The Alchemist

The Alchemist is a really fun class, they use extracts, a form of potion, to cast spells and they get bombs and overall they are…well…Alchemists.

They can do surprisingly well in combat and make for crazy good switch hitters. Herein I shall present five Alchemists builds to have fun with!

Base Alchemist

We’re starting simple, as I stated, the Alchemist is a fantastic switch-hitter, quite capable both in melee and at range with minimal investments, and this build is all about showcasing this.

Class

Alchemist 20

Race

We will go for Half-Orc and place that floating +2 into Intelligence as it is our casting stat. We will also take the Shaman’s Apprentice Alternate Racial Trait, as we will not be making much use of Intimidate as a skill.

Ability Scores

15Point-Buy

Str 14/Dex 14/Con 14/Int 16/Wis 9/Cha 7

Round up Wisdom, then keep increasing Dexterity up to 17, place the final point in your choice of Strength or Dexterity.

20Point-Buy

Str 15/Dex 15/Con 14/Int 16/Wis 10/Cha 7

Get your Dexterity to 17, then everything else in Strength.

25Point-Buy

Str 15/Dex 16/Con 15/Int 16/Wis 10/Cha 7

Get your Dex to 17, then round up Constitution, finally throw your final three points in Strength.

Traits

All Alchemists should take the Firebug trait unless they are a Vivisectionist. That +1 Trait bonus to attack with splash weapons and alchemist bombs is crazy good as a feat. Take the Tusked racial trait to get a bite attack for free which is always nice.

Favored Class Bonus

Half-Orcs have an Alchemist alternate favored class bonus that increases bomb damage by +½, which will significantly increase our damage output, so we are taking this.

Skills

Craft(Alchemy), Heal, Disable Devices, Appraise, Perception, Sleight of Hands, Survival makes for a great and easy spread of skills, still try to get a few ranks in Knowledge(Arcana) and Knowledge(Nature).

Feats by Level

1-Point-Blank Shot

Shaman’s Apprentice-Endurance Alchemist

1-Throw Anything Alchemist 1-Brew Potions

3-Power Attack

5-Medium Armor Proficiency

7-Two-Weapons Fighting

9-Precise Shot 11-Rapid Shot

13-Weapon Focus(Falchion)

15-Improved Two-Weapons Fighting

17-Improved Critical(Falchion)

19-Extra Bombs

Between our Power Attack, Medium Armor Proficiency, and Improved Critical, we are a more than capable melee combatant as we are proficient with the Falchion for free as a Half-Orc, and Endurance lets us sleep in armor so not getting us in a bad situation. As bombs are thrown weapons, we can throw a massive amount of them via Two-Weapons Fighting and Rapid Shot. As we have a limited amount of them per day, investing in Extra Bombs is not all that bad an idea. Finally we get for free Brew Potions which is great as potions are always a very, very useful item to make, and Throw Anything lets us make full use of alchemical items if we do not use our bombs for some reasons.

Discoveries by Level

2-Infusion

4-Acid Bomb

6-Concussive Bomb

8-Fast Bombs

10-Enhance Potion

12-Greater Mutagen

14-Extend Potion

16-Grand Mutagen

18-Eternal Potion

20-Infuse Mutagen

20-Feral Mutagen

20-Philosopher’s Stone

This list of Discoveries showcases extremely well the different ways you can build an Alchemist. Infusion lets you give your extracts to your party members so they can use it (and eventually, do that too with Infuse Mutagen which is a crazy good buff to your friends).

Acid Bomb and Concussive Bomb lets you change the damage type of your bombs to Acid and Sonic, giving you the ability to bypass Resistances more easily. Fast Bombs lets you throw multiple bombs per round(prior to that, we can only throw one a round) which suddenly wildly increases your range damage output.

Greater Mutagen and Grand Mutagen give some serious bonuses to your physical stats however you need them. Enhance Potion, Extend Potion and Eternal Potion makes your Potions indispensable bonuses that your party will beg you to make more often, as they will be more powerful and last much longer, freeing up your spellcaster friends from having to prepare too much buff spells and instead focus on battlefield control, blasting etc.

At level 20, you learn how to create a Philosopher’s Stone which is highly thematic to the Alchemist class, and is quite literally an Artifact level magic item for a damned reason.

Extracts Learned by Level

1. Bomber’s Eye, Cure Light Wounds, Enlarge Person, Shield, Shock Shield
2. Targeted Bomb Admixture
3. Stone Fist
4. See Invisibility
5. Bull’s Strength
6. Cure Moderate Wounds
7. Haste
8. Cure Serious Wounds
9. Fly
10. Freedom of Movements
11. Restoration 12-Stoneskin 13-Ooze Form I
12. Monstrous Physique III
13. Dust Form
14. Form of the Dragon I
15. Heal
16. Ooze Form II
17. Transmutation
18. Caging Bomb Admixture

Equipment

Alchemist’s Lab, a Falchion and a Chain Shirt.

Final Thoughts on the Build

You do extremely well in melee, with three attacks a round with a 15-20 critical Falchion with Power Attack and Mutagen boosts, at range you can throw 6 bombs per round, each dealing 10d6+Intelligence splash damage and you always attack against Touch AC with them so that’s really nice.And yes, this does mean that you can reach 60d6+30 damage per round, you did correctly calculate that. And your various extracts are extremely good to support yourself and your team for a variety of situations. A very strong multipurpose build.

Moonshiner

So, this build is going to be wild but hear me out. Alchemist->Potions, Potions->Drinks, Drinks->Booze.

Still with me yet? Okay good. We will be drinking so much alcohol. When I am thinking of Booze in a Fantasy TTRPG, I am thinking of Dwarves, as such, Dwarf shall be our race.

We will be taking both Variant Multiclassing and Regular Multiclassing as well as take the Alchemist’s Fermenter Archetype, multiclass in Monk with the Drunken Master and Menhir Guardian Archetypes, in Magus and in the Prestige Class Brewkeeper. Our Variant Multiclassing will be in Oracle.

Our leveling should look like the following:

Class

Alchemist 6/Monk 4/ Magus 6/Brewkeeper 4//Variant Multiclassing: Oracle

Race

Dwarf with Xenophobic, Slag Child and Wanderer Alternate Racial Features.

Ability Scores

15Point-Buy

Str 10/Dex 14/Con 17/Int 15/Wis 12/Cha 5

Round up Constitution, then everything else into Intelligence

20Point-Buy

Str 14/Dex 14/Con 17/Int 15/Wis 12/Cha 5

Round up Constitution, then everything in Intelligence

25Point-Buy

Str 14/Dex 14/Con 18/Int 15/Wis 14/Cha 5 Everything into Intelligence.

Traits

Firebug for Bombs reason, Silent Hunter to get Stealth as a class skill.

Favored Class Bonus

We are throwing these into Skills as we have a fairly good Constitution anyway

Skills

Craft(Alchemy), Profession(Brewer), Stealth, Perception, Survival and Knowledge(Nature) are your go to.

Feats by Level and Variant Multiclassing

1-Drunkard’s Recovery Wanderer-Endurance Alchemist Bonus-Brew Potions

Alchemist Bonus-Throw Anything

1-Mystery(Nature)

1-Curse(Plagued)

3-Revelation(Speak with Animals)

5-Drunken Brawler

Bonus 7-Catch Off-Guard Bonus

8-Combat Reflexes

9-Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Blunderbuss)

11-Curse Focus

13-Amateur Gunslinger Bonus

15-Deadly Aim

15-Revelation(Spirit of Nature)

17-Improved Initiative

Bonus 18-Extend Spell Bonus

20-Empower Spell

Drunkard’s Recovery lets people stabilize us by making us sip alcohol, preserving crucial spells early on. Amateur Gunslinger lets us use Grits with our Blunderbuss, and its damage is increased via Deadly Aim. We otherwise get a few Revelations, and our Curse makes us Immune to Sickened which means unlimited alcohol at level one WHOO!

Discoveries by Level

2-Infusion

4-Extend Potion

6-Bottled Ooze

Give our Extracts to allies, make our potions last longer and we can summon Oozes from bottles which is just extremely funny.

Magus Arcanas by Level 13-Familiar(pick any really)

16-Ki Arcana

Spell Recall+Drunken Ki+Decanter of Infinite Beer=Infinite spells. Congratulations.

Extracts by Level

1. Cure Light Wounds, Tears to Wine, Comprehend Language, Shield
2. Adhesive Spittle
3. Expeditious Retreat
4. See Invisibility
5. Invisibility
6. Cure Moderate Wounds

Spells by Level

1. Corrosive Touch, Grease, Hide Weapon, Shocking Grasp, Ironbeard, Jump
2. Jury-Rig, Mudball
3. Touch of Combustion, Stonefist
4. Alter Self, Fire Breath
5. Fog Cloud, Glitterdust
6. Mirror Image, Molten Orb

18-Haste, Beast Shape I

19-Clay Skin, Displacement

20-Fireball, Fly

Equipment

Alchemist’s Lab, a Light Crossbow at first(eventually switched out to a Blunderbuss).

Final Thoughts on the Build

This build is ridiculous. Your Bombs deal more damage when you have drank booze and can make the targets fall prone, you can buff yourself and your allies pretty well, you can grow claws, cast infinite spells, dual wield spells and melee weapons, your potions are the best, you can cast spells as Draughts, and can spontaneously apply Extend Spell and Empower Spell on them, you have a blunderbuss to do some additional range combat, you still can buff yourself with your mutagen, and you are surprisingly sneaky. This build does a lot in a variety of ways and it’s great.

Plague Lord

Another thing associated with Alchemists are Poisons and Plagues. Naturally, I had to try and make a build dedicated to these. Enter the Plague Bearer Archetype and the Guild Poisoner Prestige Class.

As the names imply, one is dedicated to Diseases, the other to Poisons. We will also take a few levels in Antipaladin for reasons that will become apparent rapidly.

Our Leveling should look like the following:

Class

Alchemist 8/Antipaladin 3/Guild Poisoner 9

Race

Ratfolk as the Plague Bearer is a racial Archetype, but also rats being usually tied with plagues, this fits very well thematically anyway.

Ability Scores

Put everything into Intelligence.

15Point-Buy

Str 8/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 16/Wis 10/Cha 10

20Point-Buy

Str 8/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 18/Wis 10/Cha 10

25Point-Buy

Str 8/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 19/Wis 10/Cha 12

Traits

Silent Hunter for Stealth as we will be despised by pretty much everyone, Pragmatic Activator to switch Use Magic Devices from Charisma to Intelligence.

Favored Class Bonus

Hit Points, as we will be going in melee with not the greatest of armors.

Skills

Craft(Alchemy) Craft(Traps), Stealth, Perception, Use Magic Devices, Heal and Sleight of Hands are the minimum of what you need.

Feats by Level

1-Weapon Finesse Bonus 1-Throw Anything Bonus 1-Brew Potions

3-Piranha Strike

5-Poison Focus

7-Improved Initiative

9-Extra Discovery

11-Two-Weapons Fighting

13-Improved Two-Weapons Fighting

15-Extra Discovery

17-Extra Discovery

19-Extra Discovery

As we are multiclassing out of Alchemist, Extra Discovery will let us pick additional Discoveries to enhance our style. Two Weapons Fighting will give us more chances to inflict targets with poisons and diseases, Weapon Focus and Piranha Strike allow us to focus on Dexterity as we are small sized.

Discoveries by Level

2-Cognatogen

4-Smoke Bomb

6-Tumor Familiar

8-Celestial Poison

9-Plague Bomb

15-Fast Bomb

17-Flesh-Eating Bomb

19-Lingering Plague

Cognatogen is the opposite of Mutagen, it increases a mental stat by reducing a physical one. Plague Bomb lets us copy the effects of Contagion via our bombs, who deal increased damage via Flesh-Eating Bomb. Finally, Celestial Poison makes it so that our Poisons can affect even undeads and evil outsiders that would normally be immune to poisons.

Guild Poisoner’s Toxic Tricks by Level

13-Concentrate Poison

15-Combine Poison

17-Poison Conversion

19-Tailored Toxin(Humanoids:Humans)

We can combine our poisons and make them significantly more potent and harder to resist, and we can change their methods of infliction. We also gain a +1d6 Sneak Attack which is neat!

Extracts Learned by Level

1. Obscure Poison, Cure Light Wounds, Shield, Negate Aroma
2. Disguise Self 3-Bomber’s Eye 4-Invisibility
3. Cure Moderate Wounds
4. See Invisibility
5. Haste
6. Absorb Toxicity

Equipment

Pair of Shortswords, an Alchemist’s Lab and a Chain Shirt.

Final Thoughts on the Build

Our poisons can even affect undeads, their DCs are through the absolute roof, we can spread plagues via our Bombs and via Antipaladin, we become Immune to Diseases, but can still carry them. Have your Shortswords be enchanted with the Conductive Enchantment and now you can poison and spread diseases with your blades with extreme efficiency. You still have a few healing and buffs making your party love you and maybe overlook your more err…eccentric hobbies yes let’s call them that.

The Arsonist

One our ability is literally called Bombs. Let’s try to set the world on fire.

We are going to take the Fire Bomber Archetype and multiclass into Fighter with the Opportunist Fighter Archetype to get four iterative attacks at lvl 20…

Our leveling should look like the following:

Class

Alchemist 15/Opportunist Fighter 5

Race

We be Goblins. Goblins bite and burn!

Ability Scores

15Point-Buy

Str 5/Dex 21/Con 10/Int 15/Wis 13/Cha 5

+1 Int, everything else in Dexterity

20Point-Buy

Str 5/Dex 22/Con 11/Int 15/Wis 13/Cha 5 Again, +1 Int, then everything else in Dex.

25Point-Buy

Str 5/Dex 22/Con 13/Int 16/Wis 13/Cha 5

+1 Constitution this time, then everything else in Dexterity.

Traits

Firebug for that Trait Bonus on attack with bombs, Reckless to get Acrobatics as a class skill for a reason that will soon become obvious.

Favored Class Bonus

Yeah, hit points, we will definitely need hit points with this one X)

Skills

Craft(Alchemy), Acrobatics, Perception, Sleight of Hands, Heal, Disable Devices

Feats by Level

1-Roll with it

Bonus-Throw Anything Bonus-Brew Potions

3-Point-Blank Shot

5-Precise Shot

7-Two-Weapons Fighting

9-Improved Two-Weapons Fighting

11-Rapid Shot

13-Skill Focus(Acrobatics)

15-Greater Two-Weapons Fighting Bonus

16-Weapon Finesse

17-Implant Bomb Bonus

17-Acrobat

19-Extra Bomb

Bonus 19-Replaced for the Bomb Opportunist Fighter’s Cunning Edge

Roll with It lets us roll Acrobatics to get punted as many feets away as the number of damage from an attack we should have taken. Acrobat and Skill Focus help this feat stay relevant as long as possible because this is both ridiculous and hilarious. Two Weapons Fighting and Rapid Shot to throw up to 8 Bombs per round(9 with Haste). Implant Bomb lets us implant a bomb inside someone and make them explode 24h later. Because we be goblins.

Discoveries by Level

2-Burn! Burn! Burn!

4-Fire Tamer

6-Fire Heart

8-Fast Bombs

10-Immolation Bomb

12-Fire Brand

14-Breath Weapon Bomb

We are throwing all the bombs. And our bombs deal more fire damage, can coat someone and deal damage overtime, we also get a Fire Resistance, can use a bomb to set our weapons on fire and even eat a bomb to use a fire breath weapon. Because we are a small sized little maniac who really, really just wanted to set a flame in your heart.

Extracts Learned by Level

1. Enlarge Person, Cure Light Wounds, Bomber’s Eye, Bouncy Body
2. Ant Haul
3. Adhesive Spittle
4. Fire Sneeze
5. Fire Breath
6. Elemental Touch 7-Haste
7. Elemental Body I, Fire Trail
8. Burrow
9. Elemental Body II, Fire Shield
10. Dragon’s Breath
11. Scorching Ash Form
12. Overland Flight
13. Elemental Body IV, Ooze Form I
14. Spell Resistance

Equipment

Torches, an Alchemist’s Lab and All the Alchemist’s Fires. ALL OF THEM.

Final Thoughts on the Build

We are throwing all the bombs. When we run out, we throw all the Alchemist’s fires. Then, when we run out, we soak ourselves in Oil, pull a torch and charge like a maniac at our target while lighting ourselves on fire. And our Extract list is all about making sure we never lack a method of setting something or someone on fire.

In a single round we can throw up to 9 bombs for a total of 81d6+9d4+36 damage per turn. We also run out of bombs in like two rounds. maybe three.

The Doctor, the Silver Lady, the Fallen Noble, the Fox, the Beast and the Murderer

This build. This build is pure autism ultra condensed into how many different forms and personalities we can have, while still be an actual playable character.

We are taking the Vivisectionist Archetype, switching our Bombs for Sneak Attack, we also take a few levels in Vigilante with the Serial Killer Archetype, and we also take the Master Chymist Prestige Class. Our leveling should look something like the following:

Class

Alchemist 8/Vigilante-Serial Killer 2/Master Chymist 10

Race

We are going with Kitsune, with the Keen Kitsune and Superior Shapeshifter Alternate Racial Features.

Ability Scores

Put everything into Dexterity.

15Point-Buy

Str 8/Dex 16/Con 10/Int 18/Wis 10/Cha 10

20Point-Buy

Str 8/Dex 18/Con 10/Int 18/Wis 10/Cha 10

25Point-Buy

Str 10/Dex 19/Con 10/Int 18/Wis 10/Cha 10

Traits

Cosmopolitan gives us Linguistics as a Class Skill, Deep Cover lets us take 10 to assume and maintain our cover identity. Our real identity is that of a destitute noble from a family who got murdered. Our cover identity is that of an apothecary and local doctor working in the slums.

Favored Class Bonus

We are a melee character with d8 HD and 10 Con. HP.

Skills

Craft(Alchemy), Heal, Perception, Use Magic Devices, Sleight of Hands, Stealth, Linguistics, Knowledge Religion must be at least 3.

Feats by Level

1-Weapon Finesse

Kitsune Bonus-Fox Shape Alchemist Bonus-Throw Everything Alchemist Bonus-Brew Potions

3-Skill Focus(Linguistics)

5-Orator

7-Fiendish Obedience(Jezelda)

9-Piranha Strike

11-Extra Discovery

13-Extra Discovery

15-Extra Discovery

17-Extra Discovery

19-Extra Discovery

Weapon Finesse and Piranha Strike are no-brainers since we are dex-based, Fox Shape means that we now have three personas, the fallen kitsune noble form, human doctor form and a fox form. Orator let us use Linguistics for all things social which is bonkers good. Fiendish Obedience keyed to Jezelda means that by lvl 20 we become a true Werewolf, so a Werewolf hybrid from and a wolf form (5 forms/personas now).

Extra Discoveries will play into another of our form.

Vigilante-Serial Killer

Gives us yet another persona, that of a ruthless serial killer(6) this time directly letting us add a different alignment to the persona and giving us various protections against people trying to link our various personas to each other.

Discoveries by Level

2-Feral Mutagen

4-Infusion

6-Wings

8-Promethean Disciple

11-Tentacle

13-Preserve Organs

15-Material Mastery

17-Alchemical Simulacrum

19-Alchemical Zombie

Master Chymist

This one gives us our final persona, one that appears whenever we use our Mutagen, with its own alignment and goals. This one is of the Silver Lady, a draconic woman with silver scales and wings, beloved by the high society for her great intellect and sharp tongue. We also gain several Advanced Mutagens at the following levels

12-Greater Mutagen

14-Restoring Changes

16-Scent

18-Draconic Mutagen

20-Grand Mutagen

Extracts Learned by Level

1. Cure Light Wounds, Blurred Movement, Enlarge Person, Negate Aroma, Shield, Vocal Alteration
2. Wizened Appearance, Deathwatch
3. Youthful Appearance
4. Cure Moderate Wounds
5. Bull’s Strength
6. Invisibility
7. Haste, Anthropomorphic Animal
8. Cure Serious Wounds
9. Fly
10. Cure Critical Wounds
11. Vitriolic Mist
12. Freedom of Movements
13. Magic Jar
14. Communal Stoneskin
15. Mask from Divination

Equipment

Nobles Clothes, Doctor’s Clothes, Alchemist’s Lab, Healing Kit, A Dagger and a Light Crossbow

Final Thoughts on the Build

Yeah, we deal a truck ton of damage with our natural attacks between Piranha Strike, Sneak Attack, Brutality +6 and our Grand Mutagen. We are talking some 17d6+3d4+4d8+84 damage per round pre buffs is nothing to sneeze at, and with only Enlarge Person in, our damage grows all the way up to 5d8+20d6+88. Plus we are probably one of the best social builds as we have a plethora of different personas (Noble Kitsune, Human Doctor, Fox, Werewolf, Wolf, Dragon Lady, Serial Killer) we can play with some with different alignments from our real one too, making us the single best build at social infiltration in Pathfinder.

Plus we can create Golems to serve us, animal alchemical zombies and to top it off, we can create a simulacrum of us, which can take one of our persona while we are in another to further enhance the illusion that all of these are actually different people and not one very schizophrenic Kitsune.