Pathfinder 2's New Alchemist Class Previewed!

Following up on the fighter and the rogue, Paizo has posted a preview of Pathfinder 2nd Edition's Alchemist class!

By Wayne Reynolds



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• Alchemist Class Preview --
  • Alchemist and oracle are the most popular character classes.
  • Alchemist features --
    • Alchemical Crafter (it's Crafting skill feat, but the alchemist gets it for free)
    • Four bonus formula (plus the four from the Alchemical Crafter feat) + 2 each level.
    • Quick alchemy action.
    • Spend resonance to create alchemical objects on the fly.
    • Empower Bomb (3rd level) -- multiples bomb damage. Multiplier increases with level to 6x at 19th level.
    • Mutagens (5th level).
    • Craft free poisons each day; can also heal and disable traps.
  • Class Feats --
    • Efficient Alchemy (4th level) -- create more items during downtime.
    • Enduring Alchemy (4th level) -- improves Quick Alchemy by making items last longer.
    • Calculated Splash (4th level) -- Int mod smash damage rather than 1 splash damage.
    • Powerful Alchemy (6th level) -- increase effect DC of items.
    • Precise Bomb (6th level) -- hit enemies only with splash damage.
    • Debilitating Bomb (6th level) -- inflict conditions; has greater versions a 10th and 14th level.
    • Feral Mutagen (8th level) -- gives teeth and claws, boosting Intimidate checks.
    • Stalker Mutagen (10th level) -- enhances stealth, allow movement at full speed.
    • Improbable Elixirs (18th level) -- create potions.
    • Perfect Mutagen (18th level) -- ignore mutagen drawbacks.
• There's also an interview about the Alchemist with Paizo's Stephen Radney-McFarland over at TechRaptor.

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[Shasarak]

The most interesting tidbit to me in there was that Alchemists use Intelligence instead of Charisma for their Resomance. So for folks who were worried about the charming fighter being able to use more magic items than the cumudgeonly wizard, this opens the possibility of that not being the case. I wonder how many classes will use non-Charisma Abilities for Resonance.

Personally I love how Charisma makes the most sense for innate magic that Resonance is supposed to represent except that Alchemists need it for their core class features so for them Intelligence makes the most sense for representing innate magic.

So now Rogues need to use Resonance so we better let them use Dex for their Resonance total and Fighters should naturally be able to use their Str to hit more Resonance out of their magical items. Honestly Resonance is just looking worse and worse.

 

[Adso]

Personally I love how Charisma makes the most sense for innate magic that Resonance is supposed to represent except that Alchemists need it for their core class features so for them Intelligence makes the most sense for representing innate magic.

So now Rogues need to use Resonance so we better let them use Dex for their Resonance total and Fighters should naturally be able to use their Str to hit more Resonance out of their magical items. Honestly Resonance is just looking worse and worse.

Alchemists use of Intelligence for resonance is due to an obscure knowledge of how those infusions work.

You say it sounds worse and worse to you, because your assumptions is that this exception is widespread, it is not.

In other words, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't conflate what has been previewed with what you consider to be the worse-case scenario, and then pretend that somehow it's a critique of the system. That man's made of straw.

Good gaming!
Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Senior Game Designer
Paizo, Inc.

 

[Shasarak]

Alchemists use of Intelligence for resonance is due to an obscure knowledge of how those infusions work.

You say it sounds worse and worse to you, because your assumptions is that this exception is widespread, it is not.

In other words, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't conflate what has been previewed with what you consider to be the worse-case scenario, and then pretend that somehow it's a critique of the system. That man's made of straw.

Good gaming!
Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Senior Game Designer
Paizo, Inc.

No offense Stephen. I know you have your job to do.

 

[Adso]

No offense Stephen. I know you have your job to do.

Thanks! I appreciate that.

 

[Charlaquin]

If the alchemist has to use resonance for his powers, he might be "the worse" at magical items....

Seemingly only to create items with Quick Alchemy. The stuff he makes during Downtime, he probably won’t habe to spend Resonance on (not that it would matter much if he did, since Downtime is measured in days and weeks. At most, Resonance would act as a cap on how many alchemical items you could craft in one day of downtime.) But everyone has to spend Resonance to make use of Elixirs the Alchemist makes. Except maybe the Alchemist himself? That much isn’t clear yet. He definitely doesn’t have to spend it to use ones he crafted with Quick Alchemy. I very much doubt poisons or bombs will cost anyone Resonance to use. Mutagens might.

 

[Shasarak]

I like the change to Alchemical items especially if other classes can pick up "recipes" as well.

 

[jimtillman]

If the alchemist has to use resonance for his powers, he might be "the worse" at magical items....

from what i have read they can use there own creations like say a healing drink with out resonance but other people drinking them have to spend resonance

 

[Ancalagon]

The interview made it clear that alchemical items are not magical items so... I'm not sure if using alchemical items will use resonance. Making them in 3 second flat... yeah maybe that takes a bit of magical juice, but it doesn't necessarily mean that using them will require resonance. We'll see
[MENTION=6706]Adso[/MENTION] : I am very very intrigued by the updates to the alchemist design. It's a hard class to do well, and as far as I know Paizo, so far, has done it best. There are things that are hinted that, that I'm not sure I'm interpreting correctly, but the dropping of infusion for going all out in crafting alchemical concoctions... bold, very bold!

 

[Charlaquin]

The interview made it clear that alchemical items are not magical items so... I'm not sure if using alchemical items will use resonance. Making them in 3 second flat... yeah maybe that takes a bit of magical juice, but it doesn't necessarily mean that using them will require resonance. We'll see

We have seen. In the Glass Cannon podcast. One of the characters (I don't remember who) drank a healing elixir made by the Alchemist and had to spend resonance on it. That's also how we know Alchemists don't have to spend resonance on elixirs they made themselves. I am personally speculating that they will still need to spend resonance on them if they are made during downtime, as a way to balance the potential to make tons of them.

 

[Ancalagon]

We have seen. In the Glass Cannon podcast. One of the characters (I don't remember who) drank a healing elixir made by the Alchemist and had to spend resonance on it. That's also how we know Alchemists don't have to spend resonance on elixirs they made themselves. I am personally speculating that they will still need to spend resonance on them if they are made during downtime, as a way to balance the potential to make tons of them.

Thank you, that's a nice piece of the puzzle to have.

It's going to make for an interesting dynamic. A healing elixir (or a bomb maybe?) for an alchemist is both like a spell *or* like a consumable magical item. If you are making them on the fly, the alchemist's resonance is used. If they are made in advance, the *other* PC's resonance is used.

And what will be the cost of those "made in advance" alchemical items? Heck will made on the fly stuff have a cost too?