Wizard Wars/Classes/Alchemist

Originally from the Malleus Sigmar campaign website

Alchemists take a practical approach to magic; by working with and refining base materials, they can concentrate the magical elements enough to cast spells. They do this without actually channeling the power through themselves, through a process akin to science.

Adventures: Most alchemists want to earn their keep by keeping shop in cities, creating and identifying magical items. Their lore is found through research and experimentation rather than dug up in old tombs. But many find themselves displaced by disgruntled masters, war, monsters, public outrage from failed experiments or simply because there is an over-establishment of alchemists in the area. Others choose the adventuring life for a cause, or to strike it rich. And once set on the path of adventure, most find it rewarding. Characteristics: Alchemists work their magic through powders, potions and sleight-of-hand. They take mundane substances and refine magical elements out of them. Starting out with normal materials like spring water, ash, a breeze, or fermented dung and refining them through processes like dissolution, distillation, fermentation, and condensation. This is a part of the everyday spell preparation of the alchemist. Every alchemist must be able to survive the rigors and fumes of the lab and convince a skeptical customer on occasion, so they become an unusually practical breed of arcane spellcasters. But all alchemists dream of one day working with gold and precious metals, and alchemical spell research and item creation involves exotic experiments with expensive materials. The ultimate goal of many alchemists is still the permanent transmutation of base metals into gold. An alchemist masters all forms of elemental magic, and the magic of change and substance. They can create, transform, and manipulate the elements and their manifestations in physical objects and creatures. They can boost or stymie the abilities of other creatures. They are masters of potions, and very talented in the use and creation of all sorts of magical items. They can heal almost as well as clerics, and even create life. But they lack affinity for pure energies, such as those manifested in force, extra-dimensional or teleport spells. Most enhancements and necromancy is also beyond their ken, as are illusions that do more than change the appearance of a single target. They are masters at locating and analyzing objects and magic, but otherwise poor at divination. Any new spells developed for other classes that deal with the alchemist's areas of competence would most likely be useable by alchemists as well. The DM will have to decide this on a case-by-case basis, comparing the new spell to those already on the alchemist spell list. Alignment: Alchemy is akin to science, and the rigorous discipline needed promotes lawfulness. An alchemist that turns to chaos will find it difficult to be accepted in the ordered guild structure, and the guild may try to censure or even persecute her, but she can still progress in the class and continue to use her class abilities. In fact, the most powerful alchemists are often chaotic eccentrics.

Religion: Alchemists rarely follow any gods, in their belief any intelligent creature can manipulate reality just as well as a god. Those that do worship gods tend to choose gods of magic and learning. Others devote themselves to inhuman elemental gods. Imperial alchemists worship Sigmar or Arkyn.

Background: Alchemy is a learned science, and most alchemists are trained at guilds and universities. Some grow up under the tutelage of a mentor. A few were sponsored by ambitious guardians, but many alchemists are unable to get such privileged students, and pick up some intelligent stray they encounter to be their handyman and later their apprentice. Almost all alchemists are members of guilds that tightly regulate the craft, teach spells, set the price of magic items and services, and regulate the number of practicing alchemists in each area. A common reason for young alchemists to adventure is that there is no opening for them to set up shop in their home town.

Races: Elves dislike alchemy, seeing it as a base and simplified. Dwarfs like it; it fits their mentality much better than regular arcane magic. Gnomes make particularly fine alchemists because of their keen sense of smell and inquisitive minds. Many humans and halflings find alchemy a practical tool, more worldly and less demanding than wizardry. Half-orcs rarely have the intelligence to become alchemists, and alchemists are completely unknown among the savage humanoids, but ancient and intelligent races like the Yuan-Ti and Mind Flayers sometimes master the alchemical arts.

Other Classes: Alchemists rarely work alone. Their magic works best in support of other classes, whether sneaky rogues or mighty barbarians. They can work with other spellcasters, but many prefer not to; the alchemist considers her versatile collection of spells superior to that of other spellcasters, both divine and arcane.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Alchemists have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Intelligence determines how many spells an alchemist can cast, how powerful spells she can cast, and how hard those spells are to resist. To cast a spell, an alchemist must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell's level. In addition, an alchemist receives bonus spells based on Intelligence. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against an alchemist's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the alchemists Intelligence modifier. A good constitution helps an alchemist cast her spells under adverse conditions and give extra hit points, while a high Dexterity makes her guns and touch attack spells more accurate, and provide a better armor class to make up for the alchemist's lack of armor.

Alignment: Any.

Class Skills
The Alchemist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy (Int), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha, restricted skill). See Chapter 4: Skills in Core Rulebook I for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at First Level: (10 + Int modifier) x4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 10 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the alchemist.

Hit Die: d6

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Alchemists are proficient with all simple weapons, but not with armor or shields. In a world with gunpowder weapons, the alchemist is proficient in these as well. Note that the standard armor check penalties to skills apply. Like other arcane spellcasters, alchemists risk spell failure when casting spells with somatic components in armor.

Spells: An alchemist casts arcane spells. She is limited to a certain number of spells of each spell level per day, according to her class level. An alchemist must prepare spells ahead of time by getting a good night's sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook and using an alchemist's kit. While studying, the alchemist decides which spells to prepare. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, an alchemist must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell's level. An alchemist's bonus spells are based on Intelligence. The Difficulty Class for saving throws against alchemist spells is 10 + the spell's level + the alchemist's Intelligence modifier.

All alchemist spells lack verbal components, as if cast using the Silent Spell feat, but always require material components. There is no way for an alchemist to get around the material component requirement, feats, magics or other special abilities notwithstanding. These extra materials are made out of base elements by the alchemist herself, and does not cost any money, but an alchemist cannot prepare her spells unless she has access to an alchemist's kit. The alchemist must use any normal material components in addition to the extra alchemical materials.

Spellbooks: Alchemists must study their spellbooks each day to prepare their spells. An alchemist cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook (except for read magic, which all alchemists can prepare from memory). Alchemists can learn the Spell Mastery feat and use it just like wizards do.

Free spells: An alchemist starts out knowing all level 0 spells and one spell of level 1. Each level after the first, she gains two free spells that she learns as a part of her ongoing studies. These spells must be picked from the alchemist list of spells and be of a level she can cast at her new level. An alchemist can learn further spells from research, scrolls, captured spell books and by trading with other spellcasters.

Brew potion: At 1st level, an alchemist learns the Brew Potion feat. Ignore the normal level requirements for this feat.

Produce chemicals: The alchemist learns to produce alchemical concoctions at a much greater rate than normal. Production rate is in gold pieces, rather than silver pieces. See the craft and alchemy skill descriptions for more on this.

Item creation feat: The alchemist learns one item creation feat that she otherwise qualifies for.

Potion batch: The alchemist can create simple potions with great facility. Each time she creates a potion with a caster level less than half her class level, she will actually create a batch of potions. Make an Alchemy roll and divide the result by five (rounding all fractions down, as usual), the result is the number of potions created. Cost in money and experience points is the same as for a single potion.

Greater Potion: As she advances in level, the alchemist learns to make potions out of higher-level spells, starting with fourth-level spells and gaining the ability to create potions of spells up to sixth level

Alchemist Spell List
Alchemists choose their spells from the following list:

0-level: Arcane mark, Create water, Cure minor wounds, Dancing lights, Detect magic, Detect poison, Flare, Light, Magic stone, Mending, Purify food and drink, Ray of frost, Read magic, Resistance, Repair Light Damage.

1st level: Barkskin, Burning hands, Cause fear, Change self, Charm Person, Comprehend languages, Cure light wounds, Detect secret doors, Endure elements, Enlarge, Expeditious retreat, Feather fall, Grease, Identify, Jump, Lesser acid orb, Lesser cold orb, Lesser electric orb, Lesser fire orb, Magic weapon, Nystrul's magic aura, Nystrul's undetectable aura, Obscuring mist, Produce flame, Ray of enfeeblement, Reduce, Repair moderate damage, Shocking grasp, Sleep, Spider climb, Whispering Wind

2nd level: Alter self, Arcane lock, Blindness/ deafness, Bull's strength, Cat's grace, Cure moderate wounds, Darkvision, Daylight, Delay poison, Detect thoughts, Eagle's Splendor, Endurance, Filter, Flaming sphere, Fog cloud, Fox's Cunning, Glitterdust, Ice Knife, Invisibility, Knock, Lesser restoration, Levitiate, Melf's acid arrow, Misdirection, Owl's Wisdom, Pyrotechnics, Repair serious damage, Resist elements, Scare, See invisibility, Web

3rd level: Cure serious wounds, Dispel magic, Fireball, Fire trap, Flame arrow, Fly, Gaseous form, Gentle repose, Greater magic weapon, Gust of wind, Haste, Hold person, Ice burst, Keen edge, Lightning bolt, Magic vestment, Meld into stone, Neutralize poison, Nondetection, Poison, Protection from elements, Remove blindness/ deafness, Remove disease, Remove paralysis, Shrink item, Sleet storm, Slow, Stinking cloud, Water breathing

4th level: Acid Orb, Animate object, Analyze dweomer, Arcane eye, Bestow curse, Charm monster, Cold Orb, Contagion, Control water, Electric Orb, Fire shield, Fire Orb, Ice storm, Improved invisibility, Mass Darkvision, Mass resist elements, Minor creation, Polymorph other, Polymorph self, Remove curse, Remove paralysis, Repair critical damage, Solid fog, Wall of fire, Wall of ice

5th level: Animal growth, Cludkill, Cone of cold, Dimensional anchor, Disintegrate, Energy immunity, Fabricate, Flesh to stone, Major creation, Mass Fly, Mass haste, Passwall, Permanency, Stone shape, Stone to flesh, Stoneskin, Transmute mud to rock, Transmute rock to mud, Wall of iron, Wall of stone

6th level: Acid fog, Animate dead, Antimagic field, Chain lightning, Clone, Control weather, Delayed blast fireball, Fire Storm, Greater dispelling, Heroe's Feast, Incendiary cloud, Iron body, Move earth, Otiluke's freezing sphere, Polymorph any object, Statue, Tenser's transformation, True seeing, Wind walk

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