Any Alchemy Elixir can be made into an "enchanted" item called a Charm[1] While, depending on function, such an item is called Amulet or Talisman they have nothing to do with the spells of those names.
"The time to make such an amulet or talisman is 10 times that listed to make the elixir (...) Each charm is a separate Hard technique, with its own formulary, which defaults to the corresponding elixir technique-2." Using normal RAW this technique is capped at either skill level or skill level+3.[note 1]
- Amulet: charm with protective powers
- Talisman: charm with empowering abilities; lasts as long as a regular elixir; becomes dormant for a number of days equal to the number of weeks it would take to brew the appropriate elixir after being activated.[note 2]
Alchemical Charm Pros[]
- Alchemical Enchantment can be done by non mages.
- Alchemical Charms have no energy cost to use and take "no time to cast"
- Depending on the Elixir they can be made faster by a single person than an equivalent enchantment.
- Alchemical Charms have no Power Level and therefor are not effected with regards to skill when in a low mana area
- There is no quirking of Alchemical Charms
Alchemical Charms Cons[]
- Having helpers doesn't speed up the making of Elixirs
- Duration of most elixirs is random and is halved in low mana areas
- A skill roll against the effective skill of the alchemist who originally created the talisman is needed to activate an Alchemic Charm in a low mana area. This roll can be well below the 15 required for a standard Enchanted item needs to fuction.
- An Alchemical Charm goes dormant for the number of days equal to the number of weeks it would take to brew the appropriate elixir.
- An Alchemical Charm must be worn to "recharge".
The comparison of a Puat Talisman to a Powerstone serves as an example of these pros and cons (as well as some spell specific ones)
Industrial Alchemic Charms[]
This assumes the Industrial Alchemy rules can be applied to Alchemic Charms. Since the mechanics were presented in Classic: Technomancer, charms takes 10 times as long to make as an elixir, charms can contain multiple doses, and prices (both materials and retail) now adjust for TL some alterations need to be done for 4e.
- Alchemic Charm Manufacturing Cost: (Materials cost x number of doses in batch) + ($1,750 x weeks to make x 10); Batches are normally 1000 doses each.
- Retail Cost Per Charm: ((Material Cost x number of doses in batch) + (1,750 x Weeks to make x 10))/number of doses in batch) x number of doses in each charm) x 2
- Practically the Retail cost must be lower than what an individual alchemist would sale the same charm for
Example: A Paut elixir in 4e has a suggested Materials cost of 1/100 of Standard Starting Wealth which at TL7 is $150 per dose. A 1000 dose batch of Paut Talisman would cost $150,000 in materials and retail for a total of $300,000. This is well below the $500,000 that an individual alchemist could sale such a batch for. A 10 dose (10 energy) mass produced Paut Talisman is therefore $3,000 while a special commission by an individual alchemist retails for $5,000.
Note: since there is a hard 1000 dose cap on a batch that limits the number of multiple dose charms that can be made at one time. To make things simple assume any fractional charms are rejects. Using the Paul Talisman example a line set to produce 3 dose charms will have 333 successful charms and 1 reject while a 6 does line will have 166 successful charms and 4 rejects.
Charms in Other Books[]
These are Alchemic Charms that are listed separately in various books. Each of them is regarded as a hard technique of the relevant elixir with a default of -2 and being capped at either skill level or adjusted skill level+5 whichever is lower. It should be noted that there is a huge disconnect between time to make the Charms/Talismans and the Market Value
| Name | Time to make | Default | Dormancy | Market Value | Book Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth Control Talisman | 35 days | (Alchemy)-2 | 12 hours | $25,000 | MI1 48 |
| Fertility Talisman | 200 weeks | (Alchemy-5)-2 | 20 days | $50,000 | MI1 48 |
Notes[]
- ↑ Since the making of an Alchemic charm is based on how long it takes to make, Low mana ("elixirs take twice as long to make") doubles production time while Very high mana (elixirs take only half as long to make") halves it. (GURPS Magic p. 210, 220)
- ↑ Since a Talisman's dormancy period is based on how long it takes to make an elixir it follows that since "in low mana areas, elixirs take twice as long to make" and "in areas of very high mana, elixirs take only half as long to make" that this effects the dormancy period of all Talismans. (GURPS Magic p. 210, 220)
References[]
- ↑ GURPS Magic p. 220