Glonkard’s Manufactory used to be one of the most renowned centers for both potioncraft and commerce in the Gnome capitol of Orilam. Think 70s marketing enthusiasm meets proper working alchemy. That is, until the Accident happened. Now, the manufactory ground lay desertes, surrounded by a huge fence. Rumors abound about what happened, but nobody in their right mind would enter the area where alchemy has gone awry in the worst possible way. There is nothing for you here.
To those who think that being in their right mind is boring, though, this Slow Burn Sourcebook offers an intriguing setting full of adventure – literally, since the core of it are FIVE adventure paths, which all take place in the same area. They might even work as one-shots, but since this is slow burn, I won’t make any promises (yet).
The Idea behind Glonkard’s Manufactory
Glonkard’s Manufactory is a large industrial complex geared towards making all kinds of potions on an industrial scale. Here are some of the elements that this supplement will feature:
- A large factory floor designed for large scale batch production.
- A series of small labs where enterprising alchemists can research and refine products.
- Catacombs housing volatile materials as well as things better left forgotten.
- A (formerly) sprawling sales area exemplifying the splendor of Glonkard’s at its prime.
- A foreboding fence surrounding the area, telegraphing its weirdness to anyone looking.
- Lots of potential for more. I know that’s a given in our kind of games, but it cannot hurt to mention it, right?
Is Alchemypunk a thing?
Because if not it really should be. This setting leans heavily on Alchemy as a craft and the notion that Gnomes are its masters. At the very least, Gnomes have historically shown a preference for Alchemy, and thus produced the most well-known alchemists and the most widely-used potions.
The idea is that most things that magic can do, alchemy can do, but more messy. It is up to you how deep you want to delve into this, but I recommend not so set too many rules for what Alchemy can and cannot do to keep things more open – and thus simpler.
Glonkard’s Manufactory – List of Entries
- The Modular Nature of Alchemy – A few pieces of information to make Glonkard’s fit
anymost game worlds, as well as some background. - Rumors about the Incident – with the dark and foreboding building still dominating the neighborhood, you are bound to find a number of rumors about it in the surrounding area. Some might lead to adventure.
- The Manufactory Overview – basically the floor plan, although that is a tall order for such a complex structure. I can totally see turning this into several articles to cover all the (many) bases.
- The Fence – while basically just a barrier, there are some things unique about this structure that has been bathed in alchemical influence for decades by now.
- The Adventure Paths – I will probably split this into different articles, but the current idea has five adventures that take place within the confines of the abandoned Manufactory.
- The Overarching Path – I had this idea that the incident itself is somehow connected to all the other, separate adventures. Thus, I will get into this here, but probably also connect the other articles later.
- Excursions into the Manufactory – smaller ideas and ways to use the Manufactory as part of your city without delving into its adventures.
- Random Manufactory Rooms – In my head, this set of random tables will help you generate rooms inside the complex as well as basically anywhere else Alchemy is being performed.
- What actually happened – if you do not want to parse all the adventures to get the gist of Glonkard’s fate, you can find the condensed version here.
There is nothing here – yet. So why not subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date?
