[CF-Devel] Alchemy fiddling

[Tim Rightnour]

So I've been tossing around ideas to fiddle the alchemy skill a bit, and I'd
like to run it by everyone here, before I go and make a big mess of it.

Basically, I would like to break alchemy up into smaller skills, but still keep
the engine how it currently works.

For exmaple, right now, you can throw arrows and stingers into a pot, and make
poison arrows.  Instead, I would like to break the arrow and bow formulae, into
the "fletcher/bowyer" skill.  So rather than using alchemy on a cauldron, you
would use the bowyer skill, on a workbench.

I would like to split the formulae, into bowyer, smithery, jeweler, alchemy and
thaumaturgy.  Each one getting the appropriate formulae.  At the same time, I
would like to undo the "use the alchemy spell to make it go" part, and have it
work on the alchemy skill.

The idea of this being:

1) It makes the individual skills more useful, and slightly more interesting.
2) Alchemy is no longer a big create-all skill.
3) More complex formulae, may require ingredients that are created using other
skills.  For example, a special arrow might need a water of the wise, which you
might create via alchemy.
4) It wouldn't affect how alchemy currently works really, it would just
distribute it around to other skills, which are all under mental anyhow.
5) It just makes more sense.  Making arrows with alchemy when you have a
fletcher skill is kinda silly.
6) None of this would really impede the work mark has proposed earlier
regarding alchemy.  I think the two ideas are relatively independant of one
another.
7) the shops like the armor shop, and the bow shop, would have little sections
like the alchemy shop, where you could go and create your goodies.
8) You would have to know the skill, to perform whatever thing it is you are
trying to do.  Unlike now, where you just need the spell.

---
Tim Rightnour <
     
     root at garbled.net
     
     >
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