Never played pathfinder. What is alchemist like?

[Tacred]

I imagine chucking grenades to be fun but also expensive...

[dragonstryk72]

Well, in tabletop, you get a certain number of formulae per day that you can quick combine into an extract, bomb, or mutagen. I'm not sure how it works for the video game yet, but it's likely not going to be hugely costly to do, otherwise no one would really play it.

[dragonstryk72]

extracts are, essentially, fast-brew potions and oils. Their effects die out after a day, but you can produce any formulae you know and have the components for on the fly.

Bombs are just that, they're grenade of various sorts. Usually damage producing, but can just as easily be other AoE type effects.

Mutagens mutate you, powering up your character, but at the expense of personality (Sort of Jekyll & Hyde thing). You become more bestial, you get a natural armor bonus to AC, and a stat bonus, as well as a stat penalty. Get stronger, and become dumber. Gain Dexterity, lose Wisdom. Buff Constitution, lose Charisma. And it operates in reverse for boosting the mental stats.

[Cain]

In the game with the base alchemist :
- you can throw bombs, which gets stronger, and can be used more as you level up (you can learn new types of bombs)
- you have some level of spellcasting, but any buff/healing is normally affect only you (you can learn to affect others)
- you get a lot of skill points
- you have mutagen, which is I think usable once/day for buffing
- new discoveries on every two level, which can be many thing (new bombs/bomb uses, improved mutagens, new abilities etc)

Alchemist NPC felt like a good support/skill master character.

[MACIORELLA]

How is 2h grenadier sounds? With lots of buffs etc? Or what would you recommend?

[Greybishop]

It depends on how you want to build it, a pure alch can be a powerhouse it itself even without using the standard archtypes. It can also be an incredible force multiplyer to a class like a fighter or barbarian, something that would otherwise not have magical methods.

In the tabletop, they have something like preserve organ, that reduce crit chance by 25% and can be taken up to three times per so many levels.

If there is a class guide/build, I would check that out and see how you want to build with it.

[MACIORELLA]

So whats the weapon of alchemists? Grenades are the best? What if I will run out of resources to make grenades or even run out of skills (spells) to throw....

[Greybishop]

Originally posted by maciora:

So whats the weapon of alchemists? Grenades are the best? What if I will run out of resources to make grenades or even run out of skills (spells) to throw....

Yep If it is anything like the tabletop, it was an alchemist can use a number of bombs each day equal to his class level + his Intelligence modifier. They were also proficient in all simple weapons, so clubs, crossbows, staves, etc.

[Joedeendee]

Bombs can very powerful. You likely wont run out resources, but you are limited to number per day, just as spells, etc. I played 1 for a full campaign, and upper level Alchemist is powerful indeed. I loved it.

[MACIORELLA]

So grenadier it is ...

[Cain]

a crossbow is definitely an option if you run out of spells/bombs, or don't want to waste them on weak enemies.

[MACIORELLA]

Originally posted by Cain:

a crossbow is definitely an option if you run out of spells/bombs, or don't want to waste them on weak enemies.

I would prefer something more direct like mutagen + sword. Can I choose mutagen type (armor enhance , health enhance etc?)

[Cutlass Jack]

Originally posted by maciora:

Originally posted by Cain:

a crossbow is definitely an option if you run out of spells/bombs, or don't want to waste them on weak enemies.

I would prefer something more direct like mutagen + sword. Can I choose mutagen type (armor enhance , health enhance etc?)

one of the devs yesterday was saying how a straight alchemist could be a great Witcher type, even without mixing another class in. So it sounds to me like that would be viable based on that.

[MACIORELLA]

Yeah, it was my post :D How the straight alchemist is different then grenadier btw? Throwing grenades without harming allies is quite useful - would not want to lose it to be honest....


From what I seen its only poision resistance that differs (and grenadier has this friendly grenades skill on)....

[Cain]

Originally posted by Cutlass Jack:

Originally posted by maciora:

I would prefer something more direct like mutagen + sword. Can I choose mutagen type (armor enhance , health enhance etc?)

one of the devs yesterday was saying how a straight alchemist could be a great Witcher type, even without mixing another class in. So it sounds to me like that would be viable based on that.

It could definitely work (warning : not with the NPC alchemist). Especially vivisectionist could deal a LOT of damage.

[MACIORELLA]

Originally posted by Cain:

Originally posted by Cutlass Jack:

one of the devs yesterday was saying how a straight alchemist could be a great Witcher type, even without mixing another class in. So it sounds to me like that would be viable based on that.

It could definitely work (warning : not with the NPC alchemist). Especially vivisectionist could deal a LOT of damage.

I see the normal alchemist beside Poison Immunity is not very impressive...