So on p80 it states that you role FD equal to your current FR (fine)

It further states The character does not spend the pips generated, instead the character spends the white pips on table 3-2/4 and the GM spends the black ones

This seems to imply (to me) that conflict is not generated by this pip expenditure nor is a destiny flip required

Furthermore the more force rating you get the more dark side pips the GM (on average) will spend against you

Then you consider the Alchemist talents - these also require you to role force dice for Transmogrify - is this rolling two sets - do you spend some on TM and the rest on the roll? - something else?

I don’t think this is well explained to be honest

Also Alchemical Arts allows you to add black pips... ermmm never

Under RAW even if I was a dark side user it’s light side points that make them better - even poisons

It's not perfectly explained, no. While I'd want clarification my best guess is that it works as follows:

1) With normal alchemical crafting, because the character is not spending pips to generate Force points, both colors of pips are spent without generating Conflict and without needing a Destiny Point. This is similar to the talents Overwhelm Emotions and Invigorate, from the Force-Sensitive Exile and Force-Sensitive Emergent specializations, respectively. It generates a result per pip, not per Force point, and it uses both colors automatically (with white pips giving a positive benefit and black pips giving a negative one).

2) With Transmogrify, you gain an additional option: instead of letting the pips be spent as normal for an alchemy check (white spent by the player on good stuff, black by the GM on bad stuff), you can spend the pips to generate Force points, which can then be spent on Successes and Advantages, as given.

This is much better for a Dark-side Alchemist rather than a light-sider, but it can be useful for both. If you have the ability to spend black pips (such as by spending a Destiny Point or by just being a Dark sider), you can spend the black pips for Advantage/Success, and then there are none left over to muck up your crafting attempt. If you want, I would assume you can choose not to spend the white pips for Force points, allowing them to continue to generate good stuff, even if you're a Dark sider who normally would be unable to use those pips.

EDIT: Yeah, Alchemical Arts allowing you to add a black pip seems pointless. For a light sider, it's a negative effect that you need to spend a Destiny Point and some strain to whisk away (at half the return) with Transmogrify. And for a Dark sider, it's the same problem. A white pip is effectively an advantage, where as a Dark pip for them (once again, with Transmogrify) is only half an Advantage. The only reason I can see them doing it is if they didn't roll enough black pips and they rolled a lot of Failures, and they need the black pips to exchange for Successes with Transmogrify. But still...

4 minutes ago, Absol197 said:

It's not perfectly explained, no. While I'd want clarification my best guess is that it works as follows:

1) With normal alchemical crafting, because the character is not spending pips to generate Force points, both colors of pips are spent without generating Conflict and without needing a Destiny Point. This is similar to the talents Overwhelm Emotions and Invigorate, from the Force-Sensitive Exile and Force-Sensitive Emergent specializations, respectively. It generates a result per pip, not per Force point, and it uses both colors automatically (with white pips giving a positive benefit and black pips giving a negative one).

2) With Transmogrify, you gain an additional option: instead of letting the pips be spent as normal for an alchemy check (white spent by the player on good stuff, black by the GM on bad stuff), you can spend the pips to generate Force points, which can then be spent on Successes and Advantages, as given.

This is much better for a Dark-side Alchemist rather than a light-sider, but it can be useful for both. If you have the ability to spend black pips (such as by spending a Destiny Point or by just being a Dark sider), you can spend the black pips for Advantage/Success, and then there are none left over to muck up your crafting attempt. If you want, I would assume you can choose not to spend the white pips for Force points, allowing them to continue to generate good stuff, even if you're a Dark sider who normally would be unable to use those pips.

Not a bad way of looking at it. I do think this requires clarification- if I get time I might raise a question

7 minutes ago, Random Bystander said:

Not a bad way of looking at it. I do think this requires clarification- if I get time I might raise a question

The alternate way to look at it is that Transmogrify entirely replaces the normal use for Force dice on an Alchemy check. The upside is that for both kinds of Force users (light and dark), there is never any risk of corruption on the attempt. However, the downside is that getting the "free" advantages is slightly more expensive.