I need some help with deciding what to take as my free archetype dedication at 6 please.
I am playing a Chirurgeon Alchemist, and with the help of me GM was gifted a full formula book from the first quest we did so I have access to just about 100 formulas. about 2 dozen bombs and many different elixirs. I also took Medic dedication at 2 and again thanks to my GM, and due to the medic feats either not being available (preventative treatment at 8 and resuscitate at 12) or already taken (doctor's visitation at 4) I have been allowed to take a new dedication early. My issue is that I don't really know what to take, and not taking anything I feel will make me under-powered later on.
Originally I had decided to take inventor ded with armor innovation so I could get the slightly better subterfuge armor and maybe the +5 speed modification to bring me up to 30 speed, that or the subtle dampeners as only two of our 4 at the table are remotely stealthy and I may be inching ahead of the other person. Then I had looked closer at the Rogue ded and it's immediate ability to give me another skill feat, though not entirely sure which feat to take there. Doing some research I saw that a lot of people say that the Exemplar ded is amazing with Chirurgeons with the Horn of Plenty, but with the immanence I think it may be more of a hindrance that benefit. Sure I could heal up to 2 people with an elixir of life, with shifting the immanence back into my ikon, but my character is a halfling that is going on their first adventure and doesn't really believe in divine beings, let alone myself getting any sort of divinity.
One of the other members at my table, who is far more experienced, suggested Lepidstadt Surgeon, Sentinel or Wandering Chef. My character is a cook, and the surgeon says I would have needed to attend the university of Lepidstadt to take that dedication. They said sentinel could help with survivability and with wandering chef I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of the dedication. I wouldn't get the 4 VVs it gives and a lot of the alchemical food doesn't seem good enough to take. I only have 3 alchemical food formulas currently, Sprite Apple, Tracker's Stew and Diplomat's Charcuterie.
I'm the dedicated support, which I was told to ask the other players to get some sort of healing as if I go down then they are screwed, but the others have been able to buy healing potions whenever we go back to town.
So I'm not really sure what to take. Exemplar seems to be the prevailing choice as we have all gone down, but not died, a few times already and using the horn would allow me to heal better as while I have healing bomb it heals everything around my target and is more limited with my 20 ft throwing distance vs the horn's 60 ft.
Any other suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
Wandering Chef really doesn't seem worth it since you don't get the VVs from it.
Rogue Dedication's real power isn't the extra skill feat: it's Skill Mastery at level 8. That's two skill boosts and another skill feat, and you can take it more than once. Take that a couple of times and you have a LOT more options in skill challenges (and combat if the skills you bump are combat relevant).
That said, in your case Investigator Dedication might be better. You lose the first skill feat in exchange for Pursue a Lead and Clue In. Skill Mastery works the same. At level 12 Master Spotter can give you Master Perception which Alchemist can't get. That's a straight +2 to something you use a LOT (including initiative!) and since its a proficiency bump it stacks with other boosts (like Incredible Initiative).
Horn of Plenty works, but you don't sound enthusiastic about it and I wouldn't take something just because someone else told you it's good if you're not feeling it. Likewise if you have the DEX for Rogue Dedication, I'm not sure what Sentinel would really do for you.
Familiar Master is also an option as Familiars can do a fair bit for Alchemists, and you can get the feat to get the Alchemist Familiar and then use Familiar Master to beef it up with more abilities (or just get it from Familar Master itself).
Lepidstadt Surgeon is super flavorful, but you already have Medic so it feels like you're just investing everything you have into healing. It works if that's what you want to do, but its not like you're lacking healing so what do you really want from this? Personally I think having more options would help you more. (But if you want a minion, both this and Beastmaster work.)
If you have the actions to use a tactic, I like Commander Dedication. Using your actions to let other folks do stuff can be really helpful, and if you're in a situation where you can protect it, Plant Banner is a huge amount of group sustain (though it being safe to use is very situational, this is not an "every combat" ability).
Otherwise it really depends on what your ability scores are so we know what you qualify for, and what you want to be better at doing. Archetypes are a great chance to add extra options to your kit.
Tridus wrote: ... Yeah, I forgot to mention I was looking at Investigator as well.
My ability scores are Str -1, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +3 and Cha +0.
At first I hadn't even considered Exemplar because like I said my character doesn't believe in divine beings, they haven't seen one nor heard of one from any stories of other adventuring halflings that returned home. I think it would be good because of the horn and healing my party better.
So far Investigator is looking to be the decision unless adding my ability scores changes things.
That rules out anything STR or CHA based, yeah. So the options I listed pretty much all stand as they were all assuming you had INT and DEX.
If you have a couple of skills you want to get better at, Investigator will definitely get you there. That's the main draw, personally.
Davron/Taters wrote: At first I hadn't even considered Exemplar because like I said my character doesn't believe in divine beings, they haven't seen one nor heard of one from any stories of other adventuring halflings that returned home. I think it would be good because of the horn and healing my party better. It's a good ability, but it just sounds like you're not into it narratively and think you should take it for mechanical reasons.
That's fine if it's what you want to do, but I think there's other options that are also mechanically useful but might be more interesting to you. :)
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
As an alternative to investigator, you might find the MC witch archetype as a good pickup: a familiar to help pass alchemical items to party members, Basic Witchcraft to pick up the Cauldron witch feat (to make a temporary oil or potion each day; in addition to the alchemical items), and some Int-based casting (depending on how many feats you want to use; even the single prepared cantrip from the dedication can be a good idea).
Tridus wrote: [Exemplar archetypes is...] a good ability, but it just sounds like you're not into it narratively and think you should take it for mechanical reasons. I kinda like it.
"Bob, you know that glowing ruby crystal on the satchel's clasp is a piece of the god Gorum, right? That's why it keep producing potions."
"Nonsense! Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from divine miracle."
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