Talk:Alchemist

rebuild ideas

• right now, class is just a poor meleer (hulkemist) and poor ranged striker (bombs). Needs something that it actually excels at on its own.

bombs

• redo/rescale bomb damage

• currently, splash damage is way too much dice rolling for way too little effect.

• splashed creatures get a save to reduce the already minimum damage by half! Annoying!

• perhaps make bombs the class 'currency' the way 'channel divinity' can be repurposed for other things

• if currency, may need to look at how many they get, and either increase or decrease it, as necessary.

• bombs should do more status conditions and be very good at them (it's fine if this requires discoveries).

• with restriction on monsters having no stackable conditions, this doesn't break anything.

mutagens

• bake mutagen/mutation directly into the class -- they are ALWAYS Mr. Hyde.

• allow a discovery (or perhaps a class feature?) that allows them to temporarily appear normal.
• mutagen should do more than just 'make them good at melee'. Tankiness? Controllery? Leadery?

more movement

• grant them an unstoppable movement power: skittering mass, scuttling mass, whatever

• while active, their movement does not provoke AOO's
• maybe spend a bomb to trigger it? lasts for any movements made during that turn?
• at higher level, allows different move types to be employed while active.
• special effect: they turn into a swarm of bugs until the move is completed (or worms, or something gross)

• higher level, it could be bees, or some other swarm that has better move types. blink flies.

extracts

• class should get a 'contagion' feature which lets them spread buffs currently on themselves onto an adjacent ally

• once per round, during any part of your turn, you can infect an ally adjacent to you with the effects of your current buff.
• while your buff probably lasts until the end of the encounter, the buff on the infected ally would only last until the start of your next turn.
• could expand this to do more than just spread buffs/extracts, but on its face, it immediately makes the extracts better.
• would let us get rid of the 'share extract' discovery (whatever it's called).

Alchemist Example Builds

(not a legal build; needs reviewed) 

Bomb-Throwing Build

Human, base stats: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, int 18, Wis 10, Chr 8.

Example Feats

1st Level: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot. Lets you put your bombs exactly where you want them

3rd Level: Weapon Focus:Bombs. Still making the bombs better.

5th Level: Extra Discovery: Acid Bombs*. Now that the bombs go where you want them, you start to make them nassssty.

7th Level: Dodge. A point of armor class and unlocks good stuff.

9th Level: Close Quarters Thrower. Throw bombs in melee!

11th Level: Charging Hurler. Lets you keep up with the first round rush and still attack.

13th Level: Far Shot. Throw bombs waaaay further and still hit.

15th Level: Mobility. Avoid those attacks of opportunity.

17th Level: Shot on the Run. Pop around a corner, throw a bomb, hide. So awesome.

19th Level: Clustered Shots. This lets you punch through DR like crazy.

Example Discoveries:

2nd Level: Precise Bombs

4th Level: Explosive Bombs*

6th Level: Breath Weapon Bomb

8th Level: Fast Bombs

10th Level: Force Bomb*

12th Level: Demolition Bomb*

14th Level: Dispelling Bomb*

16th Level: Frost Bomb*

18th Level: Elixir of Life

20th Level: Fast Healing 5, Smoke Bomb*, Inferno Bomb*.

Hulchemist Build

Human, base stats: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, int 18, Wis 10, Chr 8

Example Feats

1st Level: Dodge, Mobility. Move around in melee, get hit less, and melee sucks, you want the armor class bad.

3rd Level: Weapon Focus: Natural Attacks. Yeah, you wreck'em in melee, you betcha!

5th Level: Power Attack. Yeah, you wreck'em in melee, you betcha!

7th Level: Point Blank Shot. Still gotta work the bombs!

9th level: Toughness. Hit points, baby!

11th Level: Precise Shot. Workin' the bombs

13th level: Shot on the Run. The corner thing, so awesome.

15th Level: Rending Claws. Oh, yeah, even more melee damage

17th Level: Defensive Combat Training. Stops the bad guys from tackling you all the time

19th Level: Advanced Def Combat Training. No, seriously. Getting grappled sucks.

Example Discoveries:

2nd Level: Alchemical Claw

4th Level: Spontaneous Healing

6th Level: Greater Mutagen

8th Level: Vestigial Arm

10th Level: Vestigial Arm

12th Level: Grand Mutagen

14th Level: Tentacle

16th Level: True Mutagen

18th Level: Nauseating Flesh

20th Level: Alchemical Abomination, Improved Alchemical Claw, Preserve Organs.