Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder Alchemist help

[Nykidemus]

I'm starting up an Alchemist in a Pathfinder game here in a week or so, and I'm curious if anyone has any advice. The mechanics are so... different from anything else I've played. I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I'm getting the general idea of a short range skirmisher type, using my Mutagen to buff Dex and throwing things at people? Going the Mutagen specialization route and getting huge buffs to all your physical stats is rather tempting, but you still only have Simple Weapon prof and 3/4 base attack, so even with a +8 to str it seems like it would make a fairly mediocre meleeist. The bombs are awesome, but the damage is fairly lacking compared to other dedicated ranged DPS classes. Some of the late game effects are really neat, like Cloudkill in a 20' radius whenver you bomb, but they dont crop up until lv 12+, and you have to dedicate all of your Discoveries to them. I havent looked around at many of the Pathfinder specific feats yet. Old standbyes like Far Shot seem solid, since the bombs have a meager 20' range, but you probably wont need point blank shot, as you're only rolling to hit the square that the target is in. What does one do for a backup roll when they're not throwing explosives? Some sort of thrown weapon seems like it would synergize best, as you have to keep your offhand free and thus reloading a crossbow gets in the way pretty bad. Alchemist - Pathfinder_OGC A link to the class, for those who would like to comment but are not familiar with the system.

 

[Darkthorne]

You have to remember if all you are targeting is a square then only the square gets the main damage, everything else gets splash damage which is good but not nearly enough to be effective.
Mutagen is pretty good for pulling off Dr Jeckell/Mr Hyde. Picking up feral mutagen with the ability to craft poisons like mad will be rather scary in combat. Master Chemyst has full BAB & brutality. Have a minimum of 15 str and you can pick up eldritch claws feat which is a nice feat. Also ANY splash weapon gets your int bonus to it, yes while you may only so many bombs at level 1, that doesn't mean you limited on splash weapons. Also you can take the extra discovery feat as well

 

[Nykidemus]

Where are those feats located? I'm working out of the pathfinder SRD, and I did not see them in a search of the database.

 

[tlantl]

These feats, and the class itself, are found in the advanced players guide

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Also ANY splash weapon gets your int bonus to it, yes while you may only so many bombs at level 1, that doesn't mean you limited on splash weapons.

I didn't realize this - can you point me to the source of this ruling? All I see is:
"On a direct hit, an alchemist’s bomb inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage + additional damage equal to the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier."

But I often miss little things like this.

 

[tlantl]

pg 28 of the agp

Throw Anything (Ex): All alchemists gain the Throw
Anything feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. An alchemist
adds his Intelligence modifier to damage done with splash
weapons, including the splash damage if any. This bonus
damage is already included in the bomb class feature.

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Thanks! That's just the sort of thing I sometimes miss . . .

 

[DogBackward]

Personally, I dipped into a level of Fighter for the armor and weapons. Went with a sort of Knight Alchemic idea: a classic armored knight, but with mystical alchemy backing up his natural brawn. It works surprisingly well, actually. I didn't do it, but you can go Chelaxian fairly easily; twisting your physical form to fight better, no matter the cost in the long run. Master Chymist fits well with the Chelaxian concept, as well.

 

[ruemere]

Personally, I dipped into a level of Fighter for the armor and weapons. Went with a sort of Knight Alchemic idea: a classic armored knight, but with mystical alchemy backing up his natural brawn. It works surprisingly well, actually. I didn't do it, but you can go Chelaxian fairly easily; twisting your physical form to fight better, no matter the cost in the long run. Master Chymist fits well with the Chelaxian concept, as well.

Could you share a few more details?

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[DogBackward]

Er... I didn't get to play him that long; online games tend to fizzle out fast, in my experience. He was a human Alchemist 2/Fighter 1. Grew up physically weak and a bit sickly, but lived on stories of brave knights and heroic champions of justice, and whatnot. So he worked out some alchemical supplements to make him strong enough to fight.

Basically, he used the Strength mutagen as often as possible, and focused on buffs and healing with his extracts. He left his bombs mostly for a backup/ranged option. He had the level of fighter to wear his knightly armor and wield his knightly weapons. I planned on working toward Master Chymist, his internalized resentment and jealousy toward the other, "naturally" strong knights and other warriors coming out in his alter-ego. But it never got that far...

If you want more mechanical stuff... I think he started out 14/14/14/14/12/8, with his human +2 going to Strength. He had Weapon Focus: Longsword, Shield Focus, and Toughness. He took the Infusion discovery, so he could let others use his Cure extracts.