Alchemist

The Alchemist
A circle on the ground and a clap of the hands is what the difference between life and death for the enemy of an Alchemist. Alchemists are very common, as far as they go but select few ever reach the point that they can cast their spells effectively. Those few go to schools for years and come back as one of the most versatile classes in the game. The Alchemist is one of the new classes in the world of De'Halin.

Adventures    : Alchemist s sometimes adventure for revenge, others for power, yet others for their ideals. Alchemists can adventure for any reason but these are the most common.

Characteristics: Alchemists are unique in the fact that they cast their spells not with preparation, but not through innate power. The Alchemist’s spells are from the circles that they carve in any matter available. The spells are cast with a knowledge of the building blocks of all things, and carefully manipulating them into new things.

Alignment: Any, but Alchemists tends to lean more to law than chaos. Mostly for the fact that their spells, and the schools that they learn the spells, are highly disciplined and make sure that the laws of the world are firm in their young students minds.

Religion: Alchemists believe only in their art. They do not believe in an after-life but think that after death you reform to the alchemedical forces that made all things.

Background:  Alchemists develop their powers after years of intense study and physical labor. The study makes them wise and the labor makes them strong, but they still answer to their masters until the day that they are released. Sometimes an Alchemist comes along that is self-taught, but this is a very rare and unlikely occurrence.

Races : Humans flock to this class for its flexibility, but many races can take to this class. You are less likely to find this class as you advance into the more savage areas of the world, manly because the material just doesn’t exist to support this class’s demanding research.

Other Classes: Alchemists enjoy working with fighters for the fact that they are generally stronger than they and can generally protect them better than other classes; they get well with most other classes except clerics whom they despise for their flitty ideals.

Role:  An Alchemist can act as the center of the group, or as its primary source of firepower. Their role differs as much as their alignment.

Game Rule Information
Abilities: Intelligence determines how powerful a spell that an Alchemist can cast while strength determines how many different materials they can inscribe their circles in. They benefit form a high Constitution for the increase in hit points but Dexterity is not very useful in the armor that Alchemists wear.

Alignmen t: Any

Hit Die: 1d4

Class Skills
Skill Points at first level: (2+int modifier) x4

Skill Points at every other level: 2+int modifier

Class Skills: (Spellcraft, Concentration, Knowledge Arcana, Decipher Script, Search, Spot, Craft (Alchemy), Speak Language)

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Alchemists are proficient with all simple weapons and all shields and armor (except tower shields).

Spells list: Sorcerer/Wizard Spell List.

Spellcasting: Alchemists casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below). He need not spend any time to earn his spells every day. To learn or cast a spell, an Alchemist must have an intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a sorcerer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Alchemists’s intelligence modifier. Like other spellcasters, an Alchemist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. Unlike other spell casters he gains no bonus spells. Unlike a sorcerer’s selection of spells, which is extremely limited, An Alchemist begins play knowing all the spells on the sorcerer/wizard list. Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a sorcerer need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast. Another bonus to being an alchemist is you gain access to a certain nuber of divine spells equal to your level. The spells can be any level, as long as you could normaly cast an arcane spell of that level. You still use you intelligence modifier. The alchemist cast spells in a unique way. In order to successfully cast a spell they first need to draw a transmutation circle. This circle goes away after the spell is cast. In order to sucessfuly make the circle he must make a craft Alchemy check equal to the spell level+10. This replaces all other somatic components and there is never a verbal component. You can attempt to hide the circle that you draw by making a slight of hand check against an opponent’s spot check. The circle takes a number of rounds indicated on the chart below to make. Unlike a normal spellcaster if the caster is interrupted during casting he need not make a concentration check. But if the circle is disrupted then he does need to make a concentration check equal to 15+spell level. In order to draw the circle the alchemist needs some sort of drawing tool. Usually this will be chalk but chalk wont work on all surfaces. Sometime they must use the fingers in the sand or dirt. Alchemy cannot be used on water without special chalk or other materials that draw on water. All chalk have 20 charges. To make a circle it takes 1 charge per spell level off the chalk. Alchemist have a couple taboos, first off they cannot cast spells from the school of necromancy. Also they cannot cast transmutation spells that have a target of a living creature.

Alchemy levels: There are five levels of alchemy each decreasing the time it takes to make the transmutation circle and each giving the alchemist special abilities. By making a transmutation circle that takes 5 full round actions the alchemist can cast these spells a will:

Basic alchemy: Animate Rope, Entangle, Make whole, Pyrotechnics, Spike Growth, Warp wood, Wood shape

Moderate Alchemy: Plant Growth, Shrink Item, Stone shape, Control Water, Spike Stones.

Advanced Alchemy: Animate Objects, Fabricate, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Move Earth.

Expert Alchemy: Animate Plants, Transmute Metal to Wood, Greater Stone shape.

Master Alchemy: The above abilities only take 3 full rounds to cast at will.