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Introduction

      I'm trying to distill the important bits of potion making for you. I have a whole book on the subject, but since Landon is new to this too, I'd rather dole it out in manageable pieces -- both for you, and for me.
     Keep in mind, one big difference between Alchemy in Dragon Age, and alchemy in the real world is since the art actually works in Thedas, 'joe-average-alchemist' is more of a craftsman, and he spends a lot less time doing 'research,' in dark cramped and cluttered laboratories (unless he likes that sort of thing!) which is I think what you're imagining. For a character on the road, potion making is more like cooking or brewing -- a lot like careful brewing -- with some very special recipes and very special (often magical/powerful) ingredients that can have clear and substantial effects.
     Of course, potion brewing is not something you can do on a horse, but as long as you can manage to do some things similar to making tea, many recipes are actually not that difficult. The really involved part of alchemy is mostly in the original preparation of the ingredients -- many of which can simply be purchased already prepared. Then in camp at night, you can brew potions you anticipate needing the next day ... or week, or whatever you want to carry.
     The best reason (for an adventuring party) to have a skill and kit like this from a field point of view is you never know what exactly you're going to run into, and carrying a lot of wet potions on a hunch is not nearly as functional as carrying the uncommon dry ingredients (such as Frostrock, Deep Mushroom, Embrium, etc.) -- and adding them to common things like water, honey, vinegar, salt, beeswax, oil, lard, as appropriate to create a liquid or salve.
     Looking over the recipe descriptions, simple concoctions can take as little as an hour (and can make larger batches, so you can prepare four healing potions at once for example if you have enough ingredients). Some recipes take weeks to infuse -- but can do so while stoppered and carried in your bag. Still some require 'settling' and those might work fine overnight.
     And of course, being able to craft a useful potion particularly from ingredients you've gathered and prepared yourself, can be a fine way to make some extra coin -- and a very good cover for going odd places and pursuing unusual lore.

What Landon Has

     The kit you found is meant to be portable. It's what a student would take to and from classes -- only it's filled with high quality tools and components of Tevinter make, as many as our friend, Atevine (eventually you notice his name was written on it in faded ink under the satchel's large main flap) could take as he fled his patron's estate.
     It contains some finished potions, a few of which the Lothering alchemist, Belarn was able to identify. He was also able to identify a lot -- though excitedly (for him) not all! -- of the raw components. A few of these he'd volunteer to trade you for -- as you're unlikely to be able to get use out of them soon, and he has things "that might be safer for you to take on your travels."

Game Mechanics

     The concept of Alchemy is divided into two Talents -- Herbalism and Poison Making (Poisons include creating grenades). Both have the prerequisite focus Cunning (Herb Lore) see below for Herbalism description -- Poison Making is fully detailed in the Players Book 2, and I don't think you can start there, so let's focus on the easier one, Herbalism, for now.

     The place to start learning is the Talent of Herbalism; after that, if you want to pick up the Talent Poison Making you certainly can per the normal rules of acquiring new talents. As per the game rules, you may pick up a new (primary) focus at Level 2, and a new Talent at Level 3 (you can pick up another Talent at Level 5, also Level 7th and 9th).

Herbalism

Class: Any
Requirement: You must have the Cunning (Herb Lore) focus
Description: You have studied the plants, animals and minerals of Thedas and unlocked their secrets. Given the right materials and tools you can make Herbalism preparations. This is a Cunning (Herb Lore) test.
Novice: Your research has taught you how to prepare Novice Recipes.
Journeyman: You furthered your research and may now also prepare Journeyman Recipes.
Master: You have mastered the Herbalism Talent and your research will now allow you to prepare Master Recipes.
Focus
Herb Lore (Cunning): Knowing about herbalism, its use and preparations.

Example Recipes

Finding Alchemical Ingredients and Components

     Once you start to learn what ingredients look like, you can start to keep your eyes out for them in your travels. I've roughed out a way to do that. This is my first shot at it, but it seems reasonable -- though testing might be the only way to be sure.

     There is a basic test for each type of ingredient you are able to find in an area.

     The amount you roll that exceeds an ingredient's Target Number (TN) indicates how many good samples of the ingredient you manage to collect, the second number is the difficulty of finding additional samples. One roll can be made for every 4 hours of travel, or per 1 hour of concentrated searching. You roll separately for each different ingredient. If there are five different interesting plants in the area, you roll 5 times, a test against each one. The number of usable samples is derived by how much you exceed the target number.

     For example two common plants found in southern Ferelden:

Steel Blue Entoloma Cap (TN 12/1)

If you roll a 12, you find one. If you rolled a 14, you find three good samples (12, 13, 14)

However, if an ingredient is not as plentiful, you will not find as many.

Summer Bolete Cap (TN 13/2)

If you roll a 13, you find one. But, you only find another sample for beating the TN by 2.

So if you rolled a 17, you would find three (13, 15, 17)

As a Journeyman you collect One additional sample on each successful roll (so if you would have found two, you find three).

As a Master you collect Two additional samples on each successful roll (so if you would have found three, you find five).

     A standard sample is 2 oz. (1/2 cup volume) or 60g for most 'wet' (plant) ingredients. Mineral or dry ingredients are measured by 1/2 oz. (1 tablespoon) or 15g unless noted otherwise.

     And that's it for now. I don't have time to figure out exactly what all you have in your pack (I think, though I might get lucky!) but you get the idea where I'm going with this. And I didn't want you to miss a chance to pick up some more samples in your travels. You do have pictures in your loose pages, even if you don't yet know what to do with them. Belarn will warn you of any of the plants that might be dangerous to gather.

Potion Containers

     "These simple glass containers are able to hold many compounds, even unstable ones."

     It's entirely possible that our referee may want to change/shift names to set a different "medium" size. But for now, here's a selection with their weight when filled with water (I've updated the sizes after looking over the DA Price List):

• miniature:  insignificant weight; my scale won't even register it, may have to get a postal scale.
  

• tiny:  1 ounce weight, 2 cubic inches volume (1 liquid ounce capacity)
  

• small:  2 ounces weight, 4 cubic inches volume (2 liquid ounce capacity)

• medium:  4 ounces weight, 8 cubic inches volume (4 liquid ounce capacity)
  

• large:  8 ounces weight, 12 cubic inches volume (6 liquid ounce capacity)
  

• jumbo:  12 ounces weight, 16 cubic inches volume (8 liquid ounce capacity = 1 cup)

• (standard soda can:  12 liquid ounce capacity)

   

     It's up to the referee how much a particular potion weighs; and of course there's not much standardization in Ferelden. The "jumbo" size is more likely for containing ingredients, rather than as a one-dose container. Bigger containers (actual bottles) are mostly too tall to fit in belt-pouch-type stuff:

• 8 liquid ounce capacity bottle:  8 ounce empty weight, 1 pound full weight. A cup.
  

• 16 liquid ounce capacity bottle:  1 pound empty weight, 2 pounds full weight. A pint.

• 25 fluid ounce capacity bottle:  1 pound 2 ounces empty weight, 3 pounds full weight. A normal wine bottle (750 milliliters).

• 32 liquid ounce capacity bottle:  1.5 pounds empty weight, 3.5 pounds full weight. A quart.

• 64 liquid ounce capacity stoneware jug:  3.5 pounds empty weight, 7.5 pounds full weight. A half-gallon.

   

Cup and pint bottles. Quart bottle picture coming soon.