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4.1
TYPES OF CREATORS AND
CREATION MAGIC
Treasure Companion defines four categories of fantasy
alchemy, namely Greater Alchemy, Experimental
Alchemy, Royal Alchemy, and Guild Alchemy, and explores
how GMs should use one or more in their settings.
This volume adds Religious Alchemy to the set of options.
Greater Alchemy is that employed by the gods and
supernatural entities as well as lore known to mortal
mages in previous ages, but no longer available in the
current time of the campaign. In a world where only
Greater Alchemy exists, there will be no spell users
capable of creating any of the entities in this volume.
Constructs and Golems will be unique wonders,
perhaps encountered as eternal guardians of the ruined
structures of the Ancients, while Automata are all that
remain of forgotten civilizations. Amalgams,
Simulacra, and Changelings may be completely
unknown or be the shock troops of some evil demigod
imprisoned in the mortal plane.
Experimental Alchemy involves perilous studies undertaken
by mortal mages who seek to control and
understand the world around them. It is a worldview,
which insists that knowledge is power and nothing must
be allowed to prevent progress towards ever-greater
knowledge. Experimental Creators make all varieties of
artificial entities and machines to prove they can. When
the experiment is complete, the creation is likely to be
discarded as its creator’s attention focuses on the next
problem. Experimental Creators court disaster every
time they fashion entities, which they can barely (if at all)
control. Their relentless scholarly pursuits lead them to
flout local customs and taboos, requiring them to work
in secrecy and isolation.
Royal Alchemy is that practiced by mages in the
employ of noble (or at least) wealthy patrons. Royal
Creators will be employed to supply their overlords with
machines and obedient entities for specific purposes. As
the safety of their employers and families is paramount,
Royal Creators are among the most conservative practitioners
preferring ease of control to additional power –
their creations will be unswervingly obedient. As Golems
and Constructs can be directed to obey others with the
same loyalty as they demonstrate to their creators (see
chapters 6 and 7), these will be the standard artificial
entities fashioned by Royal Creators. Automata, particularly
weapons and vehicles, are likely to be in high
demand by patrons.
The Creators
Guild Alchemy describes the association of likeminded
wizards into economic organizations, who have
a monopoly on the creation and sale of magic items in a
particular area. Guild-based Creators may manufacture
Automata on contract for the local government or private
individuals. Constructs and Golems may be fashioned
and sold as elite bodyguards and servitors to
merchant princes. Magic involving Amalgams and
Changelings may be banned in some guilds as too offensive
to local sensibilities, while Simulacra may be reserved
to defend the Guild headquarters from external
attack.
Religious Alchemy is the creation of magical items for
spiritual purposes by alchemists with a true belief in a
deity or other higher power. Religious Alchemists may
be chief priests of urban communities, respected tribal
shamans, cloistered or itinerant monastic orders, devout
hermits, or crazed cultists practicing black magic and
demon worship. For Religious Creators, the act of creation
may be for the greater glory of the deity, a step
towards spiritual enlightenment, a necessary defense for
the community, or a means to fulfill the tenets of their
faith. When an artificial entity has fulfilled its task,
Religious Creators are the most likely to release bound
spirits (see Chapter 7) and destroy the entity’s body.
They are the least likely to sell entities, and will rarely be
involved with fashioning Automata or Amalgams.
4.2
AVAILABILITY OF
CREATION MAGIC
Determining which flavor of creation magic is present
in a campaign is only part of the GM’s task. The GM must
also decide which types of artificial life may be fashioned
(see section 9.1.1), and which spell users (PCs and NPCs
alike) are capable of creating these entities. The latter
decision depends on how difficult and/or how rare the
GM desires creation magic to be. Three suggested levels
of rarity (and how to implement them) are presented.
4.2.1 RESTRICTED
(ALCHEMISTS ONLY)
This is the most restrictive option. Creation magic is
only available to the three Alchemist professions (Channeling
Alchemist, Essence Alchemist, and Mentalism
Alchemist) introduced in Treasure Companion. The
spell lists for creating entities then become additional
base lists to add to their pool of spell lists. Members of the
Alchemist professions may choose one or more entity
creation spell lists rather than standard item creation
16 CONSTRUCT COMPANION