Help rebuilding alchemist into a tank

[Callum]

One of my players has been running an alchemist, focusing on bombing. He'd now like to rebuild it to become more of a tank - getting into melee and soaking up attacks. What suggestions would you offer? Here's his current build:

Hobogblin alchemist 6

10 Str, 16 Dex, 11 Con, 19 Int, 8 Wis, 7 Cha

Discoveries: frost bomb, precise bombs, wings

Feats: Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot

Alternate Racial Traits: engineer, scarred

Formulae: adhesive spittle, bomber's eye, cure light wounds, enlarge person, shield, stone fist, true strike, vomit swarm

There are a few things missing from the above list, as I don't have an up-to-date character sheet to hand. All Paizo sources are acceptable. Thanks in advance!

[Grandlounge]

The simplest weapon finesee, amulet of natural of mighty fist (agile) and feral mutagen and polymorph extracts.

If he wants to use a weapon grenadier is a good choice. A strength build is better here with a bug two handed weapon.

Beastmorph is a great melee archtype. That can work with Dex or Str. If you go this way you can prestige into master chymist.

For defence armor, mutagen, extracts tend to cover ac. Resinous skin, ablative barrier help keep you alive. All this works well with spontaneous healing and the mummification line.

[ekibus]

He went a hobgoblin? Umm ok so first and foremost stats need to be rearranged. maybe str 10, dex 18, con 16 (he needs the hp) int 16, wis 9 cha 7. Maybe take a dip into inspired swashbuckler.. prepare alchemical allocation all the way and pick up a 12th lvl potion of barkskin...with mutagen and a mithril chain shirt he could be looking at a AC 28 get a quick draw sheathe and a wand of shield he could be up to 31

[Scott Wilhelm]

Callum wrote:

One of my players has been running an alchemist, focusing on bombing. He'd now like to rebuild it to become more of a tank - getting into melee and soaking up attacks. What suggestions would you offer?

Are you allowing him to retrain?

How available are magic items in your campaign?

Are you going to let him change around his ability scores?

[Selvaxri]

Tell him to take Discoveries that lead to Mummification and take Ablative Barrier as an extract. At that point, he'd effectively have DR 5/-.

It's not hard to respec him into a martial class, but he needs more HP.
I have a friend who built an unarmed specialized Rage Chemist with Dragon Style to wreck face.

[Callum]

Scott Wilhelm wrote:

Are you allowing him to retrain?

How available are magic items in your campaign?

Are you going to let him change around his ability scores?

Yes, I'm letting him retrain freely.

Magic items are reasonably easily available (though not as simply as picking the exact, customised item you want from any source and deducting the coin from your character sheet). I'd prefer the character not to depend on specific magic items, but am happy for there to be desirable ones that he can have as a goal to acquire.

I would rather he didn't change around his ability scores, but am prepared to consider some changes if necessary.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Callum wrote:

I would rather he didn't change around his ability scores, but am prepared to consider some changes if necessary.

I was thinking about Grandlounge's suggestion.

Grandlounge wrote:

The simplest weapon finesee, amulet of natural of mighty fist (agile) and feral mutagen and polymorph extracts.

I like Feral Mutaten. Feral Mutagen gives him 2 Natural Attacks: Claws and a Bite. It's a problem that his Strength is only 10, though. He can take a Mutagen and make it 14. He can take a level in Barbarian and make it 18, but that's ungainly. Grandlounge's idea is to take Weapon Finesse: sensible since his Dex is much higher than his Strength. But that doesn't help his Damage.

He could take levels in Unchained Rogue and get Dex-to-Damage on one of his Natural Attacks. Maybe there are other ways for him to get Dex-to-damage on his other one.

But his highest attribute is Intelligence. Maybe what he should do is take a level in White Haired Witch instead of Feral Mutagen. He can still take Weapon Finesse. He can still get Dex-to-Damage for his Hair in the way that one does. But the Hair lets him add his Intelligence Modifier to Damage, and he has a high Intelligence. If he takes a ST Mutagen, and if his Hair is his only natural attack, he enjoys X1.5 his St Modifier to damage.

Plus, White Hair gets a Free Grapple attack withevery hit, again, modified by his Intelligence. Alchemists are the best class for raising your Grapple Mod super high.

At level 7, he takes his level in WHW, and for his level 7 Feat, he take Tumor Familiar. His Familiar will then be a level 7 Familiar. He can make his Familiar a King Crab Familiar which will give him a +2 on Grapple Checks. He can wear Armor Spikes, which do an extra 1d6 with every successful Grapple Attack.

He can also use the Familiar to give himself more hit points. Tumor Familiars are no longer allowed to be Protector Familiars, so he might take a level in Warpriest, taking Weapon Focus Hair to give him a bonus to attack and Grapple with his Hair and also raise his Base Damage from 1d4 to 1d6. Another thing that will do is put the Shield Other Spell on his Spell List, and that means he can use a Wand of Shield Other. Use the Deliver Touch Spells Familiar Ability to have the Familiar cast Shield Other on him. Now, half the Damage the character takes is absorbed by the Tumor Familiar, and that will be offset by the Familiar's Fast Healing 5.

When you Grapple someone by attacking them with your White Hair, you are not Grappled; only your opponent is, and there is no particular limit as to how many people can be Grappled in your 'Hair. He could take Great Cleave and Grapple every adjacent opponent!

He can also make Attacks of Opportunity. I would then have him take 2 levels in Cavalier, Order of the Penitent with the Constable Archetype. I would make his Bonus Feat Broken Wing Gambit, giving him and everyone in the party Attacks of Opportunity whenever anyone in the party is attacked! Normally, you can't make attacks of opportunity when you are grappled, but again, when you've got them in your 'Hair, only they are Grappled, and you aren't! So, you could AoO them with BWG just for tryting to escape, and Tie the Up using the Expert Captor Ability.

[Callum]

Thanks for all your suggestions! There's a lot to think about...

Grandlounge wrote:

Beastmorph is a great melee archtype. That can work with Dex or Str. If you go this way you can prestige into master chymist.

How does beastmorph work as a melee archetype (particularly Dex-based)? The abilities you gain don't seem that helpful until 10th level, unless I'm missing something?

Note that he's not necessarily looking to deal lots of damage - the group already has an archer who handles that, as well as a caster. He's looking more to be the focus of attacks, but isn't averse to dishing some out, too.

[Grandlounge]

It is obviously much better at a 10. But the options for movement types and senses are useful on any build.

Tanking requires positioning and doing enough damage to keep attention on the character. Beastmorph helps with that.

[Zwordsman]

While it doens't help him tank for himself...

Aid another boosts and Bodyguard feat is pretty great and usable for keeping allies alive.
combined with defensive fighitng stuff helps a ton