Alchemy?

[Erlewis]

I've been a little bit frustrated lately about this topic. Quite unfortunately, some people on this server's understanding of Alchemy is limited to the Elder Scrolls and a few other video games. This is a wrong understanding of the practice.
I really feel I should express this before the new magic lore comes out, whether or not it will affect that. Alchemy, really, is a form of magic. Old scholars tried it a lot, but never got it to work. However, in Altera, it should. Alchemy is not the practice of potion/poison-making, but rather a very advanced form of chemistry and physics, with magic mixed in.
What alchemy allows one to do, is this: by drawing a Transmutation Circle (A really complex set-up, with runes around the edges), the alchemist is able to transmute anything contained within the circle, using some form of mystical powers. Alchemy is ruled by one major laws, which actually kind of applies in our modern day chemistry: The Law of Equivalent Exchange.
You cannot make something from nothing. It doesn't work. What alchemy does, is it takes materials from one place, and transfers them into another. An example of a powerful alchemical experiment: a man's barn is destroyed in a hurricane a (very powerful) alchemist could potentially gather up all the pieces, and put the barn back together, as long as it had a Transmutation Circle around it, with the correct runes.
Anyhow... the idea that I'm trying to get across here is that alchemy isn't potion making. I feel that if it is going to be represented in Altera, it should be done properly, and that is as it is: magic

 

[Conan]

When I was reading this all I thought about was Full Metal Alchemist

 

[K9]

THAAAAANK YOOOOOU.

-K9

 

[blargtheawesome]

No matter how many players complain about it, it'll be the player's choice of how their alchemy works until proper lore comes out, like the old magic 'system'. Unfortunately.

 

[apollo6000]

MOTHER OF GOD YOU STEAL MAH THOUGHTS FROM MAH HEAD!!!!! In all seriousness I do love this type of alchemy. It really does represent what is is in actuality. I really do hope we can use this type of alchemy in the magic update.

Just to bring to light another thing. To my knowledge, alchemy can also be preformed through the use of multiple tattoos and other markings. For example, (totally stealing a FMA idea here) one arm has many tattoos dealing with reconstruction and the other arm dealing with deconstruction. Should they both be used in unison then one can preform stable alchemy. Without the other arm, however, one arm would become far less effective to the point of being almost functionless because, without reconstruction there can be no deconstruction.

 

[apollo6000]

No matter how many players complain about it, it'll be the player's choice of how their alchemy works until proper lore comes out, like the old magic 'system'. Unfortunately.

Negative Nwalme

 

[Erlewis]

Glad so many people have read FMA... makes me smile.

 

[ptiber]

Technically, everything you describe here is purely mind speculation and fantasy related to FMA or any other fictionous work.

The Alchemy as it existed is a set of practices, theories and speculations on metals transmutation. It never had a link with runes, circles, tattoos, or anything equivalent. These are purely things that the FMA creators took from various sources, such as voodoo, ancient magics, pagan beliefs and such, to create a fantasy world where people would make some kind of "magic" that they labelled as "Alchemy", using mottos drawn from true alchemy / modern chemistry to establish it, such as the principle of Equivalent Exchange.

Alchemy is more what could be seen as the "chemistry of the ancient times". Nobody ever tried to transmute lead into gold using runes and transmutations circles (or at least, nobody that has been recognized as being part of the alchemy masters / movements / precursors).
Alchemists used methods such as mixing various alloys to produce similar-to-gold metals, gold alteration by including other alloys, using volatiles substances in a distillation process, and so on.

So:
If you've read me until this line, you must think I'm a pretentious all-knower and just trying to demolish your thread. Not at all, I assure you !

The point I want to make is:
The Fantasy Alchemy you are describing as the "true" Alchemy, is only one of the many interpretations of an art that nobody ever really & totally understood, since it never had evolved into a proper "science" with documentations, proofs, results, and so on.
For some, the "real" Alchemy as it has existed in the real world was only a form of quackerism / charlatanism, that led to wonderful discoveries and led to the birth of the modern chemistry.

So my conclusion is :
I don't really get why the alchemy couldn't be a mix of whatever the lore master about that particular matter will want it to be. Nothing has never been carved in stone for that, here particularly.
If he wants to be about distillation of lead to transmute it to gold, he can.
If he wants it to be about using plants to reveal the true nature of a magical & parallel plane, he can.
If he want it to be about drawing runes and tattoos on your little finger to create non-really-living-clones of yourself, he can.

Nobody has to exactly comply to any Fantasy that have been created by another artist / author (such as the FMA one) neither to the real form of what have really been the Alchemy in the real world.
Why always try to copy others ? Create your own form of Alchemy !

 

[Legion]

Alchemy as you have described it here (which you are right, this is what alchemy really is in fantasy) more closely falls under "Thaumaturgy" in the new system.
Its essentially Alchemy, but broader, and better.

 

[apollo6000]

I just want to be able to do this kinda stuff ;-;

 

[Erlewis]

Hmmmm... However it was in that era, nobody then ever achieved legitimate alchemy. I feel it could be very open to interpretation, as are a lot of things in Alteran lore.
As well, this idea or portrayal of alchemy is used in many modern media, not just FMA.

 

[wakerman4]

No matter how many players complain about it, it'll be the player's choice of how their alchemy works until proper lore comes out, like the old magic 'system'. Unfortunately.

Psst-
I'm the one making Alchemy and plants lore

 

[K9]

Alchemy as you have described it here (which you are right, this is what alchemy really is in fantasy) more closely falls under "Thaumaturgy" in the new system.
Its essentially Alchemy, but broader, and better.

Is Thaumaturgy coming into Altera? *fangirlboy screams*

Will there be a wiki page on how our characters can learn it?

-K9

 

[Legion]

All in good time dear boy, all in good time.

 

[K9]

All in good time dear boy, all in good time.

This.

-K9