A Hybridization Funnel is a great investment
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Precise Shot has Point-Blank Shot as a prerequisite, so you'll need to take it if you want to have it, unless your GM houserules it of course.
Now to your questions:
1. Correct.
2. Boro Beads, combined with this delightful little extract: Alchemical Allocation, a bunch of potions and the Infusion discovery will make your party really happy when you stuff them with Barkskin or Heroism for the cost of 1 potion for every spell that exists. Those things last almost an hour in-game time!
3. Yes.
4. Usually, yes. Read the item description.
A dagger and a club, always be prepared. Keep one in your off hand in a fight just in case.
Mithral/Darkwood Buckler is a must for most spell casters, if you have the gold. No penalty, +1 to AC even when flat footed. Increase as you enchant them later on. Alchemist are more close range combat mage compare to other casters. You need to have enough AC.
If he gets a mithral or darkwood buckler that would provide a 'shield bonus' correct? Than he wouldn't be able to use his 'Shield' extract which would provide a +4 'shield bonus' right?
Let's get into the more fancy items.
1) STR 7 whyyyyyyy? Alchemists tend to carry a lot of stuff on them. It adds up. Belt of Strength would help, Handy Haversack is also good. Basically anything to let you carry more bombs, flasks, potions, vials, etc.
2) Silping Jacket. Swift Action, drink a potion you readied in the jacket. Once per day but think of the potions you can make. Does not work on Extracts. Speaking of!
3) The possible destroyer of your balance. Poisoner's Gloves. Two gloves each with an extract. "But I didn't take infusion" where we're going we don't need infusion. Full round to double slap yourself(might need two weapon fighting, half sleep). And just fill them with a good combo. Fly + Invisiblity was fun for me.
How much does that +6 shield cost? And does it help at all against incorporeal touch attacks like the Shield? Certainly he would be using Shield just before entering a fight so the standard action would not be an issue. At his level couldn't he benefit from Shield until at least the middle levels around 8 or so.
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How much does that +6 shield cost? And does it help at all against incorporeal touch attacks like the Shield? Certainly he would be using Shield just before entering a fight so the standard action would not be an issue. At his level couldn't he benefit from Shield until at least the middle levels around 8 or so.
I run a number of Alchemists (5 so far I think?) in PFS - my highest is 12th level now. I always put shield in my list early (by 2nd level at least) and... I have almost never gotten one off in combat. I have started handing them out as Infusions to the 2HW fighter types and other shieldless Martial characters. And I have a Barbarian/Alchemist (5th level total so far) who has gotten to use it once in combat - but mostly its a question of:
a) Damage bad guysor
b) put up Shield...
and I almost always go with a)
I have picked up a Darkwood heavy shield on several of my Alchemists... the +2 to AC is nice. And upping the AC enchantment is really kind of cheep (+5 total is 9,257gp, a +4 is 4,257gp., a +3 is 1,257gp.) and it's ALWAYS up.
Hybridization Funnel is nice - except at a PFS table it has to much YMMV for my taste. Takes 10 to 20 minutes to work out how it works with each judge I encounter, and every one of them is different (at least 5 different ways of how it works). Plus the high Craft Alchemy needed to use it...yeah, to much hassle.
Discerning Wayfinder is very-very nice to have. SOME way to get detect magic, so with your high Spellcraft you can ID magic items.
Acid flashes early on. Splash weapons don't give a Reflex save for half like your bombs do, so at 1st-2nd level they often do more damage. And making them is cheap.
So, just before starting a "crawl", I'll instruct everyone to pull the med pack I gave them (not the grenade pack, the other card) and "drink the first three, and smear the last two over your body." This leads to the expected comments about "lube" and "oiling up" etc. ("first three" would be Anti-toxin, Anti-Plague, and Still-gut or Sooth Syrup. the "the last two" would be Vermin Repellent and Alchemical Grease).
But every now and again, it means I get to point out "hay T.S., did you count the +5 alchemical bonus on that save?"... Sometimes it saves lives...
And I get to call everyone by the same first name..."T.S., for Test Subject"
;-)
with a higher level Alchemist I REALLY like Poisoners gloves. A fun gimmick I use them for is Infusions of Detonate... yeah. Remember to drink a resist energy before using this!
I often run (Chirurgeon) Archetypes - so that I get breath of life as a 4th level infusion. Put those in a set of Poisoners gloves and hand one glove to two different PCs. It's something else to see the party barbarian charge across the battlefield and punch a Breath of Life into someone that just went down.
Barbarian: "So, what do I need to hit the prone, DEX zero, body? with my +2 from the charge?"
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How much does that +6 shield cost? And does it help at all against incorporeal touch attacks like the Shield? Certainly he would be using Shield just before entering a fight so the standard action would not be an issue. At his level couldn't he benefit from Shield until at least the middle levels around 8 or so.Like The Toaster said, you will most likely never get it off. A standard action is HUGE! Most the time, you need that +1< AC for when you are flat footed, which is when you have to lowest AC. That is when you can't use extract, that is when you can't do anything.
On the other hand, shield extract only works if you have the standard action to pre buff. And if you have good teamwork, tactics or just common sense in combat, you won't need it most the time. You only need it when you have time to pre buff. If you don't have the time, you don't need it. You can do something more efficient.
When you are aware that you are going to fight, everything is easier. But then it is unexpected, that's when you need to be prepared. A buckler give that preparedness that shield extract doesn't offer. You can't expect to have time to pre buff most of your fight. The price is steep, but life saving.
Just wondering...
Why buckler over Darkwood Heavy Shield?
I agree you would never spend a standard action in battle to use Shield. The thing is if you can use it before you enter a battle than its fine.
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It's actually a matter of action economy. If your enemy is more than a double move away from you why not use shield?
They partially close the gap, you use shield, they charge, you full attack. This is better than you closing the distance and getting full attacked.
If they are within charge distance and you go first use shield, let them charge you take a full attack (they get 1 attack at +2 you get your full attack at -2ac). You are ahead on attacks. If you charged they would get a full attack and you would be behind in attacks. If shield cause even one attack to miss your further ahead.
In a surprise round when you are too far for a partial charge that's a perfect time to buff.
For martials the first attack is the least important because it is a single attack.
Basically, you should set up the situation so you are getting more attacks than your enemies half the time that allows you one buff in a fight. If you optimise for a swift, move, standard buff the "let them come to you" strategy becomes even better.
Exceptions, there is a caster that needs to be shut down asap, you're facing something with pounce and extra attacks, you hate the enemy.
Yes. At low levels is where Shield would be used where he is now. Later on when he can afford his enchanted buckler he will certainly get one. But I think the Headband of INT will come first.
Let's get into the more fancy items.
1) STR 7 whyyyyyyy? Alchemists tend to carry a lot of stuff on them. It adds up. Belt of Strength would help, Handy Haversack is also good. Basically anything to let you carry more bombs, flasks, potions, vials, etc.
Basically so I could have 18 dex and 19 int. Seems fine, I cant wear armor but I have mage armor so it seems fine. And I have other AC Buffs.
This is more dependent on GM than anything. My suggestion and complaint that is(and unless it's Int or Cha, I hate dumping stats.)
When you start adding up all your alchemical items, all your pocket extenders, gadgets and other kit related items; Your weight can jump suddenly on you. Some GMs really take you to task on it. Others more lax while still others will wave it off unless you have a horse in your pocket.
So if your Dm is an enforcer of weight, pick up a way to carry more stuff. Seriously I have a Shaman now that can barely carry just her default kit with 10 STR.
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Yes. At low levels is where Shield would be used where he is now. Later on when he can afford his enchanted buckler he will certainly get one. But I think the Headband of INT will come first.355gp for a darkwood buckler that gives you +1 when 'shield' extract can not. If you position yourself well most the time, you can even invest in a tower shield, as long as you don't let the armor penalty gets in the way when you use dex or str skills. It would work because you lose dex to AC when surprised. However, buckler is the best bet because like The Toaster asked before, you do want to be able to do stuff. Whole point of having a buckler is to be better protected from the unexpected while doing normal things. Like a ring of protection, always there. Even if you use both hands all the time, a buckler would do half the job that ring of protection +1 does with less than half the price. It is very important that we face this instead of keep falling into the cliche of casters have low AC in surprise round.
One thing I may add is that, if someone holding a shield or a buckler, and the others don't. Who would you hit first? I personally would hit someone with no form of protections over the other. Doesn't matter how powerful you are, you can do a thing one I stab you in the face. The point of ambush is to quickly end enemies by surprise. If one is smart enough to set ambush, he must be smart enough to choose target.
I am confused with part of your post here...
where are you getting the price for a "Darkwood Buckler"? If you mean the Light Shield listed in the CRB as a "Darkwood Buckler", it's price is listed as 203gp, and it's a Light Shield - not an actual Buckler.
Darkwood Buckler
Aura no aura (nonmagical); CL —
Slot shield; Price 203 gp; Weight 2.5 lbs.
Description
This nonmagical light wooden shield is made out of darkwood. It has no enhancement bonus, but its construction material makes it lighter than a normal wooden shield. It has no armor check penalty.
Realizing that the "Darkwood Buckler" listed in the CRB is actually a Light Shield... because a buckler is made of metal and can't be crafted from Darkwood?
so, why not just use a Masterwork Buckler? Cost on that would be 155gp, right? and Masterwork would remove the -1 ACP...
Cost for a Mithral Buckler would be 1005gp, and would remove the Arcane Spell Failure as well, but that's not really a concern for an Alchemist... so you can just go with the cheaper Masterwork Buckler.
I still prefer the Darkwood heavy shield though. 257gp. gives me a +2 to AC (normal and Flatfooted, not to Touch), and as I am a Bomb-Throwing Alchemist, I only need one hand free to throw bombs (or other alchemical splash weapons). A spiked gauntlet means I threaten, so I can provide a flank, but mostly I just throw ...
the short term buff extract that I would use if I had a free Standard action before combat to buff would be reduce person. With the DEX bump it gives it's like getting +2 on your AC (normal and touch, but only +1 Size to flatfooted AC) - and it gives a +2 to hit with thrown items (like bombs). The +4 size bonus to Stealth is kind of kewl too, (with the DEX bump it is sort of +5 to Stealth).
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One thing I may add is that, if someone holding a shield or a buckler, and the others don't. Who would you hit first? I personally would hit someone with no form of protections over the other. Doesn't matter how powerful you are, you can do a thing one I stab you in the face. The point of ambush is to quickly end enemies by surprise. If one is smart enough to set ambush, he must be smart enough to choose target.That depends, if the buckler user is wearing light or no visible armor, and the other targets are more armored, then I'd go for the buckler user first.
My PCs often pick up a Hat of Disguise to take advantage of the "Shot at the squishy" tactic some monsters will use - so my Armored-Brick -Cleric-in-Full-Plate looks like a Wizard (pointy hat and all) or my Wizard often looks like an A-B-C. Good Judges (or good ones in my biased opinion) pay attention to this. Poor Judges (again just my opinion) just never seem to notice ( and always seem to just know the poor AC PCs to shot at).
I've even had a PC with two Hats, so that he could loan one out to another PC at the start of the game and then we'd switch figures. One judge got a bit offended by this tactic though, as he missed the fact that we had swapped appearances (and figures) and what looked like a wizard on the table was really the AC 26 Dwarven Cleric...
One thing I may add is that, if someone holding a shield or a buckler, and the others don't. Who would you hit first? I personally would hit someone with no form of protections over the other. Doesn't matter how powerful you are, you can do a thing one I stab you in the face. The point of ambush is to quickly end enemies by surprise. If one is smart enough to set ambush, he must be smart enough to choose target.That depends, if the buckler user is wearing light or no visible armor, and the other targets are more armored, then I'd go for the buckler user first.My PCs often pick up a Hat of Disguise to take advantage of the "Shot at the squishy" tactic some monsters will use - so my Armored-Brick -Cleric-in-Full-Plate looks like a Wizard (pointy hat and all) or my Wizard often looks like an A-B-C. Good Judges (or good ones in my biased opinion) pay attention to this. Poor Judges (again just my opinion) just never seem to notice ( and always seem to just know the poor AC PCs to shot at).
I've even had a PC with two Hats, so that he could loan one out to another PC at the start of the game and then we'd switch figures. One judge got a bit offended by this tactic though, as he missed the fact that we had swapped appearances (and figures) and what looked like a wizard on the table was really the AC 26 Dwarven Cleric...
I did something very similar with a Full Plate Halfling looking like he was lightly armored. Big mistake when things went after him.
Oh one other thing to pick up as part of your kit. Iron vials.
Yes yes they weigh pound each but get them. Get a few. Keep your best liquids in them unles they are used elsewhere(like in wounderous items). Why? Because sooner or later you'll have to take a fall, get hit with a shockwave of some kind, or eat some Shatter effects. These babies can handle that level of risk/wear and tear.
Seriously there needs to be a jingle about this.
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Now I checked, you are correct. Can't use darkwood for buckler. Still, the fact you can be better protected while having a buckler without forgo the freedom to interact with your surrounding is too good to pass. Tactic wise, you lose nothing but only gain options. It's like having wand scrolls and potions. Doesn't take up a slot, does take away your action. You can only gain options.Yes. At low levels is where Shield would be used where he is now. Later on when he can afford his enchanted buckler he will certainly get one. But I think the Headband of INT will come first.355gp for a darkwood buckler that gives you +1 when 'shield' extract can not. If you position yourself well most the time, you can even invest in a tower shield, as long as you don't let the armor penalty gets in the way when you use dex or str skills. It would work because you lose dex to AC when surprised. However, buckler is the best bet because like The Toaster asked before, you do want to be able to do stuff. Whole point of having a buckler is to be better protected from the unexpected while doing normal things. Like a ring of protection, always there. Even if you use both hands all the time, a buckler would do half the job that ring of protection +1 does with less than half the price. It is very important that we face this instead of keep falling into the cliche of casters have low AC in surprise round.
One thing I may add is that, if someone holding a shield or a buckler, and the others don't. Who would you hit first? I personally would hit someone with no form of protections over the other. Doesn't matter how powerful you are, you can do a thing one I stab you in the face. The point of ambush is to quickly end enemies by surprise. If one is smart enough to set ambush, he must be smart enough to choose target.
I am confused with part of your post here...
where are you getting the price for a "Darkwood Buckler"? If you mean the Light Shield listed in the CRB as a "Darkwood Buckler", it's price is listed as 203gp, and it's a Light Shield - not an actual Buckler.
** spoiler omitted **...
You are being very selective in your "advantages/disadvantages" observations here. Much of this is dependent on the Judge/PC/Campaign - what works and doesn't work well for the player/players in the game.
* Use of a Buckler would effect any weapon used with that hand.
* It has weight, and will reduce what a person can carry before being encumbered.
* It could effect NPC reactions to your PC ("Just why are you wearing a buckler to have a drink with the Captain of the City Watch?"). It could attract unwanted attention during combat (being the target of such spells as heat metal and burning disarm will be no fun with something you need to unstrap to drop, or the attention of a rust monster. Heck, sometimes the Monsters might even want to attack the "most heavily armored target" and you would win that prize for being the only PC in sight with a shield).
As an Alchemist (who doesn't suffer from most of the down sides of a buckler), is it better to have a (+1) shield bonus than not? Yeah, I (personally) think so. But then, I also think that having a (+2) shield bonus from a Darkwood shield is even better (one could even say twice as good), and the downside is not a problem (in game effects are very minor. Yeah - the shield user can't use a two handed weapon or dual weld weapons... but then an alchemist normally doesn't do those anyway, so it's not a issue). IMHO. And the Darkwood shield is cheaper than a Mithril buckler. (though you really only need a MW buckler).
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Oh one other thing to pick up as part of your kit. Iron vials.
Yes yes they weigh pound each but get them. Get a few. Keep your best liquids in them unles they are used elsewhere(like in wounderous items). Why? Because sooner or later you'll have to take a fall, get hit with a shockwave of some kind, or eat some Shatter effects. These babies can handle that level of risk/wear and tear.
Seriously there needs to be a jingle about this.
In PFS, in nine seasons of play, I have never had a problem with glass vials. Not to say it will never happen... but it feels kind of like when they introduced Potion Sponges... it wasn't an issue until you had the thing to fix it, then everyone had to have the new gimmick to fix something that wasn't a problem before the fix was published in a new splat book...
You know, I have been hit with a heat metal spell before... does it hurt a potion to boil it? In a sealed container? Just wondering.... Hey! I know, we can install a "Toasters Patented Potion Pressure Relief Valve" on all your Iron Vials for a low-low price of 20 gp each... and we'll throw in a Anti-Rust Coating free of charge too (gives a save vs. rusting attacks). Wouldn't want any of those things to burst on you when they are heated! Avoid the damage from scalding liquids and metal fragments... ;)
Oh one other thing to pick up as part of your kit. Iron vials.
Yes yes they weigh pound each but get them. Get a few. Keep your best liquids in them unles they are used elsewhere(like in wounderous items). Why? Because sooner or later you'll have to take a fall, get hit with a shockwave of some kind, or eat some Shatter effects. These babies can handle that level of risk/wear and tear.
Seriously there needs to be a jingle about this.
In PFS, in nine seasons of play, I have never had a problem with glass vials. Not to say it will never happen... but it feels kind of like when they introduced Potion Sponges... it wasn't an issue until you had the thing to fix it, then everyone had to have the new gimmick to fix something that wasn't a problem before the fix was published in a new splat book...
You know, I have been hit with a heat metal spell before... does it hurt a potion to boil it? In a sealed container? Just wondering.... Hey! I know, we can install a "Toasters Patented Potion Pressure Relief Valve" on all your Iron Vials for a low-low price of 20 gp each... and we'll throw in a Anti-Rust Coating free of charge too (gives a save vs. rusting attacks). Wouldn't want any of those things to burst on you when they are heated! Avoid the damage from scalding liquids and metal fragments... ;)
While I snicker, I did have a DM that would most likely have done that. So it's a 'different experiences' thing. What works for A doesn't work for B, and will never happen to C in the first place. The Iron Vials probably works based on what kind of DM you have.
But the main point I do want to make is as an Alchemist, you're one part hardware store and one part china shop. Unlike a Fighter(With their +5/6 Greataxe) or a spellcaster(With their metamagic rods, or worse spellbooks), you have a lot of little items that will almost always be useful, and yet no single one lost will make or break your day. Most of the time. And they're easier to break/misplace through just normal travel and adventures.
So yes, my suggestions carry with them a sense of paranoia and history of preparing against DMs. Which is why I don't suggest ALL things should be in Iron(Weight piles up, note from earlier).
Still, I feel like Alchemist is basically the "Boy Scout". Always be prepared and all.
Speaking of prepared - Bear Traps. Again the weight can kill you but you keep these on your packmule(Class - Barbarian). Not always useful but can throw off surprise encounters when you're campping and can set them up. Bonus, combo them with alchemical items for more effectiveness.