Different traditions of Alchemy?

The French and US versions of alchemy developed in very different directions. The French version was further developed across multiple editions and included brief rules for different cultural variants used by Chinese, Aztec and Amerindian Immortals. The US version reprinted only the first edition French rules and didn't benefit from any of the subsequent French revisions, so Chaosium ordered a rewrite of the alchemy rules to be printed in the canceled Slaying the Dragon supplement (although the author shared his draft on the mailing list). However, these rules were later adapted to generic BRP and reprinted in Enlightened Magic. If you're a fan of the US version then you should already be familiar with those.

I found a fan-made French netbook that described the Old World traditions of Alchemy side-by-side and revised them for third edition (here: alchemy rules, western formulae, spagyrie artifacts). I found this a very useful overview of the French cosmology and it got me thinking about how to adapt some of the ideas to the US version's enlightened magic rewrite.

The simple answer is that the alchemy rules presented in Slaying the Dragon and Enlightened Magic represent a synthesis of European, Egyptian, Indian and Chinese alchemy that developed along the Silk Road. Black Stone procedures are derived from the synthesis of European alchemy (including vegetative spagery and mineral archemy), Chinese outer alchemy (Waidan), and Indian Rasashastra. Philosopher's Stone meditations are derived from from Chinese inner alchemy (Neidan) and Indian Rasayana. White Stone works of art seem an original invention of Chaosium, as I cannot find it mentioned anywhere in the writings of real alchemists, but in-universe it was probably synthesized as a missing link by Hermes Trismegistus.

However, there are other traditions that influenced and were influenced by this form while retaining a significantly different structure. These flourished for a time, but grew obscure and supplanted as the Silk Road Alchemy was rediscovered and popularized starting from AD1000. However, some Nephilim retained knowledge of these as distinct traditions and thus it is feasible for PCs to start play knowing them or be able to find sufficient research material to learn during play.

There are two ways to represent this. The first and simplest is for the PC to have largely adopted Silk Road alchemy but retain aspects of his original tradition as a style for his alchemical laboratory. The second and more complex is to develop a full set of rules to represent the other traditions. I will restrict myself to the former to keep this post at manageable length.

Eurasian Alchemy

Black Stone

For purposes of gameplay, Black Stone Alchemy is remarkably consistent across Eurasia. In Europe alchemists specialized in transmutations on inanimate matter, while in China and India alchemists specialized in medicinal uses. Aside from the styles varying between practitioners, there are no differences in game rules between these traditions.

European alchemy was unable to develop White Stone and beyond until figures like Hermes Trismegistus discovered the missing link that allowed them to marry the Eurasian traditions and discover the framework of modern alchemy.

Internal Alchemy

This form of alchemy uses the alchemist's own body as the athanor, using the Martial Arts or Meditation Skills instead of the Art/Craft Skill. The alchemist consumes various ingredients, undergoes exercise regimens, and so on similar to Philosopher's Stone meditations. As practiced by the Chinese alchemists as Neidan and Indian alchemists as Yoga and Rasâyana, this keeps the materials and sensations inside his body to produce the effects on himself. This form of alchemy is able to produce effects recognizable as Black Stone and White Stone, though only to limited degree and only on the alchemist himself. The modern form of Philosopher's Stone alchemy is believed to have developed from Hermes Trismegistus synthesizing these teachings with those of European alchemy.

In terms of rules, the practitioner of internal alchemy may prepare Black Stone and White Stone procedures as meditations using the Martial Arts or Meditation Skills and his own body as the athanor. However, he can only prepare procedures applied to himself as the target and even then only replicate works of art that are performed (the martial art or meditation being the performance). 

Other

Human Laboratory

This biological alchemy was practiced by some Chinese alchemists and some Onirim in equatorial Africa, sporadically elsewhere. A form of internal alchemy that affects others, though more repulsively than using materials produced in a conventional lab. Using his body as his laboratory, the alchemist produces the alchemical materials via his own expelled bodily fluids and/or wastes (e.g. blood, sweat, tears, urine, saliva, nail trimmings, hair, feces, semen) or even consumes these as ingredients! Although Black Stone across Eurasia often uses ingredients drawn from the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms (even dangerous and disgusting ones like wastes and toxins), using the human body as the athanor for this purpose in particular has thankfully remained rare. 

Players aren’t allowed to create PCs that practice this, and GMs should refrain from depicting it in action. We’re not playing FATAL here.

Amerindian Alchemy

This form of alchemy was developed independently by a number of different Amerindian tribes. Due to the lack of metallurgy or glassmaking beyond pottery, their athanors commonly take the form of tools like mortars and pestles used to produce paints, tattoo inks, perfumes and medicinal pastes that produce the desired effect when applied. Surgical techniques exist. In modern times practitioners will incorporate the latest advances in the corresponding mundane techniques. Otherwise, the rules should be identical. (I don’t have the time right now to research and devise a culturally authentic and sensitive depiction. Unless the player is a tribal member or an anthropologist, I don’t recommend letting players create Amerindian PCs.)

Due to the cultural destruction wrought by colonization, the Major Arcana have yet to discover how far this form of alchemy was able to advance in isolation from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. What is known is that the Siouan Wowakans used it to "seal" a number of untapped Orichalc deposits on their sacred land, reducing the natural interference on magical practice, before this work was undone by secret societies seeking to mine the untapped deposits. The Gold Rush is believed to have been used as a front for these efforts, before the Ghost Dancers heroically transmuted these deposits into Litharge.

Blood Stone Alchemy

The athanor takes the form of a sacrificial altar on which the alchemist uses the elemental bases (humors) within sacrificial blood and mixes it with various other ingredients to produce alchemical materials (raising uncomfortable parallels to the creation and use of Elixirs). This practice was found in a number of cultures around the world including proto-Indo European and Carthaginian, but largely vanished as the practice of human sacrifice itself did. How far any was able to advance remains unknown to the Major Arcana's researchers.

Mesoamerican Blood Stone

The most advanced form of Blood Stone alchemy was developed by the Blood Dynasties of Latin America under Selenim influence. The clergy, both mortal and Immortal, used this alchemy for medicinal purposes to ensure their high place in society. Due to the higher natural concentrations of Black Moon in Mesoamerica, these alchemists discovered that chromatic Ka would condense into a pure material form (normally matter only contains residual Ka) to protect itself from the Black Moon; from there they learned how to artificially replicate and reverse this process, which allowed the Xibalbans to invent obsidian stasis items for Selenim use. Only those Naguals and Tlaciques who sought refuge among the Hierophant and Unnamed Arcana would know anything about it.

Hope you enjoyed!