Help me pick a discovery for my 4th level Alchemist

[joeyfixit]

Human Alchemist 4

Walter:

Str 10
Dex 14
Con 13
Int 20
Wis 13
Cha 07

Traits:

Indomitable Faith
Reactionary

1 Point Blank Shot, Improved Initiative
2 Tumor Familiar (Rhamporhyncus)
3 ED: Precise Bomb

Gear:

Ring+1
Cloak +1
Chain Shirt +1
Haversack
various goodies like Periscope, rope, brooch of shielding with forty points left

I'm thinking either Strafe Bomb or Ectoplasmic. I'm leaning Strafe because his next two mods are Shadow's Last Stand, which I have no reason to suspect include undead (no spoilers).

EDIT: Wrong mod.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Explosive bombs is very nice as well, especially since you already have Precise Bombs. Also, have you considered Cognatogen? Assuming you're not a mind chemists, that is.

[joeyfixit]

This is for PFS, btw.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Yep, both of my recommendations work for PFS.

[RainyDayNinja]

Frost bombs is a pretty good one. It gives you a way to get around fire resistance, and the staggering can be good if you can land the save.

[joeyfixit]

Bigdaddyjug wrote:

Explosive bombs is very nice as well, especially since you already have Precise Bombs. Also, have you considered Cognatogen? Assuming you're not a mind chemists, that is.

What I don't like about Cognatogen is the ability score damage that you suffer. I have access to Lesser Restoration, but I'd rather not eat up my extract slot.

Actually - and I should have mentioned this - I think I have enough spare gold for a headband of intelligence. Seems like a smarter bet (get it) than a belt of Dex. Belt of Dex + Cognatogen wont' give me bonus extract slots, so basically it'll only jack my DCs up by one point.

Whereas Headband of Intelligence + Dex Mutagen doesn't do ability score damage and frees up a slot for, say, a vestigial arm. Anybody ever take Vestigial Arm?

[Rynjin]

Smoke Bombs, and then Stink Bombs are pretty radnasty. Stinking Cloud! Stinking Cloud for everyone!

Also, I don't play PFS, but something named "Shadow's Last Stand" screams undead to me.

[joeyfixit]

Rynjin wrote:

Smoke Bombs, and then Stink Bombs are pretty radnasty. Stinking Cloud! Stinking Cloud for everyone!

Also, I don't play PFS, but something named "Shadow's Last Stand" screams undead to me.

Shadow Lodge is a faction. So probably it'll be inter-faction politics.

[joeyfixit]

RainyDayNinja wrote:

Frost bombs is a pretty good one. It gives you a way to get around fire resistance, and the staggering can be good if you can land the save.

The thing I like about Strafe Bomb is that it doesn't require you to prepare Strafing Bombs. So if I'm in the middle of a fight I can switch to Strafing or regular bombs at will, depending on circumstances. Circumstances like: my target is completely surrounded by my comrades. Strafing lets me shoot the bomb in a straight line and excuse 2 or 3 (up to 6, really) of them from splash damage.

I've always been wary of frost bombs because there aren't a lot of outsider types with fire immunity at low levels in PFS. At higher levels I'll be tossing Force Bombs anyway, which will affect pretty much everything. Why waste an extra discovery?