Alchemist

Class features

All alchemists share the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per alchemist level

Hit Points at 1st level: 8 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per alchemist level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor

Weapons: Simple weapons, alchemical items, alchemical bombs

Tools: Alchemist’s supplies

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence

Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, or Stealth

Equipment

(a) a dagger, (b) a mace, or (c) a quarterstaff

(a) studded leather armor or (b) leather armor

(a) a scholar’s pack or (b) a diplomat’s pack

Alchemist’s supplies and 20 gp

Alchemy

Not only are you proficient with the ordinary uses of alchemist’s supplies, you have trained in extra-ordinary ones as well. Whenever a task would require proficiency with an herbalist’s kit, you may use your proficiency with alchemist’s supplies instead.

Basic Bomb

You know how to craft compact, volatile collections of chemicals in a fragile container—a bomb. As part of the Attack action, you can craft and throw a bomb up to 20 feet (or up to 60 feet with disadvantage) as a ranged weapon that does 1d10 damage. When you throw a bomb, you choose if the damage it does is acid, fire, or cold damage. You must have your alchemist’s supplies in order to create a bomb. Starting at 9th level, the blast radius of your basic bomb increases: all creatures within 10 feet of the square occupied by your target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or take damage as if they had been also been hit by a basic bomb. At 11th level, the damage of your basic bomb increases to 2d10. At 17th level, the bomb’s blast radius increases to 30 feet.

Spellcasting

Your alchemical studies have allowed you to discover methods to effectively cast spells, in ways similar to yet subtly different from other magic-using classes.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the alchemist spell list. You learn additional alchemist cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Alchemist table.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Alchemist table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level or higher. To cast one of these alchemist spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare a list of alchemist spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the alchemist spell list. When you do so, choose a number of alchemist spells equal to your Intelligence modifier plus half your alchemist’s level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level alchemist, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using either a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot.

You can change your list of prepared spells whenever you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of alchemist spells requires time spent reviewing notes and mixing components: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your alchemist spells since you learn your spells through patient study and copious note-taking. 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 and when making an attack roll for one.

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

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast an alchemist spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use alchemist’s supplies as your spellcasting focus.

Advanced Studies

Starting at 2nd level, you choose to focus your attention and research on one branch of Advanced Studies detailed herein. Your studies grant you additional class features at 2nd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Prepare Stable Compound

At the 2nd level, choose one abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, transmutation, or necromancy spell you are able to cast. You treat this spell as though it had the ritual tag, and can cast it as a ritual even if you haven’t prepared that spell. When you cast a spell as an alchemical ritual, you can delay selecting a target for the spell by up to 1 minute after the spell is complete, after which time you must select a target and cast the spell, or its power is lost. Every time you gain a higher-level spell slot, select one additional spell that you can cast this way.

Discoveries

Through your research, you achieve mastery of certain processes that have immediate value to you. At 3rd level, and again at 7th level, you can select one of the following discoveries.

Smart Alchemy. The volatile compounds of your bombs always explode exactly how you want them to. Whenever a spell or bomb would deal damage to a creature that is not hostile to you, it takes no damage instead. When a spell or bomb requires that a creature that is not hostile to you make a saving throw, it automatically succeeds.

Extend Potion. You can cause any potion that you drink, other than one with an instantaneous duration, to last twice its normal duration. Once you use this discovery, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Potion of Rejuvenation. During a short rest, you may use your alchemist’s kit to concoct a potion that restores one expended spell slot. A spell slot recovered in this way cannot be of a higher level than the creature’s or your highest-level spell slot. This potion holds its potency for 1 hour, after which it becomes inert. A creature may only benefit from this potion once per day.

Spontaneous Recovery. You have learned to amplify your body’s own natural healing processes through careful dietary choices. You can use an action to expend up to half of your Hit Dice without a short rest.

Swift Alchemy

Also at the 3rd level, you can achieve the effect of 5 downtime days of work using your alchemist’s supplies in 1 downtime day, making it much simpler to craft acids, alchemist’s fire, and so forth.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach the 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.

Extra Alchemical Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you use the Attack action on your turn. Additionally, you can craft and attack with two basic bombs on your turn.

Greater Discoveries

Your continuing research unveils mysteries of alchemy beyond those you achieved earlier. At 13th and 15th level, you can select one of the following discoveries.

Eternal Potion. You can cause the effect of any potion with a non-instantaneous duration that you drink to last until you take a long rest. Once you use this discovery, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Nauseating Flesh. Because of all the chemicals you have consumed, you have become unappetizing to monsters. Any creature that makes a successful bite attack against you or swallows you whole must make a Constitution save against your spell save DC or become poisoned for 1 minute.

Poison Immunity. You become immune to poison.

Reanimation. You can use alchemy to duplicate some of the effects of necromancy. Add animate dead to your alchemist spell list.

Ultimate Discovery

At 18th level, your research allows you to achieve a discovery only imagined by your peers. Select one of the following discoveries.

Elixir of Life. You can spend one downtime day per year of your actual age to brew a special elixir that affects only you. Once you drink it, you do not age that year.

Perfect Health. Whenever you expend Hit Dice to heal, you recover double the usual hit points and can make an additional saving throw against any one ongoing disease or poison.

Philosopher’s Stone. You can spend 10 downtime days to create a stone that grants a single wish (as the spell wish) when crushed. You can only make one stone like this at a time. This ability is unaffected by Swift Alchemy. The creature that wishes upon the stone has a 33% chance to lose the ability to make an unrestricted wish, as per the wish spell.

Unbound Intellect. Your Intelligence score increases by 2. Your maximum Intelligence score is now 22.

Alchemical Genius

At 20th level, your understanding of the ways of alchemy is now so profound that simple procedures which once confounded you are now second nature. Select any two 1st-level alchemist spells. You cast these spells as though they were cantrips.