Thank you for the answers and the links to the old errata. Who knows? We might create an updated version after a few more post o this thread.
If we can somehow manage to gather an active community again, I'd write it myself. It's really not an easy thing to write, but I've been fielding these questions for nearly 20 years now. I've gotten better and better at answering them over time, to the point where I have a fairly clear as to what needs to be communicated for most questions. Not so much the Extraordinary Items, though, because not a lot of people ask about that, and I think they're generally just handwaved away, assumed to be created by NACs.
So, regarding alchemy and extraordinary objects, there is a lot to unpack on my end. This is by far the hardest thing to understand, and due to my preference for Alchemy in RPGs, one that comes close to my dearest subject.
I've given consumables a lot of extra thoughts for a couple of reasons. One, I like the old hag trope. An old lady who lives on the edge of town, or some remote hut in the woods. Whether she's good, evil, helpful or baneful, that I vary. By individual woman, but also at times by how Avatars treat her. Almost all of them are skilled herbalists, but that is often mixed with other extraordinary abilities.
The other reason, though, is I think back to when I started playing D&D as a kid. Even before I actually owned any books and was just drawing dungeon maps on construction paper. I didn't yet know what a cleric was (and even when I got the basic set, they don't get spells until 2nd level). The idea of having a "healer" in the party was foreign. Healing potions were necessary to keep the game moving forward. The more I think about it, it's not just nostalgia, or that we were ignorant and less discerning when we were younger. Or that the whole thing was new. Some of the things we did back then are just plain better/more fun than how adults play. And one of the neat things about the healing potion dynamic is that when you're hurt, back then a lot of time we got to thinking we just need to plow through the next encounter. They may have a healing potion. It tended to keep things moving. And more exciting because often the best strategy was NOT playing it safe.
Now, of course, i still am a crusty old adult. I can't go back completely. So I need some plausible explanation for healing potions everywhere. So I decided to just stretch a bit the medicinal properties of herbs, decided herbalists would be more common, that they infuse them with a bit o' magic, but not so much that it requires a powerful practitioner or anything the caliber of D&D. So again, the old hag trope works great. Yeah. I'm big on herbalists in my game.
I understood the same regarding Alchemia if its consumable item. Mechanics is mentioned if its permanent object, and the rule inlcude Metallurgic (or shall we call it Lejendary-Forge) for all rolls. But I agree with your ruling, and not use Metallurgic for potions and bolus.
I was trying to keep it brief. Yes. Mechanics is mentioned. What I described (which does not include mechanics) is the process of infusing the magic into the item. Mechanics comes into play because the item itself has to be flawless. So if it's steel armor being crafted for magical enchantment, it takes both Mechanics and Metallurgy, weekly checks, and even one failed check means having to scrap the whole thing and start over. How many checks is that in all? Depends on the item.
There's all that, plus the infusion probability. The infusion probability is also a one-shot check. Though if it fails, I might allow for a successful luck check to give one re-roll.
I would also require individual activations. I'd give a 24 hour window for regular activations. Failed activations are permissible so long as you have the AEPs to finish the job. Thus having higher Ability score and greater AEPs is necessary for more powerful items. Naturally.
So in other words, there are three steps. Steps 1 and 3 may require quite a few checks. Step 2 is the main gatekeeper though and it's one shot, pass or fail.
I understood the same here. And this creates two new questions for me:
1) Would you require "Theurgy" as an additional skill to create an item similar to Bolus of Health (LML, p51)?
2) Would you allow cooperation? Let's say you dont posess Theourgy, but a Priest help you in the process of creating this extraordinary object? (After all, you end up using 6 or 7 diferent skills!)
Enchanters have a power called Convey Energy. It's a highly potent healing spell. In terms of AEP efficiency, you're better off using the Theurgy Heal power to recover harm of 25 or less. For higher than that, Convey Energy is a much better power. Point being, Enchanters certainly can produce healing effects.
As to cooperation of activators, I tend to want to limit this. I like the idea of out-sourcing Alchemy ability. That was in the 1E magic item creation rules, too. When MU's first become able to create potions, they need to hire an alchemist. At higher levels, they can do it all themselves. I think out-sourcing the creation of the item is perfectly kosher, too. Like if you wanted to have a special armorer create the armor. Just keep in mind, this would have to be a very special armorer, one with Metallurgy--a heka-forger, if you will. But when it comes time to infuse the power, it's dependent upon one Avatar's several abilities. Considering what I mentioned above about my personal campaign, that I like the campaign's magic items to skew towards consumables, and I like having herbalists all around--you can understand why I "house rule" Alchemia as an exception to this. But that's not to say this sort of think should be always permissible.
Now I could see multiple activators cooperating if through some magic device they are able to channel their activation energy. Per my step 3 above, having those extra AEPs is key to making more powerful items.