Focused Practitioner - Alchemist

[theDwarf]

I have been toying with this concept for a bit and, reading the rules, here is what I have figured out:

• 1) Max out Lore: Creation of Foci, Enchanted Items, and Potions is based on Lore.  Lore is the base strength of the Potion and can be reduced to increase the number of potions / uses.
• 2)  Ritual and Thaumaturgy:  Yep, you technically do not need anything else really yo be an alchemist, just Ritual or Thaumaturgy.  Ritual is useful to save more points for Refinements (and thus extra Foci/Enchanted Item slots) but a character with Thaumaturgy can specialize in Crafting with +1 to Frequency and thus gain an extra potion per Enchanted Item slot.  More on the benefits of that below.
• 3) Take Refinement - Extra Slots:  Ritual or Thaumaturgy starts the character with 2 Foci slots, one of which can be turned into 2 Enchanted Item / Potion slots.  Each Refinement adds 2 Foci slots (4 Enchanted Item / Potion slots ... see top of YS183) therefore with a few Refinements an Alchemist can go from 2 to 6, 10 or possibly 12 Potions uses even in a Feet in the Water level campaign.  Doesn't sound like much, but see #4
• 4) Crafting Foci: Here things really start getting good.  By my reading only one of the two Foci slots for Ritual or Thaumaturgy can be used for 2 Enchanted Items or Potions slots.  You might be thinking "that's not fair" until you read YS280 on Crafting Specializations and catch the line at the top of the 2nd column.  Combined with the mention in the text about additional Thaumaturgy Refinements not stacking except with Foci, then creating a Foci, such as an Alchemist's Mortar & Pestle or Alchemist's Cauldron that adds to frequency would turn the two slots to yielding 2 uses each per potion, meaning you effectively "break even".  Not so great at first, but as you add refinements that add 4 more Potions each which suddenly become 8 more each Refinement slot.

Putting it all together ...

-3 Refresh: Character is best off having Ritual - Alchemist (or Ritual - Crafting) with 1 Refinement slot and thus yielding a Foci and 6 Enchanted Item slots and thus 6 potions of base 2 uses each if Foci is Crafting-Frequency.

-4 Refresh: If you happen to have Thaumaturgy rather than Ritual you "lose" one Refinement slot but can specialize in Crafting - Frequency and yield 3 uses per slot (therefore 2 potions of 3 doses each for the basic Enchanted Item slots and 12 doses per Refinement (4 slots at 3 doses per slot) and therefore with 1 Refinement you would be only 2 behind a character with only Ritual and 2 Refinement slots, but you would have the whole spectrum of Thaumaturgy to boot (Wards, etc) to allow for more versatility on that -4 Refresh.

-5 Refresh: Thaumaturgy (Crafting Freq. Specialist) and 2 Refinement slots yields a Foci and 10 Enchanted Items slots for 30 doses (up to 10 different potions of 3 doses each if Foci is also Crafting-Frequency).


Even in a Foot in the Water game the character would have some flexibility as a spell caster.  Add to that the fact that the items can be transferred to other players (or, unfortunately, lost).  Now Lore for Foot in the Water is limited to Great, but that means the character can turn in additional levels for additional uses per day (or more people) and end up with a LOT of daily uses, or "only" the number of uses per day mentioned above but at Great +4 Strength (or higher, depending on Aspects and campaign level).



Note the character could do similar things with a slightly different Foci (say a Crafting Hammer) and accomplish the same affect entirely in Enchanted Items.  I would tend to call such a character an Artificer rather than an Alchemist, but it works.

Like I said, just some notes on one way to create an Alchemist type character, probably more useful at the lower levels, but a different type of "Hedge-Wizard" to consider.

 

[Ophidimancer]

This would definitely be a nice Bag of Tricks character, with a potion for every encounter.  If you don't mind mixing in a bit of modernity, I could see this alchemist carrying around a dart gun loaded with different potions in darts for offensive purposes.

[Ala Alba]

Yes, crafting specialists are a viable option, and can even appear overpowered at times. A Submerged-level crafting specialist can easily have a LOT of extremely powerful potions/enchanted items, if they put all their refresh into refinements and thaumaturgy.

[theDwarf]

This would definitely be a nice Bag of Tricks character, with a potion for every encounter.  If you don't mind mixing in a bit of modernity, I could see this alchemist carrying around a dart gun loaded with different potions in darts for offensive purposes.

Remember that enchanted items can also work like potions, therefore even simpler is the "alchemist" that enchants "magic bullets".  Said could be inscribed with runes or such.  As long as they take only 1 Enchanted Item slot they can be no smaller than an ear ring, which a larger caliber bullet typically is (small caliber is another story).  I could even see some arranged that when the bullet leaves the shell the magic starts to activate (and thus only viable for snub-barreled pistols or such).

Coins or sling stones also work and could be hurled or slung.

Even potions in vials could be hurled, if they activate on breaking, albeit they would tend to be more vulnerable to breakage.

[Nomad]

I would like to point you to the 21st century weapons page. Look for the paintball suff

[CMEast]

I like the sling idea, no technology involved and the ammo can be a variety of objects. Plus it's easier and safer to carry around, and a sling is easy to make. Plus a sling is more characterful than a gun

[Nomad]

Prehistoric Dinasour, you are.
You want to use this;

Or being more modern, a forearm collapsible like this:

(This is just becouse it is too cool)



Which allows you like 2 or 3 shots a minute if you are really good (6 or 8 for forearm collapsible) and requires you to train like a madman while a simple you can have this:

[Tbora]

I like that last one, I can just see a guy shooting out explosive napalm like enchanted potion filled paintballs.

[Ala Alba]

Yes, but can you fit it in your pocket? Take it through a metal detector?

There is something to be said for simple weapons, in many ways.

[Tbora]

You could give him both, one a simple sling he carries on his person at times, and the other could be his "heavy artillery" when he needs to break out the big guns.

[Tbora]

Another question just popped into my head, would a thaumaturgist/ bag of tricks kind of guy have trouble with technology?

The reason I am asking is that is if he is only capable of bringing to bare magic in a ritual only condition, then would he even have trouble with magic in sense that he has an aura (As referred to in the books) around him when he is doing thaumaturgy.

[Nomad]

Heh. Ok that was more of an overkill looking weapon (It doesn't actually shoot that fast compared to some of the normal "full auto" paintball guns.) A paintball gun that looks like a pbgun is actually quite easy to pass through security in most places. Carry on bag, extra CO2 canisters, pellets, some tools, some fliers. It "is" a toy.
I would prefer a pistol model pbgun to a sling any day of the week. It is bloody hard to hit something with a regular rope (baelic) sling and slingshots are generally frowned upon by securities.


Edit: I think you should compute his maximum power level (evocation vise) and compare it to Harry or other officially statted casters.
*Since he doesn't have evocation, ie active magic, treat his magic capability with a /2 or /3 multiplier to eyeball how much techbane he is.

[Tbora]

Could someone help me work out a submerged thaumaturgist who specializes in item crafting?

[CMEast]

Nomad, in 'real life' you'd be right about the difficulty, however having Superb Guns will allow you to hit your target with a sling just as easily as you could a pistol.

Also, with all of those enchanted item slots, you could easily enchant a sling to be more accurate or do more damage than normal, you might even be able to create some sort of stunt or power that allows you to shoot more than one sling bullet at a time.

[Ophidimancer]

Nomad, in 'real life' you'd be right about the difficulty, however having Superb Guns will allow you to hit your target with a sling just as easily as you could a pistol.

Don't you get a -2 to use other ranged weapons besides Guns unless you specifically say your Skill is in another type of weapon?

[quote user=YS132}You can also use Guns to cover non-gun weapons that shoot at a distance, such as bows and other such artifacts, though usually with a penalty (–2) if you aren’t trained in their use. If, at the time you take the Guns skill, you decide your character is focused on using a method of shooting other than a gun, you may rename this skill to something more appropriate (e.g., Bows) and face the familiarity penalty when using actual guns instead. Under such an option, most Guns related stunts are still available with the unusual weapon.[/quote]