Alchemist

The Fabric of the World

Understanding, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction -- these are the three pillars of the Alchemical perspective.

Where other magic-users require components and incantations, Alchemists only require understanding and energy to reshape their world. The path to alchemical study is paved with rigorous study and frequent experimentation, all in an attempt to grasp and manipulate the world around them.

Alchemists take pride in their intelligence and keen wits above all else, and many are science savants or revered sages who have spent lifetimes researching the world. Mistaking an Alchemist for a feeble scholar would be a deadly mistake, however, as the the only thing Alchemists enjoy more than studying Alchemy is applying it.

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All is One

For Alchemists, understanding how the base elements interact and intermingle is the path to true enlightenment. They understand that at the smallest scale, all is one and one is all. To an Alchemist, what may seem like drastic differences are really only minor distinctions in the grand scheme of nature.

Because of this, Alchemists often posses insight capable of cutting across cultural trappings and conventional thought, making them keen negotiators and devestating tactitians. They rarely place stock in the customs, religions, and opinions of others, preferring to draw their own conclusions about the world -- which often means overlooking the wisdom of tradition.

Alchemists are versitile, and can be found in many walks of life ranging from city building and construction to the front lines of a raging war. In general, they find fullfilment anywhere they can fully apply their abilities; and the less oversight, the better.

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Class Features

As an alchemist, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d8 per alchemist level
• Hit points at 1st level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier

Proficiencies

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• Armor: Light
• Weapons: Simple Weapons
• Tools: Choose two from

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• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose two from History, Insight, Nature, Arcana, Medicine, Investigation

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to equipment granted by your background:

• A piece of chalk
• A research notebook
• (a) scholar's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack

Alchemy

As a student of alchemy, you have begun to experiment with Alchemical Transmutations, using magical energy, understanding, and a pinch of intuition to reshape the world around you. You can perform transmutations using complex arcane Sigils -- formulae that deconstruct and reconstruct matter.

These Sigils can be drawn with chalk, scraped into sand with a stick, or even etched into stone or iron.

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See Alchemy Casting for the specific rules of Spellcasting with Alchemy.

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Alchemical Casting

As an alchemist, you are able to apply your knowledge of nature, matter, and the inner workings of the universe to reshape and influence the world around you using spells.

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See the Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and Alchemy Spells for the alchemist spell lists.

Cantrips

You know three cantrips of your choice from the base alchemy spell list. You learn additional cantrips at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Alchemist table.

Spell Slots

The Alchemist table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your slots are the same level. To cast an alchemist spell of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots at the end of a short or long rest.

Spells Known

At 1st level, you know three 1st-level spells of your choices from the alchemist spell list. The Spells Known column of the Alchemist table shows when you learn more alchemy spells of your choice of 1st level or higher. A spell you choose to learn must be no higher than the Slot Level shown in the table for your level.

Additionally, when you gain a level, you may replace some of your know spells for other spells in the alchemist spell list. You may do this for a number of spells equal to half your alchemist level, rounded down, and the new spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your alchemist spells, as inscribing alchemical Sigils requires a deep academic understanding of the natural world.

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You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an alchemist spell you cast and when making an attach roll with one.

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Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

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Spell Attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Alchemy Casting

As an alchemist, you are able to apply your knowledge of nature, matter, and the inner workings of the universe to reshape and influence the world around you using spells. When casting spells of 1st level or higher, Alchemists use Sigils to focus their spellcasting.

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See the Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and Alchemy Spells for the alchemist spell list.

Alchemy casting follows the normal Spells Rules, with the following exceptions:

• Rather than using an arcane focus or components, Alchemists inscribe Sigils on surfaces and cast their spells using these Sigils. Spells cast using Sigils require no Verbal or Somatic components, but do require solid or liquid physical matter equal to the amount of solid or liquid matter produced or manipulated in a given spell. *This does not apply for Elemental or Medical Alchemy Spells
• Sigils take one bonus action to inscribe and are activated by taking the Activate Sigil action. Spells originate from their inscribed sigils, and the Alchemist must be within five feet of a sigil to activate it.
• A Sigil can be activated at any point after its inscription, provided it is intact; a Sigil may only be activated once, and is destroyed on activation.
• If a spell has the Concentration tag, Alchemists must maintain their position near their Sigil to maintain concentration.

Optional Rule: Quick-use Sigils

Alchemists fully immerse themselves in their work, often modifying their own bodies or equipment with simple sigils for rapid casting. This rule allows for that extra bit of flavor, and an additional tactical option.

Choose one cantrip from your spell list. You inscribe a simple Sigil to make the casting of the cantrip especially rapid.

You may cast this cantrip as a bonus action on your turn.

Transmutation

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Destroying and rearranging physical matter is a hallmark skill for an alchemist, and one you have mastered. You automatically learn the Mending cantrip.

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At 10th level, you also learn Fabricate, which can be cast as if it where a Ritual spell, following the rules for Ritual casting and Alchemy casting.

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These spells are still cast using the Alchemy Spellcasting rules.

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Remote Transmutation

At 18th level, your knowledge of Alchemy allows you to remotely activate sigils. You may activate Sigils from a distance of thirty feet, rather than five.

Ability Score Improvement

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When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

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Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Alchemist Path

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When you reach 3rd level, you choose a focus of Alchemical study that suits your interest, needs and ambitions from the following:

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• Martial Alchemy
• Medical Alchemy
• Elemental Alchemy

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Perfect Analysis

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When you reach 20th level as an alchemist, you fully grasp the mechanics of the natural world, and can manipulate them artfully.

You gain proficiency in all tools for the purpose of the Fabrication spell.

In addition, you can attempt to intuit specific information about the structure, composition, and abilities of creatures and objects.

As an action, you may choose to make an Intelligence check to analyze a creature or object. The DC of this check is based on the creature's Challenge Rating (if it is a creature), or is determined by the Dungeon Master (if it is an object).

On success, you may choose to learn two of the following pieces of information about your target:

• Its exact hit points, current and maximum
• Its exact armor class, and the nature of its armor (natural, plate, etc.)
• Two of its Ability Modifiers
• Its immunities, resistences, and vulnerabilities
• The exact nature of one of its abilities or attacks that you have witnessed
• Any structural weaknesses (object only)
• Its phyisical makeup (object only)
• Complete understanding of its internal mechanisms (object only)

Alchemist Paths

Martial Alchemy

Martial Alchemists are born improvisors and clever fighters, using their wits and physical skill in tandem to confound foes.

In combat, a Martial Alchemist may transmute a deadly warhammer from the very ground beneath them to smash a nearby foe, only to convert it into a crossbow seconds later to pick off a fleeing enemy.

Martial Training

When you focus on Martial Alchemy at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and shields, along with two melee weapons and one ranged weapon of your choice.

Cunning Combatant

Starting at 3rd level, you can convert and transmute weapons that you are proficient in on the fly.

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As an action, you can inscribe and activate a special Sigil to create a weapon or shield, or convert your weapon into an alternate weapon or shield. You must have proficiency with a weapon to manipulate or create it using this feature.

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If you choose to create or alter a weapon, you may use your bonus action on the same turn to make one weapon attack with the transmuted weapon.

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At levels 8, 12, and 16, the strength of your transmuted weapons increases to +1, +2, and +3 respectively, and damage from transmuted weapons are treated as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistence and immunities.

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Weapons created using this feature dissolve after one hour.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Acute Reflex

Starting at 10th level, you have honed the ability to create sigils at blinding speed under pressure. As a reaction, you may inscribe a Sigil and activate it on a nearby surface to transmute a wall of cover ten feet wide and ten feet tall.

Creatures in the wall's path must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On failure, they are pushed to the opposite side of the wall. The wall's AC and hit points are determined by the source material. Your Dungeon Master has the stats for various materials.

Unmake

Starting at 14th level, you are able to assess your foes and calculate their composition in the blink of an eye. In place of any melee weapon attack, you may instead attempt a brute force deconstruction of your enemy.

Make a melee spell attack. On hit, you grasp the target with your hand, and the target takes 10d6 + 40 necrotic damage.

Making such an attack without the bounds of a Sigil is dangerous -- when you use this feature and the attack hits, make a Constitution saving throw against your own spell save DC. On failure, you take 2d12 necrotic damage. You can use this feature twice per long rest, after which it becomes too physically taxing.

Medical Alchemy

Where a Martial Alchemist focuses on rending bodies, Medical Alchemists focus on mending them, using their knowledge of anatomy and chemistry to heal wounds.

Medical Alchemists' knowledge of the living systems is sometimes so complete that they can raise corpses, regenerate tissue, destroy minds, and even create new life.

Medical Background

When you focus on Medical Alchemy at 3rd level, you gain the ability to stabilize creatures with 0 hit points using Alchemy. You learn and can cast the Spare the Dying cantrip at will (using Alchemy Spellcasting rules). This not count against your Sigils limit. In addition, when you cast Spare the Dying, the target creature regains hit points equal to half your alchemy level (rounded down).

You also gain proficiency in the Medicine skill.

Basic Anatomy

Starting at 3rd level, you gain access to a set of spells that reflect your new area of expertise. You can now learn spells from the Medical Alchemy Spell List, in addition to the Base Alchemy Spell List.

Efficient Systems

Starting at 6th level, your medical knowledge has grown such that you can mend and create life more effectively. When you heal a creature with a Medical Alchemy Spell, that creature also gains temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

In addition, constructs, homonculi, and undead created by Medical Alchemy spells also gain hit points equal to your proficiency modifier.

Malpractice

Starting at 10th level, your knowledge of internal systems allows you to twist the functions of a creature's body. When you cast a spell that would normally heal a target, you may choose instead to make a spell attack, dealing equivalent necrotic damage to a target instead of healing it.

Organic Overdrive

Starting at 14th level, you gain the ability to alter your own physiology drastically, pushing it to extreme limits for one minute.

When you use this feature, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain temporary hit points equal to your alchemist level
• Your speed is doubled
• You gain an additional Action on each turn
• You gain advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws

Elemental Alchemy

Elemental Alchemists fully throw themselves into understanding the base elements of the material plane. They use their skills to become elemental engines of destruction; reshaping water into devestating waves, twisting the wind to choke and batter foes, and even igniting the air itself. These alchemists are living artillery, capable of rending structures and creatures alike with forces of nature shaped by their formidable intellect.

Elemental Versitility

In addition to the Base Alchemy spell list, you can also learn spells from the Elemental Alchemy spell list.

In addition, you automatically succeed on any saving throws against your own Elemental Alchemy spells.

Siege Spells

Starting at 6th level, your ability to assess structure and composition allows for new levels of havoc. Your spells deal double damage to structures, and an additional 1d6 damage to creatures.

This damage increases to 2d6 at level 14, and 3d6 at level 18.

Destructive Affinity

Starting at 10th level, your abilities begin to take shape around a favored element.

When you cast spells that deal your chosen damage type, your spells also have a chance to inflict special effects. Choose one of the following from the list below:

• Fire - the target must make a Constitution saving throw; on failure, all healing on the target is reduced by half for one minute.
• Cold - the target must make a Dexterity saving throw; on failure, the target's speed is reduced by half until the end of its next turn.
• Thunder - the target must make a Strength saving throw; on failure, the target is pushed 5 feet back from the spell's impact.

Tactical Cataclysm

Starting at 14th level, your control over the elements is so complete that foes never even get the chance to escape. When you use this feature and cast a spell, creatures that would normally make Strength or Dexterity saves against the spell automatically fail.

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This feature can be used twice per long rest.

Alchemy Spell List

The following spells are pulled from the base rules, the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, and the Alchemy Spells list found at the end of this document.

Base Alchemist Spells

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Cantrips (O Level)

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• Control Flames (EE)
• Storm Lash (Alchemy Spells)
• Mending
• Mold Earth
• Shape Water
• Thorn Whip
• Gust

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1st Level

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• Catapult
• Purify Food and Drink
• Earth Tremor (EE)
• Ensnaring Strike
• Hail of Thorns
• Entangle
• Fog Cloud
• Grease

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2nd Level

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• Arcane Lock
• Knock
• Spike Growth
• Web
• Cloud of Daggers
• Maximillian's Earthen Grasp
• Dust Devil
• Heat Metal
• Magic Weapon
• Warding Wind

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3rd Level

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• Wall of Sand
• Tidal Wave (EE)
• Wall of Water
• Erupting Earth
• Glyph of Warding

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4th Level

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• Control Water
• Fabricate
• Grasping Vine
• Stone Shape
• Watery Sphere
• Stone Skin

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5th Level

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• Arcane Hand
• Destructive Wave
• Transmute Rock
• Passwall
• Wall of Stone
• Wrath of Nature

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6th Level

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• Bones of the Earth
• Disintegrate
• Blade Barrier
• Flesh to Stone
• Investiture of Stone
• Move Earth
• Wall of Thorns

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Elemental Alchemist Spells

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Cantrips (O Level)

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• Create Bonfire (EE)
• Fire Bolt
• Frostbite (EE)
• Thunderclap (EE)

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1st Level

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• Ice Knife
• Absorb Elements (EE)
• Burning Hands
• Thunderwave

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2nd Level

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• Agganazar's Scorcher
• Gust of Wind
• Pyrotechnics
• Scorching Ray
• Shatter

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3rd Level

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• Fireball
• Lightning Bolt
• Wind Wall

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4th Level

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• Ice Storm
• Wall of Fire
• Fire Shield
• Watery Sphere (EE)

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5th Level

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• Immolation
• Cone of Cold
• Control Winds (EE)
• Flame Strike

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6th Level

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• Investiture of Ice
• Investiture of Flame
• Wall of Ice
• Chain Lightning

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Medical Alchemist Spells

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Cantrips (O Level)

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• Spare the Dying
• Blade Ward
• Resistance

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1st Level

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• Cure Wounds
• Inflict Wounds
• False Life

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2nd Level

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• Aid
• Gentle Repose
• Lesser Restoration
• Protection from Poison

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3rd Level

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• Animate Dead
• Feign Death
• Life Transference
• Revivify
• Mass Healing Word
• Vampiric Touch

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4th Level

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• Death Ward
• Aura of Life
• Polymorph

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5th Level

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• Contagion
• Enervate
• Greater Restoration
• Reincarnate
• Mass Cure Wounds
• Raise Dead
• Tenser's Transformation

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6th Level

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• Create Undead
• Heal
• Create Homonculus
• Harm

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Alchemy Spells

Storm Lash

Cantrip

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 feet
• Components: Sigil

A jet of electrified water coalesces and stikes out at a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target.

On hit, the target takes 1d4 water damage and 1d4 lightning damage. This spell's damage increases by 1d4 for each damage type when you reach 5th level (2d4 + 2d4), 11th level (3d4 + 3d4), and 17th level (4d4 + 4d4).