We are getting ready to start up this campaign, and so I'm making an alchemist.
However, I am a Vivsectionist alchemist and may possibly be the main healer. I took "Boarded on Chelix" and Hedge Magician as traits, but I get one more and can't figure out what to get it.
stats..
Race is human, with heart of the fields to gain even more alchemy bonus.
13
14
14
18
14
10
I plan on creating potions, lots of them, for the party, but will probably pick up infusion at 2nd level to mitigate money loss. (and so I can share other potions.)
I'm thinking about having the potion drinker trait, or perhaps one that gives me some new skill.. Whatcha people think?
Just so you know: Expect to have very little access to civilization and thus supply of ingredients throughout the AP.
(To be honest I am not very familiar with the alchemist class but I imagine he needs special materials to pursue his craft).
Well, Serpent skull takes place in a jungle. I imagine for an alchemist looking for ingredients it would be like a kid in a candy store.
But Alchemist Kit and Portable Alchemist Lab does most of what i need, even if there is a very odd spending of gold to make potions. Maybe I put the gold pieces in a tree and it pops out some berries?
You know.. that would actually make a very good book. Crafting in the Wild.. instead of spending gold, it explains the instructions on how to collect the stuff.
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You'll have access to resupply in all the scenarios except maybe the fifth one, don't fret it.
What I found out when playing the campaign as an alchemist was that there were several types of poisons available so an archetype that retains poison use is well worth. Injury poison for the most part they are, but they work just as well no matter if it is your blade or the party meleeist's chunk of iron in the receiving end.
Another, far more important thing was skill use. Survival, Knowledge(nature) and Perception come up constantly and there's plenty of opportunities to avoid ambush and pesky ailments with the proper skills in play. I also get to use Linguistics constantly, not perhaps in the form of a skill roll(though those came up too, particularly a nasty DC 35 one in the first scenario), but as several languages that are just plain useful: Aklo, Azlant and Polyglot for instance have all come up a couple of times and for some parts the campaign seems assume you are proficient in the former two.
I would try to keep a good Fort and particularly poison save, since so many poisonous creatures have come up. On that note, try to find a means to escape or withstand grapples as well. Constrictor snakes, giant insects and eager local wrestlers have all found their way into the campaign and our party ranger has gotten swallowed at least 4 times. He usually bursts through the odd stomach, thanks to being a tiefling and a hitpoint monster, but you won't. I'd hesitate picking up Defensive Combat Training, but boosting Escape Artist might work. Myself I got by with natural attacks, but my character was built quite different.
For your final trait(cool that you get three), I would probably pick Indomitable Faith for the Will bonus or indeed Accelerated Drinker. Courageous is also nice.
Well I ran into a slight issue though. I was planning on vivsectionist, using bludgeoning and sap mastery to abduct various woodland creatures in order to slowly work on building an army or perform various other experiments on them.
Something that I could only do if we didn't have a druid in the party. But someone else decided that they want to make a druid (oddly enough, before she even knew what the campaign was.. she wanted a snakefolkish druid.. She keeps tons of reptiles after all)
So I'm hesitant on doing alchemist now.. and am thinking of possibly a new class. I tend to find that my first level character almost always die a few times before one gets settled in... and there is jungle goats. (Joke on our table is that goats are overpowered.. the powers that be would make sure I die to the goat) So I'd at least want a few backups even if I do decide to go the alchemist route.
Ideas I thought of is Gunslinger, Spellslinger, Ninja, or Guide Ranger.
My idea for a guide ranger is to pick up bite/claw/claw via orcish heritage and aspect of the wild. Pick up some godless healing as well, and act all werewolf like.
Spellslinger, Probably a rifle based slinger. restricted schools.. Necromancy, Enchantment, Abjuration, illusion.. Unless heavy gun based spells are in those ones.
For Gunslinger.. Secret stash is a must, cause practically no matter what, I'd be able to have a few bullets a day.