Player Core 2 Preview: The Alchemist, Remastered

You step hesitantly into a musty cellar crowded with alchemical glassware, stone crucibles, and the occasional metal antenna crackling with electricity. Strange-colored fluids in uncovered beakers bubble and smoke near jars that hold the remnants of failed experiments floating in formaldehyde. A man stands in the center of the room, hunched over a table. His hair is wild, and his once-white lab coat has been stained with various chemicals. He looks up as you approach, and you can see that his table is strewn with papers splotched with ink. He barks out an overexcited laugh, followed by a half-choked cry of “The Remaster! Is Finished!”

Hello! Pay no attention to the man in the intro. He was laughed out of the university for his unorthodox research. But his theories—and some healthy doses of mutagenic mixtures—have led the way for a Remastered version of the alchemist class coming in Player Core 2!

The alchemist can craft chemical concoctions that can aid in all manner of situations. From deadly poisons to life-saving elixirs to explosive bombs, an alchemist can whip up the perfect item, provided they have the formula. The Core Rulebook version of the class had limited resources each day that could be used in multiple ways. However, while this was flexible, it created very complex decisions based on guesswork, which often ended up disappointing. We wanted to smooth out these choices while retaining the core functions of the class.

To that end, instead of having a large batch of infused reagents at the start of the day that require the alchemist to choose how many they are using with advanced alchemy and how many to save for Quick Alchemy, these two resources are now separate. Infused reagents are gone! At the start of each day, an alchemist makes a certain number of alchemical items that they can keep for themself or hand off to friends; remember that these items are only good for 24 hours, so be sure to use them!

Fumbus, the iconic alchemist, blows stuff up real good.
Art by Federico Musetti

In addition, an alchemist also has a number of what we’re calling versatile vials, which are small mixtures of fast-acting chemicals that can be easily turned into other consumables. On their own, versatile vials can be thrown as acidic bombs, and with the Quick Alchemy action, an alchemist can turn a versatile vial into an alchemical consumable they know the formula for; this item remains potent until the start of the alchemist’s next turn. Each research field presents a unique way for the alchemist to use their versatile vials. For example, a mutagenist can drink one of their versatile vials to temporarily suppress the drawback of one mutagen they are under the effects of. And a chirurgeon can hurl a versatile vial at a willing ally within 20 feet for some distance healing!

The number of versatile vials an alchemist has isn’t a finite daily resource. They can replenish their vials over time as they gather alchemical ingredients during exploration mode. If things start going poorly, an alchemist can also whip up a temporary versatile vial using Quick Alchemy, though it can’t be used to make a different kind of item. And the 2nd-level Improvise Admixture feat allows the alchemist to scrounge together enough materials for a few extra ready-to-use versatile vials once per day as a single action.

We found the space in this book for toxicology, a research field that was introduced in the Advanced Player’s Guide. It’s included here in all its noxious glory, and poisons created by such an alchemist deal acid damage instead of poison damage if that would be more detrimental. The toxicologist’s 13th-level greater field discovery causes a victim of one of their injury poisons to spray that toxin onto an adjacent creature, exposing them to the same poison. Not a fun time for the toxicologist’s enemies!

Finally, we know a lot of you are curious to hear more about the alchemist’s attack proficiencies. Some of the other designers didn’t want me to tell you this, but I’ve slipped some soporifics in their morning coffees, so they won’t even notice. Alchemists are still getting their alchemical weapon expertise at 7th level, but they now also receive alchemical weapon mastery at 15th level. Get those bombs ready!

We are very excited for you to see the class when Player Core 2 releases… soon! So soon, it’s making me a little anxious. Perhaps one of these mysterious elixirs left behind by that scientist will calm me down… Oh no, what have I done? I feel… What is happening to me?!?

Regurgitate Mutagen [one-action] Feat 4

Alchemist, Manipulate
Requirements You are under the effects of a mutagen.

You redirect a mutagen within your body to spit a stream of stomach acid at a foe. A creature within 30 feet takes 1d6 acid damage for every 2 levels you have, with a basic Reflex save against your class DC. On a failure, the creature is also sickened 1 (or sickened 2 on a critical failure). The mutagen’s duration immediately ends.

Jason Keeley (he/him)
Senior Designer