A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Krazy Kragnar’s Alchemical Surplus Shop

Krazy Kragnar’s Alchemical Surplus Shop by Owen K.C. Stephens is a role playing game supplement published by Rogue Genius Games (originally as Super Genius Games) for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, the supplement is covered by the Open Game License with some parts being considered Open Game Content as a result. This is a collection of new alchemical items (for Craft (alchemy), not the Alchemist class from the Advanced Player’s Guide).

This is a nine page PDF, in the unusual landscape format seen in older products from the publisher which can be viewed more easily on some devices, that is available from RPGNow at the regular price of $3.99 but which was purchased at the greatly reduced price of $0.20 as part of a special bundle. Around two thirds of a page is the cover image and one page is the Open Game License, Credits and a cartoon.

The supplement starts, after mentioning the titular Kragnar (who was first mentioned in The Genius Guide to Loot 4 Less Vol. 7: Krazy Kragnar’s Used Chariots), with the concept behind the items. Namely that, for the first few levels, the equipment from the Core Rulebook (and other supplements) is important to characters, but by the time they get magical weapons and can cast fireballs, magic items become more important, other items of value become odd shaped gold pieces, potions are boring and equipment becomes less useful (there is also a sidebar that basically boils down to Kragnar isn’t really mentioned from here on in).

There is more equipment available to create with the Craft (tailor) skill than the Craft (alchemy) skill in the Core Rulebook, so this supplement adds a lot more that can be made or purchased. These items do have uses and, not being magical in nature, these uses include situation where magical items might be detected.

There is a table of the 29 items, one of which comes in three levels and another of which comes in four types, and two additional items used with one of the main ones.

The section ends with optional rules on alchemical items that are being used past their best before dates.

Next are the various items. These include variations on holy water that target different alignments, smoke bombs, devices for boosting other alchemical items, drugs and treatments, sources of light and more.

Krazy Kragnar’s Alchemical Surplus Shop in Review

The PDF has no bookmarks. Although it is pretty short, these would have been appreciated. Navigation could therefore be better.

The text maintains a three column format and no errors were noticed. There are a number of illustrations, both colour and black and white, which would appear to be stock in nature and are somewhat appropriate to the text.

Alchemy has never seemed to get a particularly good deal in the D&D 3.x/Pathfinder games; even the Alchemist class seems to have very little relationship to any form of historical alchemy. Plus, as the supplement mentions, there simply aren’t many items in the Core Rulebook that can be created through Craft (alchemy). This supplement certainly provides a host of new alchemical items, ranging from 1 gp to 1,000 gp in price. The items have a whole bunch of different uses, and can certainly substitute for magical items. They are definitely suited to campaigns where magic items don’t just spontaneously generate in urban areas (which is what they seem to do in the Pathfinder rules) and are actually rare.

Krazy Kragnar’s Alchemical Surplus Shop is a great collection of new and interesting items that have a variety of uses, not least making Craft (alchemy) actually useful, and it can be found by clicking here.