I noticed Alchemists can make more elixirs (with control over the effect) by sacrificing spell slots, and that they don't get any benefit from using higher level slots to do so. Immediately thought of the warlock's short rest pact slots as a great resource to convert into these elixirs. 

The Enhanced Arcane Focus makes Eldritch Blast spamming just a little bit better, and a focus on Hex as the concentration spell du jour makes a high intelligence even less necessary. Being able to lean on Eldritch Blast for combat competence is a boon for the Alchemist that struggles in that department.

I'm really liking the idea of throwing in Actor + Mask of Many Faces to create a snake oil salesman that can never be found by the angry mobs of ripped off customers because he's a new person everywhere he goes. 

Any thoughts on the combination? I know Alchemist is the forgotten one of the Artificer clan, but I think I really like what is going on here between the two classes.

The issue is MADness.

To benefit the way you're talking about from, essentially, substituting the warlock's basic combat engine for the Alchemist's, you would need Charisma as high or higher than your Intelligence.  Assuming the usual Standard Array (i.e. you suck at everything forever but can fix ONE SINGLE THING you suck at by level 20 if you pour every last ASI you have into it), having combat-worthy numbers in both Intelligence and Charisma will be very difficult.  Lowering Intelligence for the sake of Charisma, as some might do, makes you bad at being an artificer, which seems weird to do for a two-level dip in warlock.

Taking warlock levels and ignoring Eldritch Blast can yield workable results, as the warlock slots do provide more opportunities throughout the day to make shitty Wild Alchemy elixirs and the Mask of Many Faces con man is a classic.  Adding Hex could fit the whole Con Man thing, imposing disadvantage on the target's Wisdom checks to make them both more gullible (i.e. disadvantage Insight) and less able to spot your sneakyhands cons (i.e disadvantage Perception).

In combat, however?  Unless you have Heroic stats and can afford to spike both Intelligence and Charisma, your game plan is the same as every other Alchemist's combat gameplan - pray to whichever god you like the most that combat ends as soon as possible, ideally before you have to take a turn and show other people how useless you are.

I disagree with the MADness issue. This would be a charisma focused build with enough intelligence to qualify for alchemist.

If Hex + EB is what is going to happen in 90% of combats, I don't see the lack of intelligence as a problem when fighting. Heat Metal provides an excellent concentration replacement that performs a different role and doesn't care about DC (targeting armor of course). Web is useful as environment shaping even with a mediocre DC. Tiny Servants is another combat amplifier that doesn't care about intelligence. The Artificer list is stronger on utility spells as a whole.

The whole point is to replace the Alchemist's terrible combat prowess with the eminently acceptable warlock routine. Sure, the build will have fewer Alchemist prep slots, heal a little less with healing word and elixirs and need to be more careful about curating spell prep, but those things seem like they are either a minor deficiency (healing stuff) or can be worked around to a very reasonable degree (number of prep slots hurts, but the warlock list and strong cantrip game should help quite a bit). Alchemical Savant being used less frequently, and dealing less damage is a bummer, but agonizing blast and hex boosted EB's are outperforming what that could do anyways.

I think the shitty elixirs look much better when you can create up to two per short rest and control the outcome. It's not lighting the world on fire, but I think it's quite a neat trick to have. 

A Variant Human build (+1 dex, +1 int) could start with Actor (+1 cha) and pull off these starting stats with the intention of boosting Charisma when possible: 8 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 16. The build could easily afford going down to 13/14 intelligence to boost wisdom or constitution depending on the builder's taste. I get that lower intelligence makes a number of Artificer spells worse, but I think there are enough options that don't care about intelligence to come up with a solid list regardless. 

You could sacrifice Intelligence for Charisma, sure.  You'd be losing artificer spell prep slots, sabotaging your artificer DC, losing Magical Tinkering slots, losing uses of Flash of Genius, and sabotaging the power of Flash of Genius.  You lose a lot by pitching Intelligence on artificers.  People like to say Magical Tinkering is worthless and also often like to complain about Flash of Genius being a 'late-game, overhyped thing that's just less-good Bardic Inspiration', but your charlatan character model here seems like the type that would benefit greatly from being able to produce Minor Magical Marvels on command (and exactly the sort who wouldn't care that they'd disappear after he left), and I can say from play experience that Flash of Genius is really ******* good when you get it high enough to really matter.  +3 to three checks or saves per day isn't astonishing, no - but +5 to five checks or saves a day is a much better deal.  Especially if there is no bard offering Inspiration left and right, or if your bard is a Swords bard that uses all their Inspiration dice for flourishes.

There's also the matter of save DC/attack modifier.  Yes, you can plan around using spells where it doesn't matter either as much or at all, but that puts a heavy limit on what you can bring to the field.  Deciding ahead of time that anything reliant on a DC is a no-go for your low-IQ artificer cuts off a lot of spells you could otherwise use as needed.  I would posit whether being a basic warlock in combat is worth being a bad artificer every time you're not in combat.

Now, in this specific instance you could probably get away with it.  16 is fine for a starting artificer, and if you don't ever bother with any other feats you can get an 18 in one and a 20 in the other by 12th level.  Which stat gets the nod would depend on how the character falls in with his party and whether he trends more shooty-bangbang or more MacGuyver utiliguy.  You'd have eleven levels to figure that decision out in play, at least.  But I have to squinty-eye at any build plan that involves ignoring Intelligence on an artificer.

Hmm. Great food for thought.

100% right about Flash of Genius. As someone that has never played an artificer I will admit that simply slipped my mind. I can definitely see the huge value of maximizing that ability. I think I'm okay with 3 magical tinkerings at a time with 16 intelligence though.

I honestly don't think the DC thing is as devisive as you say it is. Especially on a 16 intelligence build (the build I would play). Ignoring cantrips (because the offensive cantrip game is spoken for between EB and Toll the Dead from warlock), here are all of the DC requiring spells in the Artificer List, with the Alchemist's thrown in.

 Again, this is all assuming a 16 intelligence build, so really, any level 1 spell where the DC matters will be good for quite some time. Grease and Faerie Fire will be great low level contributors when needed. Most of those spells have multiple functions and can be utilized without touching the DC. Or are blasts I simply don't want anyways thanks to EB and Hex taking their place. Honestly, worse tier 2+ levitates feels like the only significant loss, which I'm okay with.

Quote from Yurei1453 >>

 I would posit whether being a basic warlock in combat is worth being a bad artificer every time you're not in combat.

 I think this is overly reductionist. Obviously it's a bad trade when you word it like that. But alchemist IS contributing to the warlock game (enhanced arcane focus, boldness elixir, and artificer combat spells the warlock doesn't get) and the warlock IS contributing to the artificer game by fueling more elixirs that can be controlled and providing social abilities to combine with magical tinkering.

With a 16 intelligence that may or may not be increased in a timely manner, I think the biggest trade of the multiclass besides expediency of unlocking abilities (considering the alchemist is so bleh, I'm okay with it) is the whole flash of genius thing (definitely a great point).

I get the squinty eyes. I'm walking myself back on the claim about 13/14 intelligence because I think it's a bad idea to make Flash of Genius any worse. But I think the variant human build I outlined, or a half-elf that picks up actor (or whatever charisma half-feat) at CL 6 to get to 18 Charisma would work just fine, and dare I say it, make a more playable Alchemist.

To be fair, I'm not sassing the character at all.  A devious tinkerer-charlatan whose dreams whisper of madness is a compelling seed, the character idea is sound.

Heh.  I'm simply one who values Intelligence very highly on artificers, and who also thinks the Agonizing Doink + Hex combo is vastly overhyped.  Many people (who aren't even warlock players) will say it's the best at-will damage you can possibly do in all of 5e, and also at least half a dozen other games.  There are folks who say that a warlock not concentrating on Hex is a warlock with a hole in their soul, and many of those folks manage to completely forget Hex even has a nondamaging component.  But realistically, until you get your third Eldritch Blast shot, you're not doing anything your friendly neighborhood ranger isn't doing too.  Cutting off every concentration option one can have in favor of slavish adherence to Hex-The-DPS-Boost is just being inflexible and uncreative, and that is anathema to good artificer play.

Intelligence drives the artificer's inventiveness, both fluff-wise and mechanically. 16 is about the lowest I'd ever tolerate an artificer's intelligence being, but since you've got that you're good.  I just recommend getting it higher is all, and not locking yourself out of other options because of the inflated reputation of the Eldritch Blast/Hex combo.

Oh I'm certainly not one to think Hex - Eldritch Blast spamming is the end-all-be-all, world ending, cats pajamas combo others seem to think it is. I just love it as a tight package that makes a character competent at combat so that I can make plenty of deliciously useless character decisions and still not be a wet noodle when the raucous begins. There are plenty of spells I'm looking at to complement this character's attack routine (grease is my favorite combat spell).

It was the pact slots fueling the elixirs that drew me to warlock, and Eldritch Blast that had me stay. The mask of many faces shenanigans came together to create a package that fulfilled character and concept, so it all feels really nice.

Thanks for the feedback. Your intelligence advocation and experience with the class is super helpful to determining the minutae of the build.

Quote from Yurei1453>>

  Cutting off every concentration option one can have in favor of slavish adherence to Hex-The-DPS-Boost is just being inflexible and uncreative, and that is anathema to good artificer play.

Sure sure.  Heh, my point was that a higher-intelligence alchemist can construct a more viable combat spell list.  Grease is good with a save DC of 11; it's a whole lot better with a save DC of 15.  Same with Faerie Fire.  And don't underestimate "I use Catapult to shoot this unpleasant awful thing at my enemy".  Heh, Missy Pallid Tiffle over there had an Issue with someone turning her shield into a flesh-twisting nightmare morass of biting, gnashing wood and metal bits, like someone had stuck a mimic in a microwave and pushed 'Slaanesh'.  Star got rid of the thing as quick as possible, but it was still flailing and gnashing on the ground at her feet.

Rei: "Star casts Catapult and hurls this horrible thing at that merc over there tryin'a stab her sister."  

I missed, but he made the DC by only a single point.  DM ruled he took gnawing damage from the close flyby, and also Star didn't have to touch the evil horrible mutilated bitey-shield to get rid of it.

Yeah I'm all aboard the 16 intelligence and Enhanced Arcane Focus train. I'll match the DC of a level four wizard with 18 intelligence. Good enough for me to feel free with my spell selection. From there, like you said, I have plenty of time to figure out if increasing intelligence early over charisma is what I want. Enhanced Arcane Focus helps cover the gap nicely. I wouldn't be surprised at all if getting both of them to 18 before maxing one ends up feeling like the best path.

Edited: for dumbness

Quote from HeironymusZot >>

Yeah I'm all aboard the 16 intelligence and Enhanced Arcane Focus train. I'll match the DC of a level four wizard with 18 intelligence. Good enough for me to feel free with my spell selection. From there, like you said, I have plenty of time to figure out if increasing intelligence early over charisma is what I want. Enhanced Arcane Focus helps cover the gap nicely. I wouldn't be surprised at all if getting both of them to 18 before maxing one ends up feeling like the best path.

Enhanced Arcane Focus doesn't change your spell save DC.

ooooooops

sitting in a corner rethinking my decisions.

What you're actually after is an All-Purpose Tool.  The APT actually does what people think the Enhanced Arcane Focus does, and also acts as all your tools at once.  It's basically the best possible item any artificer could ever want, which is why it's strictly loot and not an infusion.  But hey - at tenth level Artificer you can craft a +1 All-Purpose Tool for half the gold and a quarter of the time.  Should be pretty simple by then, and any DM willing to allow an artificer in their game at all should be able to be convinced to let a twelfth freaking level character make a simple +1 item.  If you don't have one by then already.

Yes that is exactly what I want. 

Enhanced Spell Focus may not raise DC, but it does make Eldritch Blast more accurate. Now I'm thinking about prioritizing intelligence while relying on spell focus (and sometimes boldness elixir) to stay accurate with EB.

Bringing this back from the dead a bit because I came across a rules interaction I'm not sure of while thinking about this character again. If I use a staff as my enhanced arcane focus can I turn that staff into my hexblade weapon to base it off of charisma?

No reason you shouldn't be able to, no.

Nice. That's a lovely bit of overlap. 

Here is another thought. If I make this character an elf, can I use the four hours everyone else is resting cycling through making elixirs with my pact slots and then short resting. Is there a rule against chaining short rests like that? Starting each day with 8 elixirs (10 if I spend my pact slots one more time after the final short rest) is pretty exciting to me. 

Quote from HeironymusZot >>

Nice. That's a lovely bit of overlap. 

Here is another thought. If I make this character an elf, can I use the four hours everyone else is resting cycling through making elixirs with my pact slots and then short resting. Is there a rule against chaining short rests like that? Starting each day with 8 elixirs (10 if I spend my pact slots one more time after the final short rest) is pretty exciting to me. 

 I did not see anything to suggest you couldn't as far as the rules go, but I would expect the DM to shut it down. Not exactly a fair use, although it is very clever.

I'd be pretty disappointed in a DM that sees a player multiclassing warlock with an intelligence based class, and the Alchemist no less, and say that what they're up to is unfair. God forbid the alchemist do anything cool. But yes, I could see plenty of DMs frowning at the tactic and saying no immediately.

I haven't been able to find anything that explicitly disallows this which is thrilling. Here's a follow up question related to the tactic. Can a familiar administer an Elixir to someone?

It's less about forbidding 'something cool' and more about closing an exploit.  What you're referring to is basically Coffeelocking, if from a novel new angle, and some DMs just do not hold any truck with Coffeelocking.  You're stockpiling Wild Chemistry experiments rather than spell slots, but the same engine is being used to do both.  As per a discussion I had earlier on Coffeelocking: a short rest is at least an hour long, but that doesn't mean a DM is obligated to let each individual hour qualify as its own unique short rest.  All depends on the specifics of your table and what your DM is comfortable letting you get away with.

A familiar can technically use any action save the Attack action (chainlock notwithstanding), but many DMs will ask how, precisely, a familiar is going to administer an elixir to someone without the benefit of hands.  Many familiars are smaller/lighter than a flaskful of elixir - if a player told me "My spider carries this healing elixir over to Ogbert the Axehanded and administers it", that player would get a distinct DM Fry Meming and the statement "Okay.  Explain how a spider is going to lug a liquid-filled flask thousands of times its mass over to Oggie, unscrew the cap, and pour it down the man's throat in six seconds.  If your real-life BS roll is high enough, I'll let you have it."

Your [Tooltip Not Found], on the other hand?  Prior to Wizards ruining the Alchemist because the community are a bunch of potion-wanking ass goblins, delivering elixirs to teammeates was explicitly its job.  Most DMs would be much more inclined to let your homunculus administer elixirs than a Familiar with no hands and animal-level intelligence.