Rich worlds
Compelling stories
Unforgettable Game Experiences

What is Mysterious Alchemy?

The creators at Mysterious Alchemy are here to help you realize the creative vision for your game or story. Each of us has 10+ years in the game industry working on brands like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Let us know if you need a hand with:

  • Establishing or shoring up the creative pillars of your IP.

  • Creating foundation documents like world guides and style guides designed to foster alignment across your team and with your external partners.

  • Critiquing existing documents.

  • Working with creative teams to supercharge collaboration.

Our Philosophy

There is a magic that occurs when the right creatives are in a room exploring an idea together. It’s energizing when a new world begins to take shape, complete with complex characters, epic locations, and meaningful stories. Everyone in the room puts their own touch of genius into the mix—their own special ingredient—which gets everyone charged and generating ideas to make the end product shine. It is this mysterious alchemy that we aim to bring to your creative project.

Creative Services

  • World Building & Narrative

    We thrive where creative meets game mechanics. We can:

    • Flesh out your initial idea for a setting or story.

    • Build a world to suit the mechanics in your game.

    • Review and critique your existing IP and story documents.

    • Create alignment documents to help keep your team and partners on the same page.

    • Facelift your legacy IP with modern sensibilities with an eye toward stewardship.

  • Creative Team Development

    We’ve led and been a part of collaborative teams for dozens of projects. It’s not easy, but it shouldn’t be painful. We can:

    • Embed with your creative team to offer new perspectives on creative problems.

    • Work with your team to foster a collaborative environment where individuals feel heard and are empowered to make choices.

    • Mentor individual writers on the practice of creating with constraints.

  • External Micro Studio

    If your headcount is limited but you still need a hand with your creative heavy lifting, we can:

    • Operate as an external creative partner for your studio.

    • Organize and direct concept art pushes for your game or story.

    • Put together a world guide to contain the lore and visual concepts of your setting.

    • Review art assets and writing assignments from other partners.

If you don't see the service you need here, let us know. We're experienced creative problem solvers, and we’d love to chat with you.

Clients

Meet the Team

  • Adam Lee

    My life has been a Mysterious Alchemy, a blend of people and energies that sometimes yielded lead and sometimes gold. As I have gone through my career, I have been like a bloodhound seeking to create those moments of creative gold where everything and everyone is working in harmony. The further along I go, the more I understand the Alchemy of the creative process.

    This company is the latest realization of this quest. We’re finding combinations of the right project, the right people, and the right vision, and bringing them together to create something unique and powerful.

    Each iteration of this alchemical process I learn something more as I’m led into new areas of creation and expression. I am always excited to see what the Mysterious Alchemy will produce next.

    Highlights of my work include:

    • Candlekeep Mysteries (author of Alkazaar’s Appendix)

    • Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus – Creative and Story Lead

    • Conspiracy – Creative and Story Lead

    • Shadows over Innistrad – Story Lead

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  • Ari Levitch

    I’m a fantasy world builder and narrative designer with 10+ years’ experience working on Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Where there are swords and spells, you will find me.

    I love to create. Even more, I love to collaborate with awesome people to see projects come to life. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living. After teaching history for five years, it was time to try my hand at being a full-time creative, and I got to indulge my love of games at Wizards of the Coast.

    Now, in joining forces with Adam Lee to form Mysterious Alchemy, I get to use what I learned contributing to D&D and Magic and work with creative folks from around the world.

    Highlights of my work include:

    • The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (co-author)

    • Candlekeep Mysteries (author of Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme)

    • Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica (co-author, art director)

    • Magic Origins – Creative Lead

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Let’s Work Together

Reach out and let’s chat about your project.