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!
- rescale thoughts: bomb damage scales like spell circles. no more splash damage, it is a smallish AOE(3x3), can still scatter on a miss, may be targeted at a square (AC5) but then does half damage. add a Discovery to allow non-creature/sunder damage?
- perhaps make bombs the class 'currency' the way 'channel divinity' can be repurposed for other things
- other things to include melee damage (poured on hands) or breath weapon (if drunk)
- 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.