Alchemists

[Fiery Justice]

Is there any way to do a effective alchemist in DnD?

[cupkeyk]

Do you mean you transmute stuff? As in a transmuter? LOLz.

There is a PRC that makes offensive potions, like a vial of maximized fireball. The name escapes me at the moment.

[Clementx]

Have your DM cut the price of alchemical items down to 1/10th their listed price. Then use epic alchemy enhancing to make them twice as big/damaging/long.

[Fiery Justice]

So, basically no then.

[cupkeyk]

Well, basically we don't know what you mean. Do you mean an alchemist in traditional sense: someone who is looking for he philosopher's stone? Or an anime alchemist who can draw energy from an alternate plane to create chemical and physical change in existing substances? Or the D&D alchemist who throws explosive vials of freezing sticky poisonous acid (LOLz)?

[Fiery Justice]

Philosopher's stone, "I screw with the laws of physics by quasi-science-magic" kind of thing.

[Jimp]

I've always wanted to try this character concept too but haven't been able to make it viable without spending all my gold on this and that.
There was an alchemist class in one of the 2E supplements though, but I'm not familar with it.

[Temp]

Philosopher's stone, "I screw with the laws of physics by quasi-science-magic" kind of thing. Quasi-Science-Magic, you say? The Artificer's probably your best bet... horribly powerful, but a good bet regardless...

[cupkeyk]

For "the screw with the fabrics of the universe through feverish research" feeling go archivist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3). With access to spells like ANYSPELL and GREATER ANYSPELL, you have access to EVERY SPELL from almost every class list, as long as you can find someone to scribe it for you.

You can go bring back the dead route. Transmute matter route. Heck you can go Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Moreau.

Archivists are just broken because they have access to cleric spells, arcane spells that appear in cleric domains, spells that only appear in cleric domains, ranger spells, paladin spells, AND if you can find a wizard with the feat Southern Magician from Races of Faerun, every imaginable wizard or sorceror spell.

Break the laws of reality? Yes, please.

All without the need to have a deity!

[Overlard]

Archivists are just broken because they have access to cleric spells, arcane spells that appear in cleric domains, spells that only appear in cleric domains, ranger spells, paladin spells, AND if you can find a wizard with the feat Southern Magician from Races of Faerun, every imaginable wizard or sorceror spell.
And druid spells. And blackguard spells. And shugenja spells.

[Leon]

Alchemist Savant PrC from Magic of Eberron and a smattering of feats from IKCG, aswell as some useful info in various No Quarters.

PP had a Alchemist Class in the works but the book that it was going to be in was put on hold due to the anouncement of 4th ed.

[Swooper]

If I wanted to play an alchemist type, I'd refluff an Artificer. It can't be hard, although I'm not all that familiar with said class.

[Emperor Demonking]

Couldn't you just try a wizard or sorcerer.

[Ilya]

Long time ago I DM'd a 1st ed campaign with experimental Alchemist class. Alchemist used d4 for hit points, wizard chart for attacks and most saves, cleric chart for save vs death/poison, had no armor restrictions, and could use any one-handed melee weapon. Main power was making and identifying potions, and at higher levels other "amorphous" magic items (pigments, ointments, etc.). The resulting character was not well suited for solo playing, but really augmented a party up to level 10 or so. Beyond that an Alchemist was just too weak compared to similar-level characters.

Starting stats required fairly high CON and DEX, and maximum WIS 15: very wise people do not make a career out of mixing toxic and explosive substances :smallsmile:

[Closet_Skeleton]

Magic of Faerun has an Alchermist Prc as well but it's an old 3.0 book.

Just playing a Wizard with Transumation specialisation can be a fine alchemist.

[Tengu]

I think that FMA alchemists are best represented by refluffed Shaper Psions. Classical ones are Artificers or just Wizards with correct feats.

[Somebloke]

Philosopher's stone, "I screw with the laws of physics by quasi-science-magic" kind of thing.There is a PC class at the WOTC site called the Alchemist, based on an anime (Full Metal Alchemist) where the wizards have similar powers. It actually looks to be decent- go over there and look it up. With a few minor adjustments for your campaign, it might fit.

I'm working on a similar class- I haven't posted it because of the sheer size (I practically had to invent twenty or so new Invocations). They aren't alchemists in your sense, though.

[Leon]

There is a PC class at the WOTC site called the Alchemist, based on an anime (Full Metal Alchemist) where the wizards have similar powers. It actually looks to be decent- go over there and look it up. With a few minor adjustments for your campaign, it might fit.

I'm working on a similar class- I haven't posted it because of the sheer size (I practically had to invent twenty or so new Invocations). They aren't alchemists in your sense, though.

The Actual Site or the Forums that are full of Hombrew?

[Somebloke]

The Actual Site or the Forums that are full of Hombrew?

Homebrew, I am afraid.

[Selv]

Huh, you know, I think that my conception of an alchemist is pretty much incompatible with D&D. When I think "Alchemist" I think of a dusty old man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studies) feverishly trying to fend off death and/or madness with rabbit's feet and mercury lotions.

If any of it actually works, the whole ambience is ruined.

[GolemsVoice]

Try the WoW sourcebooks. Since they are made to be like the game, the "tradeskills" play an important role (so far there is Enchanting and Alchemy). It also features many prestige classes that have a knack with potions, both "handbrewed", like a potion of admantite skin, and the those commonly known, like a potion of cure broken fingernails. I didn't try it yet, but it sound fun and educating.

[Telonius]

I'll put in another plug for re-fluffing Artificer. Rename the "Infusions" to "Alchemical preparations," and you're set. Some low-level infusions require a gp component, so you could (by fluff) say that you're purchasing essence of mercury, or similar nonsense. The artificer's deal is that he works with untyped magic (rename it "aqua vitae," "alkahest," "aether," or "axis mundi"). Your homunculus (a word which originally had an alchemical meaning) could be more golem-like.

[Aquillion]

Archivists are just broken because they have access to cleric spells, arcane spells that appear in cleric domains, spells that only appear in cleric domains, ranger spells, paladin spells, AND if you can find a wizard with the feat Southern Magician from Races of Faerun, every imaginable wizard or sorceror spell.Southern Magician doesn't work. Per RAW, the type of scrolls you scribe is fixed based on your class, as it says in the section on scrolls:

The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his or her class.)
The user must have the spell on his or her class list.

When you scribe spells from the spell list of one of your arcane classes, you will always scribe arcane scrolls, even if you have a limited ability to cast them as divine spells as well.

This is also why artificers scribe 'unaligned' scrolls that can't be learned by anyone; the type of scroll is determined by their class, and their class is neither arcane nor divine. This was clarified by errata, but previously, prior to this errata, there were simply no rules saying what kind of scrolls artificers produced at all. This is still the case with Warlocks.