Dr. Ethyl "Doc" Ermengarde's page

Add +1 foot to the range increment of the alchemist’s thrown splash weapons, no effect until 5ft.

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 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 (but see the “infusion” discovery below). 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 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. 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. 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.

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.

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). This ability replaces bomb.

Agile amulet of Mighty fists +1, Mithral armor, Boro Beads

The smell of fresh blood. The feel of cutting through leather. The sight of her own face. The taste of brussel sprouts.

The smell of cows. The sound of a whimpering child. Bright hot days and tired muscles. The taste of hard candies.

She has a habit of humming a strange tune while she works on alchemy. And mumbling to herself while pondering a problem. Ethyl has an acerbic attitude and often pushes away people she finds distasteful, which are most people.

Fleas and their carriers, small animals such as rats, cats, dogs. Poverty.

Ethyl is a functional sociopath. She doesn’t truly care about those around her but she recognizes that people are useful and living in a society is preferable to living in the wilderness. She learned at an early age that tit for tat is often the best strategy for dealing with others.
Ethyl is a scientist in a magical world. Spellcasters are able to tap into occult powers that they don’t truly understand, she intends to bring actual understanding.
Ethyl has been married three times, to a handsome young fool named Jack Manley. To Squire Hardman, an elderly and rich man, who owned the mortgage on the Stubbs farm. To Algernon Reginald Jones, a polished socialite from Almas. All deceased under mysterious circumstances.
Ethyl has tired of married life and has taken her husband’s estates and what she learned from her father’s bootlegging to forge her own path. She graduated from Ustalav’s Sincomakti school of Sciences with honors.

APPEARANCE
Large black eyes, prominent Andoran nose, light hair with no dark roots except when she runs out of supplies, exactly 5” 5.33…’ weighing 115.47 lbs. A beautiful but inexpensive complexion. Her clothes are simple and functional, with the addition of a leather smock. They are stained, sometimes even burned, in spots. She carries a large backpack that occasionally drips with some queer fluids.

GOALS:
Character Goals
To get rich (again) and live in luxury. This time through her own cleverness and the application of alchemy.

Player Goals
To have a good time.
To vaguely threaten the other characters with violence but never act on it.

SECRETS:
Character's Secrets
Ethyl never married Jack, though they were engaged, he disappeared after traveling to Almas to seek a fortune to compare to Hardman’s. Algernon fell out of a speeding carriage shortly after they wed, Ethyl happened to be holding a love letter with another woman’s perfume lingering on it at the time. Hardman died a month after wedding Ethyl, his heart gave out, despite the medicinal teas she prepared for him every day.

Secrets Kept from Character
She’s the daughter of one Mrs. Van Itty, an aristocratic woman whose daughter (Ethyl then Maude) was stolen away from her 28 years ago. Her biological father, an elf from Kyonan, doesn’t fit into our story.

PERSONAL TIES
Hiram Stubbs - Ethyl’s father is a poor but honest farmer and bootlegger of Andor. She was named after his favorite type of alcohol. Hiram taught Ethyl how to use a still, but she often misused it and came up with other substances using her father’s equipment.
Amestri al-Naadhira Batgali - A qadiran witch which Ethyl briefly spent a night in a jail cell. Ethyl admired the woman’s scars.
Nikir Leldro - A wizard who was a little too friendly with corpses. A sometimes collaborator during her college years.

Mild spoilers for this AP if you are not the GM.
Sample 1, from the 1st Strange Aeons game she was accepted to
Sample 2, from the Wrath of the Righteous game I’m currently in.
Sample 3, GM post for Planescape game I’m running