Depends on how you play the Alchemist.
Vest of Stable Mutation is pretty awesome.
There really isnt much that I am aware of.
Boro bead
Vest of Stable Mutation
Admixture Vial
Hybridization Funnel
Thats all I can think of off the top of my head
Preserving Flask is the item that lets you keep extra extracts.
Wayfinder + Clear Prism Ioun Stone.
+1 Conductive double-barreled pistol.
Muleback Cords.
That's what my alchemist is looking to buy.
I know there's a "potion bong", that adds +2 to the CL of a potion when you drink it. Also, Alchemists like to gargle good potions - like heroism or Magic Circle against Evil.
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I just picked up the sipping vest for my alchemist recently. I have yet to utilize it though. I'm not sure if/how it can be used with the Enhance potion ability though. I saw good things about using it with Rigtheous Vigor, but I'm not 100% sure how it should REALLY work with that. You can also toss in potions of haste and use it like boots of haste (freeing that slot for Feather Step boots or something).
My alchemist is a melee alchemist w/ the Wings discovery. So I am currently using Boots of the Cat. This allows for interesting dive bomb tactics where I just drop out of the air into their face, take minimum damage, land on my feet and attack (RAW I should be able to full round attack as "falling does not count towards a character's movement", but YMMV for GM rulings).
If you have access to stuff from APs, Stunstone is nice. Gives you faerie fire in a 10' radius (no save). Good for those stealth/invis targets. Should also be useful against swarms, as I think it can stun them.
If you pick up Enhance Potion as a discovery, there are a lot of good cheap level 1 potions that you can pop. Shield of Faith, Bristle, Chill Touch, Frostbite, Vanish.
Not magical, but all of the one off alchemical mundane items for those emergency situations. (If you are playing PFS, you are one of the only classes that can "craft" and get 1/3 off the price). So stuff like antiplague, antitoxin, smelling salts, stillgut, twitch tonic.
I've never really seen the Vest of Stable Mutation as that great. 20k for essentially +2 int (in my case). I can get the +4 headband for 16k (and the +6 for 20k more). I guess after you have the +6 and want more, or if there is something else in your headband slot that you want (I can't think of anything offhand unless you're going with a wisdom for Will saves). Is there is something I'm missing that makes it worth the cost?
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Yes, it doesn't give you a negative, but the negative is only -2 to a stat, for 20k gold. I can get the same "effective" adjustment for a +2 headband. That is, let's say my relevant stats are 16 str, 16 int.
Using vest, I have I have 20 str, 16 int when using mutagen.
Using headband, I have 16 str, 18 int when not using mutagen, and 20 str, 16 int when using mutagen.
The net result is the same stats with mutagen. But without mutagen, I also get 1 more spell per day, 1 free maxed out skill. And I end up spending 4k instead of 20k.
Extrapolating further, I can spend 12k more (still less than 20k), and have:
16 str, 20 int without mutagen.
16 str, 18 int with mutagen.
This is even better than using the vest and you have 4k more. Even now, going up to the +6 headband. It costs me 20k more to upgrade from +4 to +6 (we are now dropping the same amount of money than the vest). This gives me:
16 str, 22 int without mutagen
16 str, 20 int with mutagen
With +4 headband and vest I have
16 str, 20 int without mutagen
16 str, 20 int with mutagen
So even here, for the same amount of investment the headband STILL wins out because it gives +2 when not under mutagen (another spell per day) AND it gives another free maxed skill.
It's only after the +6 that I see the use for the vest (or after you get the greater/grand mutagen). But even with greater mutagen, it is still 20k for the vest and only 16k for a +2/+2 headband (to counteract the 2 minuses). So I guess it is a level 12+ item.
I hope that the calculations spam was readable. I have just been wanting to like the item and haven't yet come to the situation. My PFS alchemist is now in Eyes of the Ten (level 12), but only 11 levels in alchemist (1 in fighter). So I have another level before I can even get Greater Mutagen. And even then, with my build I don't use bombs much so the +1 dmg/DC isn't that big of a deal.
No, you can't use the hybridization funnel with Alchemist Bombs... they don't last long enough. (though there have been some arguments about whether or not this could work with Instant Alchemy and Delayed Bomb)
But its a really cheap item that you can use to make some fun back up items.
Mix Alchemist's Fire with a Burst Jar
Effect:A direct hit deals 1d6 points of fire damage. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the flask hits takes 1 point of fire damage from the splash. On the round following a direct hit, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage. If desired, the target can use a full-round action to attempt to extinguish the flames before taking this additional damage. Extinguishing the flames requires a DC 15 Reflex save. Rolling on the ground provides the target a +2 bonus on the save. Leaping into a large body of water or magically extinguishing the flames automatically smothers the fire. One round later on your turn, the liquids react and explode with concussive force. The target takes 1 point of sonic damage, is deafened for 1d4 rounds, and must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. Creatures within 5 feet of the explosion take 1 point of sonic damage. The target can use a full-round action to scrape or wash off the liquid before it detonates, depositing the material in its square or an adjacent square; the material detonates as normal, though the original target only takes damage as if it were within 5 feet of the explosion.
So, the target can either extinguish themselves OR wipe off the burst liquid or neither. This is handy because it hurts casters.
Any caster will have to make a concentration check to cast (DC 10+spell level+fire damage taken) and will then be deafened (no save) which applies a 20% spell failure chance.
Not bad for an item you can make yourself for 19g
The check for a burst jar is DC 25, so a check result of 25 means a Sp result of 625 compared to the cost of 120 (not too hard since you get Int+Level+ranks+trained and can take 10)
Time required too make then becomes 7days divided by (625/120) which is 1.4 days, which is then cut in half because of swift alchemy, so 0.7 days. A work day according to the magic item creation rules requires 4 hours of uninterrupted time, so 2 hours 48 minutes.
As your alchemy bonus gets higher this becomes faster and faster.
(lvl 6, 6 ranks, 18int, alchemy kit, trained) = +21
So alchemist's fire, for example, is only DC 20. Using accelerated crafting rules (inc. DC by 10) and taking 10, you have a result of 31 vs. DC 30. This is an Sp result of 930 vs. a cost of 70. 13 times faster or 7/13 days. Cut in half again for swift alchemy, 7/26 days or 1 hour 4 minutes and 7gp later, you have a backup weapon.
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