Chemistry

Reasoning
Memory
Creativity

Short Description

Create, identify, and analyze chemical substances for use in combat, crafting, and fieldwork.

Success Criteria

Roll 1d100 + Chemistry skill bonus vs. Difficulty Rating of Substance

Effects

Crafting Success: You produce a batch or usable unit of the selected substance

Identification Success: You determine the substance’s name, function, activation method, and likely effects

Strong Success (20+): You also learn how to replicate it, and potentially how to neutralize it

Modifiers and Restrictions

–10 DR — You have a chemistry lab, stable environment, or pre-prepared samples

+10 DR — Incomplete tools or unstable battlefield conditions

+20 DR — Working with unknown compounds, exotic substances, or alien chemistry

Action Examples

Inside a captured lab, you find a sealed vial with a faint green glow. You declare Chemistry to identify it. The GM sets DR 90. Success reveals it’s a corrosion agent from the official list, and you warn your team to wear gloves.

Long Description

Chemistry allows you to synthesize items from the Chemical Substances list, provided you have the required materials, tools, and time. It also lets you identify unknown chemical items during encounters—whether found in labs, used by enemies, or encountered as hazards—and possibly deduce how unlisted or improvised substances function.

In combat, this skill can be used to deploy prepared substances (e.g., acids, adhesives, dissolvents), identify the effects of enemy chemicals, or understand the interactions between chemical agents and the battlefield environment. Outside combat, Chemistry becomes essential for producing new batches of substances, reverse-engineering captured samples, or supporting spell and tech development that relies on chemical principles.

Sequencing

Not optimized for sequencing.

Potential Counters

No direct counters.

How to use this page

All the information above is intended as a guide to help you navigate the many situations that can arise during your game. Since it's both impossible—and frankly uninspiring—to plan for every possible outcome, players are encouraged to think creatively when using their skills. Game Masters, in turn, are encouraged to embrace and support that creativity.

Whenever possible, aim to resolve situations through narrative choices, logical thinking and role playing. If that’s not feasible, agree on a Difficulty Rating (DR) using the provided Success Criteria and Modifiers. These are not rigid rules, but suggestions - starting points to help you find the right level of challenge. The player describes their intended action, and the Game Master proposes a DR. This should be open to brief discussion at the table, ideally resulting in consensus. If not, the Game Master has the final say.

It’s important to emphasize that all suggested effects, modifiers, and action examples are exactly that: suggestions. If you’re unsure how to resolve something, they offer a reliable fallback—but wherever possible, we encourage you to push boundaries. That’s where some of the most memorable and exciting moments in play are born.

Sequencing and Potential Counters are far from exhaustive. With hundreds of skills, spells, and tech modules in the game, the possibilities are too vast to list. You’re encouraged to explore combinations that make sense in your story and setting and in the situations that arise in your game. Sequencing and countering are core to Cosmic Odyssey - they’re where strategic depth meets dramatic flair, and where legendary moments often take shape. Even if no sequencing and counters are mentioned, some certainly exists and can be smartly utilized.

So explore boldly, improvise wisely, and enjoy the game as it unfolds around your choices.