ok this got kind of long so i'm breaking it up into sections
Alchemy Basics There is currently no way to make base elements. It works along the lines of 'you can magically make anything as long as you get the components for it'-- in other words, alchemy requires ingredients! (Similar to equivalent exchange from FMA, though I'm not going to say exactly because it has been many years since I've watched either version of it so I may be remembering FMA wrong. Just gonna be straight with you about that.)
More common elements and simpler objects will be easier to work with, requiring easier sigils and less practice. So if you're trying to use alchemy to create a clay pot or a staff it will be much easier to do than if you're trying to use alchemy to create an intricate item like a crossbow or machinery.
Gold In regards to gold, however, there are ways to make a profit if you can get some to start with. It is possible to "expand" gold by alchemically fusing it with other minerals. In other words, you can use 24K gold (100% gold) with other elements to decrease the karats of gold in a gold alloy. (ex: an object that contains 16 parts gold and 8 parts alloying metal is 16-karat gold.) It won't be worth as much because the amount of gold in the object is decreased, but by manipulating its shape and honing alchemic skill, you could potentially sell it for more as jewelry or some other kind of item than as a smaller amount of purer gold. Since the world operates largely with more magic than machinery, the price of service could increase a character's profits selling to natives. This is especially true if you are able to find a person with another kind of magic that can imbue theirs with the item-- but that's not quite at the level anyone in the game is at yet.
Illegal Use Just make sure not to lie about the content of the gold-- if caught, you could get in trouble with the law. For now since only Camelot territory is available to characters to explore, that would mean getting dragged to courts and potential jailtime and paying back any money that was ill-gained. THe same goes for any alchemic item of course-- don't sell it as something it isn't or you may find yourself in trouble, and outside of Camelot that can mean a lot more than a little jailtime depending on who you piss off.
It should be noted that life is too complex to replicate with alchemy alone, so while not explicitly illegal, it's not something that can really be done with living beings.
Philosopher's Stone A Philosopher's Stone may exist, but it's certainly not readily available! As time goes on, there will be different adventures that may have certain perks and different types of uses/developments for different types of magic... but we won't spoil! Not yet! If your character is looking into it though, there may be rumors they can hear, but who knows what's true and what isn't? Some people say Morganna le Fay has it, others think Merlin's hidden it from the world, others say it's been thrown into another world, and others yet think it's still somewhere in Avalon, though the alleged location seems to vary depending on who you talk to among those who believe it to be there...
no subject
Alchemy Basics
There is currently no way to make base elements. It works along the lines of 'you can magically make anything as long as you get the components for it'-- in other words, alchemy requires ingredients! (Similar to equivalent exchange from FMA, though I'm not going to say exactly because it has been many years since I've watched either version of it so I may be remembering FMA wrong. Just gonna be straight with you about that.)
More common elements and simpler objects will be easier to work with, requiring easier sigils and less practice. So if you're trying to use alchemy to create a clay pot or a staff it will be much easier to do than if you're trying to use alchemy to create an intricate item like a crossbow or machinery.
Gold
In regards to gold, however, there are ways to make a profit if you can get some to start with. It is possible to "expand" gold by alchemically fusing it with other minerals. In other words, you can use 24K gold (100% gold) with other elements to decrease the karats of gold in a gold alloy. (ex: an object that contains 16 parts gold and 8 parts alloying metal is 16-karat gold.) It won't be worth as much because the amount of gold in the object is decreased, but by manipulating its shape and honing alchemic skill, you could potentially sell it for more as jewelry or some other kind of item than as a smaller amount of purer gold. Since the world operates largely with more magic than machinery, the price of service could increase a character's profits selling to natives. This is especially true if you are able to find a person with another kind of magic that can imbue theirs with the item-- but that's not quite at the level anyone in the game is at yet.
Illegal Use
Just make sure not to lie about the content of the gold-- if caught, you could get in trouble with the law. For now since only Camelot territory is available to characters to explore, that would mean getting dragged to courts and potential jailtime and paying back any money that was ill-gained. THe same goes for any alchemic item of course-- don't sell it as something it isn't or you may find yourself in trouble, and outside of Camelot that can mean a lot more than a little jailtime depending on who you piss off.
It should be noted that life is too complex to replicate with alchemy alone, so while not explicitly illegal, it's not something that can really be done with living beings.
Philosopher's Stone
A Philosopher's Stone may exist, but it's certainly not readily available! As time goes on, there will be different adventures that may have certain perks and different types of uses/developments for different types of magic... but we won't spoil! Not yet! If your character is looking into it though, there may be rumors they can hear, but who knows what's true and what isn't? Some people say Morganna le Fay has it, others think Merlin's hidden it from the world, others say it's been thrown into another world, and others yet think it's still somewhere in Avalon, though the alleged location seems to vary depending on who you talk to among those who believe it to be there...