ALCHEMIST
Whether secreted away in a smoky basement laboratory or gleefully experimenting in a well-respected school of magic, the alchemist is often regarded as being just as unstable, unpredictable, and dangerous as the concoctions he brews. While some creators of alchemical items content themselves with sedentary lives as merchants, providing tindertwigs and smokesticks, the true alchemist answers a deeper calling. Rather than cast magic like a spellcaster, the alchemist captures his own magic potential within liquids and extracts he creates, infusing his chemicals with virulent power to grant him impressive skill with poisons, explosives, and all manner of self-transformative magic.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: x8
Class Skills: The alchemist's class skills are Craft (any) (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcane) (Int), Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier
Table: The Alchemist
CLASS FEATURES
The following are the class features of the alchemist:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
An alchemist is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, but not with shields.
Alchemical Expertise:
The alchemist gains the (formulae) package of the Alchemy sphere, the Cherry Bomb (formulae) talent, and one additional (forumlae) talent of his choice. He uses Intelligence as his practitioner modifier. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the alchemist gains another (formulae) talent. In addition, an alchemist can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using detect magic. He must hold the potion for 1 round to make such a check.
An alchemist can spend 1 point of quintessence as a swift action to cause an alchemical item to deal an additional die of damage (an alchemist fire would deal 2d6 damage, while bottled lightning would deal 2d8 damage), this effect lasts until the end of the alchemist’s next turn. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, whenever the alchemist spends quintessence for this ability, he increases the damage by an additional damage die, up to a maximum of five additional damage dice at 20th level.
Discipline (Su):
At 1st level, an alchemist chooses a particular alchemical discipline to focus his time and resources toward mastering. Each discipline grants unique abilities as the alchemist gains levels.The available disciplines are:
Mutagenic: The alchemist discovers how to create a mutagen that he can imbibe in order to heighten their physical prowess. The alchemist must spend 1 point of quintessence and 10 minutes to brew a dose of mutagen, and once brewed, it remains potent until 24 hours have passed, becoming inert after that. An alchemist can create as many mutagens as he wishes at a time, but a mutagen that is not in his possession becomes inert until he picks it up again. A non-alchemist can never gain the benefit of a mutagen, but an alchemist can gain the effects of another alchemist’s mutagen if they drink it. The effects of a mutagen do not stack. Whenever an alchemist drinks a mutagen, the effects of any previous mutagen immediately end. When the alchemist brews a mutagen, he selects one physical ability score. Upon being imbibed (a standard action), the mutagen causes the alchemist to grow bulkier and more bestial, granting him a +2 natural armor bonus and a +4 alchemical bonus to the selected ability score for 10 minutes per alchemist level. At 10th level, the mutagen now grants a +4 natural armor bonus, a +6 alchemical bonus to one physical ability score, and a +4 alchemical bonus to a second physical ability score. At 16th level, the mutagen now grants a +6 natural armor bonus, a +8 alchemical bonus to one ability score, a +6 alchemical bonus to a second physical ability score, and a +4 alchemical bonus to a third physical ability score.
Tinker: The alchemist can create an improved version of an item, known as an invention. This invention can be a suit of armor, backpack, boots, crossbow, gloves, goggles, melee weapon, shield, or set of clothing. This invention can have 1 improvement applied to it. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, the alchemist creates an additional invention. Due to their finicky, improvised nature, inventions can only be used by the creating alchemist. In addition, when crafting Cherry Bombs, the alchemist can spend 1 point of quintessence to increase the cluster's damage to 1d6 + 1d6 per 2 Craft(alchemy) ranks you possess.
Toxicology: The alchemist gains the (poison) package of the Alchemy sphere and a (toxin) talent of his choice. He can also select a (toxin) talent instead of a (formulae) talent whenever he has the option. When brewing a poison, he can spend 1 point of quintessence to increase the DC by 1/4 his class level (min 1). At 6th level, the alchemist gains the Skilled Applicator and Lasting Application talents as bonus talents. If he already possesses one or both of these talents, he can instead select any poison-related talent. At 10th level, the alchemist becomes immune to all poisons and can spend 1 point of quintessence to apply two (toxin) talents when creating a poison.
Extracts:
Alchemists are not only masters of creating mundane alchemical substances such as alchemist’s fire and smokesticks, but also of fashioning magical potion-like extracts in which they can store spell effects. In effect, an alchemist prepares his spells by mixing ingredients into a number of extracts, and then “casts” his spells by drinking the extract. When an alchemist creates an extract, he infuses the concoction with a tiny fraction of his own magical power — this enables the creation of powerful effects, but also binds the effects to the creator.
In many ways, extracts behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by effects like dispel magic using the alchemist’s level as the caster level. Unlike potions, though, extracts can have powerful effects and duplicate spells that a potion normally could not. An alchemist can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day. His base daily allotment of extracts is given on Table 2–1. In addition, he receives bonus extracts per day if he has a high Intelligence score, in the same way a wizard receives bonus spells per day.
When an alchemist mixes an extract, he infuses the chemicals and reagents in the extract with magic siphoned from his own magical aura. An extract immediately becomes inert if it leaves the alchemist’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his keeping — an alchemist cannot normally pass out his extracts for allies to use. An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before losing its magic, so an alchemist must re-prepare his extracts every day. Mixing an extract takes 1 minute of work — most alchemists prepare many extracts at the start of the day or just before going on an adventure, but it’s not uncommon for an alchemist to keep some (or even all) of his daily extract slots open so that he can prepare extracts in the field as needed. Although the alchemist doesn’t actually cast spells, he does have a formulae list that determines what extracts he can create. An alchemist can utilize spell-trigger items if the spell appears on his formuale list, but not spell-completion items (unless he uses Use Magic Device to do so). An extract is “cast” by drinking it, as if imbibing a potion — the effects of an extract exactly duplicate the spell upon which its formula is based, save that the spell always affects only the drinking alchemist. An alchemist can draw and drink an extract as a standard action. The alchemist uses his level as the caster level to determine any effect based on caster level.
Creating extracts consumes raw materials, but the cost of these materials is insignificant — comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the consumption of that particular extract. Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements (alchemist extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a divine focus requirement). An alchemist can prepare an extract of any formula he knows. To learn or use an extract, an alchemist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the extract’s level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an alchemist’s extract is 10 + the extract level + the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier.
An alchemist may know any number of formulae. He stores his formulae in a special tome called a formula book. He must refer to this book whenever he prepares an extract but not when he consumes it. An alchemist begins play with two 1st-level formulae of his choice, plus a number of additional forumlae equal to his Intelligence modifier. At each new alchemist level, he gains one new formula of any level that he can create. An alchemist can also add formulae to his book just like a wizard adds spells to his spellbook, using the same costs, pages, and time requirements.
Table: Extracts per Day
Quintessence (Su):
While the majority of an alchemist’s research is based upon science, to truly tap into the unknown, the alchemist needs to put a part of himself into his research in the form of quintessence. The alchemist uses this mystic resource as a catalyst to bridge the gap between the supernatural and science, allowing him to create something more powerful than the sum of its parts. An alchemist possesses an amount of quintessence equal to his Intelligence modifier; at 2nd level and every three levels thereafter, he gains an additional point of quintessence. An alchemist’s quintessence pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep.
Throw Anything (Ex):
The alchemist gains the Throw Anything feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. An alchemist adds their Intelligence modifier to damage done with splash weapons - including the splash damage, if any.
Discovery:
At 2nd level, and then again every 2 levels thereafter, an alchemist makes an incredible alchemical discovery. Unless otherwise noted, an alchemist cannot select an individual discovery more than once. Some discoveries can only be made if the alchemist has met certain prerequisites first, such as uncovering other discoveries. Discoveries that modify bombs that are marked with an asterisk (*) do not stack. Only one such discovery can be applied to an individual bomb. The DC of any saving throw called for by a discovery is equal to 10 + 1/2 the alchemist's level + the alchemist's Intelligence modifier.
All of the available discoveries can be found HERE.
Brew Potion (Ex):
At 3rd level, the alchemist receives Brew Potion as a bonus feat. An alchemist can brew potions of any formulae he knows (up to 3rd level), using his alchemist level as his caster level. The spell must be one that can be made into a potion. The alchemist does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat.
Swift Alchemy (Ex):
At 3rd level, an alchemist can create alchemical items with astounding speed. It takes an alchemist half the normal amount of time to create alchemical items.
Alchemical Study (Ex)
At 5th level, an alchemist gains the skill unlock for Craft (alchemy).
Minor Breakthrough (Ex):
At 5th level, an alchemist experiences a minor breakthrough in the field of his discovery.
Mutagenic: Whenever the alchemist imbibes his mutagen, he gains a number of temporary hit points equal to his class level + his Intelligence modifier for the duration of the mutagen. The alchemist can spend 1 point of quintessence to restore these temporary hit points as a free action at the beginning of his turn. In addition, his mutagen is treated as an extraordinary effect.
Tinker: Each of the alchemist's inventions gains a second improvement.
Toxicology: The alchemist can absorb any poison or toxin in his possession into himself without suffering its effects; although he can only have one such poison at a time. A number of times per day equal to 1/2 his alchemist level, he can metabolize a poison or toxin inside of himself as a move action, recovering a number of hit points equal to his class level + his Intelligence modifier. Whenever the alchemist is exposed to a poison which is not in his possession (but not a poison effect), if he successfully saves against its effects, he can absorb that poison as a free action (if the alchemist is immune to poison, he can choose to absorb it or not). Any poison or toxin absorbed by the alchemist disperses from his body after 8 hours of rest.
Major Breakthrough (Ex):
At 11th level, an alchemist experiences a major breakthrough in the field of his discovery.
Mutagenic: The effects of the alchemist's mutagen now last for 1 hour per alchemist level. In addition, he can spend 1 minute to suppress the effects of his mutagen. While suppressed, the alchemist can spend a full-round action to regain the benefits of his mutagen.
Tinker: Each of the alchemist's inventions gains a third improvement.
Toxicology: The alchemist can have a number of poisons or toxins absorbed into himself equal to his Intelligence modifier. In addition, he can apply poison or toxins (including absorbed poison and toxins) to a weapon as a free action once per round; he can instead spend a swift action to do this. If he does so, the poison or toxin’s DC is increased by +2. The alchemist can also metabolize a poison as a swift action.
Instant Alchemy (Ex):
At 13th level, an alchemist can create alchemical items with almost supernatural speed. He can create any alchemical item as a full-round action if he succeeds at the Craft (alchemy) check and has the appropriate resources at hand to fund the creation.
Ultimate Breakthrough (Ex):
At 17th level, an alchemist experiences an incredible breakthrough in the field of his discovery.
Mutagenic: The alchemist reduces the cost of his mutagen to 0, although he can only have a number of mutagens active equal to his Intelligence modifier. In addition, he reduces the quintessence cost of his [evolution] discoveries by 1 (to a minimum of 1). While under the effects of his mutagen, if the alchemist makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, he instead avoids the effect entirely.
Tinker: Each of the alchemist's inventions gains a fourth improvement.
Toxicology: Whenever the alchemist uses a swift action to apply a toxin to a weapon, any creature exposed to that toxin must roll two saving throws instead of one, taking the lower result. In addition, whenever he recovers hit points from metabolizing a poison, he can make a saving throw against one ongoing condition from which he is suffering, instantly ending that condition if the saving throw is successful.
Grand Discovery:
At 20th level, the alchemist makes a grand discovery. He immediately learns two normal discoveries, but also learns a grand discovery, representing a truly astounding alchemical breakthrough of significant import. For many alchemists, the promise of one of these grand discoveries is the primary goal of their experiments and hard work.