I’m throwing this up here because the ideas have been accumulating ever since Eberron: Rising came out and the official Alchemist subclass was destroyed. Nobody likes the current state of the Alchemist – the Doc Brown potion-chuckers were disappointed at the pitiful, worse-than-Beastmasters weakness of the Experimental Elixir feature, and fans of the Alchemical Homunculus were revolted at what had been done to our cheerful little battle buddy. And yet, neither potion-chucker nor Critter Keeper could ever figure out a way to get back what we’d lost without pissing the other side off.
Until (hopefully) now.
In the spirit of the recent Alternate Class Features UA document, I propose a change to how the Alchemist Artificer works that will allow both sides to do what they want without impinging on each other, without requiring a split in the subclass, and without being as heartbreaking lolsauce weak as Experimental Elixir.
Alternative Class Feature: Alchemist’s Stone At third level, you can create an Alchemist’s Stone – a magical catalyst that can be used to amplify certain alchemical reactions or create new ones altogether. Creating a stone requires you to have your alchemist’s supplies on your person, and can be done at the end of a long rest. You may only have one Alchemist’s Stone at a time; creating a new one causes the existing one to crumble away and disappear. Your Alchemist’s Stone can be used as a spellcasting focus for your artificer spells.
Your Alchemist’s Stone has three charges, and regains all expended charges when you complete a long rest. You can cast a spell from your Alchemist Expanded Spell List by expending charges from the stone equivalent to the spell’s level, rather than expending a spell slot. In addition, as an action you may expend one charge of the Alchemist’s Stone and touch a willing creature, granting it one of the following effects:
-Healing: The creature regains HP equivalent to 2d4 plus your Intelligence modifier. -Buoyancy: The creature gains a flying speed of 10 feet for ten minutes. -Resilience: The creature gains a +1 bonus to its Armor Class for ten minutes. -Boldness: The creature may roll 1d4 and add the number rolled to any attack roll and saving throw they make for the next ten minutes. -Swiftness: The creature’s walking speed increases by ten feet for one hour. -Alteration: The creature transforms as per the Alter Self spell. The creature determines the nature of the transformation, which lasts for ten minutes.
You may also use your Alchemist’s Stone in two additional ways. While holding the stone in your hand, you may expend one charge and fill an empty flask you can touch with an arcane elixir. Choose one of the effects listed above; when drunk, the elixir grants the drinker the effect you chose. Any arcane elixirs created in this way lose their potency and disappear when you complete a long rest.
If you have the Homunculus Servant infusion, you may use your Alchemist’s Stone as the gemstone required to create a homunculus. If you do, your Homunculus becomes an Alchemical Homunculus, gaining the following benefits: -The Alchemical Homunculus’ maximum HP doubles. -The Alchemical Homunculus gains resistance to fire, acid, poison, and necrotic damage. -The damage of the Alchemical Homunculus’ Force Strike increases to 1d6 plus its Proficiency bonus, and you may choose to change the damage of its Force Strike to fire, acid, poison, or necrotic. -The Alchemical Homunculus can use its action to deliver any of the effects of your Alchemist’s Stone, expending charges as normal. It must be within 120 feet of you to do so.
While embodied in your homunculus this way, you cannot use your Alchemist’s Stone as a spellcasting focus, nor use it to create an arcane elixir.
Fifth Level: Alchemical Savant When you cast a spell using your alchemist’s supplies as a spellcasting focus, you may add your intelligence modifier to one damage or healing roll the spell makes, provided the damage type is fire, acid, poison, or necrotic. When you use your Alchemist’s Stone as the spellcasting focus, you gain this bonus no matter which type of damage the spell causes.
Ninth Level: Doctor Stone Your Alchemist’s Stone can now store up to five charges, instead of three. You may expend a charge from your Alchemist’s Stone to cast Lesser Restoration, even if you do not have it prepared. In addition, when you expend a charge from your Alchemist’s Stone (or your Alchemical Homunculus does so in your stead), the creature who gains the benefit of the expended charge gains temporary hit points equivalent to 2d6 plus your Intelligence modifier.
Fifteenth Level: Chemical Romance You gain resistance to acid and poison damage, and immunity to the Poisoned condition. Your Alchemist’s Stone can now store up to six charges, instead of five, and regains all expended charges when you complete a long rest.
In addition, you may expend one charge from your Alchemist’s Stone to cast Greater Restoration, Heal, or Tenser’s Transformation. You do not need to provide material components, and this version of Tenser’s Transformation may target a willing creature you or your Alchemical Homunculus can touch, rather than just yourself. Once you cast any of these spells in this way, you cannot cast that spell again until you complete a long rest.
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What? This is Bullshit! This is Just a Fancy Transmuter’s Stone! Why Should I Care About This?! Because the School of Transmutation wizard subclass is bad and should feel bad, and it doesn’t have an exclusive claim on alchemy. A stated design goal of the artificer was that every subclass has to make something – they produce an item which exists in the world and assist the artificer. The Philosopher’s Stone is a big deal everywhere, and it’s traditionally the domain of both classical omnidisciplinary natural philosopher ‘Alchemists’, modern potion-chucking jumped-up apothecary ‘alchemists’, and Fullmetal ‘alchemists’. Okay…But I Like Potions. Why do I want to Craft a Rock, Instead of Potions? Because the rock means you get control over your potions, as well as regaining the lost Alchemical Homunculus ability to do it more than once. By utilizing charges stored in the Alchemist’s Stone, the alchemist gets a more fair and useful number of their crap-ass potions, with up to six uses throughout the day at level 15. You always get more uses than you get ‘free’ Wild Chemistry rolls in the base Alchemist, and you also get a casting focus that amplifies the effects of your Alchemical Savant. You actually stand up to the Artilerist now, if not the Battlesmith.
Sure, But What if I Liked the Homunculus, Instead? That’s the beauty of it. By making the Alchemist’s Stone the core class feature, and then giving the Alchemist’s Stone a special interaction with the as-written Homunculus Servant infusion, we can get back the old, powerful/useful Alchemical Homunculus without “forcing” it on people who hated having a super cool and useful magic steampunk familiar. Using the Alchemist’s Stone as a component of the Homunculus gets us back to the 2019 UA Alchemist that was actually good (minus its weapon combat abilities. Only so much I can fix), while players who hated the homunculus can instead save an infusion and use the Stone as an enhanced casting focus and a way to produce bankable ‘arcane elixirs’. Without feeling like they’re losing out by not buying in on the Homunculus.
Everybody gets what they want. Or at least so I devoutly hope.
Right now this is in the prototyping stage, but let me know if I should work on smashing this out of the homebrew editor. If there’s enough interest, I’ll try and get a workable version built. Either way, let me know what you think, and thanks for slogging through the whole thing.
Is there any other class or subclass feature that specifies a certain infusion? Not worried about it either way, just a design consistency question.
In addition, I like the idea of being able to cast spells with transmuter stone charges adding a few more slots, given that alchemist is the most "pure caster" flavor of the subclasses.
My Chemical Romance? That just gave me flashbacks....
Nothing else is tied to specific infusions, no. Certain classes favor certain infusions by way of basic design, but none have an explicit interaction with a specific infusion.
Unfortunately we're kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. Unless you have a DM permissive enough to allow you to indulge in shenanery, the Homunculus Servant infusion is absolute gobshyte. It's terrible at everything and serves no purpose beyond narrative flavor unless you get into specific examples of wringing the RAW out like a wet towel, but it's still there.
My thought was that tying the Alchemist's Stone into an entirely opt-in modification for the Homunculus Servant means that players who want it can do just that, but players who don't can simply not take the Servant infusion and still have the benefit of their Alchemist's Stone. They get arcane elixirs and the improved Savant as well as not having to burn a precious Infusion slot on a homunculus, so they don't feel like they're missing out by not using the Servant interaction. it allows us to have the powerful Alchemical Homunculus back, but in a way that doesn't punish potion chuckers for being wrong wanting their own, more traditional style of potion-based gameplay, instead.
I say go for it. As you say, none of the official classes have explicit interactions with specific infusions, but let's be honest, if you're playing an Artillerist without grabbing Enhanced Wand or a Battlesmith without Enhanced Weapon or Repeating Shot, then quite frankly you're playing them wrong. Same for Alchemists and the Homunculus infusion; as far as their bonus action goes, they don't really have any options outside of a couple spells like Healing Word and Flaming Sphere, otherwise it's just gonna go to waste.
I would ask just what in the hell WotC was thinking when they made this official, but I have a sneaking suspicion it went something like: "Shit, people hate it and we're 30 minutes away from printing! Just throw Wild Magic in and hope nobody notices..."
Wow, that’s actually an ingenious fix to the back and forth problem. I honestly hate what you describe as the ‘wild alchemy’, and I don’t hate the Homonculus as an idea, i just hated it as an Alchemist specific thing. I honestly don’t kniw what i want from this class anymore, the garbage that WotC kept pushing for it has muddled it so much imo. This is a good fix tho
It's honestly astonishing how often I've heard that: "I didn't hate the homunculus, I just hated it being attached to something I like." The conclusion, of course, being the idea that people weren't opposed to other folks having a homunculus so long as it didn't corrupt their potion-chucking wildman. We've all seen the result now, though - both the potion chucker and the Homunculus were effectively removed from the game, leaving everybody sad.
This idea of mine doesn't seem to be the fix, though. Reception has been nonexistent, and most of the time in other threads on the Alchemist, people just want to vomit up a massively increased number of randomized potions instead. I am disappoint, but not really surprised. Ah well. Can't say I didn't try.
I like it. A lot. It seems a tad on the strong side with some things though that might just be my adjusted expectations due to what we ended up actually getting with the official Alchemist. Thanks for posting this, Yurei.
This recommendation is much better then what we got. I do like how you gave it Tenser's Transformation and could put it on the homunculus though I would hesitate putting it in my game.
Heh, I figured Tenser's Transformation would be contentious. To counter this, I posit the following: name me one single other class more deserving of being able to go full Mr. Hyde, turn into a hulking, rampaging monster brute, than the subclass associated with the frontiers of magical science and the construction of body-altering elixirs?
We artificers deserve our Nerd Rage: The Spell, damnit :P
Oh its kind of like what i've been pushing for. Which was 2 fold: 1: ther andom exliirs equal your Intellegence and are restored on a short rest. (Basically you collect scraps and bitst and bobs while exploring and mix them getting the random results).
2: An infusion (I didn't know what yet.. but now I'm gonna say a Philospher stone prototype). That counts as Alchemist supplies, and gives you a Bonus action to create-and attack with an Alchemical Item. I.e.e bonus action create Acid and attack with it, or Alchemist fire. Or oil. or Goobombs. Or maybe Bombs (though damage is a bit high at low level, less so later) (perhaps poisons) Or create an antitoxin and splash an ally with it-absorbing through their skin 'cause alchemy. In addition, it would let you take a healing potion or elixir (NOT create one) and administer it alchemically to an ally the same as the Antitoxin. GIvine the alchemist a unique method of applying their elixirs or healing potions. Their own version of a (paid in some cases) Healing Words to suppliment their low spell elvels.
Verbally call ouot Healing Potions and Alchemist Elixirs, but dont list the other Alchemical items by name, just a more vague "alchemical items" that way any future items are acceptable.
But I think your idea is far better than my number 1. But I still want the number 2 effect and think it should be worth while. The other alchemists all gained bonus actions sustainable attacks. The r ogue has Fast Hands as a bonus action. and in the new UA-there is a fighte style that lets them throw a weapon as a bonus action (which I think means they could throw alch/acid).
The alchemist needs a bonusu action move sutain move. Not just healing word or flaming sphere. Prototype Philospher Stone, doing how the elixirs you mentione did+ the bonus action attack/support choices would make the class a looot of fun.
Taking your idea, + giving the extra ability o Bonus action set damage and buffs,
I adore this idea. PS. I think it would be neat if it was an INfusion (not class granted) that it could ge equiped to your wrist, but count as "in hand" for various effects. Kind of like that old Beyond Oasis gauntlet?
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On the topic of hummunculus or not.. Personally I hated it. .but I hate having pets, I don't want another creature to manage, I don't enjoy it. I like it as an option (though think its awkward). I also don't think its really tied to the flavor myself of any specific artificer type. I could see myself making it-but not taking it with me on a normal basis, or leaving it with the horses or something like thatt. But in adventuring I personally disliked it.
Actually I refrain from playing Battlesmith due to its pet. (Except when i make Lucca Ashtear). Artilirist Im alright with as I can basically set and forget and not worry about it. Alchemist i play, (Roll Caskett!) in part because I don't have a pet, and I like the concept of elixirs (but completely agree it all comes up awkward or short)
...I honestly hated the homunculus, but to be frank I hated the entire Alchemist subclass that came out in the UA, and the rest of the document left me feeling so underwhelmed I think that may have amplified my saltiness even further.
The base class in my opinion is now VASTLY improved, but the Alchemist...still has a lot of what made me hate it in the first place, and they replaced the homunculus with a feature that's objectively worse and still leaves you needing to take it as an infusion, so yeah, I'm still salty over it.
Again, I say keep going forward with this. Personally I have zero problem with adding Tenser's Transformation; Artillerist basically gets free upcasting for all it's damaging spells without having a stupid limitation on what damage types can be used, and Alchemist already gets to cast a 6th level spell for free anyway so there's zero reason why they shouldn't get an offensive option to to go along with it.
I think, as feedback to what you have created, that not everything that you can do should come from the same pool of uses (i.e. the Stone). I say this because, you end up getting far less uses if everything overall when its all coming from the same 3-6 uses- even between short rests.
One fun fix to this I thought of is stopping the increase of uses at 4 or 5 and instead give a Second stone. Then you can have a Homonculus AND one on your person or even Two Homonculi
In all honesty i would have a much more favorable opinion of the Homonculus if it was customizable. I have come to tge conclusion that this entire version of the 5e Artificer has sacrificed true customization for weak versatility.
The class used to be “Pick a few out of several options to use at will” and is now “Have all these options but have very few uses” and the options this time around end up being weaker than before. I feel there is a balance in between them that can be met. For example; being able to choose a damage type that your homunuculus deals instead of ONLY force (maybe one if the damage types that you can increase by your INT mod) or something allong those lines
Idk, these are just the ideas that popped into my head right now
Edit: Okay after reading it more thoroughly i see some things i did miss before (like the customizable damage) but i meant more if it was customizable as the original concept I wouldn’t have been so adverse to it. Im honestly probably gonna use this for an upcoming character cause the other two subclasses aren’t really my flavor of Artificer so ill keep you posted
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Edited to add more suggestions in order to conserve space and notifications;
Instead of the Alchemists Stone being a spellcasting focus, just make it able to be used as a set of Alchemy Supplies in general. If not, i feel like it should be able to at least be used as supplies on steroids by expending a charge (ex. expend a charge and the necessary materials to create a potion and create it as an action). I feel like there are a lot of fun ways that it can be used and im going galaxy brain.
Another random thing that i just thought about; I feel like someone who regularly works with potions for a LIVING would most definitely be able to Use Item (Potion) as bonus action. I understand it not being a base class feature as to maintain action economy, but for those of us that prefer to use the stone ourselves and make potions with it an not use our Bonus Action to command a pet really need somthing to do with that part of our turn that the rest of the classes make almost full use of
I've got a version of this subclass working in the homebrew editor, with some clean-ups and tweaks. The Alchemist's Stone is tracked as a custom action added by a third-level feature and accurately tracks remaining charges by level (3 at level 3, increasing to 5 at level 9 and 7 at level 15), which is a kludge but it works for dynamically tracking usage of the Stone. The Alchemical Homunculus would have to be added as an additional piece of homebrew, which would require some hacking and Imagination by the end user to get its HP and stuff right especially since even the normal Homunculus/Steel Defender don't track their own increasing Proficiency bonus, but overall? It works about as well as the regular subclasses do, I've plugged it into a sheet and seen the numbers work, and it's good to go for initial testing.
The whole "This content cannot be published because it links to homebrew/licensed content" flag is stopping me from popping it. Pretty sure that means that the Expanded Spell List blocks it (stupid Melf and his stupid Acid Arrow), on top of blocking my desire for Tenser's Transformation as part of the capstone. That's easy enough to kludge around by removing those spells and replacing them with good-enough alternatives, or just saying "you can do this, use your imagination" with Tenser's Transformation since the website doesn't track that spell for snot anyways, but it means TT can't show up in the spell list for the subclass, and I'd have to modify the Expanded Spell List to work with only basic-rules spells. Probably Scorching Ray as the nearest SRD equivalent to Acid Arrow.
Are people cool with that, and/or still want this? If so, let me know and I'll run another pass or two over it, make sure all the bugs I can catch are caught.
Hmmm, isn't there a Basic Rules version of Melf's Acid Arrow that's just called Acid Arrow? You could try using that unless there's other spells on the list that don't have an SRD equivalent; in that case, you could make a revised spell list and put a disclaimer saying "due to the limitations of the SRD the spell list for this revised Alchemist had to be redesigned using available content; if you have access to the original Alchemist's spell list, you may use that instead." As far as Tenser's Transformation, I'd say just put it in the description anyways and say "track it yourselves, shitlords!" (You probably shouldn't add shitlords though...probably...)
Nope. The Basic Rules Spell List includes what looks to be every Alchemist Expanded Spell List spell except Acid Arrow, which is freaking frustrating.
Well, and Tenser's Transformation, but that's me being lulzy anyways so oh well. All right, let's see...
EDIT: Okay, Ray of Sickness was also apparently PHB only. So we're stuck with a shoddy fire-centric Expanded Spells list that steps on the Artillerist's toes a bit, and a note saying "use the normal ESL if you can". That said...here you go, folks. Version 1: Yurei's Revised Alchemist Artificer
So initial indications are that the Alchemical Homunculus is going to be too similar to the existing Homunc Servant for me to bake a version I can share publicly. People are just gonna have to do that conversion on their own, sadly. Nevertheless, I'd figure anyone who found the subclass to use it in the first place can manage to hack together the Alchemical Homunculus.
I'd say it looks pretty damn good. One thing I noticed while looking at the SRD proper is that Inflict Wounds is on there, so if you want to make your spell list less fire-centric you could remove Burning Hands and replace it with that. It may not necessarily have an "alchemical" feel, but it would help alleviate that particular issue and I'm sure someone would be able to flavor it anyways. Also, I'm not 100 sure if you're allowed to add spells from the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, but it's a free document so I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to. If you are able to, you could add Vitriolic Sphere to bring acid damage back to the list, but that would require bumping off either Blight or Death Ward so eh, you may not want to do that if you're trying to preserve as much of the official content as you can. You could also, if you don't want to step on the Artillerist's toes, replace Scorching Ray with Aganazzar's Scorcher, but that would assume you are able to use content from the EE Player's Companion; again, it's a free document so I don't see why you couldn't, but rules can be stupid sometimes so IDK.
As you say, if people are able to find it they should be able to do the necessary conversions all on their own (If you build it they will come, lol). If they can't, well, D&D may not be the game for them to play then...
Hey Yurei, I know this is off topic but I came across this and thought you might appreciate me sharing it: The Homunculus is able to attune to/benefit from magic items, so long as doing so doesn't require it to use an action.
I’m throwing this up here because the ideas have been accumulating ever since Eberron: Rising came out and the official Alchemist subclass was destroyed. Nobody likes the current state of the Alchemist – the Doc Brown potion-chuckers were disappointed at the pitiful, worse-than-Beastmasters weakness of the Experimental Elixir feature, and fans of the Alchemical Homunculus were revolted at what had been done to our cheerful little battle buddy. And yet, neither potion-chucker nor Critter Keeper could ever figure out a way to get back what we’d lost without pissing the other side off.
Until (hopefully) now.
In the spirit of the recent Alternate Class Features UA document, I propose a change to how the Alchemist Artificer works that will allow both sides to do what they want without impinging on each other, without requiring a split in the subclass, and without being as heartbreaking lolsauce weak as Experimental Elixir.
Alternative Class Feature: Alchemist’s Stone
At third level, you can create an Alchemist’s Stone – a magical catalyst that can be used to amplify certain alchemical reactions or create new ones altogether. Creating a stone requires you to have your alchemist’s supplies on your person, and can be done at the end of a long rest. You may only have one Alchemist’s Stone at a time; creating a new one causes the existing one to crumble away and disappear. Your Alchemist’s Stone can be used as a spellcasting focus for your artificer spells.
Your Alchemist’s Stone has three charges, and regains all expended charges when you complete a long rest. You can cast a spell from your Alchemist Expanded Spell List by expending charges from the stone equivalent to the spell’s level, rather than expending a spell slot. In addition, as an action you may expend one charge of the Alchemist’s Stone and touch a willing creature, granting it one of the following effects:
-Healing: The creature regains HP equivalent to 2d4 plus your Intelligence modifier.
-Buoyancy: The creature gains a flying speed of 10 feet for ten minutes.
-Resilience: The creature gains a +1 bonus to its Armor Class for ten minutes.
-Boldness: The creature may roll 1d4 and add the number rolled to any attack roll and saving throw they make for the next ten minutes.
-Swiftness: The creature’s walking speed increases by ten feet for one hour.
-Alteration: The creature transforms as per the Alter Self spell. The creature determines the nature of the transformation, which lasts for ten minutes.
You may also use your Alchemist’s Stone in two additional ways. While holding the stone in your hand, you may expend one charge and fill an empty flask you can touch with an arcane elixir. Choose one of the effects listed above; when drunk, the elixir grants the drinker the effect you chose. Any arcane elixirs created in this way lose their potency and disappear when you complete a long rest.
If you have the Homunculus Servant infusion, you may use your Alchemist’s Stone as the gemstone required to create a homunculus. If you do, your Homunculus becomes an Alchemical Homunculus, gaining the following benefits:
-The Alchemical Homunculus’ maximum HP doubles.
-The Alchemical Homunculus gains resistance to fire, acid, poison, and necrotic damage.
-The damage of the Alchemical Homunculus’ Force Strike increases to 1d6 plus its Proficiency bonus, and you may choose to change the damage of its Force Strike to fire, acid, poison, or necrotic.
-The Alchemical Homunculus can use its action to deliver any of the effects of your Alchemist’s Stone, expending charges as normal. It must be within 120 feet of you to do so.
While embodied in your homunculus this way, you cannot use your Alchemist’s Stone as a spellcasting focus, nor use it to create an arcane elixir.
Fifth Level: Alchemical Savant
When you cast a spell using your alchemist’s supplies as a spellcasting focus, you may add your intelligence modifier to one damage or healing roll the spell makes, provided the damage type is fire, acid, poison, or necrotic. When you use your Alchemist’s Stone as the spellcasting focus, you gain this bonus no matter which type of damage the spell causes.
Ninth Level: Doctor Stone
Your Alchemist’s Stone can now store up to five charges, instead of three. You may expend a charge from your Alchemist’s Stone to cast Lesser Restoration, even if you do not have it prepared. In addition, when you expend a charge from your Alchemist’s Stone (or your Alchemical Homunculus does so in your stead), the creature who gains the benefit of the expended charge gains temporary hit points equivalent to 2d6 plus your Intelligence modifier.
Fifteenth Level: Chemical Romance
You gain resistance to acid and poison damage, and immunity to the Poisoned condition. Your Alchemist’s Stone can now store up to six charges, instead of five, and regains all expended charges when you complete a long rest.
In addition, you may expend one charge from your Alchemist’s Stone to cast Greater Restoration, Heal, or Tenser’s Transformation. You do not need to provide material components, and this version of Tenser’s Transformation may target a willing creature you or your Alchemical Homunculus can touch, rather than just yourself. Once you cast any of these spells in this way, you cannot cast that spell again until you complete a long rest.
* * *
What? This is Bullshit! This is Just a Fancy Transmuter’s Stone! Why Should I Care About This?!
Because the School of Transmutation wizard subclass is bad and should feel bad, and it doesn’t have an exclusive claim on alchemy. A stated design goal of the artificer was that every subclass has to make something – they produce an item which exists in the world and assist the artificer. The Philosopher’s Stone is a big deal everywhere, and it’s traditionally the domain of both classical omnidisciplinary natural philosopher ‘Alchemists’, modern potion-chucking jumped-up apothecary ‘alchemists’, and Fullmetal ‘alchemists’.
Okay…But I Like Potions. Why do I want to Craft a Rock, Instead of Potions?
Because the rock means you get control over your potions, as well as regaining the lost Alchemical Homunculus ability to do it more than once. By utilizing charges stored in the Alchemist’s Stone, the alchemist gets a more fair and useful number of their crap-ass potions, with up to six uses throughout the day at level 15. You always get more uses than you get ‘free’ Wild Chemistry rolls in the base Alchemist, and you also get a casting focus that amplifies the effects of your Alchemical Savant. You actually stand up to the Artilerist now, if not the Battlesmith.
Sure, But What if I Liked the Homunculus, Instead?
That’s the beauty of it. By making the Alchemist’s Stone the core class feature, and then giving the Alchemist’s Stone a special interaction with the as-written Homunculus Servant infusion, we can get back the old, powerful/useful Alchemical Homunculus without “forcing” it on people who hated having a super cool and useful magic steampunk familiar. Using the Alchemist’s Stone as a component of the Homunculus gets us back to the 2019 UA Alchemist that was actually good (minus its weapon combat abilities. Only so much I can fix), while players who hated the homunculus can instead save an infusion and use the Stone as an enhanced casting focus and a way to produce bankable ‘arcane elixirs’. Without feeling like they’re losing out by not buying in on the Homunculus.
Everybody gets what they want. Or at least so I devoutly hope.
Right now this is in the prototyping stage, but let me know if I should work on smashing this out of the homebrew editor. If there’s enough interest, I’ll try and get a workable version built. Either way, let me know what you think, and thanks for slogging through the whole thing.
Please do not contact or message me.
Is there any other class or subclass feature that specifies a certain infusion? Not worried about it either way, just a design consistency question.
In addition, I like the idea of being able to cast spells with transmuter stone charges adding a few more slots, given that alchemist is the most "pure caster" flavor of the subclasses.
My Chemical Romance? That just gave me flashbacks....
Nothing else is tied to specific infusions, no. Certain classes favor certain infusions by way of basic design, but none have an explicit interaction with a specific infusion.
Unfortunately we're kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. Unless you have a DM permissive enough to allow you to indulge in shenanery, the Homunculus Servant infusion is absolute gobshyte. It's terrible at everything and serves no purpose beyond narrative flavor unless you get into specific examples of wringing the RAW out like a wet towel, but it's still there.
My thought was that tying the Alchemist's Stone into an entirely opt-in modification for the Homunculus Servant means that players who want it can do just that, but players who don't can simply not take the Servant infusion and still have the benefit of their Alchemist's Stone. They get arcane elixirs and the improved Savant as well as not having to burn a precious Infusion slot on a homunculus, so they don't feel like they're missing out by not using the Servant interaction. it allows us to have the powerful Alchemical Homunculus back, but in a way that doesn't punish potion chuckers for
being wrongwanting their own, more traditional style of potion-based gameplay, instead.Please do not contact or message me.
I say go for it. As you say, none of the official classes have explicit interactions with specific infusions, but let's be honest, if you're playing an Artillerist without grabbing Enhanced Wand or a Battlesmith without Enhanced Weapon or Repeating Shot, then quite frankly you're playing them wrong. Same for Alchemists and the Homunculus infusion; as far as their bonus action goes, they don't really have any options outside of a couple spells like Healing Word and Flaming Sphere, otherwise it's just gonna go to waste.
I would ask just what in the hell WotC was thinking when they made this official, but I have a sneaking suspicion it went something like: "Shit, people hate it and we're 30 minutes away from printing! Just throw Wild Magic in and hope nobody notices..."
Wow, that’s actually an ingenious fix to the back and forth problem.
I honestly hate what you describe as the ‘wild alchemy’, and I don’t hate the Homonculus as an idea, i just hated it as an Alchemist specific thing. I honestly don’t kniw what i want from this class anymore, the garbage that WotC kept pushing for it has muddled it so much imo. This is a good fix tho
Heh.
It's honestly astonishing how often I've heard that: "I didn't hate the homunculus, I just hated it being attached to something I like." The conclusion, of course, being the idea that people weren't opposed to other folks having a homunculus so long as it didn't corrupt their potion-chucking wildman. We've all seen the result now, though - both the potion chucker and the Homunculus were effectively removed from the game, leaving everybody sad.
This idea of mine doesn't seem to be the fix, though. Reception has been nonexistent, and most of the time in other threads on the Alchemist, people just want to vomit up a massively increased number of randomized potions instead. I am disappoint, but not really surprised. Ah well. Can't say I didn't try.
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I like it. A lot. It seems a tad on the strong side with some things though that might just be my adjusted expectations due to what we ended up actually getting with the official Alchemist. Thanks for posting this, Yurei.
This recommendation is much better then what we got. I do like how you gave it Tenser's Transformation and could put it on the homunculus though I would hesitate putting it in my game.
Thank you, Unclever.
Heh, I figured Tenser's Transformation would be contentious. To counter this, I posit the following: name me one single other class more deserving of being able to go full Mr. Hyde, turn into a hulking, rampaging monster brute, than the subclass associated with the frontiers of magical science and the construction of body-altering elixirs?
We artificers deserve our Nerd Rage: The Spell, damnit :P
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Oh its kind of like what i've been pushing for. Which was 2 fold:
1: ther andom exliirs equal your Intellegence and are restored on a short rest. (Basically you collect scraps and bitst and bobs while exploring and mix them getting the random results).
2: An infusion (I didn't know what yet.. but now I'm gonna say a Philospher stone prototype). That counts as Alchemist supplies, and gives you a Bonus action to create-and attack with an Alchemical Item.
I.e.e bonus action create Acid and attack with it, or Alchemist fire. Or oil. or Goobombs. Or maybe Bombs (though damage is a bit high at low level, less so later) (perhaps poisons)
Or create an antitoxin and splash an ally with it-absorbing through their skin 'cause alchemy. In addition, it would let you take a healing potion or elixir (NOT create one) and administer it alchemically to an ally the same as the Antitoxin. GIvine the alchemist a unique method of applying their elixirs or healing potions. Their own version of a (paid in some cases) Healing Words to suppliment their low spell elvels.
Verbally call ouot Healing Potions and Alchemist Elixirs, but dont list the other Alchemical items by name, just a more vague "alchemical items" that way any future items are acceptable.
But I think your idea is far better than my number 1. But I still want the number 2 effect and think it should be worth while. The other alchemists all gained bonus actions sustainable attacks. The r ogue has Fast Hands as a bonus action. and in the new UA-there is a fighte style that lets them throw a weapon as a bonus action (which I think means they could throw alch/acid).
The alchemist needs a bonusu action move sutain move. Not just healing word or flaming sphere. Prototype Philospher Stone, doing how the elixirs you mentione did+ the bonus action attack/support choices would make the class a looot of fun.
Taking your idea, + giving the extra ability o Bonus action set damage and buffs,
I adore this idea.
PS. I think it would be neat if it was an INfusion (not class granted) that it could ge equiped to your wrist, but count as "in hand" for various effects. Kind of like that old Beyond Oasis gauntlet?
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On the topic of hummunculus or not..
Personally I hated it. .but I hate having pets, I don't want another creature to manage, I don't enjoy it. I like it as an option (though think its awkward). I also don't think its really tied to the flavor myself of any specific artificer type. I could see myself making it-but not taking it with me on a normal basis, or leaving it with the horses or something like thatt. But in adventuring I personally disliked it.
Actually I refrain from playing Battlesmith due to its pet. (Except when i make Lucca Ashtear). Artilirist Im alright with as I can basically set and forget and not worry about it.
Alchemist i play, (Roll Caskett!) in part because I don't have a pet, and I like the concept of elixirs (but completely agree it all comes up awkward or short)
...I honestly hated the homunculus, but to be frank I hated the entire Alchemist subclass that came out in the UA, and the rest of the document left me feeling so underwhelmed I think that may have amplified my saltiness even further.
The base class in my opinion is now VASTLY improved, but the Alchemist...still has a lot of what made me hate it in the first place, and they replaced the homunculus with a feature that's objectively worse and still leaves you needing to take it as an infusion, so yeah, I'm still salty over it.
Again, I say keep going forward with this. Personally I have zero problem with adding Tenser's Transformation; Artillerist basically gets free upcasting for all it's damaging spells without having a stupid limitation on what damage types can be used, and Alchemist already gets to cast a 6th level spell for free anyway so there's zero reason why they shouldn't get an offensive option to to go along with it.
I think, as feedback to what you have created, that not everything that you can do should come from the same pool of uses (i.e. the Stone). I say this because, you end up getting far less uses if everything overall when its all coming from the same 3-6 uses- even between short rests.
One fun fix to this I thought of is stopping the increase of uses at 4 or 5 and instead give a Second stone. Then you can have a Homonculus AND one on your person or even Two Homonculi
In all honesty i would have a much more favorable opinion of the Homonculus if it was customizable. I have come to tge conclusion that this entire version of the 5e Artificer has sacrificed true customization for weak versatility.
The class used to be “Pick a few out of several options to use at will” and is now “Have all these options but have very few uses” and the options this time around end up being weaker than before. I feel there is a balance in between them that can be met. For example; being able to choose a damage type that your homunuculus deals instead of ONLY force (maybe one if the damage types that you can increase by your INT mod) or something allong those lines
Idk, these are just the ideas that popped into my head right now
Edit: Okay after reading it more thoroughly i see some things i did miss before (like the customizable damage) but i meant more if it was customizable as the original concept I wouldn’t have been so adverse to it. Im honestly probably gonna use this for an upcoming character cause the other two subclasses aren’t really my flavor of Artificer so ill keep you posted
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Edited to add more suggestions in order to conserve space and notifications;
Instead of the Alchemists Stone being a spellcasting focus, just make it able to be used as a set of Alchemy Supplies in general. If not, i feel like it should be able to at least be used as supplies on steroids by expending a charge (ex. expend a charge and the necessary materials to create a potion and create it as an action). I feel like there are a lot of fun ways that it can be used and im going galaxy brain.
Another random thing that i just thought about; I feel like someone who regularly works with potions for a LIVING would most definitely be able to Use Item (Potion) as bonus action. I understand it not being a base class feature as to maintain action economy, but for those of us that prefer to use the stone ourselves and make potions with it an not use our Bonus Action to command a pet really need somthing to do with that part of our turn that the rest of the classes make almost full use of
SO. UPDATE.
I've got a version of this subclass working in the homebrew editor, with some clean-ups and tweaks. The Alchemist's Stone is tracked as a custom action added by a third-level feature and accurately tracks remaining charges by level (3 at level 3, increasing to 5 at level 9 and 7 at level 15), which is a kludge but it works for dynamically tracking usage of the Stone. The Alchemical Homunculus would have to be added as an additional piece of homebrew, which would require some hacking and Imagination by the end user to get its HP and stuff right especially since even the normal Homunculus/Steel Defender don't track their own increasing Proficiency bonus, but overall? It works about as well as the regular subclasses do, I've plugged it into a sheet and seen the numbers work, and it's good to go for initial testing.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.............................
The whole "This content cannot be published because it links to homebrew/licensed content" flag is stopping me from popping it. Pretty sure that means that the Expanded Spell List blocks it (stupid Melf and his stupid Acid Arrow), on top of blocking my desire for Tenser's Transformation as part of the capstone. That's easy enough to kludge around by removing those spells and replacing them with good-enough alternatives, or just saying "you can do this, use your imagination" with Tenser's Transformation since the website doesn't track that spell for snot anyways, but it means TT can't show up in the spell list for the subclass, and I'd have to modify the Expanded Spell List to work with only basic-rules spells. Probably Scorching Ray as the nearest SRD equivalent to Acid Arrow.
Are people cool with that, and/or still want this? If so, let me know and I'll run another pass or two over it, make sure all the bugs I can catch are caught.
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Hmmm, isn't there a Basic Rules version of Melf's Acid Arrow that's just called Acid Arrow? You could try using that unless there's other spells on the list that don't have an SRD equivalent; in that case, you could make a revised spell list and put a disclaimer saying "due to the limitations of the SRD the spell list for this revised Alchemist had to be redesigned using available content; if you have access to the original Alchemist's spell list, you may use that instead." As far as Tenser's Transformation, I'd say just put it in the description anyways and say "track it yourselves, shitlords!" (You probably shouldn't add shitlords though...probably...)
Nope. The Basic Rules Spell List includes what looks to be every Alchemist Expanded Spell List spell except Acid Arrow, which is freaking frustrating.
Well, and Tenser's Transformation, but that's me being lulzy anyways so oh well. All right, let's see...
EDIT: Okay, Ray of Sickness was also apparently PHB only. So we're stuck with a shoddy fire-centric Expanded Spells list that steps on the Artillerist's toes a bit, and a note saying "use the normal ESL if you can". That said...here you go, folks. Version 1: Yurei's Revised Alchemist Artificer
Let me know what you think.
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That's weird. It shows up when I put in the "Basic Rules" filter when searching spells...
https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells?filter-class=0&filter-search=&filter-verbal=&filter-somatic=&filter-material=&filter-concentration=&filter-ritual=&filter-sub-class=&filter-source=1
So initial indications are that the Alchemical Homunculus is going to be too similar to the existing Homunc Servant for me to bake a version I can share publicly. People are just gonna have to do that conversion on their own, sadly. Nevertheless, I'd figure anyone who found the subclass to use it in the first place can manage to hack together the Alchemical Homunculus.
...right?
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I'd say it looks pretty damn good. One thing I noticed while looking at the SRD proper is that Inflict Wounds is on there, so if you want to make your spell list less fire-centric you could remove Burning Hands and replace it with that. It may not necessarily have an "alchemical" feel, but it would help alleviate that particular issue and I'm sure someone would be able to flavor it anyways. Also, I'm not 100 sure if you're allowed to add spells from the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, but it's a free document so I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to. If you are able to, you could add Vitriolic Sphere to bring acid damage back to the list, but that would require bumping off either Blight or Death Ward so eh, you may not want to do that if you're trying to preserve as much of the official content as you can. You could also, if you don't want to step on the Artillerist's toes, replace Scorching Ray with Aganazzar's Scorcher, but that would assume you are able to use content from the EE Player's Companion; again, it's a free document so I don't see why you couldn't, but rules can be stupid sometimes so IDK.
As you say, if people are able to find it they should be able to do the necessary conversions all on their own (If you build it they will come, lol). If they can't, well, D&D may not be the game for them to play then...
Hey Yurei, I know this is off topic but I came across this and thought you might appreciate me sharing it: The Homunculus is able to attune to/benefit from magic items, so long as doing so doesn't require it to use an action.
https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/1207430012116189185
https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/1207431466277208064
(You probably knew this already, but in the off chance you didn't it I thought it'd be useful/relevent to the artificer you're currently running.)