Bokken's Inventory

[Paul Zagieboylo]

On page 55, it says Bokken currently has a handful of assorted potions in inventory to sell to the PCs. This really doesn't make any sense? He's an alchemist, he ought to have elixirs and other alchemical items. It seems like this probably didn't get updated correctly from 1st edition.

I'm planning to change it to a small assortment of minor and lesser elixirs of life, some lesser mutagens (especially cognitive and serene), maybe a couple of bombs or other tools like silversheen. Any particular recommendations?

[Phntm888]

He probably doesn't get a lot of call for most alchemical items in the wilderness. I'd say that when the PCs meet him, his ready inventory should be skewed towards the sort of things trappers or homesteaders might purchase from him. Things like minor elixirs of life, antidotes/antiplagues, a few lesser alchemist's fires, and lesser eagle-eye and cheetah elixirs. Energy mutagens can step in in for the potions of fire resistance and cold resistance. He may have a couple of Cognitive mutagens pre-made, but I would suspect he would use them himself more often than sell them. For alchemical tools, tindertwigs, lesser smokesticks, and sunrods should make up the bulk of his inventory.

Of course, he shouldn't be limited to that. Given the general lack of shop-keepers in Book 1, giving him the ability to craft any Common alchemical item up to level 5 is reasonable. He might just need a few days to make it - and of course, he needs more fangberries to fulfill that order.

As the party levels up, I'd say start having him keep some of the higher level items on hand. After all, there's adventurers in the area that might need some of that now.

Of course, given that NPCs don't need to be built anything like PCs in 2E, he could just be a unique NPC who gets to use alchemy as a replacement for fulfilling the spell component of crafting potions. It's not like the PCs ever need to know.

[qwerty3werty]

I personally think of him as an alchemist with the Magical Crafting feat so he can craft potions and alchemical items, but also be the runesmith early on for the party as there's no other crafting station nearby.

[Paul Zagieboylo]

I guess potions and oils aren't considered spell trigger items anymore, so anyone with Magical Crafting (and a recipe) can craft them. Although it seems weird for an alchemist to do so? Surely science is enough for anyone, who needs all this mysticism and mumbo jumbo!

[qwerty3werty]

I mean both are INT things and Bokken does not seems like the guy to have any form of snobbery like that. He's just a hermit that make stuff to sell.

[Fireybanana42]

Paul Zagieboylo wrote:

I guess potions and oils aren't considered spell trigger items anymore, so anyone with Magical Crafting (and a recipe) can craft them. Although it seems weird for an alchemist to do so? Surely science is enough for anyone, who needs all this mysticism and mumbo jumbo!

I mean arcane magic is basically just using the scientific method on magic.