would have a caveat that the "Divine Alpha/Beta/Gamma/Delta Potions" are once a day spell likes, then follow potion crafting rules (that require using a spell slot for the day of crafting).
It is a tricky homebrew idea that fits really well with arcane, but divines are just that extra bit of different to make it tricky.
Well, thematically I would change the crafting check to a religion KNOW or perform (ritual) check. And I would have this as a research project, to represent them delving into the secrets of their chosen order to learn a divine secret kept from most.
Clerics do not KNOW all of their spells, they simply pray for power and they get what they get, they can pray for specific designs of power, but it is technically out of their control. It is through study, faith and practice that they come to understand what gifts their gods are willing to grant them, and what they are allowed to ask for (and be granted).
I see leveling for divines as their god releasing new gifts (and unlocking secrets) to the character as they move closer to divinity.
I would have a caveat that the "Divine Alpha/Beta/Gamma/Delta Potions" are once a day spell likes, then follow potion crafting rules (that require using a spell slot for the day of crafting).
It is a tricky homebrew idea that fits really well with arcane, but divines are just that extra bit of different to make it tricky.
Yeah, it's tricky. I don't know that a Divine Alpha potion would work as a spell like (since that's basically a standard first level potion), but it's not a bad idea for Delta. Thanks!
I'll be watching this with interest.