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Ahoy! I'm Toloriel. I'm pretty new to the PFS, but I'm really enjoying it so far and the community is great. It seems like there are tons of experienced adventurers, so I need your help. I'm creating an Alchemist for PFS, (Core, APG, UC, UM) and I'm going for primarily a ranged/bomber build. I'm an Elf with only the Elemental Resistance alternate racial. I have about 1150 GP as this is me rebuilding a previous character, so plenty of room for equipment. Stats: (With racial mods)
STR: 12
DEX: 16
CON: 12
INT: 18
WIS: 12
CHA: 7
I took two initiative traits, because I don't have precise shot yet so I want to maximize bomb potential early. As feats: Point Blank Shot into Precise Shot at level 3. In PFS, you get Extra Bombs instead of Brew Potion so I have about 7 a day. Here's where you guys come in. What gear should I purchase (other than Alchemist's kit)- and should it be MWK? Any magic items? What about extracts? Currently I know 6 total, and was thinking probably: CLW, Reduce Person, Target Bomb Admixture...? What else? Oh, and also: Skill ranks.
TL; DR- What gear should I buy? What level 1 extracts to use?
Anyway, I'll see you guys around the forums. Thanks for the help!
Edit: How does Anticipate Peril work btw? What is the "spell's caster level?" Would that just be level 1?
Hello, Toloriel! :)
Can you specify which traits you took? Trait bonuses usually don't stack with each other.
Your caster level is the number of levels you have in the class that gives you casting. For your first level alchemist, yes, it would be 1. Anticipate Peril is an extract you would use right before entering a dungeon, assuming that you will roll initiative soon. You should also check out the spell Heightened Awareness, which is on the alchemist list.
For some of your detailed questions, have you come across class guides yet? There are some pretty detailed breakdowns of the various classes out there that include advice on decisions like feats and gear. Here is a link to a collection: The Comprehensive Pathfinder Guides Guide.
Edit: deleted a sentence.
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I took Reactionary and Warrior of Old.
Thanks for the clarification- I suppose Heightened Awareness would bexpect better but it is in ACG so I can't use it. I'll check out those guides. Just thought the forums would be a cool way to connect with other players. Thanks for your help!
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Greetings, as one who has an Alchemist himself, there are two pieces of advice i always give people who want to play Alchemists; depending on which kind [my friend has a Rage Chemist that uses her Mutagen to hulk-out and smash face, never invested in bombs.]
First off- take discoveries that alter your bomb's elemental type. Frost Bombs can stagger enemies; Shock Bombs can Dazzle enemies... In my career, there have been times when Frost Bombs have come in handy.
Second- if you plan on being primarily ranged, learn the Cognigen discovery. Get it via Extra Discovery if needed. Alchemists don't need many feats to run well: Point-Blank Shot & Weapon Focus (Bombs).
Lastly, there is the Grenadier alchemist archetype. You get the Precise bombs for free, and an ability to turn your bomb blast into a cone; for the price of Poison Resistance and Brew Potion/Extra Bombs.
Martial Weapon proficiency and Alchemical Weapon are moot abilities when you shouldn't be relying on melee.
Many would say "Go the Carpet-bomber route- Fast Bombs & Two Weapon Fighting- chuck four bombs a round!" It's fine at higher levels, but why waste so many bombs?
As for Extracts- i always go survivability: Cure Light Wounds, Shield, Bomber's Eye.
As for Gear, Belt of Dex to increase "to-hit" chance; Headband of Intellect for bomb damage increase.
When able, look into the Admixture Vial. Being able to combine Targeted Bomb Admixture with Bomber's Eye for extra damage; or even Shield with False Life for survivability... or the rare instance of Cure Disease/Remove Curse when running afoul of a Mummy.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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I'd recommend getting a handy haversack as alchemical gear tends to add up to a lot of weight, and you'll probably want a lot of options (especially since you'll be able to purchase alchemical items for 1/3 cost*)
If you ever get Ultimate Equipment you can look into getting a [i]hybridization funnel.
I'm a fan of the Artful Dodge feat from Melee Tactics Toolbox, that lets you use your Intelligence instead of Dexterity to qualify for feats with a minimum Dexterity requirement (and counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites).
If you want to pick up Cognatogen then I'd look at the Mindchemist archetype from Ultimate Magic.
*Protip: for ease of book keeping just get alchemical items in lots of three.
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I run a bunch of Alchemists in PFS... 6 at last count, though one has reached Seeker level (this one) - so I know a lot of cute "gimmicks" for Alchemists. I'll try to post one or two of them as each of my Alchemists - you can click on the name and review the PC stats and see if there's anything you like to copy.
1st Gimmick: Darkwood Heavy Shield. Yeah, you're not proficient with shields, so you take the Armor Check Penalty (-0) to lots of stuff. minus zero to a bunch of stuff to get a +2 to AC. Later you can add magic to the shield to up the AC bonus even more....
2nd Gimmick: Craft a few Acid flasks from day one. Whenever you want to conserve bombs, throw a splash weapon. Range is only 10', but you can also throw at intersections (AC 5, and pick the intersection your friends are not next to) and the splash damage doesn't give a save... so it always does Int+1, in your case 5 HP.
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#3 - If at all possible (and it is) push the INT up to 20. A starting stat array for an Elf of:
Strength 10, Dexterity 16, Constitution 10, Intelligence 20, Wisdom 10, Charisma 7
has served me very well. Besides the fact that it gives you another 1st level Extract at 1st level, one more bomb, one more Formula in your starting book, one more language, one more skill point per level, etc., etc.... it also means your bombs do a splash of 6 at 1st level. That is 3 if they make their save. (not 5/2 for an INT of 18). This also means that about the time you get a second bomb dice you'll be able to pick up an INT belt (by 4th level at least), so your bomb damage will be 2d6+6 with the splash doing 8 or 4.
#4 Check on the feat Splash Weapon Mastery from Adventurers Armory. I recommend picking it up early (I normally take it as my 1st feat, yeah- before Point Blank Shot).
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#5 - Pick up a wand of CLW rather than prepping an Extract of it. (Unless you are a (Chirurgeon) archetype... or have Healing Bomb). Or mention to your traveling companions that you can use wands - they may have one to let you use until you get your own (which you should ASAP). And always try to leave at least one of your Extracts unprepared, it only takes a minute to prepare anything in your book... and you never know when you just might need that Comp. Languages (or Endure Elements or... so many choices!)
#6 - Invest a little personal time into learning the Crafting rules in PFS. You are one of the very few PCs who can craft things (Alchemical Items) and that means you get a bunch of stuff for 1/3 price... just be sure to push up your Craft Alchemy skill.
Infusion infusion infusion. You can make good use of your extracts. Your party can make amazing use of your extracts. You're one of the few ways a two hander wielding barbarian can get shield on themselves. You can make not only a standard action enlarge person, but a standard action enlarge person they can use on their turn instead of wasting yours.
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I'll chime in with some book advice: the Alchemy Manual (http://paizo.com/products/btpy959n?Pathfinder-Player-Companion-Alchemy-Man ual) is a fairly low-cost book, and has a lot of good equipment for alchemists (including Artoku's Fire, a personal favorite. I keep a few on hand for the rare occasion I run out of bombs).
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Infusion infusion infusion. You can make good use of your extracts. Your party can make amazing use of your extracts. You're one of the few ways a two hander wielding barbarian can get shield on themselves. You can make not only a standard action enlarge person, but a standard action enlarge person they can use on their turn instead of wasting yours.
drat! BNW beat me to it! Arrrrgh!
Yeah - not my first choice of a Discovery (Precise Bombs would be first), but close to the top.
I have Splash Weapon Mastery (so I can shift the location of a "miss" slightly), Percise Bombs and a good dex. I regularly use Reduce Person (to increase DEX and to give another +1 to hit), but I still roll a "1" sometimes (seems to happen about 5% of the time!).
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some players feel that having an Alchemist in the party is problematic. SO, just to get it out of the way at the start of the adventure, I will take a moment during the VC briefing to turn to the other characters and say (IC):
"I want to formally apoligize for setting you on fire at some point during the upcoming adventure. I try to miniumize the times this occures, but every now and again it happens. Sorry!"
then, in my OOC voice: I have Splash Weapon Mastery (so I can shift the location of a "miss" slightly), Percise Bombs and a good dex. I regularly use Reduce Person (to increase DEX and to give another +1 to hit), but I still roll a "1" sometimes (seems to happen about 5% of the time!).
SO! I am aware of the chance each time I take a shot, I can miss. I will often throw at intersections beside the monster - as AC 5 is much easier to hit, and if I miss it is a smaller AOO.
I then in game will show people the gimmick of throwing at an intersection, adding another square on the edge (with Splash Weapon Mastery) and then excluding all 4 of the "normal" splass squares (Percise Bomb). This allows me to splash a monster, while targeting a spot 5' away, and not hit anything else. Combine this with Explosive Bomb and things get interesting.
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Also, infusions of resist (energy type i want to deal) go great on the front liners.
A few suggestions.
1. The firebug trait from Quests and Campaigns is extremely strong for an alchemist. Extra traits is competative for your feat slots, possibly to pick up firebug and (pragmatic activator/dilettante artist/student of philosophy/bruising intellect)
2. I will go out on a limb and reccomend that you do not take infusion, unless an archetype gives you precise bombs for free. IMO, precist bombs, frost bombs, wings, fast bombs, force boms, etc. all take priority.
3. Which leads me to point three, which is that wings is an amazing discovery which all bomber alchemists should take. 60ft speed, good maneuverability, ability to rain fire from the sky, escape plan, attack plan, etc. Perfect for invisible scouting, as well.
4. Take fast bombs at 8th level, if that wasn't already obvious.
5. If it's not too late to change, dump strength for con. Ant haul can make up for the only relevant strength based stat (other than cmd, but rarely a problem while flying) which is carrying capacity.
6. As for skills, I reccomend picking up a trait to boost diplomacy and becoming the party face. Super high int means language barriers won't come up often, and there is no reason to let this strength go to waste. Otherwise, good skills are craft (alch), knowledge, linguistics, perception, bluff
infusion is not good early if you're planning on using your own buffs. You don't have enough spells to buff yourself and others. And having just 1 extra buff to hand out cause you don't need it isn't worth the discovery early. It's a great discovery if you're not buffing yourself, or when you're higher level and have more spells to hand out.
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I've got my own similar thread going for building a bomb throwing alchemist.
In this one, Splash Weapon Mastery is mentioned a few times, so I thought I'd ask here. I was assuming I'd just go with Point Blank Shot, Precise Bombs, and Precise Shot at levels 1, 2, and 3 to try and always hit and avoid splashing my teammates. Is SWM worth taking first? And does it apply to bombs as well as normal splash weapons? I don't have the wording in front of me right now.
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I've got my own similar thread going for building a bomb throwing alchemist.
In this one, Splash Weapon Mastery is mentioned a few times, so I thought I'd ask here. I was assuming I'd just go with Point Blank Shot, Precise Bombs, and Precise Shot at levels 1, 2, and 3 to try and always hit and avoid splashing my teammates. Is SWM worth taking first? And does it apply to bombs as well as normal splash weapons? I don't have the wording in front of me right now.
I will often take Splash Weapon Mastery first - so yes, I consider it worth it.
Bombs are splash weapons, so yes, it applies to them (unless your GM says no, but that would be a really strange ruling IMHO).
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Do you normally go with Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot on bomb specialists, or do you think they're unnecessary, given how easy it is to hit touch AC? As I said, I was planning to take them as my first two feats, but I'm not sure if they're necessary.
Normally (say 4 of 6) my Alchemists PCs have: SWM, then PBS, then Precise Shot... with Precise Bomb in there early as a discovery.
But I also push up my INT as high as I can, starting with a 20 to get that +5 on damage... and all the other benefits.