Sith Alchemy
What is Sith Alchemy?
Force alchemy, better known as Sith alchemy, was a science that referred to a number of areas under the Sith. It encompassed any power or technique which used the Dark side of the Force to permanently alter an item or living being. It is rejected by the Jedi as an act of treason against the Force's will.
- Wookieepedia description
As you are already aware, Sith alchemy gives one the power to alter the molecular composition of living beings and reshape inanimate matter. First, you will learn how to construct the equipment required to create such alterations. I will then teach you how to produce weapons and armor that are impervious to all others, and poisons that will convert the noblest of beings to your dark causes. Finally, you will create mutants steeped in the dark side and bound to your will.
- Naga Sadows Holocron
Sith Alchemy is the process by which a Sith can alter the properties of an object or a living being, warping them to suit their own purpose using esoteric methods perfected by the ancient Sith lords of Korriban. Sith Alchemy is an mysterious aspect of the Dark Side, meaning that few Sith will ever understand it and fewer still will ever be truly gifted in it.
A Sith Alchemist might imbue a dagger with the Dark Side, making it more resistant to lightsabers or giving it the power to corrupt its victims with the Dark Side. Others might create powerful Sith poisons or else forge amulets of power to help them focus their mastery of the Force. More powerful Alchemists can twist living tissue with the Dark Side to create deadly servants who serve their purposes.
Sith Alchemy is not an easy path, nor is it one that someone should pursue if they have an expectation of creating an endless stream of new and novel objects. Creating things with Sith Alchemy requires time, effort and sacrifice, so total number of items created by any one alchemist will be limited.
Sith Alchemy is also very much a niche area of Sith roleplay, best suited to those players who want to spend time roleplaying research, study and the creation of objects. It's a slower and often less combat orientated side of Sith roleplay, which requires a degree of patience and planning to get the most out of.
Benefits and Limitations
The primary benefit of Sith Alchemy is the ability to create objects or servants which can provide additional power, protection or utility to the alchemist. Although some of the potential creations are outlined below, one of the best parts of roleplaying an Alchemists is that you can put a lot of your own imagination into what you create with alchemy, provided it broadly remains within the spirit of the setting and guilds themes. Some examples of things created by powerful alchemists can be found here, although it's worth noting most of these creations would be at the higher end of what players could make.
On the other hand, much like Sorcery, Alchemy requires the practitioner to devote much of their time to study and research. Dedicating so much effort to the study of one thing often leaves the user less able in other areas; saber combat being the obvious example. Although a Sith Alchemist may be good with the saber, they'll never compare to those who focus exclusively on the path of a warrior.
Finally, Alchemy is a corrupting art. Those who study it often succumb to the influence of the Dark Side far more readily than other Sith. Although some species such as the Sith Purebloods are more resistant to its effects, none who make use of Sith Alchemy are wholly immune from it.
What can a Sith Alchemist create?
Metallurgy
The most common and basic form of Alchemy is Metallurgy, which is predominantly seen in the creation of Sith Swords, Dark Armour and Sith Amulets. This is where the Alchemist uses their power of the Dark Side to add certain traits to an object; for example making it more resistant to attack or filling it with a reservoir of power the user can call upon.
This is not to say Metallurgy only covers swords, armour and amulets; and its methods can be used on any sort of object where one wishes to imbue an object with the Dark Side. It must be stressed however that to add any enhancements to armour, weapons or items would take great effort on the part of the user, as well as a lot of trial and error.
Furthermore, your character would be expending vast amounts of Dark Side energy into this item, and cannot be done on a whim; this is can be achieved through pouring your emotions into the item itself, altering its very nature and connecting it to the Dark Side to give it power.
Some examples of items created with Metallurgy are shown below.
Creation | Description |
|---|---|
| Sith Swords | These weapons, since the adoption of the Lightsaber, are not as common as they once were; therefore, the knowledge on how to create them isn’t widely known among Alchemists. First a mould must be created for the blade and the mould itself must be imbued with the essence of the Dark Side. From there the materials you wish to use must be gathered, melted down and poured into the mould, before they go into a cooling process - which will allow you to begin shaping the weapon through manual means, or through the manipulation of the Dark Side if your character is not very “hands-on”. The last stage in this process is all about what enhancements you wish to adorn the weapon with. This is where Alchemy becomes a bit of a book you can write yourself: you could increase the sharpness of the blade, curse it with the Dark Side to inflict further injury to your foes; it is up to you. As a final note from The Book of the Sith: "A Sith Sword is enhanced by submerging it in a trough of 'blood spilled in anger'. Grinding its edge with Svolten Rhyolite will ensure it never dulls". This will give you an idea of how a weapon can be improved and, from an RP standpoint, how its 'flavour' text can be written. |
| Dark Armour | Sith Alchemists use chemicals, talismans and rituals along with raw resources to produce armour that enhances the user in some way. Examples of this could be to allow for increased stealth, speed, strength or to increase one's connection to the Dark Side of the Force. The process for creating such armour falls along the same lines as that of a Sith Sword - think of the typical process of a blacksmith. |
| Sith Amulets | Sith amulets are made in much the same way as swords and armour: materials are gathered, forged into the shape of an amulet and then a ritual is undertaken to infuse the item with the power of the Dark Side of the Force. In doing so the alchemist can bend the object to its will, giving it a range of properties for example the ability to heal the wearer (temporarily), increasing their strength or helping them to pass unseen through a crowd. |
Sith Chemistry
Sith Chemistry is a crossroads between science and the Force, allowing the alchemist to manipulate materials at their most basic levels. Whereas metallurgy allows the user to enhance an object by adding things to it, Sith Chemistry is the process whereby the very fundamental chemistry of a material can be changed.
The most common use of Sith Chemistry can be found in the creation of various poisons, venoms and toxins, but this is by no means all that an alchemist would be capable of. A Sith alchemist can also create destructive acids, potions to enhance their own physical strength or even to heal wounds.
Some examples of items created with Sith Chemistry are shown below.
Creation | Description |
|---|---|
| Sith Poisons | Sith Poisons are concoction created through chemical formulation and the manipulation of the Dark Side - allowing for a plethora of varying poisons, venoms, and toxins to be created. The poison can then be introduced into the system in several ways: ingestion, injection, inhalation and directly into the membrane of a wound. A Sith Poison can have a number of uses, however, not all Sith Poisons are equal and some are easier to brew than others. The crafting process is not too dissimilar to how most potions and poisons can be crafted: a base material, along with any additional ingredients required, they are then are mixed to create the base poison. This would then be infused with the Dark Side. (As with any Alchemical process, it comes at great cost to the user as they pour vast amounts of their energy into their creations). The lore on the subject is not very expansive, therefore, leaving room for your own interpretation and creativity (within reason) when brewing a Poison of your own. Furthermore, from a lore perspective, Sith Poisons would have a greater potency when compared to more mundane concoctions in the galaxy and typically harder for a victim to be healed from. |
| Potion of Wills | The creation process for this potion is similar to that of a poison, in that the alchemist will take base ingredients and fuse them together with the Dark Side, injecting them with their will to control the consumer. Thus, when a victim drinks the Potion of Wills, they become more susceptible the alchemists commands, doing their bidding for a limited time. |
Sith Crystalography
Crystalography is the art by which a Sith Alchemist can create synthetic crystals and make use of these as well as natural crystals in many aspects of Alchemy. It is with these crystals that objects such as lightsabers and holocrons are created, but crystals can also be used for many other things ranging from containing dark side energies through to sealing away the souls of defeated enemies.
Some examples of items created with Sith Crystalography are shown below.
Creation | Description |
|---|---|
| Synthetic Crystals | Synthetic lightsaber crystals are manufactured within a machine known as a geological compressor. The original purpose of the compressor was to replicate geological conditions on distant worlds in a laboratory setting, and it was easily adapted for creating synth-crystals; simply replicating the geological processes that create crystals. The raw materials that the crystals are fashioned from are relatively easily accessible, simply being minerals with a high carbon concentration. The raw minerals would be placed within the machine and essentially left to bake for a period ranging from twenty-four hours to four days, during which time, the alchemist creating the crystal will meditate on it with the Force, guiding the formation and increasing the potency. This level of control over the formation process allows the creator to produce crystals that best suit their needs. These crystals could be then used by other Sith, provided they spend some time pouring their own influence into the already primed synthetic crystal. |
| Holocrons | At the heart of every Sith Holocron is a crystal matrix. The process to create one can take months to finally perfect, though the timeline varies depending on the skill of the alchemist. Each is unique to its creator; one who sought to fashion their own Sith holocron could not use another as the blueprint by which they followed to make their own personal holocron. The inner components are composed of intertwined filaments and strands, forming a crystal matrix that must be fine tuned to prevent device failure. Rare varieties of crystal are used in the workings and tunings of the intricate network that can store potentially infinite data. Each holocron matrix has to meet stringent specifications, usually requiring thousands of precise alterations and adjustments on a subatomic level. Only through the power of the Force could one ensure the proper alignment of each crystalline strand. The creation of a holocron would generally require an alchemist with a powerful connection to the Dark Side, thus this is not usually something attempted by anything less than a Sith Lord. |
| Conduits and Reservoirs | Various natural and synthetic crystals have been shown to resonate with the Force, allowing a skilled alchemist to make use of them in their own creations. Two of the most common ways a crystal could be used are as a relatively stable place to store power, or as a means to convey power in a specific direction. Sith alchemists therefore often use crystals to help in their rituals, allowing them to call upon and direct far more power than they might ordinarily be able to. |
Living Alchemy
Living Alchemy is considered by far the more difficult aspect of Sith Alchemy and only masters of the craft would capable of such a feat. This is because the alchemist most not only influence the Dark Side, but they must also contend with the subject's own innate Force energy, which will resist attempts to manipulate it.
If one is able to overcome these hurdles however, they would find themselves able to manipulate the body and mind of their subject, enhancing or adding to their natural traits, or else making them more loyal and subservient to the creator's will.
Some examples of items created with Living Alchemy are shown below.
Creation | Description |
|---|---|
| Sithspawn Creation | Mutating and shaping other creatures is another vile speciality of the Sith. Collectively, the abominations produced by Sith Alchemists are known as “Sithspawn” - beyond that there are the names and breeds of particular beasts and other altered beings (The Massassi of Yavin IV, Chrysalides and War Wyrms.) An excerpt from the Book of the Sith summarises the skill and process required to reshape and “cast” a living creature into something more preferable: ”Alchemy on the living is suited only for Masters. The subject’s own Force Energy will fight you as you twist and shape the host. By recasting the shape, again and again, you will get a Leviathan.” In short, a strong will and Mastery over the art will allow you to alter a creature ranging from a Human to Vornskr, into a form befitting your needs. What would take generations of breeding and genetic alteration can be achieved in a more immediate timeframe. However, with that in mind, the process of mutating a creature will still be slow and failure (as with all things in Alchemy) will be prominent. |
| Self-Modification | Sith Lords throughout the lore have utilised Alchemy to enhance their own strength and power; whether that be their own strength and speed, or to negate fatigue and to accelerate their own healing factor - allowing them to survive otherwise fatal wounds. A few examples of this self-modification are Darth Anddedu and his “undeath” or Darth Simus who prolonged his life through body modification: storing his head inside a crystal structure, keeping his mind and knowledge intact. This opens up the possibility for a player to be creative in what they do to themselves. Given the high rate of failure in alchemy however, it is worth understanding that any effort to modify ones own form could end with disastrous consequences. |
Tips For Roleplaying Sith Alchemy
Much of this post ought to give a good sense of what roleplaying a Sith Alchemist might entail, but here are some additional tips to help you understand what sort of things an Alchemist might get up to.
- Firstly, the creation of items with Sith Alchemy will require a source of power and often when creating more powerful items the individual alchemist will not be able to provide this all themselves. To assist therefore, an alchemist will often need blood sacrifices or the contribution of other Force Users in the creation of an object.
- The ingredients used in Alchemy are often rare or hard to come by. An Alchemist will often lead expeditions to distant places to recover what they need, or else employ others to do their bidding for them.
- The final creation of the item will usually involve some form of ritual, which is an opportunity for some flare and drama in the roleplay. Sacrifice slaves, bathe in their blood and write Kittât on your skin. Your imagination is the limit!
A Sith alchemist has the ability to manipulate the Dark Side to alter objects or living beings through ancient and secretive rituals. The scope and effect of these rituals vary greatly, but the more profound the change, the more power is required. It’s common for an alchemist to need assistance from others to achieve significant results.
There is no strict list of rituals; the possibilities are as vast as the imagination of the practitioner. For guidance on how to create an item please use the following link: Click
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