Ratfolk Bomber

[Fromper]

I have a boon that lets me play a ratfolk in Pathfinder Society, and I've never done an alchemist before, so I'm going for a bomb tosser. Here's what I've got so far, trying to plan through a PFS career (up to level 12):

Str: 10 (2, -2 racial)
Dex: 16 (5, +2 racial)
Con: 12 (2)
Int: 19 (13, +2 racial)
Wis: 12 (2)
Cha: 7 (-4)

I put points in strength for carrying capacity. I'll be in armor (mithral chain shirt by level 2), and I'll want to carry acid flasks and holy water that weigh 1 lb each at low levels, when I don't have enough bombs to last an entire adventuring day. Actually, holy water could be good my entire career, given that some demons and devils will be immune to normal bomb damage, even if I take discoveries for various damage types.

Traits: Student of Philosophy, Firebug

Archetype: Trap Breaker - Gives up the poison stuff for roguish bonuses on trap finding and disabling, lets me disarm magical traps, and can use bombs as landmines, which I can't imagine ever actually using.

Skills:
Keep maxed: Perception, Disable Device, and Craft (Alchemy)
Train some: Spellcraft, Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (Arcana), Fly
Maybe train a little: Other knowledges, Linguistics, Sleight of Hand, Appraise, Use Magic Device

Feats:
1: Throw Anything (Bonus)
1: Extra Bombs (Bonus, replaces Brew Potions in PFS)
1: Point Blank Shot
3: Precise Shot
5: Extra Discovery
7:
9: Rapid Shot
11:

Others feats to consider: Two Weapon Fighting, Extra Bombs, Extra Discovery, Additional Traits, Improved Initiative, Iron Will

Discoveries:
2: Precise Bombs
4:
5:
6:
8: Fast Bombs
8:
10:
12:

I'm looking at Infusion, Frost Bombs, Tanglefoot Bombs, Cytillesh Bomb, and Spontaneous Healing for levels 4, 5, and 6, though I have to decide which to leave out, and what order to grab them.

I'm thinking I'll use the racial favored class bonus at levels 3-8 to get an extra discovery at level 8, rather than doing it right away for a discovery at 6, just because there are too many good ones that become available at 8. That way, I can get Fast Bombs at 8, along with something like Force Bombs, Confusion Bomb, or Blinding Bomb at the same time. Though now that I'm looking at the 5 discoveries I want in 3 levels (4, 5, and 6), I may reconsider so I can get 4 of them by 6th level.

Other discoveries I'm looking at for level 6+ are Grease Bomb and Wings. At higher levels, there's Sticky Bombs and Madness Bombs.

Extracts:

I still need to go through these. I'm sure there will be a lot more that I want to prep and hand out as infusions than the number I can make per day. And I'll definitely want all the utility stuff in my formulae book, and leave some unprepared in the morning, since I can make them in one minute as necessary during the day.

Noteworthy Equipment:

Tail Blade - From the Advanced Race Guide. For 11 gp, I always threaten with a weapon, without taking up a hand.
Acid Flasks and Holy Waters - Good enough when I don't have enough bombs per day.
Cap of Human Guise (800 gp) - Also from the ARG. Could be fun for roleplay on a ratfolk, and/or infiltration missions.
Normal "Big 6" items (Cloak of Resistance, Mithral Chain Shirt, Ring of Protection, Amulet of Natural Armor, Dex Belt, Int Headband)
Wands of all the best utility spells from the alchemist list (Cure Light, Comprehend Languages, Endure Elements, Shield, Reduce Person, Lesser Restoration, Resist Energy, etc)
Most expensive potions I can afford, to be used with Alchemical Allocation
Boro Beads
Sipping Jacket
Poisoner's Gloves

So, any suggestions? What order should I take those feats and discoveries? Any other feats, discoveries, equipment, etc that I need to make a note of?

Do I really need Rapid Shot and/or Two Weapon Fighting after taking Fast Bombs, or will that just drain my bombs too quickly? I suspect I'll wait and see how he plays before making those decisions around levels 7 through 11.

Any other suggestions?

[avr]

It might be worth thinking about which exact potions you might want - fly, heroism, tongues etc. - to avoid overlap with the wands. Comprehend languages & tongues serve similar purposes.

A hybridization funnel can make normal splash weapons worthwhile a little bit longer. It can even be worth taking feats like splash weapon mastery if you really get into these.

A formula alembic makes it easier to collect more formulas/extracts, if PFS doesn't ban it.

Frost bombs probably isn't the best. While another element is handy fire and cold are the most commonly resisted elements, and a surprising number of monsters are resistant to both. Infusion is nice to have but as a 6-level caster who can't cast multi-target spells, no you don't have enough spell slots to be a regular buffer.

Re the discoveries I think you need to focus a bit. Do you want to aim at damage most, or debuffing, or what?

[Dastis]

Fasts bombs and the like are a matter of action economy. Lets say to the damage contribution you need to do each fight is 3 bombs. If you can output 2 bombs per round you just saved 1 round. If you can throw 3 you just saved 2 rounds. It essentially adds more ability to do other actions in combat. Another thing to look at is if you focus on debuffing, 3 debuffs round 1 is much better than 1 debuff each round for 3 rounds. As for draining bombs to quickly, thats only if you always throw the max number every round. I could equate it to a mini quicken spell that lacks any level increase cost. Sure you run out 2x as fast if you go all out, but why am I not just sitting back with my crossbow, not using resources, after I have already won the fight for us

[nicholas storm]

You could plan natural attacks as a backup option to bombs. All you need is weapon finesse feat and feral mutagen. Eventually you would want an agile amulet of mighty fists.

Assuming a +dex mutagen, you would have 3 primary natural attacks (bite, claw, claw) and 1 secondary (tailblade).

[zza ni]

targeting a grid center with normal splash weapons can be a great option ,especily in low level.
lets say levels 1-2 your bomb deal 1d6+int for damage on direct hit (with maybe +1 for point blank shot) and 1+int to anyone close from splash with a save for half. but you need to hit the target's touhc attack (whch is not hard but misseshappen) now attacking a grid center is a dc 5. which also doesn't take into acount firing into melee as you don't target a combetant. it would deal 1+int damage as splash all around with no save what so ever. with splash weapon mastry its can even effect up to 5 people .i personly prefer that feat to precise bombs as if you miss this one at least give you away to get the splash far from allies, and it give you a free far shot which bombs and alchemical weapons need.

even at high levels targeting a grid can be great since the low ac mean you can take a ton of panilties to hit and still ge it. a level 10 with two weapon fighting and improved and rapid shot can toss 5 splash weapons (and with funnel its 2 for each) as ful round action splasing for (1+int)10 with no save for half and even the low bab off hand attacks should hit on everything but a nat 1. (and with splash weapon mastry its very easy to get 2-3 targets with one toss if two are close and one neer.)

one more thing. if you do start using a lot of alchemical weapons get the full pouch spell it will save you a ton of gold.
(and if this is your first alchemist you should also need to pay special attantion to alchemical allocation as this meen buying one of each high level potions that can last you for ever.)

[Grom Kranock]

@zza ni
How do you draw the splash weapons to allow you to throw 5 in a round?

As someone who has an alchemist who uses the hybridization funnel I would love to know how to do this?

[nicholas storm]

I don't think you can without 2 levels of underground chemist rogue and quickdraw.

[zza ni]

he's right i was using an underground chemist with quick draw at that time. added in bomber talent and vms artifact for a ton of bombs as well. a level of far throw monk added free flurry of throws and the quick draw and a range faet. them sneak attack bombs were great. i actuly had scout as a 2nd archtype for more flatfooting options

[Grom Kranock]

But you cannot add sneak attack to splash weapons. Or is that also a class ability of said archetypes? Sorry on my phone so looking stuff up is annoying.

[nicholas storm]

Underground chemist can, but the target still has to be flatfooted and only applies to the first sneak attack attempt per round.

[Jose Suarez 310]

@zza ni

"Now attacking a grid center is a dc 5. which also doesn't take into acount firing into melee as you don't target a combetant. it would deal 1+int damage as splash all around with no save what so ever"

why? In the alchemist section says that the splash damage has a reflex save, why would attacking a grid make it ignore this penalty???

Bomb section reads has follows:
Splash damage from an alchemist bomb is always equal to the bomb’s minimum damage (so if the bomb would deal 2d6+4 points of fire damage on a direct hit, its splash damage would be 6 points of fire damage). Those caught in the splash damage can attempt a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the alchemist’s level + the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier.

So with that said, why would it make it do the splash damage without save? Explain me please because then I've been using it wrong all the time.

Thrown splash weapon reads has follow:

Make a ranged attack against an unoccupied grid intersection (AC 5 plus range penalties.)

Hit: Creatures in all adjacent squares are dealt splash damage. No creatures take direct hit damage.

I know it says that adjacent squares are dealt splash damage but since it comes from the alchemist bomb it should still provide a reflex saving throw.

[Firebug]

A bomb has a reflex save for splash damage.
A normal alchemical fire or acid doesn't give a save for half.

[Fromper]

I think that trick works with alchemical splash weapons, like acid flasks and alchemist fire, but not bombs. Only bombs give the reflex save for half splash damage.