Mineralogy

Mineralogy is practical earth-knowledge: simple chemistry, geology, prospecting, the working of a mine and the refining of what comes out of it. A character may test Mineralogy to identify an inorganic substance, judge a seam, or price a rough stone. The skill frequently serves as a Secondary Modifier to others — an alchemist’s preparations and a weaponsmith’s steel both depend on knowing what the material actually is.

Mixtures. Exotic preparations made with Mineralogy are mixtures, and the two best known are both thrown weapons.

A fire pot is a glass jar of pitch, sulphur, resin and oil, lit and thrown by hand or slung with a staff sling. The jar breaks on landing and floods a five-foot circle with fire; anything in that space takes an area attack of d4 + 4 fire impact. It costs 12d to make.

A quicklime pot is a two-quart ceramic pot of burnt limestone. It bursts into a ten-foot cloud of caustic powder, and targets caught inside are incapacitated by choking and blindness, with a shock reroll 2d3 rounds later. Usually lobbed by a light engine, though a strong arm will manage a short throw. It costs 24d to make.

Making either takes one day, in quantities limited chiefly by money. The maker then makes a Mineralogy Success Value test, and the Success Value itself becomes the Target Number for the pot’s later use. Prepared mixtures keep indefinitely, though rough handling may spoil or set them off — a successful d10 roll against that Target Number avoids the mishap. When one is finally thrown, a d10 is rolled against the Target Number: on a failure, a fire pot manages only d4 + 2 impact and a quicklime pot allows its shock reroll after only d3 rounds. A pot made on a Critical Failure test is simply a dud if that final roll fails.