An alchemical knight is master of creating and using alchemical concoctions during combat. Using their unique arcane and alchemical talent, they mix alchemical potions and weapon blanches fit for the situation right on the field of battle, that they are then, thanks to their unrelenting combat drills, able to apply to themselves (or their weapons) in a split second.
They are also able to combine their martial skills with the use of alchemical weapons, raining down alchemical fire, ice, and electricity (and sticky goo stuff) and blows from their weapons on their enemies at the same time.
Alternate Class Features:
Armor Proficiency:
An alchemical knight is proficient with light, medium and heavy armor.
This replaces the normal weapon and armor proficiencies, and the Medium armor and Heavy armor abilities of the Magus
Alchemy:
Instead of spells, an Alchemical Knight can create extracts. He has the same number of extracts a day as an Alchemist of his level, and has a formulae book instead of a spell book.
When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an alchemical knight gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the Craft (alchemy) check. In addition, an alchemical knight 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.
Alchemy replaces the standard Magus spellcasting and cantrips.
Alchemy pool:
At 1st level, an Alchemical Knight gains an alchemical pool, that is a reservoir of arcane energy that he can use as a catalyst to create his unique weapon blanches and other alchemical items. This alchemical pool has a number of points equal to 1/2 his Alchemical Knight level (minimum 1) + his Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the Alchemical Knight prepares his extracts.
At 1st level, an Alchemical Knight can spend 1 point from his alchemical pool to create a weapon blanch as a swift action. He still needs to use a standard action to apply it. Like an extract, this weapon blanch goes inert if it leaves the possession of the alchemical knight, unless he has the infusion discovery. Applied or not, the blanch is extremely unstable and only lasts or one minute before becoming useless.
A weapon treated with the blanch gains a +1 enhancement bonus. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple blanches do not stack with themselves.
At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.
Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added, or the blanch does not work with that weapon. These bonuses and properties are decided when the blanch is made.
This feature replaces Arcane Pool
Alchemical combat:
At 1st level, an Alchemical Knight learns to use potions, extracts, mutagens, and other alchemical items, and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand is used to draw and use the item. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also use the alchemical item. If using this item provokes an AoO, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus to his AC against this AoO.
This feature replaces Spell Combat
Alchemical Strike:
At 2nd level, whenever an Alchemical Knight uses an alchemical item or an Alchemist bomb in a way that requires an attack roll, or applies a weapon blanch, he may combine this action with a melee attack. He makes a single attack roll with his melee weapon. If it hits, apply the effects of the item to the target, including crits (or in the case of a blanch, apply it to the weapon, before damage is calculated). If it misses, the alchemical item is dropped, but not used. An alchemical knight and his weapons are never affected by alchemical items used this way (they take no damage and do not need to make saves even if they are in the area of effect of the item).
This feature replaces Spellstrike.
Alchemical Discovery:
At 3rd level, and every 3 levels thereafter, when the Alchemical Knight gains a Magus Arcana, he may instead select a Discovery to gain, like the alchemist class feature. For the purpose of qualifying for these discoveries, he counts half his Alchemical Knight level as Alchemist levels (stacking with any existing alchemist levels he may have). Before picking discoveries that modify his bombs, he needs to pick the Alchemical Bomb arcana (see below).
Any arcana that gives new ways to use the arcane pool instead can be used to create alchemical items with the same effects by spending alchemy points. They only affect the user once used (as a standard action). Arcanas that require an immediate action to use (like arcane edge) are applied as weapon blanches and take effect on the next successful hit.
This feature modifies Arcane Discovery.
New arcana:
Alchemical Bomb:
You gain the ability to create and throw bombs like an Alchemist half your level by spending 1 point from your alchemical pool. If you have levels in a class that grants the Bombs class feature, these levels stack for the purpose of determining the damage of your bombs. You also combine your bombs/day and alchemical pool points (adding points equal to the bombs you could use/day to your alchemical pool points, but you only add your INT bonus once to this combined pool)
Recreate Extract:
At 4th level, the Alchemical Knight learns to recreate extracts he drank using residue and his Alchemical Pool. With a swift action he can recreate any single extract that he has already prepared and imbibed that day by expending a number of points from his alchemical pool equal to the extract’s level (minimum 1). The extract is prepared again, just as if it had not been imbibed.
This feature replaces Spell Recall.
Knowledge Pool:
At 7th level, when an Alchemical Knight prepares his extracts, he can decide to expend 1 or more points from his alchemical pool, up to his Intelligence bonus. For each point he expends, he can treat any one extract from the alcheist extract list as if it were in his formulae book, and can prepare that extract as normal that day. He can also recreate extracts in this way using his recreate extracts ability, but only until he prepares extracts again.
This feature modifies Knowledge Pool.
Improved Alchemical Combat:
At 8th level, the alchemical knight’s ability to use alchemical items and make melee attacks improves. When using the alchemical combat ability, the alchemical knight receives a +2 circumstance bonus to his AC, in addition to any bonus granted by taking an additional penalty on the attack roll against the AoO he provokes.
This feature modifies Improved Spell Combat.
Improved Recreate Extract:
At 11th level, the alchemical knight’s ability to recreate extracts using his alchemical pool becomes more efficient. Whenever he recreates extract with recreate extract, he expends a number of points from his alchemical pool equal to 1/2 the extract’s level (minimum 1). Furthermore, instead of recreating a used extract, as a swift action the alchemical knight can prepare an extract of the same level that he has in his formulae book. He does so by expending a number of points from his alchemical pool equal to the extract’s level (minimum 1). The alchemical knight cannot apply metamagic feats to an extract prepared in this way. The alchemical knight does not need to reference his formulae book to prepare a spell in this way.
This feature modifies Improved Spell Recall.
Greater Alchemical Combat:
At 14th level, the Alchemical Knight gains the ability to seamlessly use items and make melee attacks. Whenever he uses the alchemical combat ability, his AC bonus equals double the amount of the attack penalty taken.
This feature modifies Greater Spell Combat.
Instant Alchemy:
At 18th level, an alchemical knight can create alchemical items with almost supernatural speed. He can create any alchemical item as a full-round action if he succeeds at the Craft (alchemy) check and has the appropriate resources at hand to fund the creation.
This feature replaces Greater Spell Access
Alchemical Champion:
At 20th level, the Alchemical Knight becomes master of both combat and alchemy. He never provokes an AoO for using items or drinking extracts and potions. When using Alchemical Combat, he can use an alchemical item at every iterative attack he makes.
Archetypes and Multi classing:
Since the alchemical knight mostly just modifies class features to fit with having extracts instead of spells, it is eligible for any Magus archetype. Archetypes replace the corresponding alchemical abilities. If an archetype replaces the Medium armor or Heavy armor abilities, it instead removes them from the alchemical knight's list of armor proficiencies.
Alchemist and Alchemical Knight levels stack for the purpose of determining your daily extracts.
Hum considering an alchemist has mostly buffs on it (i can think of maybe 1 offensive extract. Detonate) Is the version of spellcombat mostly just for buffing?
when using an alchemist bomb with a strike, does it do splash damage? or bomb effects?
Hadn't seen that previous thread so I didn't know what the abraviation was. I just saw this would looked neat. since I was kind of looking into trying to make a alchemy item/poison PRCclass
Well, you can use offensive alchemical items with it (although they are nowhere near as strong as shocking grasp against a single target). Kinda ignored poisons, you could add those to both alchemical combat and alchemical strike.
If you want to catch this up to the normal magus in attack power then how about this as a arcana:
Extract Infused Bomb: This arcana allows the Alchemical Knight to enhance the power of her bombs with magical energy from her extract. When using the Alchemical bomb arcana by itself or with Alchemical strike, the Alchemical Knight may opt to expend a readied alchemist extract as well. She does not gain the usual effects of the extract but rather, the bomb's damage increases by 1d6 for each level of the extract expended.
Requires: Alchemical Bomb
This archetype has a lot going for it imo. They are a lot more flexible than the Magus (despite not having as many raw damage options), can access things like Mutagens, and they still do more AoE damage, and can hand out potions to allies like candy. With Mutagens+Self buff+Alchemy pool weapon Blanche, he doesn't need better damage to outfight most martials.
If I wanted to buff the straight damage build, I'd upp the Alchemical Bomb damage rating to full 1d6/2 levels. That, combined with bomb related discoveries, would let him use a bomb+attack at each iterative, which would do damage to AoE (or higher damage to single target) that even the mad bomber alchemist would be proud of. Not sure if I even want that, although I think it'd be fine, considering how limited the pool is, and how that'd eat into its other applications.
I dunno man. Those iterative attacks aren't hitting touch like a bomb, though. I feel like the actual damage will come from the first hit or two only even when mutigened up. I would almost never waste an alchemical point putting a bomb on a second attack.
I do think that recreate extract and infusion together are pretty versatile, though. That is neat.
I have one other worry though:
Is there really no equivalent of casting defensively for extracts? Just taking the attack of opportunity seems pretty dangerous, man.
Well, he has heavy armor prof right away, can use a potion of shield or the shield arcana, and Mutagen can also give some more AC.
But you are right, that could be an interesting avenue to pursue. Possibly add that effect to alchemical strike, it's not like the ability is too strong.
I was thinking of adding another Arcana (or maybe modify the base Alchemical Pool ability) that lets you spend an alchemical point to combine a weapon blanche and an alchemical item/poison, so if you use a silver blanch or ghost salt your poison works on undead or something.
@LongKnave
You may want to take a look at the Alchemccal Weapon entry. May be something for your Alchemical Strike, allowing you to infuse a weapon with the effects of an alchemical item, including bombs. :D Think explosive mace, or whatever other bomb discoveries that have been added.
This feels significantly weaker than the magus and alchemist because you're taking away both classes' best offense and utility and not replacing them with anything noteworthy. A magus is totally neutered without spells and the ability to apply them using spell combat and spellstrike. Even with the bombs arcana, your bombs do less than half the damage of an alchemist's and your discovery progression is heavily limited. I would make the level gate be something like "you treat your alchemist level as 2 - your alchemical knight level."
If you can make weapon blanches that can give enchantment bonuses, why not let alchemical pool also apply things like silversheen or cold iron blanches?
I also really don't like alchemical strike. It's rather clunky mechanically. I'd prefer if it were like the grenadier archetype's alchemical weapon ability, except you can attach bombs and infusions to weapons. I'd totally play this class just for the ability to have a bomb-hammer.
This really benefits the alchemist more than the magus because this class is rather appealing to dip for an alchemist. They can take two levels in alchemical knight to get medium/heavy armor, alchemical pool, alchemical combat, and alchemical strike. There's little point in going full magus with this class. Recreate extract is good, but not worth the terrible scaling of this class.
It would be kind of cool if recreate extract could let you do so by tasting an existing potion.
That being said, I see creativity here. I like the general idea better than most that comes out of the MCA thread.
Why do you feel that Alchemical Combat is not an adequate replacement for Spell combat? Is it the lack of offense? Would going with lvl-2 alchemist progression (which is a good idea BTW) fix that?
The original idea for alchemical pool was that it'd supercharge alchemical items, so a silversheen/coldiron blanch would last longer and give more bonuses, but instead I kinda just copied the magus arcane pool. I think I'll go and fix that sometime, already got some ideas.
Alchemical strike is intentionally different from the grenadier ability. You already augment your weapon with the pool abilities, so I didn't want to add yet another thing to add to your weapon. But yeah, I'm not 100% happy with it either. How does something different, like being able to make combat maneuvers with alchemical items (on top of their normal effects, as a free action, with some bonus possibly) sound?
Could be a nice source of scaling, which I agree, isn't exactly there. The Pool abilities are too linear to keep it up probably. Improved and Greater alchemical combat are also pretty eeeeeeh.
That said, a level or two of alchemist would mean a lot, as you'd get the Mutagen discovery for free, some more pool points/bombs, throw anything, etc. I actually don't see the Alchemist winning that much more from this class than vice-versa.
If you're an alchemist, dipping into alchemical knight gives you medium and heavy armor proficiencies and action economy benefits with extracts and alchemical items. It hurts your bomb progression by one or two levels, but it's still a good deal because it doesn't hurt your extract progression.
A magus, on the other hand, doesn't gain much from taking this archetype because he loses spells, which are much better than extracts in almost every way. Bombs, mutagen, and discoveries make an alchemist powerful, not extracts and the ability to craft alchemical items faster. Alchemical knight doesn't gain bombs until level 3 and has to lose a magus arcana for it -- and those bombs are significantly weaker. The ability to take discoveries is probably the only major upside to playing an alchemical knight over a standard magus. Even then, an alchemical knight won't be able to get 4th level discoveries until he's level 8. Overall, the magus isn't making fair trades.
Now look at the hexcrafter. The magus loses spell recall and gains the ability to take hexes in place of arcana. A hexcrafter essentially loses spell slots to gain pseudo-at-will abilities, some of them better than spells. He trades a powerful ability for a powerful ability that fills the same niche in his feature set. This is a fair trade.
I was thinking the action economy benefits would bring extracts up to the level of spells; plus, the Alchemical knight is not limited to using extracts, he can use bombs and other alchemical items for his spell combat (which can be on level with most damage spells).
And although it didn't exist back then, now with that Inner Sea Gods feat that makes drinking potions a swift action it's even more even...
I was thinking the action economy benefits would bring extracts up to the level of spells; plus, the Alchemical knight is not limited to using extracts, he can use bombs and other alchemical items for his spell combat (which can be on level with most damage spells).
And although it didn't exist back then, now with that Inner Sea Gods feat that makes drinking potions a swift action it's even more even...
Alchemical combat does not say the alchemical knight can use bombs, unless you mean with alchemical strike. Action economy benefits don't make extracts and alchemical items anywhere near as good as spells, especially when a vanilla magus gains those same benefits with spells. Ways to cheat the action economy with potion drinking existed before Inner Sea Gods. I'm looking at you sipping jacket and accelerated drinker trait.
Let's say Alice is a level 9 alchemist who dipped 2 levels into alchemical knight. Bob is a 11th level alchemical knight who took the bombs arcana at 3rd level. Both of them have access to 4th level extracts.
Alice's bombs deal 5d6 damage, and she has access to discoveries that a 6th level alchemist can take. She received 3 discoveries from her alchemist levels. Alice has all of the abilities Bob does, except for recreate extract, knowledge pool, improved alchemical combat. That doesn't bother her because she has boro beads and preserving flasks. Though she lost 1 die of bomb damage and 2 levels of discovery progression for multiclassing, she's got action economy benefits to extracts, a class feature she was going to use anyway had she went full alchemist. Not to mention she can wear heavy armor now. Overall, she sees this as a good trade and considers herself better off than Bob.
Despite being a non-multiclassing character, Bob's bombs only deal 2d6 damage and he has access to discoveries that a 4th level alchemist can take. While his alchemical knight levels gave him 3 discoveries/arcana, he had to spend one of them on bombs. If he was a vanilla magus, he'd be dealing 10d6 damage with Intensified shocking grasps that he can regain by spending arcane pool points. Sure, he can apply discoveries to bombs, but a vanilla magus of his level could cast stinking cloud, fireball, glitterdust, and more that would have better crowd control effects and better damage than his bombs ever could do. Not to mention an 11th level magus can cast a 10d6 fireball at the same arcane pool cost of a 2d6 alchemist bomb. Overall, Bob worst off for taking this archetype. In fact, he's even worst off than Alice, who multiclassed!
Alchemical combat says it can use any alchemical items, and I assumed the bomb counts as one... although now that you point it out like that I should probably add that to the list just in case.
Also, I did say I like the idea of counting as alch-2 for bombs and discoveries, so that's also something that shores it up. Those changes would put them on a similar level I think, although I'm also considering just reworking alchemical pool as is.
