HickKid1's page

icantfallasleep wrote:

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I had found Alchemists to be complicated. I read through their class information, but I didn't know what was so special about them, other than bombs.

Thanks for all the great information.

Extracts work like wizard spells: you can know as many as you want by adding them to your formula list, you prepare them in advance, and you drink them to use them. They also cannot be shared unless you have a specific discovery.

Mutagens are the same from level 1 to level 20 and they do not get better or worse unless you take a specific discovery. You can only have one a day.

Bombs are this classes primary focus. A clear majority of the classes discoveries are related to bombs. It seems the main reason you would want to play this class is to have access to bombs.
They seem like a lot of fun.

I guess my thread title should have been "Why do you like playing an Alchemist?" or "Why are Alchemists so much fun to play?" instead of Please convince me to play one :P

Mutagens do change at level 14 where they jump to hours per level. at that point you can basically have them up all day. Also, they are not limited to once per day but do take an hour to prepare. campaigns based on ships, in cities or with access to wagons allow the alchemist to churn out new ones relatively easily. And there are a fair number of discoveries to customize mutagens further too, i would write them off so easily.

Alchemists are extremely versatile due to their discoveries, and that is their main strngth. They can adapt to any situation. A couple points on the mutagens specifically.

1. They do advance, quite admirably if you take the discoveries, however you are not forced to advance them if they aren't part of your build.
2. While only one mutagen can be active at a time, multiple can be made in a day, at the cost of an hour. A different option is to prestige to master chymist around level eight, gaining mutate as an ability multiple times/day, in addition to the extract.
3.mutagens can be channged to cognatogens, reversing. Their effect.

Now for the other aspects
1. I wouldn't bother working to buff the party, you don't have the slots for it. Instead prepare a few buffs for yourself, and leave a few slots open to prepare later depending on situational changes. This only takes 1min per extract.
2. Most people overlook that alchemist add int to ALL splash weapon damage, not just bombs. Holy water, alcgemist fire, bottled acid, and grenades are now relevant weapons.
3.bombs. the discovery list makees this feature go from good to amazing. Read the list.
4. Craft alchemy and poison use. Also frrqiently overlooked, if you use them, these go a long way. By level ten you can easily autocraft anything in the book, and have an exceptional array of response items. Falling? Impact gel. Locked door and the rogue is gone? Rust powder on the lock. Need to stop a fleeing criminal in a non-lethal manner? Alchemist ice on the ground makes terrain turn icy.

There's just so many options for the basic alchemist you have to know exactly how you want to play. This is why I played my alchemist. He was the fifth man, but he was also central to the party because no matter who missed the session, or what crazy scenario the dm dreamt up, i could adapt and respond. Conventional wisdom however says you should pick one aspect of the alchemist and pour your attention on that to make him a combat devastator.

I've been reading this and I think people are making things too complicated. The construct armor is a construct. Not actual armor. It remains a separate entity, but can only act as you direct. The modifiers it applies to you apply when you take an action, or an action applies to you, but other than that you essentially opperate as the construct until such time as it is destroyed. This whole section of the game is terribly vague though, making it (probably intentionally) completely the realm of GM fiat.