Flame Oil Change Proposal

[Supremacy 3357]

Proposed Flame Oil and Potion of Celerity changes:

My personal favorite oil, as it sells disgustingly well, is the Oil of Flame. This bottle of lard, infused with a swirling inferno, is often the oil that most Alchemists start out with, as it tends to be the easiest since balancing the oil is often not a problem. Balancing Flame Oil, and ensuring what you spread it upon does not explode, isn’t necessarily a delicate process as you want volatile ingredients to enhance its power. Of course some caution is advised, as always, I will provide you the secret in which Flame Oil is tamed, and that secret is merely a symbol of Water. Now a budding alchemist may find this insane, as mixing Water into an oil centered around flame seems to be a recipe for disaster, but in fact adding the symbol of Water tames the volatile ingredients of the flame oil and ensures that it keeps its potency, while not destroying the object it is placed upon in the process. Flame Oil’s affect, when placed on a weapon, is that it scorches the body, burns rather flammable objects, and allows the weapon to pierce armor just a tad easier. Now the side-effects of using the oil on a weapon are merely that the weapon may degrade faster, and of course while applying the oil make sure not to get any on the skin for it will cause severe burns if left there. On armor, Flame Oil as a similar effect as Frost Oil, boosting the armors ability to resist the heat, and magics centered around it. To test if your flame oil is of the perfect balance is a simple task, for if you did not mix your ingredients correctly then your concoction would’ve exploded long before you bottled it, or in rare cases, melted through your laboratory’s table.

It is worth noting that many an alchemist over the years has realized that this oil does not give one flame immunity. Indeed, running into a fire will still have one burnt at the flesh, even if their armor does not heat nearly as much. Unfortunately this potion is also quite corrosive and can not be applied to the skin unless one wishes to be hideously disfigured.

This means that, much to the chagrin of many alchemists, running into an inferno simply is not an option as one's skin will still burn. That being said, they are well capable of using this to reduce fire damage to armor and 'fireproof' homes to a limited extent. Things will still burn, but much less easily.

 

Potion of Celerity:

Although this potion goes by numerous names, such as the potion of agility or the potion of speed, it is all, in fact, the same concept of boosting ones natural speed and reflexes. Although only last a maximum of one hour, I have seen that these are commonly used by hunters to follow their prey for easier and soldiers to fight better. Although there are, of course, uses for these potions beyond bloodshed, they usually involve either thievery of simple parlor trickery. The Potion of Celerity is certainly one to keep handy if you need to make a hasty retreat, or perhaps for courier jobs as well. With that said, I’d implore most to think beyond the confines of “if I drink this, I’ll swing my sword faster”, and perhaps realize there is a use for alchemy beyond improving your ability to decapitate someone.
 
Just like the potion of stone skin, this potion can do all manner of internal harm. In order to make blood pump faster the potion must thin the users blood. This, like the stone-blood of the stone-skin potion is a significant disadvantage and can lead to death.
 
(Roll 100, if the number is 15 or less the potion kills the user after consumption) 

[hex37 735]

The whole flame oil/ frost oil thing I've found to be completely contradictory. One is cold, but is resistant to frost, and the other is quite incendiary, but also provides resistance to flames.

 

To me, it would make a great deal more sense if the two resistant properties were switched.

 

As for applications to Armor, it is most likely not going to be applied to metal. More often than not, frost/flame oil is infused with cloth and robes to make them unable to burn when handling things like alchemical fire. Alchemists, almost as a rule, are not very versed in upper-body strength, and more often than not will be not be pouring it on metal.

 

One thing to also note is thermodynamics. Robes, armor, ponchos or what-have you have an inherent insulatory property to it that will most likely prevent burning until the insulation burns or is heated with sufficient temperature to start damaging the skin. For this reason, it would be more apt to say that a flame retardant, weather it be made of Flame or frost oil, can provide immunity to brief bursts of normal flame, like a standard wall of a Fire Evocationalist's flame. It would, however, be very susceptible to continuous burning, like what would be found when using alchemist fire, or extremely high-temperature flames, like a dragon's breath.

 

On the topic of Clerity, I still hold that it should possess similar side effects to potions of strength. All things considered, it has a very similar effect.

[Varstivus 98]

Fine by me as long as Nienna's cloth clause is imposed. And possibly the switch around. It might actually explain the inherent habits of an alchemist wearing several layers.

[Lago 2569]

Implemented.