D&D 5E Artificer: Alchemist Impressions

[Chaosmancer]

I tried to do a rework of the 3rd level ability. My biggest issue with it is comparing it to the two other subclasses. The Artillerist gets an hour of their turret, the Battle Smith gets a constant companion and martial buffs. The Alchemist gets a single, random, consumable item. It can be good, that d4 is nothing to sneeze at even if it takes an action to imbibe and lasts for only a minute. But it just feels way weaker than the other level 3 abilities.

Spoiler: Rework here

Potent Elixir

Beginning at 3rd level, whenever you finish a long rest, you can magically produce an elixir in an empty flask you touch. Choose an Elixir Effect from the table, which is triggered when someone drinks the elixir or throws it. As an action, a creature can drink the elixir or administer it to an incapacitated creature.

Creating an elixir requires you to have alchemist’s supplies on your person, and any elixir you create with this feature lasts until it is drunk or until the end of your next long rest.

When you reach certain levels in this class, you can make more elixirs at the end of a long rest: two at 6th level and three at 15th level. Each elixir requires its own flask.

You can create additional experimental elixirs by expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher for each one. When you do so, you use your action to create the elixir in an empty flask you touch, and you choose the elixir’s effect from the Experimental Elixir table.

If an Elixir requires a saving throw, the DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Alchemical Fire: You create a vial of volatile liquid which you can hurl at a creature, object, or surface within 30 feet of you. On impact, the vial detonates in a 5-foot radius. Any creature in that area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 fire damage.

This damage increases by 1d6 when you reach certain levels in this class: 9th level, 15th level, and 19th level

(Maxes out at 7d6, and you get three. A Flamethrower turret does 3d8 in similiar area a turn by the mid point, so I feel comparable)

Alchemical Acid: You create a vial of acid, and hurl the vial at a creature or object within 30 feet of you. The vial shatters on impact. A creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d8 acid damage. An object automatically takes that damage, and the damage is maximized.

This damage increases by 1d8 when you reach certain levels in this class: 9th level, 15th level, and 19th level

(Maxes out at 5d8, Force turret does 3d8 per hit by mid level)

Healing Draught: You create a vial of potent healing liquid. A creature can drink it as an bonus action to regain 2d8 hit points.

This healing increases by 1d8 when you reach certain levels in this class: 9th level, 15th level, and 19th level

(Maxes out at 5d8, Temp Hp turret does 1d8+mod as a bonus action, temp hp is rarely wasted)

Swift Step Draught: You create a vial of bubbling, brown liquid. As an action, a creature can drink it. Doing so increases the creature’s speed by 10 feet for 1 hour.

This increase increases by 5 ft at 9th level, 15th level, and 19th level

Resilient Draught You create a vial of iron-grey liquid. As an action, a creature can drink it. Doing so increases the creatures Ac by +1 for 10 minutes.

The duration increases by 20 minutes at 9th level and becomes an hour at 19th level. The AC bonus increases to +2 AC at 15th level.

Just as a rough draft. I'm thinking of adding the bless brew, but thinking of scaling it along the same lines is difficult.

 

[Zardnaar]

Battkesmith deal rogue level damage or close to it?

The boldness elixer for example looks like bless but it's only one target not 3.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Battkesmith deal rogue level damage or close to it?

The boldness elixer for example looks like bless but it's only one target not 3.

Battle smith gets martial weapons and can use their Int when attacking and dealing damage with magic weapons (which all their weapons could be magic with the magic weapon infusion)

Additionally, they get a companion that acts on it's own turn (though requires your bonus action to do something other than dodge) . It has the Con mod+intmod+ 5*level hp system, 15 AC, hits for about 1d8+2 , can self heal, be healed by mending cantrip, and has a reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack.

All of that at 3rd level, and they get improvements along the way, like an extra attack and the ability to add a minor sneak attack or heal on an attack that hits (9th level)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Yeah. Somehow not balanced againat each other. At least theoretically

 

[Zardnaar]

Battle smith gets martial weapons and can use their Int when attacking and dealing damage with magic weapons (which all their weapons could be magic with the magic weapon infusion)

Additionally, they get a companion that acts on it's own turn (though requires your bonus action to do something other than dodge) . It has the Con mod+intmod+ 5*level hp system, 15 AC, hits for about 1d8+2 , can self heal, be healed by mending cantrip, and has a reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack.

All of that at 3rd level, and they get improvements along the way, like an extra attack and the ability to add a minor sneak attack or heal on an attack that hits (9th level)

Wow most of the good abilities are baked into the Artificer class, not the alchemist.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Wow most of the good abilities are baked into the Artificer class, not the alchemist.

Yep, the Battle Smith and the Artillerist have some really cool abilities, and I find the Alchemist's 5 through 17th abilities to be decent, but that level 3 ability is just not up to snuff when both of the other subclasses get long term abilities that can provide massive buffs to defense or offense over time.

 

[MarkB]

Yeah, my quick fix for the elixirs would be to remove the random part and the "when you finish a short rest" part and have the daily free usage function the same as the expend-a-spell-slot usage - you can do it at any point in the day, and you choose the result.

That, and maybe abandon the whole spell-slot thing in favour of simply more free uses - either Int-mod uses per day, or it recharges on a short rest.

 

[Ashrym]

That capstone.....

…..is looking pretty nice.

 

[Ashrym]

The experimental elixirs are random, but some of the effects are pretty useful and stackable with other effects because they don't have the concentration restriction. A no concentration flying ability is pretty handy at 3rd level.

It think if a person just takes the randomness out of it then it becomes better.

 

[Chaosmancer]

The experimental elixirs are random, but some of the effects are pretty useful and stackable with other effects because they don't have the concentration restriction. A no concentration flying ability is pretty handy at 3rd level.

It think if a person just takes the randomness out of it then it becomes better.

Yeah, taking the randomness out alone does help. But, I think some of the options are still too weak, and they never improve the actual effect. They simply add in a bunch of temp hp. Which is awesome, but by 15th level it is still only 10 minutes of flight for 10 ft a turn. And it is kind of useless by that point. As is 2d4+int mod healing, or a free alter self spell.