Alchemy

Alchemy is an academic discipline linked to the creation of mystical Potions. The corresponding Skill for characters is abbreviated Alch.

The skills in Darklands are:

Weapons	Academics	Survival
WEdg	Alch	Heal
WImp	Relg	Artf
WFll	Virt	Stlh
WPol	SpkC	StrW
WThr	SpkL	Ride
WBow	R&W	WdWs
WMsD

Overview[]

Types of Potions: There are personal potions meant to be ingested or applied, and then there are battle potions— dangerous substances, meant to be thrown at enemies. Use the former by pressing P on their entry in a party member's equipment list. Hurling potions is done through the battlescape's menu. Most of the 22 formulas may also find a use in some very specific situation, somewhere, at some time.

Production: Brewing potions will necessitate the party making a circuit of the commercial and academic centers of Germany, with this general plan in mind:

Having a character with passable academic and interpersonal skills to get started;
Obtaining formulas;
Obtaining training in the Alch skill;
Upgrading the party's Philosopher's Stone;
Gathering ingredients, and/or locating cities that sell all the ingredients to a known recipe;
Learning about saints that can boost Alch and eventually Int.

To pay for all this, the party needs to draw on existing resources and brew intermediate potions for profit. Finding a good Saint to boost the purseholder's Chr is recommended for handling the big transactions this endeavor might involve. For its part, advanced alchemy is immensely profitable.

Getting Started[]

The Alch skill is required to even find Alchemists in Cities' crafts districts. This "barrier to entry" for the profession, sometimes as high as 30 or more, is troublesome for any party that did not train the skill during CharGen. However, there are saints which boost the Alch skill, and the party may also be able to secure tutoring from a University, which can facilitate beginning the process. Once an urban alchemist is found he can be very ornery and throw everyone out for any perceived slight, which is where the interpersonal skills of the alchemist party member become important.

Regularly trading formulas with these ornery professionals is the longest-running and most important aspect of development. A bug in the formulary makes it so that two-thirds of the alchemical recipes can only be acquired this way, in fact.

Potion Creation[]

Orders to create a batch of potions can be issued during camping/residence. The formula for success is:

% Chance = k + PhStone + Int + Alch - MagicNumber

The Magic Number is the recipe's difficulty and is subtracted from the chance of success. Each point of PhStone, Int, and Alch corresponds with a one-point increase to the success rate. k is a variable, a "base chance," that starts at 100 and decreases exponentially for attempting batches greater than 3 potions, according to the table below:

Batch Size	k
1-3	100
4-5	50
6-7	33
8-9	25
10-11	20
12-13	16
14-15	14
16-17	12
18-19	11
20-21	10
22-23	9
24-25	8
26-29	7
30-33	6
34-41	5
42-51	4
52-67	3
68-101	2
102-201	1
202-255	0

It is strongly recommended to camp overland, and not reside in a city's Inn, when creating any-sized batch of any sort of potion. Even recipes that avow themselves "Low Risk" can blow up the inn if they fail. Therefore, performing alchemy in cities' inns over a long term will eventually lead to legal difficulties.

Potion List[]

The table below is a list of the potions in Darklands, their in-game descriptive text, and links to their main articles. The 22 named Potions in this table each have three tiers of quality, for a total of 66 individual recipes.

Name	Description
Noxious Aroma	A large cloud whose smell makes people sick; agility and fighting skill decline
Eyeburn	A vial of blinding powder; skills of the person hit are greatly reduced.
Black Cloud	A dense cloud of black smoke; conceals, upping stealth and lowering perception.
Fleadust	A cloud of itching powder; reduces skills in proportion to the targets armor.
Eater Water	Oily, acidic liquid that can eat through metal -- even armor. Dangerous to make
Breath of Death	A poisonous cloud of deadly vapors which are unaffected by armor.
Sunburst	A blinding explosion of light; it stuns anyone standing near.
Thunderbolt	A sealed vial that, upon impact, explodes with great force.
Arabian Fire	A sticky, burning substance that clings to flesh and flows through armor.
Stone-tar	A pool of sticky sludge; it slows anyone who crosses it.
Deadly Blade	An oil applied to non-impact weapons that increases the damage done.
Strongedge	An oil applied to blades and poles that enhances combat effectiveness.
Greatpower	An oil applied to weapons that improves their quality.
Trueflight	An oil applied to missile weapons that increases accuracy.
Hardarmor	An oil applied to armor that increases its thickness and quality.
Transformation	A solution that purifies, and sometimes appears to make more gold.
Truesight	A potion to be drunk; it increases the user's perception.
New-wind	A healing potion that restores lost endurance.
Ironarm	A potion that can increase strength above the normal maximum.
Quickmove	A draught that can increase agility above the normal maximum.
Essence o'Grace	A healing potion that restores endurance and strength.
Firewall	A draught that greatly increases the user's resistance to fire magic.

Formulae, Ingredients, Difficulty
Noxious Aroma
25q	35q	45q
al-razi's	Gerard C's	Petrus B's
80 mn	91 mn	96 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

3 Brimstone	4 Brimstone	5 Brimstone
2 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base	3 Choleric Base
1 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base
1 Melanc. Base	1 Melanc. Base
Eyeburn
25q	35q	45q
Solomon's	Galen's	Nicholas F's
84 mn	94 mn	103 mn
Medium Risk	Medium Risk	Medium Risk

1 Aqua Regia	1 Solanaceae	1 Antimoni
2 Brimstone	2 Brimstone	2 Brimstone
2 Choleric Base	3 Choleric Base	2 Choleric Base
		1 Melanc. Base
Black Cloud
25q	35q	45q
Oriental	Rufinus of G's	Michael Scot's
98 mn	105 mn	112 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

1 Zincblende	2 Zincblende	1 Pitchblende
2 Pitchblende	2 Pitchblende	1 Naptha
1 Brimstone	2 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base
1 Choleric Base	1 Melanc. Base
1 Melanc. Base
Fleadust
25q	35q	45q
al-Razi's	Nicholas F's	Richard A's
114 mn	120 mn	127 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

1 Antimoni	2 Antimoni	1 Orpiment
1 Orpiment	1 White Cinnabar	1 White Cinnabar
1 Nikel	1 Nikel	1 Nikel
1 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base
2 Sanguine Base	2 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base
Eater Water
25q	35q	45q
Solomon's	Alfred of S's	Gerard of C's
137 mn	146 mn	155 mn
Medium Risk	Medium Risk	Medium Risk

1 Zincblende	2 Antimoni	2 Orpiment
2 Orpiment	5 Aqua Regia	3 Aqua Regia
1 Solanaceae	2 Zinken	2 Brimstone
3 Aqua Regia	3 Phleg. Base	1 Phleg. Base
2 Phleg. Base
Breath of Death
25q	35q	45q
Smargdn.	al-Kindi's	Simon C's
189 mn	194 mn	199 mn
High Risk	High Risk	High Risk

1 Marsh Vapor	1 Marsh Vapor	1 Marsh Vapor
2 White Cinnabar	2 White Cinnabar	2 White Cinnabar
1 Aqua Regia	1 Alum	1 Camomile
4 Choleric Base	3 Choleric Base	2 Choleric Base
4 Melanc. Base	3 Melanc. Base	2 Melanc. Base
Sunburst
25q	35q	45q
African	Raimundus Ls'	Brother Elias'
91 mn	99 mn	110 mn
High Risk	High Risk	High Risk

1 Manganes	1 Manganes	1 Manganes
1 Zincblende	1 White Cinnabar	1 Aqua Regia
1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia	1 Zinken
1 Zinken	1 Zinken	2 Brimstone
2 Choleric Base	2 Brimstone
Thunderbolt
25q	35q	45q
al-Tamimi's	Maimonides'	Arnald of V's
130 mn	139 mn	152 mn
High Risk	High Risk	High Risk

2 Manganes	2 Manganes	2 Manganes
1 Orpiment	1 Brimstone	2 Aqua Regia
1 Aqua Regia	2 Aqua Regia	4 Choleric Base
4 Choleric Base	4 Choleric Base
Arabian Fire
25q	35q	45q
Geber's	Zadith's	Hugh's
160 mn	165 mn	170 mn
High Risk	High Risk	High Risk

1 Manganes	2 Naptha	2 Naptha
2 Naptha	1 Zincblende	1 Gum
1 Gum	1 Gum	1 Pitchblende
4 Choleric Base	3 Choleric Base	3 Choleric Base
1 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base
Stone-tar
25q	35q	45q
Sina's	Albertus Ms'	Rob. de K's
109 mn	121 mn	133 mn
Medium Risk	Medium Risk	Medium Risk

1 Aqua Regia	1 Gum	1 Gum
1 Gum	1 Alum	2 Brimstone
1 Brimstone	1 Brimstone	3 Phleg. Base
3 Phleg. Base	3 Phleg. Base	2 Melanc. Base
1 Melanc. Base	1 Melanc. Base
Deadly Blade
25q	35q	45q
Hayyan's	Vincent Bs'	Roger of H's
124 mn	133 mn	142 mn
Medium Risk	Medium Risk	Medium Risk

1 White Cinnabar	2 White Cinnabar	1 White Cinnabar
1 Aqua Regia	1 Antimoni	1 Pitchblende
2 Mondragora	2 Mondragora	2 Mondragora
3 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base
2 Melanc. Base	1 Melanc. Base	2 Melanc. Base
Strongedge
25q	35q	45q
al-Majriti's	John of R's	Petrus Bonus'
140 mn	148 mn	156 mn
Low Risk	Medium Risk	High Risk

1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia
1 Gum	1 Gum	1 Gum
4 Zinken	1 Nikel	2 Nikel
2 Sanguine Base	2 Zinken	4 Sanguine Base
	3 Sanguine Base
Greatpower
25q	35q	45q
ibn Rushd's	Jildaki's	Albertus M's
131 mn	136 mn	142 mn
High Risk	High Risk	High Risk

1 Gum	1 Solanaceae	1 Gum
3 Zinken	2 Zinken	2 Nikel
1 Pitchblende	1 Pitchblende	1 Pitchblende
1 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base
3 Sanguine Base	4 Sanguine Base	2 Sanguine Base
Trueflight
25q	35q	45q
ibn Umail's	al-Bitruji's	John Dausten's
127 mn	135 mn	141 mn
Medium Risk	Medium Risk	Low Risk

1 Antimoni	1 Antimoni	1 Antimoni
2 Solanaceae	2 Solanaceae	2 Solanaceae
1 Alum	1 Alum	1 Alum
2 Brimstone	3 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base
2 Choleric Base
Hardarmor
25q	35q	45q
ibn Yazid's	Brother Elias'	Leonard of M's
151 mn	160 mn	167 mn
High Risk	Medium Risk	Medium Risk

1 Manganes	1 Zincblende	1 Solanaceae
1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia
2 Nikel	3 Nikel	3 Nikel
3 Zinken	2 Zinken	2 Zinken
4 Sanguine Base	3 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base
Transformation
25q	35q	45q
Morienus'	Avicenna's	Nicholas of A's
195 mn	200 mn	210 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Medium Risk

1 Manganes	1 Antimoni	1 Zincblende
1 Orpiment	1 Orpiment	1 Orpiment
1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia	1 Aqua Regia
3 Brimstone	2 Brimstone	1 Brimstone
3 Pure Gold	2 Pure Gold	1 Pure Gold
Truesight
25q	35q	45q
Arfa Ras'	Rufinus of G's	Leonard of M's
105 mn	113 mn	120 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

1 Solanaceae	1 Alum	1 Solanaceae
3 Mondragora	2 Mondragora	1 Mondragora
1 Phleg. Base	1 Camomile	2 Camomile
1 Sanguine Base	1 Phleg. Base	1 Phleg. Base
	2 Sanguine Base
New-wind
25q	35q	45q
Sina's	Michael Scot's	John Rupesc.'s
90 mn	99 mn	107 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

2 East. Black Bean	2 Solanaceae	1 East. Black Bean
1 Mondragora	1 Mondragora	1 Solanaceae
1 Choleric Base	1 Camomile	1 Camomile
1 Sanguine Base	1 Choleric Base	1 Choleric Base
	2 Sanguine Base
Ironarm
25q	35q	45q
Jabir's	Rob de Ketene's	Hugh's
110 mn	115 mn	120 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

2 East. Black Bean	2 East. Black Bean	2 East. Black Bean
1 Manganes	1 Zinken	1 Nikel
1 Alum	1 Alum	1 Alum
3 Sanguine Base	2 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base
	1 Choleric Base
Quickmove
25q	35q	45q
Hayyan's	John Dausten's	Richard A's
101 mn	108 mn	116 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

1 East. Black Bean	1 East. Black Bean	1 East. Black Bean
1 Solanaceae	1 Mondragora	1 Mondragora
1 Camomile	1 Phleg. Base	1 Camomile
1 Phleg. Base	2 Sanguine Base	1 Phleg. Base
1 Sanguine Base
Essence o'Grace
25q	35q	45q
Galen's	Michael S'	Avicenna's
81 mn	90 mn	98 mn
Low Risk	Low Risk	Low Risk

1 Zincblende	1 Zincblende	1 Zincblende
2 Gum	2 Camomile	1 Gum
3 Phleg. Base	2 Phleg. Base	1 Camomile
3 Sanguine Base	3 Sanguine Base	1 Phleg. Base
		1 Sanguine Base
Firewall
25q	35q	45q
Jabir's	Maimonides'	Raimundus L's
117 mn	122 mn	127 mn
Medium Risk	Medium Risk	Medium Risk

1 Manganes	1 Orpiment	1 Orpiment
1 Naptha	1 Naptha	1 Naptha
3 Nikel	3 Brimstone	2 Antimoni
3 Phleg. Base	3 Phleg. Base	1 Phleg. Base
3 Sanguine Base	2 Sanguine Base	1 Sanguine Base

Profit Guide[]

Overview[]

If the party scours the land for useful recipes and keeps a record of places where key ingredients are sold, alchemy can be very profitable. The profit margins— the potion's sale price minus the ingredients' purchase price— on 45q potions are especially high. When poor, keep the number of batches low to prevent failure and avoid risk. When rich, experienced, and aided by the Saints, it becomes more feasible to take risks brewing big batches of a product with a high payoff.

XKoln — Köln usually sells the most ingredients.

The table in this section is based on research originally done by Alan Pitts and darklands.net ^[1]. It considers the recipes in terms of profitability, both proportionally and in raw coin gained per unit.

Sale

The Sale Value column uses 40 Chr as a baseline for the character holding the purse. Sale values also depend on the size of the location at which the item is being sold. Eight potions are considered by the game to be "common items" and are therefore most profitable when sold at a small location. For these, the sale value listed is for a chance merchant caravan encounter overland, which is considered to be a size 1 location, the tiniest possible. The other fourteen potions are considered "rare." Their sale values are what is offered by the market in the empire's biggest city, the map's only size 8 location, Köln.

Cost

The Cost column is the purchase price of the potion's ingredients. Like all items, ingredients have rarity values. Rarity is very important in determining what is on offer from the foreign traders and herbalist at the Markt. While big cities charge slightly more for rare ingredients, such places are the only consistent source of them anyway. Besides Köln, the size 7 cities of Danzig, Hamburg, Lübeck, Nürnberg, Stassburg, and Ulm should are absolutely worth visiting for alchemy. The values given here are based on prices in Köln.

Table[]

Potion	qual	Mn	Rarity	Cost	Sale Value	Profit %	Profit Pfennigs
Noxious Aroma	aR	80	Common	81	105	29%	24
	GC	91		92	147	59%	55
	PB	96		111	189	70%	78
Eyeburn	Sol	84	Common	86	131	52%	45
	Ga	94		93	182	95%	89
	NF	103		88	235	167%	147
Black Cloud	Or	98	Common	133	232	74%	99
	RG	105		166	324	95%	158
	MS	112		85	417	390%	332
Fleadust	aR	114	Common	115	239	107%	124
	NF	120		135	334	147%	199
	RA	127		98	430	338%	332
Eater Water	Sol	137	Rare	287	588	104%	301
	AS	146		338	823	143%	485
	GC	155		230	1060	360%	830
Breath of Death	Sm	189	Rare	221	711	221%	490
	aK	194		193	995	415%	802
	SC	199		177	1281	623%	1104
Sunburst	Af	91	Rare	171	351	105%	180
	RL	99		172	492	186%	320
	BE	110		149	633	324%	484
Thunderbolt	aT	130	Rare	193	463	139%	270
	Mam	139		215	648	201%	433
	AV	152		198	834	321%	636
Arabian Fire	Gb	160	Rare	221	607	174%	386
	Za	165		212	851	301%	639
	Hu	170		188	1093	481%	905
Stone-tar	Si	109	Common	125	165	32%	40
	AM	121		113	231	104%	118
	RK	133		112	297	165%	185
Deadly Blade	Ha	124	Rare	187	343	83%	156
	VB	133		176	480	172%	304
	RH	142		159	618	288%	459
Strongedge	a-M	140	Rare	208	317	52%	109
	JR	148		186	443	138%	257
	PB	156		164	570	247%	406
Great Power	iR	131	Rare	182	281	54%	99
	Ji	136		163	394	141%	231
	AM	142		142	507	257%	365
Trueflight	iU	127	Common	188	255	35%	67
	aB	135		160	356	122%	196
	JD	141		148	458	209%	310
Hardarmor	iY	151	Rare	255	437	71%	182
	BE	160		242	611	152%	369
	LM	167		223	786	252%	563
Transformation	Mo	195	Rare	587	831	41%	244
	Av	200		417	1163	178%	746
	NA	210		274	1497	446%	1223
Truesight	AR	105	Rare	175	266	52%	91
	RG	113		158	372	135%	214
	LM	120		143	479	234%	336
New-wind	Si	90	Common	204	285	39%	81
	MS	99		172	399	131%	227
	JR	107		150	512	241%	362
Ironarm	Ja	110	Rare	249	445	78%	196
	RK	115		228	622	172%	394
	Hu	120		212	801	277%	589
Quickmove	Ha	101	Rare	158	250	58%	92
	JD	108		137	350	155%	213
	RA	116		149	450	202%	301
Essence o'Grace	Ga	81	Common	166	227	36%	61
	MS	90		136	318	133%	182
	Av	98		126	409	224%	283
Firewall	Ja	117	Rare	218	487	123%	269
	Mam	122		171	681	298%	510
	RL	127		164	877	434%	713

Recommendations[]

Recipes for the first 7 potions on the table above, which lists potions by their internal index order, are commonly sold by craft district Alchemists. The most accessible potion in terms of the availability of its formula and ingredients is Noxious Aroma (save some of these to repel wolves!). The ingredients for Noxious Aroma and Eyeburn are very common; the majority of cities in fact sell everything required for these. There is not much money in brewing Noxious Aroma and Eyeburn, but it's more than nothing, and the chance to increase the Alch skill overnight is the same as for any other product.

In ascending order of ingredient rarity, the 45q Essence o'Grace, Ironarm, Black Cloud, Sunburst, and Firewall formulas are the best money-makers when taking into consideration the odds of being able to brew large quantities of them at a time. Take note of any city found selling all of the ingredients to one of these— it is a good place to settle down and earn florins.

In ascending order of sale price, Eater Water, Arabian Fire, Breath of Death, and Transformation earn the most money per batch successfully brewed. The problem with these powerful recipes is that they are nigh-impossible to produce in bulk. The party's alchemist is likely to be limited to brewing 3 potions per night unless prepared to accept a very high chance of failure.

It bears repeating that the party should camp out in the open country to brew potions rather than risk blowing up a city's inn... especially in the course of trying to earn profits over many sessions of alchemy.

255[]

The maximum number of batches one character can brew in one night is 255. As described above in Potion Creation, the "handicap" k approaches 0 as the number of batches increases, and the chance of success without any help from k is usually abysmal. However, if a pro alchemist is executing one of the easy formulas, there is surprisingly little difference in the odds of success between a batch of 15 or 255. Whether or not you want to try creating 255 potions in one night is a question of wealth and appetite; managing such large quantities of ingredients will get torturous.

Saints[]

Main article: Saints (assorted tables)

A party member can make use of a blessing for two days by praying in the afternoon and camping for two days back-to-back.

Intelligence boosts are valuable, because the attribute cannot normally be improved. The party should stay on the lookout for saints who boost this attribute, especially once Alch is fully-trained.

Saints who improve alchemy skill
Name	Improvement	Min DF	Max	Virtue
Giles of Portugal *	40-59	15 DF — 60%	37 DF	64v
Albert	30-44	25 DF — 60%	34 DF	39v
Raymond Lull	20-39	10 DF — 35%	39 DF	29v
John Climacus	1-4 + Virt/5	40 DF — 30%	70 DF	20v
Gregory Thaumaturg.	10-19	30 DF — 80%	37 DF	74v
Maurice	10-19	30 DF — 70%	50 DF	81v
Peter of Atroa	10-19	25 DF — 50%	56 DF	62v
Pantaleon	10-19	25 DF — 20%	83 DF	56v
Eligius	8-15	10 DF — 25%	49 DF	29v
Reinold	6-17	25 DF — 45%	43 DF	27v
Erasmus	6-11	15 DF — 40%	41 DF	32v
Jude	6-11	20 DF — 5%	72 DF	15v
Dunstan	5-14	30 DF — 60%	42 DF	45v
Margaret ♀	5-10	25 DF — 45%	53 DF	46v
Saints who improve intelligence
Name	Improvement	Min DF	Max	Virtue
Raymond Penafort	15-29	10 DF — 50%	43 DF	67v
Thomas Aquinas	12-23	15 DF — 65%	34 DF	68v
Paul the Simple **	12-23	27 DF — 35%	51 DF	19v
Raymond Lull	12-19	10 DF — 35%	39 DF	29v
Gabriel	10-29	30 DF — 45%	63 DF	56v
Dominic	10-19	20 DF — 15%	69 DF	29v
Henry	8-23	30 DF — 75%	35 DF	61v
Albert	8-15	25 DF — 60%	34 DF	39v
Stephen	8-15	20 DF — 30%	53 DF	27v
Matthew	8-15	20 DF — 25%	58 DF	26v
Catherine	8-15	30 DF — 30%	73 DF	46v
Wenceslaus	8-13	35 DF — 60%	47 DF	44v
Cyprian	6-12	25 DF — 50%	52 DF	54v
Alcuin	6-11	15 DF — 60%	24 DF	39v
John Nepolmuchen	6-11	15 DF — 30%	46 DF	22v
Wolfgang	6-11	20 DF — 35%	47 DF	24v
Peter of Atroa	6-11	25 DF — 50%	56 DF	62v
Edward, Confessor	6-11	20 DF — 10%	62 DF	5v
Giles of Portugal	5-9	15 DF — 60%	37 DF	64v
Bathildis	4-8	15 DF — 20%	55 DF	21v
Jude	4-8	20 DF — 5%	72 DF	15v
Arnulf	4-7	15 DF — 65%	32 DF	65v
David	4-7	10 DF — 25%	50 DF	30v
Margaret ♀	3-6	25 DF — 45%	53 DF	46v
Ceolwulf	3-5	15 DF — 25%	51 DF	23v
Paul **	÷ 2	20 DF — 60%	45 DF	70v

* St. Giles of Portugal has been documented to wound the target character, reducing Str and/or End by 1 permanently. As far as can be ascertained, this is not the case. The saint deals 1 point of combat damage to the target's Str and reduces Virt by 1 point. Both can be gained back.

** The data for Paul the Apostle and Paul the Simple are switched in-game, causing the blessings of these saints to be pretty much the opposite of what is documented and expected, especially so considering their epithets.

Ingredients[]

Main article: Ingredients

Main article: Table Only

Ingredients in Darklands are sold as tiny, portable samples, always at 25q. A few 35q samples can be found during quests, but the quality does not affect the resulting potions. The prices for ingredients are given in the second section below, in a range that a character with 40 Chr can expect to pay, depending on the size of the vendor's location and the rarity of the compound.

Quantity Chart[]


aR NoxAro																			3	2		1	1
GC NoxAro																			4	1		1	1
PB NoxAro																			5	3		1
Sol Eyebrn											1								2	2
Ga Eyebrn										1									2	3
NF Eyebrn							1												2	2			1
Or BlkCld						1											2		1	1			1
RG BlkCld						2											2			2			1
MS BlkCld			1														1			1
aR Fleadst							1	1								1				1		2
NF Fleadst							2		1							1				1		2
RA Fleadst								1	1							1				1		1
Sol EatWat						1		2		1	3										2
AS EatWat							2				5							2			3
GC EatWat								2			3								2		1
Sm BDeath				1					2		1									4			4
aK BDeath				1					2					1						3			3
SC BDeath				1					2						1					2			2
Af Sunbst		1				1					1							1		2
RL Sunbst		1							1		1							1	2
BE Sunbst		1									1							1	2
aT Thundr		2						1			1									4
Mam Thundr		2									2								1	4
AV Thundr		2									2									4
Gb AFire		1	2									1								4		1
Za AFire			2			1						1								3		1
Hu AFire			2									1					1			3		1
Si Stonetr											1	1							1		3		1
AM Stonetr												1		1					1		3		1
RK Stonetr												1							2		3		2
Ha DeadBld									1		1		2									3	2
VB Deadbld							1		2				2									1	1
RH DeadBld									1				2				1					1	2
a-M StrgEdg											1	1						4				2
JR StrgEdg											1	1				1		2				3
PB StrgEdg											1	1				2						4
iR Grtpwr												1					1	3		1		3
Ji Grtpwr										1							1	2		1		4
AM Grtpwr												1				2	1			1		2
iU TruFlt							1			2				1					2	2
aB TruFlt							1			2				1						3
JD TruFlt							1			2				1						1
iY HrdArm		1									1					2		3				4
BE HrdArm						1					1					3		2				3
LM HrdArm										1	1					3		2				1
Mo Transf	3	1						1			1								3
Av Transf	2						1	1			1								2
NA Transf	1					1		1			1								1
AR TruSgt										1			3								1	1
RG TruSgt													2	1	1						1	2
LM TruSgt										1			1		2						1
Si NewWnd					2								1							1		1
MS NewWnd										2			1		1					1		2
JR NewWnd					1					1					1					1
Ja Ironarm		1			2									1								3
RK Ironarm					2									1				1		1		2
Hu Ironarm					2									1		1						1
Ha Quckmov					1					1					1						1	1
JD Quckmov					1								1								1	2
RA Quckmov					1								1		1						1
Ga EssGrc						1						2									3	3
MS EssGrc						1									2						2	3
Av EssGrc						1						1			1						1	1
Ja Firewal		1	1													3					3	3
Mam Firewal			1					1											3		3	2
RL Firewal			1				2	1													1	1

Descriptions[]

Pure Gold: A sample of gold (₇₉Au), smaller and more pure than the gold Florin, used by the banks and coiners, and a "seed" for the magical Transformation potion.; Rarity: 5; Base price: 96 pf; Asking price: 138 - 163 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Transf	■	■	■

Manganes: Obsolete word for magnesium (₁₂Mg), probably being imported from Magnesia, Greece right now, and more interesting to pyromaniacs than what is now known as "manganes" (₂₅Mn) being mined at the same site.; Rarity: 11; Base price: 24 pf; Asking price: 40 - 47 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Sunbst	■	■	■
Thundr	■	■	■
AFire	■
HardArm	■
Transf	■
Ironarm	■
Firewal	■

Naptha: A volatile hydrocarbon solvent being distilled from petroleum by the Arabs in this period, perhaps used in the game to inclusively describe turpentine.; Rarity: 11; Base price: 26 pf; Asking price: 44 - 51 pf

qual:	25	35	45
BlkCld			■
AFire	■	■	■
Firewal	■	■	■

Marsh Vapor: The natural gas methane, exhaled by the marschland biome. The method of containing this substance was an occult secret, because awareness of gases (let alone the hardware needed to isolate them) certainly did not exist. Its lethal nature makes it a feature piece for the Breath of Death potion.; Rarity: 12; Base price: 36 pf; Asking price: 61 - 71 pf

qual:	25	35	45
BDeath	■	■	■

Eastern Black Bean: The manual identifies this as cocoa, but the only black bean cultivated in the Old World in this era is coffee from Ethiopia. Both the cocoa bean and the coffee bean are stimulants.; Rarity: 10; Base price: 38 pf; Asking price: 64 - 75 pf

qual:	25	35	45
NewWnd	■		■
Ironarm	■	■	■
Quckmov	■	■	■

Zincblende: A dark, crystalline ore containing zinc (₃₀Zn), mined locally, that can be pulverized into a chemically-active white powder.; Rarity: 9; Base price: 22 pf; Asking price: 37 - 44 pf

qual:	25	35	45
BlkCld	■	■
EatWat	■
Sunbst	■
AFire		■
HrdArm		■
Transf			■
EssGrc	■	■	■

Antimoni: Hard, irritating, silvery-white powder with the metalloid antimony (₅₁Sb) in it, used in luxury items since ancient times.; Rarity: 9; Base price: 16 pf; Asking price: 27 - 32 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Eyebrn			■
Fleadst	■	■
EatWat		■
DeadBld		■
TruFlt	■	■	■
Transf		■
Firewal			■

Orpiment: A poisonous crystal presently believed to have an alchemical connection to Gold due to its color, but later observed to be an arsenic compound, arsenic trisulphide.; Rarity: 10; Base price: 18 pf; Asking price: 30 - 35 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Eyebrn			■
Fleadst	■	■
EatWat		■
DeadBld		■
TruFlt	■	■	■
Transf		■
Firewal			■

White Cinnabar: The manual asserts that this is pure arsenic (₃₃As) in its powdery, metalloid form. However, cinnabar is a mineral ore from which mercury (₈₀Hg), a.k.a. quicksilver, can be isolated with low-tech methods.; Rarity: 10; Base price: 12 pf; Asking price: 20 - 23 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Fleadst		■	■
BDeath	■	■	■
Sunbst		■
DeadBld	■	■	■

Solanaceae: This is a plant family which probably refers to whole-harvested Nightshade, a thorny, poisonous shrub rumored to have magical properties; related to Mondragora.; Rarity: 7; Base price: 21 pf; Asking price: 35 - 41 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Eyebrn		■
EatWat	■
Grtpwr		■
TruFlt	■	■	■
HrdArm			■
TruSgt	■		■
NewWnd		■	■
Quckmov	■

Aqua Regia: Associated with high-risk recipes, Aqua Regia is the strongest acid used in this period. Separately-stored nitric and hydrochloric acids were mixed to create this red-orange horror that could dissolve metal and people.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 20 pf; Asking price: 34 - 40 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Eyeburn	■
EatWat	■	■	■
BDeath	■
Sunbst	■	■	■
Thundr	■	■	■
Stonetr	■
DeadBld	■
StrgEdg	■	■	■
HrdArm	■	■	■
Transf	■	■	■

Gum: Acacia tree sap, a sticky, rubbery organic substance imported from the Middle East.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 20 pf; Asking price: 34 - 40 pf

qual:	25	35	45
AFire	■	■	■
Stonetr	■	■	■
StrgEdg	■	■	■
Grtpwr	■		■
EssGrc	■		■

Mondragora: A mysterious root fiber extracted from the mandrake, a member of Solanaceae, above, known to be poisonous, hallucinogenic, or therapeutic depending on its preparation.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 20 pf; Asking price: 34 - 40 pf

qual:	25	35	45
DeadBld	■	■	■
TruSgt	■	■	■
NewWnd	■	■
QuckMov		■	■

Alum: A salt compound starring aluminum (₁₃Al). The powder is exported by Italy and Turkey during this period and used as a purgative.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 14 pf; Asking price: 23 - 28 pf

qual:	25	35	45
BDeath		■
Stonetr		■
TruFlt	■	■	■
TruSgt		■
Ironarm	■	■	■

Camomile: An ingestible medicinal herb, camomile grows wild all over the place but requires a skilled harvester to distinguish it from other daisy plants.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 14 pf; Asking price: 23 - 28 pf

qual:	25	35	45
BDeath			■
TruSgt		■	■
NewWnd		■	■
QuckMov	■		■
EssGrc		■	■

Nikel: Element ₂₈Ni, regarded by miners in the Empire as a white variant of copper and suitable for bronze and steel production.; Rarity: 7; Base price: 13 pf; Asking price: 22 - 26 pf

qual:	25	35	45
Fleadst	■	■	■
StrgEdg		■	■
Grtpwr			■
HrdArm	■	■	■
Ironarm			■
Firewal	■

Pitchblende: Heavy, lustrous black geoform which can be induced to glow; its full potential still centuries away, this is ₉₂U, uranium ore.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 14 pf; Asking price: 23 - 28 pf

qual:	25	35	45
BlkCld	■	■	■
AFire			■
DeadBld			■
Grtpwr	■	■	■

Zinken: Element ₃₀Zn, presently a useful metal in alloys, and a nutrient.; Rarity: 8; Base price: 14 pf; Asking price: 23 - 28 pf

qual:	25	35	45
EatWat		■
Sunbst	■	■	■
StrgEdg	■	■
Grtpwr	■	■
HrdArm	■	■	■
Ironarm		■

Brimstone: An easily-acquired, frequently-required yellow powder, sulfur (₁₆S); it burns blue and emits a stench that invariably associates it with the infernal powers.; Rarity: 6; Base price: 9 pf; Asking price: 15 - 17 pf

qual:	25	35	45
NoxAro	■	■	■
Eyeburn	■	■	■
BlkCld	■
EatWat			■
Sunbst		■	■
Thundr		■
Stonetr	■	■	■
TruFlt	■
Transf	■	■	■
Firewal		■

Choleric Base: A variety of stock fluids used ad hoc in many potions (the manual mentions aqua fortis, Roman vitriol, distilled water, and alcohol); named for the choleric yellow humor in alchemy, associated with anger.; Rarity: 2; Base price: 4 pf; Asking price: 6 pf

qual:	25	35	45
NoxAro	■	■	■
Eyeburn	■	■	■
BlkCld	■	■	■
Fleadst	■	■	■
BDeath	■	■	■
Sunbst	■
Thundr	■	■	■
AFire	■	■	■
Grtpwr	■	■	■
TruFlt	■	■	■
NewWnd	■	■	■
Ironarm		■

Phleqmatic Base: Common minerals used as ad hoc reactants (the manual mentions copper, coal, quicksilver, lead, and lime); supposed to be spelled "Phlegmatic" and named for the blue phlegmatic humor in alchemy, associated with apathy.; Rarity: 2; Base price: 3 pf; Asking price: 5 - 6 pf

qual:	25	35	45
EatWat	■	■	■
Stonetr	■	■	■
TruSgt	■	■	■
QuckMov	■	■	■
EssGrc	■	■	■
Firewal	■	■	■

Sanguine Base: Sketchy animal parts, sold by lunatics but used ad hoc in many genuine recipes (the manual mentions bat claws, eye of newt, toad tongues, and powdered unicorn horn); named for the sanguine red humor in alchemy, associated with passion.; Rarity: 2; Base price: 5 pf; Asking price: 8 pf

qual:	25	35	45
NoxAro	■	■	■
Fleadst	■	■	■
AFire	■	■	■
DeadBld	■	■	■
StrgEdg	■	■	■
Grtpwr	■	■	■
HrdArm	■	■	■
TruSgt	■	■
NewWnd	■	■
Ironarm	■	■	■
QuckMov	■	■
EssGrc	■	■	■
Firewal	■	■	■

Melancholic Base: Plant matter used ad hoc in potions (the manual mentions bell mushrooms, balladonna, camphor, hemlock, seed of sea holly, nightshade, thorn apple, henbane, and turpentine); named for the melancholy black Humor in alchemy, associated with pensivity and depression.; Rarity: 2; Base price: 6 pf; Asking price: 10 pf

qual:	25	35	45
NoxAro	■	■
Eyeburn			■
BlkCld	■	■
BDeath	■	■	■
Stonetr	■	■	■
DeadBld	■	■	■

Historical Characters[]

These historical figures are paid tribute as Darklands' alchemical formula authors:

al-Bitruji = Alpetragius, astronomer, Muslim Spain
al-Kindi = Abu Yusuf al-Kindi, Arab physician
al-Razi = Abu Bakr al-Razi, Persian alchemist
al-Majriti = Maslama al-Majriti, Arab scholar
al-Tamimi = Muhammad al-Tamimi, Palestinian physician
Albertus M = Albertus Magnus, Saint Albert the Great of Köln
Alfred of S = Alfred of Sareshel, polyglot translator
Arfa Ras = Ibn Arfa' Ra's, Moroccan alchemist and poet
Arnald of V = Arnald of Villanova, Italian physician
Avicenna = also Sina, Iranian physician
Brother Elias = companion of Saint Francis of Assisi
Galen = Galen of Pergamon, Greek physician
Gerard C = Gerard of Cremona, Arabic-to-Latin translator
Jildaki = Izz al-Din al-Jildaki, Egyptian alchemist
Hayyan = also Jabir (ibn Hayyan), Iraqi alchemist
Hugh = Hugh of St. Victor, Saxon theologian
ibn Rushd = Averroes, savant, Muslim Spain
ibn Yazid = Khalid ibn Yazid, Syrian prince and alchemist
John Dausten = English alchemist
John of R = John of Rupescissa, French alchemist
Leonard of M = Leonard of Maurperg, Hessian alchemist
Maimonides = Jewish rabbi of Cordoba
Michael Scot = Scottish mathematician
Morienus = Byzantine hermit-alchemist
Nicolas F = Nicolas Flammel, French scribe
Nicolaus of A = Nicolaus of Autrecourt, French theologian
Petrus B = Petrus Bonus (the Good), Italian alchemist
Raimundus L = Saint Raymund Llull
Richard A = Richard Anglicus, medical writer
Rob de Ketene = magister Robert of Ketton, English scholar
Rufinus of G = Rufinus of Genoa, monk, herbalist
Simon C = Simon Cordo, Papal physician
Smargdn. = Smaragdinian Tablet, alchemy text
Solomon ≈ ambiguous, perhaps the king of Israel
Zadith = also ibn Umail, Egyptian alchemist

↑ http://www.darklands.net/tools/winning.shtml

[1] ttp://www.darklands.net/tools/winning.shtml

[1]