Alchemists work from dingy labs hidden away from local authorities. They and their associates smuggle rare ingredients to create potions, which they then smuggle out to the clients that need them. To feel good. To be stronger. To be invisible. To see things.
Who deals with alchemists? Adventurers. Adventurers need the potions that alchemists have to offer. And they'll do what they have to in order to get them. After all, adventurers already live outside the law. Robbers, thugs, dealers in stolen antiquities. Do you think they care whether potions are legal?
They do not.
Maybe all alchemy is illegal. It is dangerous, it is occult, and it gives people access to power that ruling elites don't want them to have. It takes years of study to master arcane magic, years of prayer and devotion to be granted powers by the gods. But anyone can drink a potion. Anyone can become a threat with alchemists around.
Or maybe there's a guild for potions and other controlled substances, a guild operating with the charter of the ruling elites, and the guild decides what can be sold and what can't. And the guild controls who can get a prescription to a potion, and who can't. All according to the charter. If you work outside the guild, you work outside the law.
In the Rainy City, there is a guild, and the guild controls and licenses alchemy. If you work outside the guild, you are a threat to the guild. There is no law to protect you from the guild. So don't get caught.
In the North, all alchemy is illegal. It is occult, and it is foreign. Alchemy and southern magic are not welcome here. Some say it is needed for the war effort, but mankind is not yet that desperate.
In Pathfinder, the alchemist class is dangerous for another reason. Alchemists of Pathfinder are bomb makers. Do you trust them? Living in your community?
Finally, here is an Outlaw Alchemist for ACKS (pdf version). This is built on Fighting 1b and Thievery 3. The class wears armor and fights as a thief, has bargain, silent movement, hide in shadows, and hear noise, and has the ability to craft potions and create a homunculus. At 9th level, the alchemist gets a hideout and followers that can engage in hijinks. This class can be used instead of the scholarly alchemist I posted last week, or it can be used alongside it, with the scholarly alchemist functioning as a guild alchemist and the outlaw alchemist filling the role of illegal purveyor of potions.
Outlaw Alchemist
Prime Requisite: INT
Requirements: None
Hit Dice: 1d4
Maximum Level: 14
Alchemists sell pleasure, power, and life itself in a bottle.
Do you want to be stronger? You can be. Do you want to slip into your enemy’s
house unseen? It is possible. Do you want to control the minds of those around you?
That too can be had, for a price. Alchemy is illegal, but that does not stop
people from needing it. And where there is need, the alchemist is there to sate
it.
At first level, alchemists hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with
an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws by two
points every four levels of experience (i.e., as thieves). Because of their
need of stealth and free movement, alchemists cannot wear armor heavier than
leather, and they cannot use shields. They may use any missile weapons and any
one-handed melee weapons, and may wield a weapon in each hand if desired.
Alchemy is business,
and a good alchemist knows his business. The alchemist gets the best
deals available for potions, goods, services, and information. Any items the
character purchases costs 10% less than the listed price and any items he sells
go for 10% more than the listed price. This functions as the Bargaining
proficiency. If both the buyer and seller have the Bargaining proficiency, the
opposed Bargainers should make reaction rolls. Whichever character scores the
higher result gets the discount. The alchemist may take the Bargaining
proficiency multiple times as noted in the Proficiencies chapter of
ACKS.
Alchemists have the ability
to move silently, hide in shadows, and hear noise as a
thief of their level. When an alchemist attempts to make use of one of his
skills, the character or Judge will make a proficiency throw of 1d20. (Usually
the Judge will make rolls for these abilities, because an alchemist is not
always aware when he has failed.) After applying any relevant modifiers (e.g.
due to the complexity of a task), the result is compared to the target value listed
on the Thief Skills table on p. 23 of the ACKS rulebook. A result that is
greater than or equal to the value listed for the proficiency throw that
corresponds to the alchemist’s level is a success. A roll of 20 is always a
success, and a roll of 1 is always a failure.
Moving Silently: Alchemists may move with total silence. When
successful, even keen eared guards will not hear the movements of an alchemist.
However, the alchemist always thinks he is successful in this skill, and will
not know otherwise unless and until others react to his presence. Alchemists
may move silently at ½ their standard combat movement rate without penalty. If
they move greater than ½ speed, they take a -5 penalty to the proficiency
throw. If they run, they take a -10 penalty.
Hiding in Shadows: An alchemist may attempt to skulk unseen in the cover of darkness. An
alchemist will always think he is successful in this skill, and will not know
otherwise until others react to his presence. An alchemist will remain hidden
so long as he stays motionless. If he moves, he must make a new proficiency
throw to hide.
Hearing Noises:
Alchemists can attempt to listen for noises in a cave or hallway and at a door
or other locations. The alchemist must be quiet and in a quiet environment.
At 5th level,
an alchemist develops true mastery of potioncraft. At this point, he may
brew potions as a mage of his level.
Beginning at 6th
level, an alchemist can create a homunculus, a fully-formed miniature
version of himself. Some homunculi perfectly match the appearance of their
creator, while others are malformed in some way. The homunculus will be of the
same alignment as the alchemist. The homunculus always has a number of Hit Dice
and maximum hit points equal to ½ its creator’s own; Intelligence equal to its creator’s
Intelligence; and a number of general and class proficiencies equal to its creator,
selected from the alchemist’s class list. The homunculus can always understand
any languages spoken by its creator, and the alchemist will be able to
understand the homunculus’s mumbling and burbling, though no one else will
without resorting to a spell such as Tongues. The homunculus may learn
to articulate one of the languages it already understands by selecting the Language
proficiency. The homunculus is utterly loyal to its master and will watch over
his lab, perform services, act as an alchemist’s assistant (if he has the
appropriate proficiencies), and generally obey his commands. While the
homunculus is within 30', the character receives +1 on saving throws, but if
the homunculus is ever killed, the character must save versus Death or
instantly take damage equal to the homunculus’s maximum total hit points. A
character cannot create a new homunculus if it is slain until he has gained a
level of experience.
When an alchemist attains
9th level, he can establish a hideout, and 2d6 alchemist apprentices of
1st level will come to work with the character. If hired, they must be paid
standard rates for ruffians. A successful character might use these followers
to start an Alchemist’s Guild. Rules for hideouts are detailed in the Campaign
chapter of ACKS.
Alchemist Level Progression
|
||||
Experience
|
Level
|
Title
|
Hit Dice
|
Special Abilities
|
0
|
1
|
Analyst
|
1d4
|
Alchemy,
Healing, Bargaining, Move Silently, Hear Noise, Hide in Shadows
|
1,250
|
2
|
Pharmacologist
|
2d4
|
|
2,500
|
3
|
Apothecary
|
3d4
|
|
5,000
|
4
|
Chemist
|
4d4
|
|
10,000
|
5
|
Distiller
|
5d4
|
Potioncraft
|
20,000
|
6
|
Sublimator
|
6d4
|
Craft
homunculus
|
40,000
|
7
|
Conjunctionist
|
7d4
|
|
80,000
|
8
|
Alchemist
|
8d4
|
|
180,000
|
9
|
Master
Alchemist
|
9d4
|
Hideout
|
280,000
|
10
|
Master
Alchemist , 10th level
|
9d4+1*
|
|
380,000
|
11
|
Master
Alchemist , 11th level
|
9d4+2*
|
|
480,000
|
12
|
Master
Alchemist , 12th level
|
9d4+3*
|
|
580,000
|
13
|
Master
Alchemist , 13th level
|
9d4+4*
|
|
680,000
|
14
|
Philosopher
|
9d4+5*
|
|
*Hit point modifiers
from constitution are ignored
Alchemists are restricted to magic items usable by thieves.
Alchemist Proficiency
List: Alchemy, Alertness, Ambushing, Arcane Dabbling, Bargaining, Climbing,
Command, Craft, Diplomacy, Healing, Intimidation, Knowledge, Language,
Leadership, Lip Reading, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Mystic Aura, Profession,
Riding, Running, Signaling, Skirmishing, Skulking, Sniping, Swashbuckling,
Weapon Finesse, Wakefulness
Template:
|
Corner
Alchemist
|
Proficiencies:
|
Bargaining (II),
Running
|
Starting Equipment:
|
longsword, dagger, leather cuirass, worn cloak, leather belt, high boots, backpack, quill and ink,
satchel of herbs and powders (including 1 lb each of belladonna, birthwort, comfrey, goldenrod, wolfsbane, and woundwort), book
of alchemical recipes, 1 week’s iron rations, 25 gp
|
Corner Alchemist
Template: This pre-generated template represents an urban street corner
alchemist. The Template is ready for adventure. However, if your alchemist’s
INT is 13 or greater, you may pick one or more additional general proficiencies
before play if you’d like (see Starting
Proficiencies in Chapter 4 of ACKS).
Alchemist Attack
and Saving Throws
|
||||||
Level
|
Petrification & Paralysis
|
Poison & Death
|
Blast & Breath
|
Staffs & Wands
|
Spells
|
Attack Throws
|
1-2
|
13+
|
13+
|
16+
|
14+
|
15+
|
10+
|
3-4
|
12+
|
12+
|
15+
|
13+
|
14+
|
9+
|
5-6
|
11+
|
11+
|
14+
|
12+
|
13+
|
8+
|
7-8
|
10+
|
10+
|
13+
|
11+
|
12+
|
7+
|
9-10
|
9+
|
9+
|
12+
|
10+
|
11+
|
6+
|
11-12
|
8+
|
8+
|
11+
|
9+
|
10+
|
5+
|
13-14
|
7+
|
7+
|
10+
|
8+
|
9+
|
4+
|
Yeah, an alchemist in a group for D&D can be dangerous- your own party attacks you, you get yelled at for doing your job (like splash damage ever killed anyone) and you get trapped in dungeons. But when anyone wants a cure this, or a potion of that who do they come crawling to? Make up your minds people! By the way, will someone come rescue me already, I hate being kept in the dark.
ReplyDelete-Demma