How are peole running these spells (extracts) for alchemists? For example Protection from Arrows, Communal...
1) It affects only the drinker
2) The drinker gets to choose how to distribute the effect (this seems most logical... however somewhat clumsy regarding alchemist, since it especially says : "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. ")
3) The PCs can sip as many 1h durations as they wish (assuming its an infusion) at the time
If the answer is 1) then why are the communal spells on the alchemist lists?
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Officially...
Alchemist extracts only affect the drinker. You can't split it up.
As to why these spells are on the alchemist list at all:
(1) You'll note that the regular alch extract list includes water breathing, which is a communal-type spell, so there's a precedent for it.
(2) The alchemist isn't limited in the number of spells he can learn. So, if he wants to learn the communal version of an extract, he can do so--unlike a sorcerer, he doesn't have a fixed limit to his number of extracts known, and learning it doesn't keep him from learning other extracts later.
(3) Many of these communal spells are on the sor/wiz list, and the basic spell is on the alchemist list, so if Spell A is an extract and a wizard spell, and Communal Spell A is a wizard spell, Communal Spell A should be a extract as well. Even if it's not an efficient use of the alchemist's extract slots. Especially since an alchemist can translate a wiz spell into an alch extract if it's on the extract). Basically, if an alchemist never bothered to learn spider climb, but he finds a spellbook or formula book with communal spider climb, he should be able to make use of it, even though he probably has better options for his level 3 extracts.
Unofficially...
If your GM is okay with it, there's no reason why an alchemist with the infusion discovery couldn't make an infusion of a communal extract, allowing multiple people to sip from it and apportion its effects.
But, just like kissing sailors, that can spread diseases, so be careful.
Thanks for the answer :D
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Officially...
Alchemist extracts only affect the drinker. You can't split it up.......(2) The alchemist isn't limited in the number of spells he can learn. So, if he wants to learn the communal version of an extract, he can do so--unlike a sorcerer, he doesn't have a fixed limit to his number of extracts known, and learning it doesn't keep him from learning other extracts later.
(3) Many of these communal spells are on the sor/wiz list, and the basic spell is on the alchemist list, so if Spell A is an extract and a wizard spell, and Communal Spell A is a wizard spell, Communal Spell A should be a extract as well. Even if it's not an efficient use of the alchemist's extract slots. Especially since an alchemist can translate a wiz spell into an alch extract if it's on the extract). Basically, if an alchemist never bothered to learn spider climb, but he finds a spellbook or formula book with communal spider climb, he should be able to make use of it, even though he probably has better options for his level 3 extracts.But, just like kissing sailors, that can spread diseases, so be careful.
This is quite possibly the most baffling, nonsensical ruling I've seen come from a game designer. I'm frankly flummoxed that there wasn't an actual note in the books with Communal spells, particularly since the alchemist was already in existence...
Officially...
Alchemist extracts only affect the drinker. You can't split it up.As to why these spells are on the alchemist list at all:
(1) You'll note that the regular alch extract list includes water breathing, which is a communal-type spell, so there's a precedent for it.
(2) The alchemist isn't limited in the number of spells he can learn. So, if he wants to learn the communal version of an extract, he can do so--unlike a sorcerer, he doesn't have a fixed limit to his number of extracts known, and learning it doesn't keep him from learning other extracts later.
(3) Many of these communal spells are on the sor/wiz list, and the basic spell is on the alchemist list, so if Spell A is an extract and a wizard spell, and Communal Spell A is a wizard spell, Communal Spell A should be a extract as well. Even if it's not an efficient use of the alchemist's extract slots. Especially since an alchemist can translate a wiz spell into an alch extract if it's on the extract). Basically, if an alchemist never bothered to learn spider climb, but he finds a spellbook or formula book with communal spider climb, he should be able to make use of it, even though he probably has better options for his level 3 extracts.Unofficially...
If your GM is okay with it, there's no reason why an alchemist with the infusion discovery couldn't make an infusion of a communal extract, allowing multiple people to sip from it and apportion its effects.But, just like kissing sailors, that can spread diseases, so be careful.
Also dont forget about spell trigger items. Even if a spell doesnt make sense as a extract, if its on the alchemist list he can use a wand of it or some other spell trigger item.
Also, Alchemists can brew POTIONS of things in their extract lists, so they could spend the money and time to brew an OIL of the communal spells, allowing them to spread the duration around by proportion of the oil spread on each recipient.
Takes longer to prepare, and a lot more expensive, but if the party wants that Communal Protection from Arrows effect to go after Robbing Hood and his Merry Band of Orcish Archers, you can probably get them to donate to the cause.
Also, Alchemists can brew POTIONS of things in their extract lists, so they could spend the money and time to brew an OIL of the communal spells, allowing them to spread the duration around by proportion of the oil spread on each recipient.
Takes longer to prepare, and a lot more expensive, but if the party wants that Communal Protection from Arrows effect to go after Robbing Hood and his Merry Band of Orcish Archers, you can probably get them to donate to the cause.
I went looking in the potion rules and could not find a rule that lets you split a potion or oil between several targets, even a communal spell. If this is a house rule as I think it is, that same house rule could allow infusions of spells with multiple targets (like haste) to be shared too.
I do remember a scenario where the group of adventurers were expected to split a potion of water breathing, but that might have been long before Pathfinder.
See also: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2mhts?Can-potion-of-water-breathing-be-split