Philtering
From Mizahar Lore
Philtering is the skill of mixing and brewing potions. It is always considered a supplemental skill because it is most often combined with other skills or arcana. Philtering truly shines forth and augments other skills. Knowing how to properly combine and brew substances is an art form in itself. Practitioners of medicine, perfumers, cooks and even painters or glyphers know that understanding philtering can be the difference between life and death, beauty and catastrophe, and finally exquisite taste or culinary ruin. With properly philtered arcana potions, mages can in essence gift their abilities in the arcanic realm to others not equally knowledgeable. Even bearers of Gnosis Marks, such as Rak'keli's Healing, can channel their ability into philters and store their power in the form of specialized potions meant to cure anything from broken bones to burnt skin. Philtering is the all around useful supplementary skill that depends on other skills to support itself.
Prerequisites and Related Skills
While Philtering has no prerequisites, the following skills will be incredibly augmented by the application and use of philtering.
Skill Progression
| Novice (1-25) | |
| At this level, a practitioner learns the basic mixing of substances. They gain a bit of knowledge about food preservation and liquid nutrition. Philterists receive a working knowledge of their tools, especially the glassware involved, that are required for adequately philter substances. They are able to turn living things like plants into tinctures, distillations, creams and salves. For example, they can take simple moss and mint - mix it with a bit of alcohol and beeswax to create a lovely lip balm that keeps the winter wind from chapping lips. They are able to produce one dose or vial of whatever they are philtering per session if the potion is combined with another skill (aka medicine). If they are doing a simple distillation or reduction, they are able to distill or reduce as much as they require so long as they are attentive to their philtering (as in keeping an eye on the stove or campfire to make sure the pot doesn't boil dry or the distillation doesn't become to hot and break flasks. | |
| Competent (26-50) | |
| At this level, philterers can add Gnosis abilities and magic into their filters at the rate of one effect per philter. By this level they have mastered tinctures, tonics, and are great at balms and soaps. Cooks with Philtering skills can create two or more layers of flavor in their dishes which might be wholly independent of each other. They can create potions that waterproof items, and do simple mixtures like turning talc or zinc into wet paste to use as sunscreen. Practitioners of philtering can create hair oil, lotions, and most importantly preserve foodstuffs. They can also create multiple doses per philtering sessions - upwards of two to three in most normally used cases. | |
| Expert (51-75) | |
| Expert philterers can combine multiple spells or gnosis abilities into their philters. They can create philters that substain others for long periods of time, decreasing or eliminating the need for actual food and water while using these dangerous substances. They can layer unlimited flavors within flavors and make each independent of the other to the point that a single philtered candy can taste like a four course meal. Philterers at this level can create highly volatile substances that can explode or generate dramatic events like firestorms. These mix masters can create stunning visual effects such as fireworks or incredibly loud noises just out of common substances. Doses of philters at this level range around ten per session. | |
| Master (76-100) | |
| Master level philterers are virtually unlimited in what they can create with their philters. They can create large far ranging effects with only a single dose of a small philter. For example, a master level philterer can create a single vial of philter that is capable of, when added to a water supply of a city, infecting that entire water system and causing it to duplicate any effect the philterer desires - sickness in the population, vomiting, delusions, a love philters, etc. They can create firestorms that can ignite whole forests from a simple vial of explosive philter, or use a philter to pour it onto a field and cause that entire food crop to start flowering and seeding immediately. Master level philterers are both beloved and feared at the same time. Those that have caused problems with thier philtering haven't lived long however - their threat to society is well known. At this level, doesse of philters created in one session reach anywhere from a dozen upwards of hundreds. | |