DM-Camris' IRONFANG INVASION Chapter 1: Trail of the Hunted

Game Master Camris

Male N Gnome Alchemist (Mad Scientist, Vivisectionist) 3 (Horror Adventures 44, Advanced Players Guide 26, Ultimate Magic 20)
N Small humanoid (Gnome)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +4 armor, +1 Size)
hp 24 (3 HD; 3d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +2; (+4 vs Poison)
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 20 ft.
Melee: Feral Claws +6/+6 1d4/1d4, Bite +6 1d6, Dagger +6 1d3
Ranged: Sling +6 1d3
SQ: Sneak Attack 2d6
Alchemist (Mad Scientist) Spells Prepared (CL 3st; concentration +6)
. . 1st—Adhesive Spittle, Cure light wounds x2, Genius Extract
Spells Known: Adhesive Spittle, Cure Light Wounds, Ant Haul, Crafters Fortune, Comprehend Languages, Endure Elements
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 8, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +2; CMB +0; CMD 14
Feats: Brew Potion, Throw Anything, Extra Discovery (Feral Mutagen), Weapon Finesse
Traits: Unbreakable Survivor, Animal Friend (Gnome)
Skills: (18)
Craft Alchemy: +7/+9 (1)
Handle Animal: +7 (3)
Disable Device +9 (2)
Knowledge Nature +9 (3)
Perception +8 (3)
Survival +6 (3)
Linguistics +6 (3)
Racial Modifiers: +2 Craft Alchemy (Poisons), +2 Perception, +1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy
Languages Common, Gnome, Sylvan, Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Draconic, Orc, Infernal, Celestial, Giant, Celestial
Combat Gear Mithril Masterwork Chain Shirt, Sling, Daggers x 3, 5 House Centipedes (Ali, Francois, Portenta, Jerusha and Kali), Zoren the Poison Frog (tricks: Milk Venom, Heel, Come), 2 Lap Dogs (Jasper and Inva) (tricks: Heel, Come, Stay, Deliver, Quite Watch, Watch), Gerren the Rabbit (Tricks: Heel, Come, Stay Deliver, Entertain, Preform), Eran the Scarlet Spider, 3 Owls (Larrisa, Poro and Oret) (Tricks: Heel, Come, Stay, Deliver, Preform, Seek), falconry gauntlet, Ruby the Heavy Horse (Tricks: Work, Stay, Come, Heel, Guard, Flee), Pack Saddle, Alchemist’s Kit, Alchemist’s Lab, Cap of Human Disguise 177 Gp 9 SP 5 CP
--------------------
Tracked Resources
--------------------
Mutagen 1/1 30/30 min
550 Days Animal Feed
50 Days food
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Low-Light Vision Gnomes can See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.

Gift of Tongues: Gain a +1 Bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy check, learn one additional language for each rank in Linguistics

Knack with Poison: Gain a +2 bonus on for saves vs poison (+4 if accidently poisoning self) and +2 on craft alchemy to make poison.

Gnome Magic: +1 dc of Illusion, 1/day Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, speak with animals.

Keen Senses: +2 perception

Alchemy: 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 or bomb, 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. When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an alchemist gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the Craft (alchemy) check. 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 create three special types of magical items—extracts, bombs, and mutagens. Bombs are explosive splash weapons, and mutagens are transformative elixirs that the alchemist drinks to enhance his physical abilities—both of these are detailed in their own sections below.

Extracts are the most varied of the three. In many ways, they 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: Alchemist. 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 (but see the “infusion” discovery below). An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before becoming inert, 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 formulae 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. 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 and time requirements. An alchemist can study a wizard’s spellbook to learn any formula that is equivalent to a spell the spellbook contains. A wizard, however, cannot learn spells from a formula book. An alchemist does not need to decipher arcane writings before copying them.

Sneak Attack 2d6: At 1st level, a vivisectionist gains the sneak attack ability as a rogue of the same level. If a character already has sneak attack from another class, the levels from the classes that grant sneak attack stack to determine the effective rogue level for the sneak attack’s extra damage dice (so an alchemist 1/rogue 1 has a +1d6 sneak attack like a 2nd-level rogue, an alchemist 2/rogue 1 has a +2d6 sneak attack like a 3rd-level rogue, and so on).

Brew Potion: At 1st level, alchemists receive 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.

Mutagen: At 1st level, an alchemist discovers how to create a mutagen that he can imbibe in order to heighten his physical prowess at the cost of his personality. It takes 1 hour to brew a dose of mutagen, and once brewed, it remains potent until used. An alchemist can only maintain one dose of mutagen at a time—if he brews a second dose, any existing mutagen becomes inert. As with an extract or bomb, a mutagen that is not in an alchemist’s possession becomes inert until an alchemist picks it up again.

When an alchemist brews a mutagen, he selects one physical ability score—either Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. It’s a standard action to drink a mutagen. Upon being imbibed, 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. In addition, while the mutagen is in effect, the alchemist takes a –2 penalty to one of his mental ability scores. If the mutagen enhances his Strength, it applies a penalty to his Intelligence. If it enhances his Dexterity, it applies a penalty to his Wisdom. If it enhances his Constitution, it applies a penalty to his Charisma.

A non-alchemist who drinks a mutagen must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the alchemist’s level + the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier) or become nauseated for 1 hour—a non-alchemist can never gain the benefit of a mutagen, but an alchemist can gain the effects of another alchemist’s mutagen if he drinks it. (Although if the other alchemist creates a different mutagen, the effects of the “stolen” mutagen immediately cease.) The effects of a mutagen do not stack. Whenever an alchemist drinks a mutagen, the effects of any previous mutagen immediately end.

Throw Anything: All alchemists gain the Throw Anything feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. An alchemist adds his Intelligence modifier to damage done with splash weapons, including the splash damage if any. This bonus damage is already included in the bomb class feature.

Mad Genius: At 2nd level, a mad scientist can deal 1d3 points of Wisdom damage to herself (or 1d6 points of sanity damage if employing the sanity rules) to create a genius extract as one of her daily 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th-, or 5th-level extracts. This otherwise takes the same amount of time and effort as creating a normal extract of its level, but instead of her choosing a formula she knows for it to grant, a genius extract has an unpredictable result. When the alchemist (or an ally, if she has the infusion discovery) drinks the extract, it produces a random effect from the list of alchemist formulae of 1 spell level higher than the extract’s spell level.

For instance, if she creates a genius extract using a 2nd-level extract, it would produce the effect of a random 3rd-level alchemist formula. There is no way to predict which effect a genius extract will produce before drinking it. A genius extract’s minimum caster level is equal to the minimum caster level of the extract used, not the effect produced. So, for instance, a genius extract that produced a fox’s cunning effect would have a minimum caster level of 1 (for the 1st-level extract used) rather than 4 (for the 2nd-level effect). There are 29 potential 2nd-level extracts, 23 potential 3rd-level extracts, 18 potential 4th-level extracts, 15 potential 5th-level extracts, and 15 potential 6th-level extracts.

Poison Resistance: At 2nd level, an alchemist gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against poison. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level, and then again to +6 at 8th level. At 10th level, an alchemist becomes completely immune to poison.

Torturer’s Eye: At 2nd level, a vivisectionist adds deathwatch to his formula book as a 1st-level extract.

Poison Use: Alchemists are trained in the use of poison and starting at 2nd level, cannot accidentally poison themselves when applying poison to a weapon.

Swift Alchemy: 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, and he can apply poison to a weapon as a move action.

Cruel Anatomist: At 3rd level, a vivisectionist may use his Knowledge (nature) skill bonus in place of his Heal skill bonus.

19 years ago, Reginald lived with his wife Larissa just north across the river from Greenglade in a frontier house they built together. They thrived there, Reginald selling alchemical goods he made and Larissa farming for food, it wasn’t easy, but it was an overall laid-back life. However, 3 years after they finished the house a group of Hobgoblin bandits picked out this isolated house as an easy mark and in the night came and broke in, Reginald noticed the invasion but assumed it was not a huge threat, so he went to investigate what was happening on his own leaving Larissa behind. He was knocked out and next he woke he was being pulled from the Marideth River miles downstream, immediately he set out to try to find Larissa but when he got back to their house he found a pile of scorched boards and ashes. Though he never found a body.

In his despair he vowed to never let himself be unable to defend that which he cared about and to do so he vowed to keep minimal attachment because of this he ventured into the Fanwood and build himself a hut that he lived in for the next 15 years only returning to society to sell his goods once a month, he found that he could keep company of animals without risking becoming too attached and as such weak. To ensure he would be able to keep himself safe he taught himself strange and chaotic alchemical formulae that allowed for otherwise unattainable power and surrounded himself with animals to have some company which he came to like more than the people he saw when he went into town.

When he returned to Phaendar for the Market festival he planned to keep the visit brief, but the trip was long enough he brought all of his menagerie, and then the unthinkable happened, the Hobgoblins attacked and Reginald determined then and there that it was time to get some measure of vengeance and closure for what had happened all those years ago.

Reginald will mostly function as a melee off-tank (23ish ac) with utility, I want to bring him down the master Chymist path but I'm not committed to that yet. The animals are mostly flavor, I plan to use them for some utility and the venomous ones I plan to milk for venom daily.