[DEVBLOG#278] Vanilla Medieval Expanded 2 - Alchemy system

Hello everyone!

In today's little blog, I'd like to tell you about the brand new alchemy system in Vanilla Factions Expanded - Medieval 2.

Alchemy is something I wanted to do for a long time, but I was always worried it's a little bit 'too high fantasy' for RimWorld. We want the Medieval mod to be a bit more down-to-earth, almost realistic-like.

And then came the Anomaly DLC with the Serums. It's an interesting and easy-to-understand system that allows you to craft a handful of strong 'drugs' if you choose to interact with Anomaly system at all.

I have decided to do something quite similar for Medieval 2. Lets start by saying: You will NOT need Anomaly DLC to have alchemy in your save. It works without any DLCs - but I fully plan to add some interesting draughts if you have some specific DLCs!

Draughts - which is essentially our spin on potions - are a bit different to Serums. While Serums provide strong benefits that last quite a while, Draughts last a few days, and their effects diminish quite quickly. They also often come with some drawbacks, but those drawbacks completely disappear when the effects of the draught start fading.

So, each draught starts off with 100% potency. It diminishes at the rate of 20% per day.

When potency hits 65%, the effects of the draught change from Potent to Fading. Fading effects are significantly weaker, but they also usually don't cause any side effects.

Draughts are created on a special Alchemy lab workbench, which I haven't drawn yet, so I won't show it to you, but just imagine a simple research bench with some alchemical apparatus.

Now here came a big question: How do we add alchemical ingredients without bloating the game with new plants? Because I really didn't want to add new plants to the game with this mod.

Lets first assess what existing ingame items can act as alchemical ingredients:

• Honey

• Agave fruit

• Psychoid leaves

• Smokeleaf leaves

Not really enough, is it?

Thus, we need to add more. But again, I don't want to add more plants. How do we tackle this conundrum?

Rafflesia, Alocasia, Clivia, Astragalus and Glowstool. These plants are cosmetic only in the game. They do not yield any resources when harvested. They just exist, only to be cut down.

In the spirit of Vanilla Expanded, I figured the best way would be to make this plantable with some special research project, and to make these harvestable for some alchemical/edible ingredients!

Rafflesia petals

Description:Giant petals of the rafflesia flower. Smell like rotting flesh and are very likely to cause food poisoning when consumed raw. Rafflesia petals have been used by medieval civilizations in creation of different draughts.

Astragalus flowers

Description:Small perennial wildflowers that grow in alpine climates. Astragalus flowers have been used by medieval civilizations in creation of different draughts.

Clivia petals

Description:Petals of an unusual plant with tall, pretty flowers, called ‘bush lily’ by some. Clivia petals have been used by medieval civilizations in creation of different draughts.

Alocasia leaves

Description:Extremely broad leaves of a plant that’s a commonly-recognized signifier of tropical forests. Alocasia leaves have been used by medieval civilizations in creation of different draughts.

Raw glowstool

Description:Raw glowstool fungus obtained by harvesting glowstools growing in caves. Raw glowstool have been used by medieval civilizations in creation of different draughts.

Some of these can be eaten, some of these cannot, but all of them can be used to make alchemical draughts!

Now, when it comes to draughts, I wanted your opinions and ideas, and I have collected many of them. Thank you very much for contributing them!

I have turned some of these ideas into interesting draughts that you can craft from specific ingredients. Below, I will list out all that I have right now, but I envision there will be more. And who knows, some other modders might add their own!

Each draught will have their Potent and Fading effects listed, so you know what to expect!

Immunization draught

Description: An amber-colored drink with tiny particles floating in it that bolsters the immune system of anyone that drinks it. While it helps them fight off sickness better, the downside is that it makes the user feel much more tired after drinking it, as well as overall makes the user get sleepy much faster than usual. The effects of the draught are strongest immediately after consumption, and then slowly fade away over the following days.

Upon consumption, immediately removes 25% of remaining Rest.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • ImmunityGainSpeed offset: +0.35

    • SleepFallRate multiplier: x1.30

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • ImmunityGainSpeed offset: +0.10

Healing draught

Description: A vibrant red liquid. When the user drinks it, it greatly enhances their injury healing rate, speeding up the process of wound closure and tissue repair. This potion works by boosting the body’s natural healing mechanisms, making recovery from injuries much quicker.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • Injury healing factor: x300%

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • Injury healing factor: x200%

Clarity draught (Royalty only)

Description: A light blue liquid that’s sparkling with a subtle effervescence. When the user drinks it, it restores some of their psychic focus and enhances their psychic sensitivity, allowing for clearer mental processing and heightened awareness. However, this increased mental activity significantly raises the user's hunger rate, making them need to eat more often. Additionally, the relentless mental buzz from the draught leads to a noticeable drop in mood due to the overwhelming flow of thoughts.

Consuming it also grants Clarity-buzz mood thought for 2 days.

Clarity buzz - “My mind is racing. I can’t stop all the thoughts.” -5 mood.

Consuming it immediately restores 10% Psyfocus.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • PsychicSensitivity: +40%

    • MeditationFocusGain: x1.20

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • PsychicSensitivity: +10%

    • MeditationFocusGain: x1.05

Strength draught

Description: A bold, deep red liquid. When the user drinks it, it significantly increases their physical strength, giving them the power to perform feats they normally couldn't. However, the potion also raises the user's mental break threshold, making them more prone to psychological stress. Additionally, the intense surge of strength increases the likelihood of conflicts, leading to a higher chance of social fights.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • Melee damage factor: ×150%

    • Melee dodge chance: ×150%

    • Mental Break Threshold: +8%

    • Social fight chance factor: ×200%

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • Melee damage factor: ×120%

    • Melee dodge chance: ×120%

Efficiency draught

Description: A slate-gray liquid that when drunk, enhances the user’s global work speed and reduces their energy depletion, allowing them to work faster and longer without feeling tired. However, the intense boost in productivity comes at a significant risk, increasing the chance of a heart attack due to the strain on the body. After the potion's effects diminish, the user experiences a sharp increase in the rate at which they become sleepy, necessitating immediate rest to recover.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • GlobalWorkSpeed: ×125%

    • MoveSpeed: ×110%

    • SleepFallRate: ×70%

    • Chance for heart attack to start: 2.856% per check, checked twice a day.

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • GlobalWorkSpeed: ×110%

    • SleepFallRate: ×150%

• Upon consumption, immediately restores 15% of remaining Rest.

Painkiller draught

Description: A pale blue liquid known as Painkiller Draught. When the user drinks it, it effectively reduces their sensation of pain, providing relief from discomfort and injuries. However, the sedative components of the draught also diminish the user's productivity and focus, making it harder to concentrate and complete tasks efficiently. This makes it suitable for recovery periods but less ideal when active mental or physical effort is required.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • GlobalWorkSpeed: ×75%

    • Accuracy factor (long) ×50%

    • Accuracy factor (medium) ×75%

    • Pain: ×20%

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • Pain: ×75%

Torturer draught

Description: A dark, foreboding purple liquid. When the user drinks it, it induces severe pain, incapacitating them to the point where movement becomes impossible. For prisoners, this intense agony causes a rapid decline in their will to resist, breaking down any mental barriers they may have. In the case of slaves, the draught completely suppresses their spirit, leaving them entirely subdued. This potion is used with caution due to its extreme effects.

Consuming it also grants Twisting pain mood thought for 2 days.

Twisting pain - “This wicked concoction set my insides on fire! It hurts all over!” -15 mood.

Masochist does not get this mood thought.

Label: potent

• Effects:

  • Consciousness Max: ×10%

  • Pain: ×200%

  • Reduces the rate that slave suppression is lost by 30% per day.

  • Reduces prisoner resistance by 1 per hour.

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • Pain: ×150%

    • Reduces the rate that slave suppression is lost by 10% per day.

    • Reduces prisoner resistance by 0.25 per hour.

Focus draught

Description: A crisp, energizing turquoise liquid that when drank, significantly enhances learning abilities of the user, enabling them to absorb and retain more information rapidly. Additionally, the draught increases the efficiency of eating and resting, allowing quicker nourishment and recovery. It also boosts the accumulation of psyfocus, enhancing mental clarity and psychic abilities. However, once the effects of the draught begin to fade, these enhancements reverse, leading to decreased learning capacity, slower eating and resting rates, and diminished psyfocus.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • GlobalLearningFactor: ×125%

    • EatingSpeed: ×200%

    • MeditationFocusGain: ×125%

    • RestRateMultiplier: ×125%

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • GlobalLearningFactor: ×50%

    • EatingSpeed: ×75%

    • MeditationFocusGain: ×50%

    • RestRateMultiplier: ×50%

Fertility draught

Description: A gentle, rose-pink liquid. When the user drinks it, it artificially boosts their fertility, giving even those who are infertile a chance to conceive. This slight increase in fertility opens the possibility for individuals or couples struggling with infertility to become parents, focusing on enhancing natural reproductive processes.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • Fertility: +20%

    • RestRateMultiplier: ×110%

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • Fertility: +10%

Inspiration draught

Description: A radiant, golden-colored liquid. When the user drinks it, it provides them with mental clarity, sharpening their focus specifically on acquiring new knowledge in areas they are passionate about. However, the draught comes at the cost of diminished combat capabilities, as the user's attention is diverted away from physical prowess and towards intellectual pursuits.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • GlobalLearningFactor: +10%

    • GlobalLearningFactor (For skills with single passion): +25%

    • GlobalLearningFactor (For skills with double passion): +50%

    • Chance to gain an inspiration upon drinking: 25%

    • Accuracy factor (long) ×25%

    • Accuracy factor (medium) ×50%

    • Melee damage factor ×50%

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • GlobalLearningFactor (For skills with single passion): +10%

    • GlobalLearningFactor (For skills with double passion): +20%

Stoneskin draught

Description: A deep, slate-gray liquid. When the user drinks it, their skin undergoes a dramatic transformation, thickening and hardening to resemble a built-in suit of armor. The entire epidermis becomes tough enough to resist burns, while jointed exterior keratin plates form over the body, including the head and face, providing additional protection. This formidable physical shield makes it extremely difficult to inflict physical harm on the user. However, the appearance of the plates and hardened skin significantly reduces the user's physical attractiveness, impacting their social interactions.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • Moving: x0.85

    • ArmorRating_Sharp: 0.70

    • ArmorRating_Blunt: 0.3

    • ArmorRating_Heat: 0.5

    • PawnBeauty: -2

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • ArmorRating_Sharp: 0.35

    • ArmorRating_Blunt: 0.1

    • ArmorRating_Heat: 0.3

    • PawnBeauty: -1

Amnesia draught

Description: A crystal-clear, white liquid. When the user drinks it, it causes them to rapidly lose their memory. This effect makes both negative and positive memories fade much quicker than normal, leading to a transient experience of life's events. While this can alleviate the burden of painful memories, it also diminishes the joy and learning gained from positive experiences.

• Label: potent

  • Effects:

    • All mood thoughts tick x4 as fast (positive and negative)

      • This means if something would take 4 days to disappear, it now takes 1 day

    • Reduces the rate that slave suppression is lost by 5% per day.

    • Reduces prisoner resistance by 0.25 per hour.

• Label: fading

  • Effects:

    • All mood thoughts tick x2 as fast (positive and negative)

      • This means if something would take 4 days to disappear, it now takes 2 day

That's about it for Alchemy for now! I'm also playing with some more draught ideas, so if you have any, make sure to post them either in the Typical Tuesday Suggestions thread I made last week, or here in the comments!

Remember, I'm looking for semi-realistic draught ideas. No 'this guy starts breathing fire' type.