I haven't been following too closely on splatbook updates so if things have changed to make the Alchemist much better I could be wrong, but for this OP I'm working under the assumption the Alchemist is about as mediocre of a chassis as it was at launch.
The Investigator, on the other hand, seems quite good for Hyde-ing it up. It actually gets a proper martial weapon proficiency to work with and 4-5 free mutagens a day is totally fine and will be all you need most days. Bestial isn't great for the Investigator's combat routine but Quicksilver and Energy Mutagen both seem like they'd be quite valid damage options for an Investigator.
Mutagens are not Elixirs.
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...Yeah they are? They have the Elixir trait.
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My mistake, completely missed it.
Yup mutagens are elixers now some of the fancier feat versions are uncommon but base line skill booster and utility ones are very good picks for investigators with their alchemy stuff.
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Quicksilver is very nice for an archer investigator, but it's drawbacks are bad and not ignorable. It's still overall a nice boost.
Energy mutagen needing melee means it doesn't go well with the investigators best play style.
I think mutagens are really held back by their drawbacks, they can also be used to give item bonuses out of combat, but investigators don't have the feats to give mutagens additional abilities.
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They never reach a point where they can keep a Mutagen up all day like the alchemist can (they cap at 7 mutagens per day whereas the alchemist can spend 4/16 reagents at level 11 to get 8 per day) and their flexibility with it is a little more limited, due to the limited number of vials they get per day, meaning that silvertongue/cognitive/etc. is more expensive for them to use relatively if they also want to constantly have quicksilver/energy.
But in general if all you care about is mutagens, investigator is probably better. I don’t see why you’d ever pick a method that isn’t alchemical to be honest, seems to give the best benefits by far.
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They never reach a point where they can keep a Mutagen up all day like the alchemist can (they cap at 7 mutagens per day whereas the alchemist can spend 4/16 reagents at level 11 to get 8 per day) and their flexibility with it is a little more limited, due to the limited number of vials they get per day, meaning that silvertongue/cognitive/etc. is more expensive for them to use relatively if they also want to constantly have quicksilver/energy.
But in general if all you care about is mutagens, investigator is probably better. I don’t see why you’d ever pick a method that isn’t alchemical to be honest, seems to give the best benefits by far.
Medicine method with medic archetype seems like a really nice option, it has very compelling reasons to take it over alchemy (elixirs currently aren't that useful)
They never reach a point where they can keep a Mutagen up all day like the alchemist can (they cap at 7 mutagens per day whereas the alchemist can spend 4/16 reagents at level 11 to get 8 per day) and their flexibility with it is a little more limited, due to the limited number of vials they get per day, meaning that silvertongue/cognitive/etc. is more expensive for them to use relatively if they also want to constantly have quicksilver/energy.
But in general if all you care about is mutagens, investigator is probably better. I don’t see why you’d ever pick a method that isn’t alchemical to be honest, seems to give the best benefits by far.
Not picking alchemical only bc I can't bring myself to build Tengu Harvy Birdman without the interrigation methodology. But yea, in terms of raw mechanical strength (versatility) probably alchemical.
The APG has a pretty nice AC boosting mutagen which could be very nice for investigators is pretty nice. Big boost to AC and small bonus to perception at a -1 to will saves reflex saves and knowledge rolls. Given how good investigators knowledge rolls are I doubt the last hurts it much.
The first version is +4 ac with +2 dex cap so basically like better chain mail.