Which Origin Should Alchemy be?

Is it science, technology, or magic?

I want to make an alchemist character, and I'm trying to decide which origin I will be happiest with 5 weeks from now. Any input anyone feels like adding would be much appreciated!

Is the results of your alchemy based on chemistry, aka scientific knowledge, or because of some infusion of magic? Would your character view the alchemical results as a magical, or scientific/technological? Depending on the characters point of view, you could go either direction.

Hmmm. I think I'm going to take the mystical road.

It's just kind of dicey. For example: Sir Isaac Newton. Clearly the man was a scientist, but he dabbled a great deal in Alchemy (despite it being illegal at the time). He came up with all kinds of interesting "end times" predictions and such based on the mysticism.

It's just one of those funny bridges. Don't want to mis-name it because I'll be mad at myself in a month and start wanting to delete the toon.

When I end up mixing tech/science/magic I tend to go for Science. It's the safer mix of them.
Also; SCIENCE!!

And Alchemy;

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

I'm glad you brought up Full Metal Alchemist, though going off the wiki, I have to admit what they do looks more like magic than science, what with the trapping of souls and all.

Do they usually call it a science in the cartoons? (I think at least I can cross technology off the list of possibilities at this point.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist

may i ask what power sets you plan to give this alchemist? it may give us a clue as to how his/her alchemy functions in the CoH-verse. If its say dual pistols using flintlocks to fire alchemical ammo, then science looks a good pick, if its dual blades, with empowered swords may be its more leaning to magic. Of couse it may be the power set dont directly relate to the alchemy at all, say Mar.Arts.

personally, I'd do natural

unless you want to end up directly channeling the power of other beings, as the SO enhancement names suggest

I tend to view magical characters this way:

deals/pacts/priests/empowered/artifacts as a focus rather than just a tool - Magic
magical creature/born supernatural - Mutant
use of learned spells/magical items as tools rather than focus - Natural

I base this on the DO selection where Nat/Mag and Mag/Mut combos exist

Going the FMA route(I HAVE finished the books so nyah nyah Techbot ;p)You can pretty much just eliminate the Tech aspect, as any technology used in the process will be specifically simple devices, magic devices, or devices that use whatever you're calling Alchemy over complicated real-world(or comic-book science)ergo: more magic.

Edit: Sorry but Had to go further into things, FMA, while it goes it's own way, DOES represent the concept of Alchemy best, A Crossroads between Magic and Chemistry. So in this instance, Replacing "Chemistry" with "Science" though you'll find the explicit wording of science origin in this game would in my opinion eliminate it from the concept altogether. Technology doesn't even come into play without machinery, and as said before magic more or less picks up the slack that complicated things like atom smashers would do.

So it's between Science and Magic, from here, you have to look at how you apply origins. I tend to go by what is used for the majority of the powers, Generally the Primary as a leading rule. In cases where that might not apply( mostly masterminds or weapon-users) I go to what definitively counts as a "Power" I.e. "My character has magic super reflexes, but uses a sword to actually get things done" So going by the primary I'd label that character a "Natural" because swords are simple enough objects to not count as super(usually) but super-reflexes is a power of magic origin in this context so he'd be magic

Basically All other origins>Natural when they come up against each other in most situations for me

For your Idea, a Mercs/Poison MM, unless he's using mind control chemicals(and really, even then because that just plays off the secondary) We'll throw the Mercs out the window as "natural" for considering his origin and I'd have to ask how he's using the chemicals. Poison usually is shown coming from the character's body and I don't see many ways of getting around that. So, Is he magically changing his body's chemistry through alchemy, or was he scientifically altered to create poisons and he uses alchemy to mix the chemicals?