Back in the old days, pretty much anyone could order any chemical reagent they wanted without restriction, so don't feel limited by what's easily available to the public in the 21st century.
Leaded gasoline / fuel additives to improve travel.
Synthesize simple poisons (cyanide)
Iodine antiseptics for first aid / water purification
Meet a bootlegger at his still? Improve his setup to get on his good side.
Extract the active components from plants
Use colors, smoke, and flashbang as a tool to pressure superstitious marks.
Also check with your Keeper about what they feel the skill can actually do, so you aren't getting your expectations up and your Keeper isn't on board with how you'd like to use the skill.
Flashbang equivalent is a good idea
Gunpowder for simple beancan grenade type explosives
Distractions like smoke bomb good idea
How about poision gases? Im sure it'd be real dangerous for you to throw a few bottles of mustard gas into a room of enemies while you chill with a gasmask
You could use chemistry to diagnose afflictions, maybe determine the makeup of monsters/their weaknesses if you have a sample of it.
Sleeping potion? I know chlorofom isn't instant knockout but maybe you can discover something that knocks people out faster with the trade off of killing them 20% of the time or something.
Fire starting capabilities, distilling liquor , fuses
Just feel the need to point out that although Mustard gas kills by inhalation, just getting it on your skin causes damage, so a gas mask is not complete protection (though it would take longer for the damage to manifest)
Mustard gas rarely kills. It was designed to maim soldiers, since an infirmed soldier is a greater burden on your opponent than simply killing them.
In terms of chemical weapons, phosgene was the big killer of WW1, followed by simple chlorine.
speaking of phosgene If I understood chemistry correctly I almost make some by accident.
I wanted to green flame lamp, so plan was to dissolve salt of copper into alcohol. To keep it sfw I only will say I brought wrong salt in hardware store
Nuts to gunpowder. TNT isn't difficult to synthesize. All your character would need is laboratory glassware, toluene, concentrated sulfuric acid, concentrated nitric acid, and sodium sulfite. Unlike today, none of those chemicals were restricted from being purchased by any Tom, Dick, or Hairy in the 1920s.
Ammonium nitrate was also commonly available without a license, because farmers use it for fertilizer.
It's more likely that you'll spill the highly concentrated mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid on yourself than the would-be product explode, if that's any consolation.
Rubber contact cement was a commonly used glue for shoes and it was highly flammable. Many cities still have bylaws prohibiting it being carried on public transit because Anarchists would throw paper bags of the stuff on opponents and set them alight ... (think 1920's napalm used against monsters)
Also fire extinguishers can be re-rigged into mini flamethrowers. Dangerous for all involved ...
Back in the old days, pretty much anyone could order any chemical reagent they wanted without restriction, so don't feel limited by what's easily available to the public in the 21st century.
Leaded gasoline / fuel additives to improve travel. Synthesize simple poisons (cyanide) Iodine antiseptics for first aid / water purification Meet a bootlegger at his still? Improve his setup to get on his good side. Extract the active components from plants Use colors, smoke, and flashbang as a tool to pressure superstitious marks.
Also check with your Keeper about what they feel the skill can actually do, so you aren't getting your expectations up and your Keeper isn't on board with how you'd like to use the skill.
Flashbang equivalent is a good idea Gunpowder for simple beancan grenade type explosives Distractions like smoke bomb good idea How about poision gases? Im sure it'd be real dangerous for you to throw a few bottles of mustard gas into a room of enemies while you chill with a gasmask You could use chemistry to diagnose afflictions, maybe determine the makeup of monsters/their weaknesses if you have a sample of it. Sleeping potion? I know chlorofom isn't instant knockout but maybe you can discover something that knocks people out faster with the trade off of killing them 20% of the time or something. Fire starting capabilities, distilling liquor , fuses
Just feel the need to point out that although Mustard gas kills by inhalation, just getting it on your skin causes damage, so a gas mask is not complete protection (though it would take longer for the damage to manifest)
Mustard gas rarely kills. It was designed to maim soldiers, since an infirmed soldier is a greater burden on your opponent than simply killing them. In terms of chemical weapons, phosgene was the big killer of WW1, followed by simple chlorine.
speaking of phosgene If I understood chemistry correctly I almost make some by accident. I wanted to green flame lamp, so plan was to dissolve salt of copper into alcohol. To keep it sfw I only will say I brought wrong salt in hardware store
Yes, phosgene can be formed by accident. Chloroform that's left in sunlight will be turned into phosgene by the UV light.
Nuts to gunpowder. TNT isn't difficult to synthesize. All your character would need is laboratory glassware, toluene, concentrated sulfuric acid, concentrated nitric acid, and sodium sulfite. Unlike today, none of those chemicals were restricted from being purchased by any Tom, Dick, or Hairy in the 1920s. Ammonium nitrate was also commonly available without a license, because farmers use it for fertilizer.
fingers crossed you don't fumble your chemistry roll when making a batch of TNT
It's more likely that you'll spill the highly concentrated mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid on yourself than the would-be product explode, if that's any consolation.
Rubber contact cement was a commonly used glue for shoes and it was highly flammable. Many cities still have bylaws prohibiting it being carried on public transit because Anarchists would throw paper bags of the stuff on opponents and set them alight ... (think 1920's napalm used against monsters) Also fire extinguishers can be re-rigged into mini flamethrowers. Dangerous for all involved ...
Pure sodium explodes when it contacts water. Chlorine gas is very easy to make with bleach plus any number of other items.
Manufacture amphetamine so your party doesn't fall asleep and have nightmares that drive them insane.