Beyond the minimum Intelligence score and class level requirements, how often can an Alchemist mix a non-infusion extract using the same slot? Assuming an instantaneous-effect extract is mixed at midnight in a 24-hour day, when can it be prepared again if it is consumed at 1 PM? 11 PM? (A consideration to include is that arcane and divine spells cast in the last 8 hours count against ready slots.)
Can you ever reclaim a slot used to mix an infusion?
extracts work like spells. so you get all your extracts after 8 hours of rest.
I'm having trouble finding the Alchemist's equivalent of this line here.
A magus may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook.
The Magus is the closest thing to Wizard casting, and still shows you its limitations. The Alchemist does not list those limitations. Really, Alchemist doesn't seem to want to be another ritualistic spellcaster under the standard spell preparation scheme, what with its field mixing time of 1 minute as opposed to the 15 it normally takes if you want just a single spell?
It would be nice if you folks looked at the book once in a while.
While we're at this, let's pretend a character has a way to cut down on required rest, perhaps a ring of sustenance. How does that interact with this all?
Presumably, with the way it was handled for spellcasters and things like Ring of Sustenance you are only allowed to prepare spell/extract slots once every 24 hours, after getting the required amount of rest.
So no, just because you sleep 8 hours, prepare all extracts, use them up in 1 hour of adventuring doesn't mean you can sleep another 8 hours and repeat it again.
That's not my concern, actually. If you would address the specific example in the first post (bonus points for proper references to the rulebooks), that would be swell.
A "day" is generally considered to be 8 hours. So, at the very least, an Alchemist can prepare no more than his allotment of Extracts in 8 hours.
Other than that, he has no written limits. For any other class, I would consider this to be unintentional.
However, for the Alchemist, they've repeatedly made very odd mechanical decisions based on flavor (Extracts look like a spell, work like a spell, and have the effects of a spell, but they're not a spell, and an Alchemist has no caster level which bites him in the ass repeatedly within the rules, for example).
So, it's up in the air. However, I will say that when was the last time you heard of a mad scientist who got plenty of rest?
And that's quite possibly the logic Paizo was working under when they made it.
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After re-reading the extracts section in the PRD, I mostly agree with Rynjin. I treat them as any other per day abilities in that each extract can be prepared once in a 24-hour period, regardless of rest--arcane spells are the exception to this rule and the rules clearly state that extracts are not spells.
For the bonus points, the quote you are looking for is:
An alchemist can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day.
This means that an alchemist can not prepare extracts in the morning, consume them before noon, then rest for 8 hours and mix new extracts in the evening.
For ease of bookkeeping I would have all extract slots reset at a predetermined arbitrary time (sunset, midnight, or sunrise being the obvious choices) rather then keeping track of what time each day each extract was prepared.