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So at my FLGS we have weekly PFS games. One of the players we introduced RPGs too via PF (I've written 3 characters for new players now, thanks to PF) has taken his second level in Alchemist. His first was Rogue. When I read the profile of an Alchemist I see Throw Anything as being there for improving bombs but he has taken it to a crazy new level. He quaffs Mutagens of Str and starts chucking every weapon he picked up throughout the session and starts throwing great clubs, scimitars, and whatever else he could grab off slain enemies.
This is A.) awesome and B.) kind of contrary to the role I imagine the Alchemist performing. Once he gets to level 6 in Alchemist he'll be able to throw poisoned weapons every where. For a Rogue/Alchemist this seems fitting but should a character specializing in brewing chemicals be throwing Great Clubs?
I don't want to nerf my friend's character but I'm trying to throw my two cents in on how certain aspects of a class write up can be tweaked in ways I would never think of.
So, just what is his character's normal strength and where is he carrying all this extra stuff that he likes to throw around?
drags it in a sack?
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No no, he holds it over his head so he can throw it all if he needs too!
Please realize this though, his STR does not determine ranged attack rolls. When/If you hit him with bestow curse aim for DEX score.
Or make him confuse his vials/whatever and accidently drink a bomb. 1d6 points of concentrated fire damage can't do too much damage to the stomach walls, right?
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i don't think this causes a problem... here is why.
a player should be able to create any type of character they want to. in other words the rules should support the widest variety of character builds possible.
your player is simply doing what he finds entertaining. many who play the alchemist might not find that to be how they want to play their alchemist so they wont.
think of his character as a Jeckle/Hyde type. this to me seems like one of the most reasonable alchemist builds out there in fact. character quaffs mutagens that make them a giant slobbering destructive beast... and start throwing stuff around everywhere.
many will play the alchemist as a grenadier but that does not mean that is how the alchemist should feel necessarily. the alchemist should simply be giving players the option of abilities that allow them to create the widest verity of character builds they can as long as they fit somewhere along the wide spectrum of alchemists.
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Just to clarify he isn't a player in a campaign of mine, rather a participant in our weekly Pathfinder Society events at Redcap's Corner in Philly. The first two games he played I was the DM. In our most recent session I got to be play as opposed to DM and he was also there fresh into his second level. He is now a Rogue/Alchemist and since he is entirely new to RPGing I pretty much have written his character for him.
His Str is 13 and his Dex is 16 so he's got a carrying capacity of 50lbs and only about 24lbs of equipment. He can carry about 1 two-handed weapon and 2 one-handed weapons. This equipment of course disappears at the end of the session as per PFS rules.
I applaud his creativity in approaching the use of the bonus feat that those with a fresh mind to RPGing seem to be quick to discover. I was more or less curious to see how others felt about using it in the manor described.
Heh. Games are supposed to be fun. If he's having fun, he's doing it right. I think others should start noticing a greenish hue to his skin after quaffing one of his booster-brews, for sure.
Be glad he didn't choose Barbarian/Alchemist. Yikes lol
I somehow missed the part in the first post about this being for PFS games. In that case, you should really ask the question again in that forum so that Joshua can give you an official answer, since the PFS rules are much stricter than normal. Since your friend's character is only 2nd level, it would be good to make sure now that it is all kosher for PFS play so that he will not try and play the character in another location or at a con and find out he is not allowed to do what he has been doing to the degree he has been doing it.
So at my FLGS we have weekly PFS games. One of the players we introduced RPGs too via PF (I've written 3 characters for new players now, thanks to PF) has taken his second level in Alchemist. His first was Rogue. When I read the profile of an Alchemist I see Throw Anything as being there for improving bombs but he has taken it to a crazy new level. He quaffs Mutagens of Str and starts chucking every weapon he picked up throughout the session and starts throwing great clubs, scimitars, and whatever else he could grab off slain enemies.
This is A.) awesome and B.) kind of contrary to the role I imagine the Alchemist performing. Once he gets to level 6 in Alchemist he'll be able to throw poisoned weapons every where. For a Rogue/Alchemist this seems fitting but should a character specializing in brewing chemicals be throwing Great Clubs?
I don't want to nerf my friend's character but I'm trying to throw my two cents in on how certain aspects of a class write up can be tweaked in ways I would never think of.
In my latest session we came up against a custom made stone golem that very nearly killed of the party. The Cleric was out of spells, the Paladin Sorcerer was getting raped by the golem and the Rouge+Ranger were all standing around being totally useless. I was 20 ft away and completly out of bombs and extracts leaving me with some scrawny throwing darts.
It was at that precise moment I remembered that I had the throw anything feat and so I told the DM that I was looking around for anything heavy and blunt enough to damage the golem. He told me that there was nothing around but some dead Kobolds that the golem had killed previously.
I picked up a Kobold an threw it right at our enemy. I rolled six on my 1d6 and precisely overcame the DR/Adamantium by 1. The Golem had 1 hp left. It crumbled to dust and so did our DM.
Now can you you all see why I love this class?
I kept the Koblod, btw. I'm going to have it enchanted...
But Kobolds aren't masterwork...
An embalmer will fix that. ;)
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I picked up a Kobold an threw it right at our enemy. I rolled six on my 1d6 and precisely overcame the DR/Adamantium by 1. The Golem had 1 hp left. It crumbled to dust and so did our DM.
Now can you you all see why I love this class?
I threw a paladin at a fire elemental this past saturday.
I've been told Aura of Justice will let me smite with the paladin as I throw him... and that I can take Weapon Focus(Humanoid).
Add Point Blank Shot and Deadly Aim into the mix. Deadly Aim does not work with touch attacks (such as splash weapons), but it is great for the occassional rock, chair, or poisoned short sword your monk friend just disarmed from a dark stalker.