How is this for an alchemist

[atomzero]

Here is my alchemist

Ritual -2 (Crafting/Alchemist)
Refinement -1 (Plus 4 enchanted item slots (potion slots))

I intend to use all of his focus item slots form potion slots, giving him 8 potion uses.

I this correct?

Someone else posted that a focus item could be used to give the potions multiple uses, but I don't understand how this works.

Also, the example in the book depicts a scene where Harry is preparing potions, but the rules suggest that you just have them at the start of the session, or coincidentally have them with a Fate point or Lore roll.  What am I missing?

[atomzero]

Also, when I use my potion, does it just work?  What sort of rolls do I need to make?

[Richard_Chilton]

You can do a scene to make the potions or you can declare them when needed.  Your choice.

When you use a potion its effect goes off, but as it's going you can tag aspects to add to its effects.

There is no roll to use a potion.   It's assumed that it was  a meaningless (and thus not worth rolling for) thaumaturgy.  But be sure to remember the limit on the strength of the potion.

Richard

[atomzero]

Thank you, that is very helpful.

[Sanctaphrax]

You do need to roll to hit with damaging potions, though.

And of course there's the Lore Declaration roll.

[atomzero]

That's right, thanks.  What should the lore roll be made against?  The potency of the potion?

[Sanctaphrax]

IIRC, the GM just picks a number.

I'd make it easy for a common potion like a grenade vial, hard for something rare like the antidote to a specific poison.

[crusher_bob]

There are two specializations on crafting: strength and frequency.  If you have a frequency specialization, it increase the number of free uses you get out of an item.  It's also possible to have crafting strength and crafting frequency focus items.

Example:
Brutha has a base lore of 4.  He puts his free specialization point from thaumaturgy into crafting strength.  In addition, he uses one of his focus item slots to make a crafting frequency +1 focus.

So, assuming he has his focus handy when he makes something, he has an effective crafting strength of 5 and a frequency of two.

So, for example, if he wanted to make a single slot defensive item, it would have a block strength of 5 and 2 uses.

This also carries over to potions, for example, your potion of invisibility can make two people invisible, or be use to make you invisible on two different occasions.

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Now, how do you determine what the potions you have in your pockets can do?

There are three ways:
1 at the start of the story, say you have potions prepared to do some specific effect

2 during the story, spend a scene making a potion to some specific effect (also possibly replacing a potion of a specific effect you declared before hand).  This also gives you the chance to invoke aspects/spend fate points to make a more powerful potion that you would otherwise be able to.

3 during the action, make a lore declaration (generally difficulty 3) or spend a fate point to declare that one of your 'free' potions slots 'just happens' to be the type of potion you want right now.

The 'problem' with just leaving all your potions undeclared and relying on a lore declaration to have the one you want, is that you can fail this roll.  If you happen to be falling from a great height, for example, you really want to be able to pull a potion of feather falling out of your pocket.  So you might want to spend a fate point for a sure thing.

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If you are using a potion to make an attack or offensive maneuver, the targeting roll is generally your discipline.

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So, if your lore isn't that good, you generally want to have a few potions that are already 'declared' ahead of time that you might find useful in an emergency (escape, veils, attacks, defenses, etc)

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Another thing to remember is that a 'potion' is probably better described as a single use magical item.  So, for example, you might have an origami crane that lets you jump really far, or a set of (temporarily magical) handcuffs, or a single magical bullet, or magical land mine, or ...

[InFerrumVeritas]

Whenever one of my players say the have a potion on hand, I ask them why they would have packed that potion.

The guidelines I wrote for myself when running this (an other item based declarations) are:
Average: Normally carries, but not always/not a significant part of the character's standard equipment.  (In game example: a generic offensive or defensive potion.  Real world example: the spare key to my parents' house).
Fair: Likely to carry, but not always. (In game example: an escape potion.  Real world example: my pocket knife)
Good: Decent chance of carrying if they had time to prepare. (In game example: Red Court Anti-venom during the vampire war. Real world example: my computer)
Great: Less than average chance of carrying if they had time to prepare. (In game example: A sunburst hankie during the vampire war.  Real world example: the correct sized wrench/screwdriver)
Superb: Would only carry if they knew specific circumstances where it was needed. (In game example: a fake Warden's cloak.  Real world example: a specific book I own)
Fantastic: Unlikely to carry even if specific circumstances known, but likely to possess. (In game example: the catch for a monster I wouldn't expect to encounter.  Real world example: an extra folding chair some someone I didn't expect to come to a bonfire)
Epic:  Unlikely to carry or possess but would obtain if specific circumstances known.  (In game example: the rumored but unconfirmed catch of a monster I wouldn't expect to encounter.  Real world example: My favorite hard to find comic book if I didn't know I had a chance of meeting the artist/writer)
Legendary: Unlikely to carry or possess at all but could be obtained, would only have by extreme coincidence.  (In game example: The catch of a monster I didn't know anything about.  Real world example: They keys to my parents' boat when on vacation in New York City)
Legendary+: Unlikely to possess or obtain, cannot justify why at all.  (In game example: The specific counterspell to a ritual I didn't know exist.  Real world example: The keys to your car)

Something that it would be strange for the character not to carry should be stated beforehand and be written on their character sheet if its magical.  This is likely an enchanted item anyway.  (Real world example: My phone...which is likely an enchanted item anyway, or my car keys). 

[Sanctaphrax]

That seems a little too easy, since the average Crafter has at least Great Lore.

[Becq]

For comparison, the RAW for declarations (including, presumeably, potion "declarations") is:

These are the questions to ask yourself when determining difficulty:
1. Is the declaration interesting (or funny)?
2. Will the declaration have interesting consequences if it’s acted upon, whether it’s right or wrong?
3. Does the declaration propose a specific and interesting course of action?
Each “no” adds 2 to the base difficulty of Mediocre.

Note that the potion rules call it a "Lore roll" rather than a "Lore declaration", so you could certainly argue that the declaration rules don't apply.  And given the nature of potions, the above questions really devolve to "How boring is it for the character to have this potion on a scale of 0 to 6?"

[atomzero]

Thank you for all of your responses.  It was very helpful.