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If you are playing Pathfinder Society (or if your GM otherwise allows it) the Discerning enhancement to a wayfinder from Pathfinder Society Primer allows you to cast detect magic instead of light from your wayfinder.
The Spell Knowledge discovery from Cohorts and Companions lets an alchemist choose one spell that he can then prepare in place of an extract as if he was a wizard. (Downside is that it counts as one level higher, so 1st level for detect magic.)
Depending on your race you may be able to get it as an SLA from an alternate racial trait. Though that is usually a limited number of times per day. (1 or 3). Elves can get it as a constant SLA from Legacy of the First World in return for Elf Magic.
You could always dip a level. But I'm generally opposed to that.
Easiest solution is to UMD a wand of detect magic. It's only 375 gp for 50 uses.
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The Discerning Wayfinder is a common one. I've seen some alchemists pay for a Permanency'd Arcane Sight. My favorite, though, is the Runeward Tattoos, from Magical Marketplace.
Aura faint divination CL 1st
Slot none; Price 1,000 gp; Weight —
Description
Each of these tattoos is keyed to a single school of magic. The bearer can use detect magic at will, but only to sense auras of that school. The bearer gains a +1 insight bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities of the keyed school and knows when such a spell or spell-like ability has been cast within 60 feet.
8k is a little steep, but for a largely-stacking (very few other insight bonuses to saves) save bonus that can apply to the Alchemist's weakest save, it's not bad. Plus, my alchemist mummified herself, so why wouldn't she also partake in some ritualistic scarring for power?
Some other options are a Lantern of Auras or a Cloak of the Hedge Wizard (divination).
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An Alchemist can pick up Arcane Sight as a 3rd level extract. Buy a scroll, and get it transcribed into your formula book.
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An Alchemist can pick up Arcane Sight as a 3rd level extract. Buy a scroll, and get it transcribed into your formula book.
but... you can't use 3rd level extracts until 7th level, and it only has a duration of minutes/level...
Identify is on the alchemist list, so just save up what you want to identify and use it all in one go.
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Identify is on the alchemist list, so just save up what you want to identify and use it all in one go.
Idendify would only work on one item per level. First you would have to use one casting to determine what is magic currently in your sight, then you would need another casting of the spell to ID it (which is the biggest problem with using a Wand of it. You use one charge to locate items then you use one charge per item it ID them.) But it would work - though you are real limited in numbers of Extracts you have...
Duration is 3 rounds/level
Description: This spell functions as detect magic, except that it gives you a +10 enhancement bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify the properties and command words of magic items in your possession. This spell does not allow you to identify artifacts.
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One other simple solution, journey with someone else who has it.
Assuming you aren't trying to solo an adventure, someone else in the group may have easier access to it.
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You could play an elf and select the Fey-Sighted alternate racial trait (in place of Elven Magic) from the Legacy of the First World player companion. That racial trait gives you Detect Magic as a constant spell-like ability.
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Identify is on the alchemist list, so just save up what you want to identify and use it all in one go.Idendify would only work on one item per level. First you would have to use one casting to determine what is magic currently in your sight, then you would need another casting of the spell to ID it (which is the biggest problem with using a Wand of it. You use one charge to locate items then you use one charge per item it ID them.) But it would work - though you are real limited in numbers of Extracts you have...
Duration is 3 rounds/level
Description: This spell functions as detect magic, except that it gives you a +10 enhancement bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify the properties and command words of magic items in your possession. This spell does not allow you to identify artifacts.
But you only have to spend the first two "wasted" rounds once, so at 1st level you can ID one item, at 2nd you can ID 4 items, at 3rd you can ID 7 items, etc.