Alchemical Symbols

     Its really easy to use symbols to better describe an object or method. Alchemical Symbols like these provide a way to bridge the gap to some basic things you might find with D&D. A Recipe might use this way of writing it down instead of a standard way, giving your players another way to look at the situation, or even providing an extra layer of challenge.

   Using symbols in your campaign is very easy, and can help put emphasis on a particular aspect, or allow your players to better find themselves as their characters. Having a special way to communicate has a lasting effect, and can be the detail you need to make a moment.

     By being able to quantify in symbols, and some examples of what different things mean, you can make your own key or legend: Allowing symbols to be manipulated by the players gives a chance for them to become their character momentarily.

     You are free to develop your own symbols and meanings, making them situation specific or character specific. Allowing a player to build on the current narrative and develop their own method of symbol usage can benefit everyone.

     For the picture of the canvas, I used common alchemic symbols and their most associated meaning. It was super easy to measure a grid and keep the size of the symbols the same. I used a 12x48 Inch Black Canvas, and measured Eighteen 4x4 inch squares to draw in. I painted on an easel, but in hindsight should have done it on a flat surface to avoid the dripping. I used Titanium White Acrylic Paint.

Here is a key to the symbols in the picture, and what they are suppose to mean. I had just Googled each of their definitions, and copied here.

Pound - Weight 16 Ounces, 1 Pint	- Saltpeter - a white crystalline salt, occurring naturally and produced synthetically, used in fertilizer, as a meat preservative, and as a constituent of gunpowder.	Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride, a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts.
Pint - Volume 16 Ounces, 1 Pound	Sulfur is a bright yellow, crystalline solid at room temperature.	Gold a yellow precious metal, the chemical element of atomic number 79, used especially in jewelry and decoration and to guarantee the value of currencies.
Ounce – Weight 1/16 Pound	Lead is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point.	Copper is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity.
Dram - Weight 1/8 Ounce	Tin is a silvery metal that characteristically has a faint yellow hue. Tin, like indium, is soft enough to be cut without much force.	Copper Acetate appears as a blue-green crystalline solid. The hydrated derivative, which contains one molecule of water for each Cu atom.
Scruple - Weight 1/3 Dram	Phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element.	Iron is a mineral that our bodies need for many functions. It is by mass the most common element.
Pinch - Weight 1/4 Scruple	Sulfuric Acid is a colorless, odorless, and syrupy liquid that is soluble in water and is synthesized in reactions that are highly exothermic.	Quick Silver is a heavy, silvery-white liquid metal. Compared to other metals, it is a poor conductor of heat, but a fair conductor of electricity.