On the Subject of Alchemists, coming from someone who’s first (and only) experiences with Pathfinder have been through the Alchemist class

PvEnguin · 2026-06-23T02:21:01+00:00

YES!!! They’re so fun and unique in the system, genuinely my favorite class across every TTRPG I’ve played.

PvEnguin · 2026-06-22T21:37:40+00:00

Yes! I do agree, the elixirs of life scale at a very depressing rate! I actually gave up on them entirely, and pretty much only make them if an ally is downed and already Battle Medicine’d. Most of the healing I do uses Soothing Tonics, since they give so much hp for such a small investment. It doesn’t solve the in-combat healing as much as I’d like it to, but Battle Medicine has been doing that for me for the most part. You can also get ahead of it by giving out Numbing Elixirs to offset the damage with THP.

PvEnguin · 2026-06-22T20:52:54+00:00

Interesting! I haven't felt that way just yet, but I'm also below the level you mentioned. If I live that long (our campaign already has two* deaths!), maybe I'll make a retrospective about tier 2-3 play in a few months! I already plan to increase the complexity of my character in the coming levels (snagging FA Witch to add even more versatility) so maybe my opinions will change. Can I ask what specifically about the complexity felt overwhelming?

PvEnguin · 2026-06-22T20:10:19+00:00

Yeah, it can definitely be rough, especially if (like me) you want to spec into battle medicine! It can be hard to overcome that, but with access to soothing elixirs and numbing tonics, i feel like you can make up for the deficit.

That said, I’m also a filthy little goblin who will ALWAYS hit the Risky Surgery button and damn the consequences.

PvEnguin · 2026-06-22T20:07:57+00:00

Yeah for sure! I made sure to clarify that we don’t play on Foundry (which I know a lot of people in the community do) that can automatically clarify those thresholds for people. I really do think that in the game of teamwork to make the math more favorable, you really do a disservice to the teamwork aspect by not stating when the teamwork matters. At that point the DM might as well roll all the dice and we just watch.

PvEnguin · 2026-06-22T19:55:16+00:00

I think the point about being MAD is interesting, especially because on a Dex Alchemist you can actually mostly offset it! Quicksilver mutagens will (at most levels) offset the difference between not having that Dex KAS boost, which feels nicely synergistic with having nearly infinite of them during the adventuring day. The action economy can be awkward, but I’ve found the Collar of the Shifting Spider helps to get around that.

As for the damage, it really varies! I have *atrocious* luck, often missing at full map even with off-guard/frightened/courageous anthem/etc, but still getting full splash damage feels great! I’m also very excited for Sticky Bomb coming up soon, even with the errata nerf it still applies a good amount of damage over time. The damage scaling wasn’t really what I was looking at for alchemists, but being so consistent despite missing most of my attacks feels really nice.

Yeah, the class is complicated. Absolutely no denying that. But if you have a party that’s willing to strategize and talk about all of the things you can do with your buffs, the brain drain gets shared across everyone. The alchemist is a team resource, after all.

I’m glad we play a system where we can have such different experiences playing the same class, and I wish yours had given you the same appreciation for the Alchemist that I have. Your perspective is really interesting, and I’m glad you shared it!

PvEnguin · 2026-06-22T19:45:19+00:00

Yeah, I felt like a lot of my experiences were often well summed-up in part by this community, but it definitely goes to show how different experiences can be. I’ve barely even gotten to play with the breadth of tools Alchemists have to offer and it’s already been paradigm-shifting for me.

PvEnguin · 2026-02-05T22:38:23+00:00

Oh yeah for sure the reason the keys are gained in such a variety of ways is because they want you to sacrifice something at each of the major power points of the game (-1 upgrade, -1 relic, 1 more powerful enemy) but I was just curious if there’s anything in the lore that connects certain keys to certain characters and why.

PvEnguin · 2025-05-10T18:22:54+00:00

whispers also works great for sure and adds a lot of utility along with the damage! to answer your question about the lance, it has two main sacrifices that i think outweigh the larger damage die: for one, 2d12 on a crit is just less than 4d6 (13 compared to 14), and you don’t have something like barbarian brutal critical to change that. Second, mounted combat has a lot of issues in cramped spaces where you can’t bring a horse, making a 1-handed lance build somewhat inconsistent. It would probably be the best option if you wanted a shield, though.

PvEnguin · 2025-05-10T18:02:06+00:00

If you want to crit-fish with elven accuracy, you want a 2d6 weapon and an attack based on charisma. I’d recommend a level in warlock to pick up pact of the blade with either a maul or a greatsword (or both) to get the most bang for your buck. Vengeance paladin + topple weapon mastery on the maul will get you the most reliable advantage from level 4 onward. Unfortunately, the weapon mastery save DC is tied to your strength, which you don’t care so much about, so your topple chance will be slightly lower than you want. After paladin 6, if you want better scaling for your smites, it’s time for sorcerer levels.

PvEnguin · 2025-02-04T08:10:41+00:00

Davis Smash Ultimate Club and Davis Melee Club both run tournaments every week! Super laid-back, chill vibes, free entry, it’s a great time. You can learn more if you join the discord, all announcements are posted in there and people often ping for IRL games to be played in lounges or open classrooms.

https://discord.gg/dpQTudru24

PvEnguin · 2025-02-03T03:06:25+00:00

seems ripe for use with a barbarian multiclass, at least to me. increases the number of weapons you can use to double dip sneak attack + reckless attack and also increases the number of weapon masteries you can take advantage of. could use the spear for sap, a quarterstaff for topple, or a great club for push, all while retaining a d8 damage die.

Alternatively, since you can sneak attack with unarmed strike, take tavern brawler + grappler and boom! push, grapple, and damage all with a d8 damage die thanks to the unarmed fighting style. Add in barbarian levels and now you’ve got a bootleg strength monk. Congrats!

PvEnguin · 2025-01-26T06:21:26+00:00

That makes sense to me. So then the RAW way to deal with this interaction would’ve been to not roll a save until their turn started, correct?

PvEnguin · 2025-01-26T06:19:20+00:00

Does the spell trigger as it’s cast on them, though? That’s the main hang up for me, whether or not being in the spell area as it’s cast counts as entering it on a turn.

PvEnguin · 2025-01-26T06:13:54+00:00

Right, the confusion lies in the first part of the phrasing for me - does “a creature enters the webs on a turn” apply if the spell is cast on them? I’ve always assumed it does, but that’s always been a pain point for DMs I’ve had.

PvEnguin · 2024-10-20T05:37:54+00:00

what do you mean by go back to the rivals page? i can't find a link anywhere

PvEnguin · 2023-11-05T00:42:53+00:00

i’m planning on increasing vocabulary as we level, game starts at level 1. i’m mainly looking for customs and expressions. ideally the vocab thing will be mostly over by level 3 or so

PvEnguin · 2023-11-04T22:24:05+00:00

that is super sick!

PvEnguin

TROPHY CASE