If choosing the potions results in most people picking the same 2 potions, then the problem is not in the choosing, but rather in the design of the other potion options.
If choosing the potions results in most people picking the same 2 potions, then the problem is not in the choosing, but rather in the design of the other potion options.
Not necessarily, the issue is while the other options are still good they aren't as universally good in every situation. It isn't about how good each option is but people's ability to predict what they will need or rather their inability to predict what they will need.
Barbarian Path of the Wild Heart having to roll randomly to see which animal totem feature they get when they rage. Wanted Bear? Ooh, sorry. You rolled Eagle.
Cleric subclasses, all. Want to use your Channel Divinity subclass feature? Flip a coin. Oops. Looks like you have to use it to Turn Undead this time. Sorry.
Druid subclasses, all. Wildshape for subclass feature? Nope. Roll randomly, and you MIGHT get it. OR... you might have to change into a squirrel. Sorry... that's just what the dice picked for you.
Fighter, Battle Master. Roll randomly to see which maneuver you get to use. Fighter Psi Warrior: roll randomly to determine which of your psi powers you get to use. Eldritch Knight: roll randomly to see which spells you get to prepare.
Monk subclasses, all. Roll each turn to see how you'll be spending your Focus Points.
Rogue, Arcane Trickster: roll to see which spells you prepare. SoulKnife: roll to see how you'll get to use your Psionic Energy Dice.
Sorcerer, Draconic. Roll to see which color dragon you'll get. Sorcerer, Wild Magic: Huh. Well. Finally, a subclass that SHOULD have random rolls. But Wild Sorcerers have a much improved, very good list of random things that could happen. And people play them FOR the randomness. It's right in the name.
Maybe there are more examples of how to make other Sub Class features bad by taking away agency from the player. I don't know. But the point is: I don't want to play a subclass that takes away my agency, my choice. To me, that feels like a totally different game. Do you run? Fight? Talk? Go left? Right? Just roll the dice and do what they say? Nah. No thanks. I'd like to play a game where I get to decide what my character does. The dice in this game are supposed to determine success or failure.
This is exactly why I think Experimental Elixir should be chosen and not chaotic. Chemistry the real world equivalent to Alchemy is based on chemical laws which produce specific effects that some would call magic. This is sort of how I viewed Alchemy in D&D because it nullifies stuff like wild magic surges in the Underdark (this is why Drow are expert poisoners) and the same goes for the rest of the subclasses because RAW all enchanted items work even when actual magic doesn't unless specifically disenchanted. And for that matter I don't even know if you can disenchant a potion?
I feel like the Alchemist should be the "helper" subclass. The Gunner is personal DPS, the Armorer is personal Tank, the Battle Smith is Crowd Control/Summons. I feel like they really missed an opportunity by not bringing Scroll Scribes into the Class too since that is Artifice also. So, it would be great to just be able to convert a number of spells equal to my proficiency bonus into a potion upon a long rest which could be given to other players instead of a set list of random possibilities. Alchemy is way to lawful for that sort of chaos and a good Alchemist would know exactly what they are creating. Experimental Elixir is more like what a player would have to roll if they failed the crafting challenge used Alchemist Tools forcing them to take a potion they didn't even want and wasting their materials/time.
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"Life is Cast by Random Dice"
Burn my candle twice.
I have done my life justice
Against random dice.
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If choosing the potions results in most people picking the same 2 potions, then the problem is not in the choosing, but rather in the design of the other potion options.
Not necessarily, the issue is while the other options are still good they aren't as universally good in every situation. It isn't about how good each option is but people's ability to predict what they will need or rather their inability to predict what they will need.
This is exactly why I think Experimental Elixir should be chosen and not chaotic. Chemistry the real world equivalent to Alchemy is based on chemical laws which produce specific effects that some would call magic. This is sort of how I viewed Alchemy in D&D because it nullifies stuff like wild magic surges in the Underdark (this is why Drow are expert poisoners) and the same goes for the rest of the subclasses because RAW all enchanted items work even when actual magic doesn't unless specifically disenchanted. And for that matter I don't even know if you can disenchant a potion?
I feel like the Alchemist should be the "helper" subclass. The Gunner is personal DPS, the Armorer is personal Tank, the Battle Smith is Crowd Control/Summons. I feel like they really missed an opportunity by not bringing Scroll Scribes into the Class too since that is Artifice also. So, it would be great to just be able to convert a number of spells equal to my proficiency bonus into a potion upon a long rest which could be given to other players instead of a set list of random possibilities. Alchemy is way to lawful for that sort of chaos and a good Alchemist would know exactly what they are creating. Experimental Elixir is more like what a player would have to roll if they failed the crafting challenge used Alchemist Tools forcing them to take a potion they didn't even want and wasting their materials/time.
"Life is Cast by Random Dice"
Burn my candle twice.
I have done my life justice
Against random dice.