Alchemist Archetypes
An alchemist who studies anatomy and uses this knowledge to heal is a chirurgeon. A chirurgeon has the following class features.
Infused Curative
At 2nd level, a chirurgeon's extracts of cure spells automatically act as infusions, and can be used by non-alchemists. When a chirurgeon prepares his extracts, he may choose to render any or all of his infused curatives inert and prepare other extracts to replace them (unlike infusions, which continue to occupy the alchemist's daily extract slots until consumed or used). This ability replaces poison use.
Anaesthetic
At 5th level, a chirurgeon learns how to supplement uses of the Heal skill with pain-killing drugs. He gains Skill Focus (Heal) as a bonus feat. Any use of the Heal skill that has a risk of harming the patient (such as extracting a barb) only deals the minimum damage when performed by a chirurgeon. This ability replaces poison resistance +4.
Power Over Death
At 10th level, a chirurgeon adds breath of life to his formula book as a 4th-level extract. His infused curative ability applies to this extract. This ability replaces poison immunity.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the chirurgeon archetype: elixir of life, healing touch*, infusion, and spontaneous healing*.
Clone masters practice duplicating existing creatures in order to better understand how to create new life. A clone master has the following class features.
Bomb
A clone master's bombs deal damage one die step lower than normal (regular bombs deal d4s, concussive bombs deal 1d3s, and so on). This otherwise functions as and replaces the standard alchemist bomb class feature.
Lesser Simulacrum
At 7th level, a clone master adds lesser simulacrum to his formula book as a 3rd-level extract.
At 8th level, a clone master can prepare a clone of himself that awakens if he is slain. Creating the clone costs 5,000 gp, takes 1 week of work, and requires 3 additional weeks for the clone to grow to maturity. If he dies, the clone awakens as if the alchemist had used the clone spell on himself. He can have one inert of himself at a time. Unused clones created by a clone master do not rot. This ability replaces poison resistance +6 and poison immunity.
At 13th level, a clone master adds simulacrum to his formula book as a 5th-level extract.
At 16th level, a clone master adds clone to his formula book as a 6th-level extract.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the clone master archetype: alchemical simulacrum*, doppelganger simulacrum*, preserve organs*, and parasitic twin*.
An internal alchemist studies medicine, diet, and the living body to purify the self in the hope of gaining immortality by means of alchemical concoctions and controlling vital energy. Internal alchemists develop unusual physical abilities from heightened knowledge of how their bodies work. An internal alchemist has the following class features.
Breath Mastery
At 1st level, the internal alchemist can control his breath and the flow of vital energy within his body. Without preparation, he can hold his breath for a number of minutes equal to his Constitution score (after this, he must begin making Constitution checks or risk suffocation); by spending a full-round action preparing himself, he can increase this duration to 1 hour per point of Constitution. The alchemist can survive twice as long as normal without food or water before he starts to take penalties. He can put himself into a state of suspended animation as a move action, and is then unconscious and appears completely dead; he awakens at a preset time or in response to a condition set by him when he enters this state. This ability replaces Throw Anything.
An internal alchemist can select Alertness, Extra Ki, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (unarmed strike), Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Lighting Reflexes, Stunning Fist, or Weapon Focus (unarmed strike) in place of an alchemical discovery.
Disease Resistance
At 3rd level, an internal alchemist gains a bonus on all saving throws against disease equal to his alchemist class bonus against poison. When he gains the poison immunity alchemist class ability, he becomes immune to disease as well. This ability replaces swift alchemy.
Starting at 6th level, an internal alchemist can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does he lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if he is immobilized, or if an opponent successfully uses the feint action (see Bluff) against him. If the internal alchemist already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (as a rogue) instead. This ability replaces swift poisoning.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the internal alchemist archetype: cognatogen*, elixir of life, grand cognatogen*, greater cognatogen*, lingering spirit*, mummification*, and spontaneous healing*.
While most alchemists use mutagens to boost their physical ability at the cost of mental ability, some use alchemy for the opposite purpose—to boost the power of the mind and memory. A mindchemist can reach incredible levels of mental acuity, but suffers lingering debilitating effects to his physique. A mindchemist has the following class features.
At 1st level, a mindchemist learns how to create a cognatogen, as per the cognatogen discovery. This ability replaces the mutagen class ability (a mindchemist cannot create mutagens unless he selects mutagen* as a discovery).
Perfect Recall
At 2nd level, a mindchemist has honed his memory. When making a Knowledge check, he may add his Intelligence bonus on the check a second time. Thus, a mindchemist with 5 ranks in Knowledge (history) and a +2 Intelligence bonus has a total skill bonus of +9 (5 + 2 + 2) using this ability. The mindchemist can also use this ability when making an Intelligence check to remember something. This ability replaces poison use.
A mindchemist may select Skill Focus (Disable Device, Disguise, Heal, any Knowledge skill, Sense Motive, or Spellcraft) in place of a discovery.
A mindchemist may learn three languages in place of a discovery.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the mindchemist archetype: grand cognatogen*, greater cognatogen*, infuse mutagen.
Some alchemists are obsessed with collecting and preserving exotic creatures. These preservationists may use bottled animals and monsters as teaching tools, but some learn how to reanimate them for short periods to battle on the alchemist's behalf. A preservationist has the following class features.
Bottled Ally I
At 2nd level, a preservationist adds Handle Animal to his list of class skills. He adds summon nature's ally I to his formula book as a 1st-level extract. When he prepares that extract, he actually prepares a tiny, preserved specimen in a bottle (as with a caster casting the spell, the preservationist doesn't have to choose the creature until he uses the extract). When the alchemist opens the bottle, the specimen animates and grows to normal size, serving the preservationist as per the spell and otherwise being treated as a summoned creature. When the duration expires, the preserved creature decays into powder. If the preservationist has the infusion discovery, another character can use the infused specimen. The Augment Summoning feat can be applied to these specimens. This ability replaces poison use.
Bottled Ally II
At 5th level, a preservationist adds summon nature's ally II to his formula book as a 2nd-level extract. This ability replaces poison resistance +4.
Bottled Ally III
At 8th level, a preservationist adds summon nature's ally IV to his formula book as a 3rd-level extract. This ability replaces poison resistance +6.
Bottled Ally IV
At 10th level, a preservationist adds summon nature's ally V to his formula book as a 4th-level extract. This ability replaces poison immunity.
Bottled Ally V
At 14th level, a preservationist adds summon nature's ally VII to his formula book as a 5th-level extract. This ability replaces persistent mutagen.
Bottled Ally VI
At 18 level, a preservationist adds summon nature's ally IX to his formula book as a 6th-level extract. This ability replaces his 18th-level discovery.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the preservationist archetype: bottled ooze*, preserve organs*, tentacle*, vestigial arm*, and wings*.
A psychonaut uses his knowledge to explore altered states of consciousness and even other planes of existence. A psychonaut has the following class features.
Bomb
A psychonaut's bombs deal damage one die step lower than normal (regular bombs deal d4s, concussive bombs deal 1d3s, and so on). This ability otherwise functions as and replaces the standard alchemist bomb class feature.
Precognition
At 5th level, a psychonaut adds augury to his formula book as a 2nd-level extract (this extract does not require a divine focus component). This replaces poison resistance +4.
Psychic Senses
At 8th level, a psychonaut adds clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect scrying, scrying, and speak with dead to his formula book as 3rd-level extracts (a scrying extract does not require a focus or divine focus component). When a psychonaut uses a speak with dead extract, he gains the power to hear the lingering spirit within a corpse rather than enabling the corpse to audibly speak, but the extract otherwise works as the spell. This ability replaces poison resistance +6.
Remote Consciousness
At 10th level, a psychonaut adds dream, lesser astral projection, nightmare, plane shift, sending, and telepathic bond to his formula book as 4th-level extracts (a plane shift extract does not require a focus component). This ability replaces poison immunity.
Greater Precognition
At 15th level, a psychonaut adds moment of prescience to his formula book as a 5th-level extract. This ability replaces the increase to bomb damage at this level.
Master Precognition
At 17th level, a psychonaut adds foresight to his formula book as a 6th-level extract. This ability replaces the increase to bomb damage at this level.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the psychonaut archetype: confusion bomb*, eternal potion, extend potion, lingering spirit*, and madness bomb.
A reanimator is an alchemist who has discovered how to infuse a corpse with a semblance of life. Many work in tandem with necromancers to explore the fine border between the worlds of the living and the dead. A reanimator has the following class features.
Bomb
A reanimator's bombs deal damage one die step lower than normal (regular bombs deal d4s, concussive bombs deal 1d3s, and so on). This ability otherwise functions as and replaces the standard alchemist bomb class feature.
Simple Reanimation
At 7th level, a reanimator adds lesser animate dead* to his formula book as a 3rd-level extract. When he uses that extract, rather than drinking it, he injects it into the corpse he intends to animate, which rises as an undead creature under his control 1 hour later. The extract can only create zombies (including variant zombies). This ability replaces the increase to bomb damage at this level.
At 13th level, a reanimator adds create undead to his formula book as a 4th-level extract. When he uses that extract, rather than drinking it, he injects it into the corpse he intends to animate, which rises as an uncontrolled undead 1 hour later. The extract can only create corporeal undead. This ability replaces the increase to bomb damage at this level.
At 15th level, a reanimator adds create greater undead to his formula book as a 5th-level extract. This otherwise acts similarly to a create undead extract. This ability replaces the increase to bomb damage at this level.
Discoveries
The following discoveries complement the reanimator archetype: alchemical zombie*, elixir of life, eternal potion, mummification*, and preserve organs*.
A vivisectionist studies bodies to better understand their function. Unlike a chirurgeon, a vivisectionist's goals are not related to healing, but rather to experimentation and knowledge that most people would consider evil. A vivisectionist has the following class features.
At 1st level, a vivisectionist gains the sneak attack ability as a rogue of the same level. If a character already has sneak attack from another class, the levels from the classes that grant sneak attack stack to determine the effective rogue level for the sneak attack's extra damage dice (so an alchemist 1/rogue 1 has a +1d6 sneak attack like a 2nd-level rogue, an alchemist 2/rogue 1 has a +2d6 sneak attack like a 3rd-level rogue, and so on). This ability replaces bomb.
Torturer's Eye
At 2nd level, a vivisectionist adds deathwatch to his formula book as a 1st-level extract.
At 3rd level, a vivisectionist may use his Knowledge (nature) skill bonus in place of his Heal skill bonus.