The NEW Alchemist Class 🐸💣 for D&D 5e by Taron "Indestructoboy" Pounds - Review and How to Play

[@FlutesLoot]

💥Preview and buy the Alchemist class on the DMs Guild: www.dmsguild.com/product/401361/The-Alchemist-Class?affiliate_id=3063449 💥Subscribe to Indestructoboy: kzbin.info

[@evanalexander5618]

you should totally do a review of the rest of his classes!

[@Indestructoboy]

:D

[@FlutesLoot]

I'd love to! I need to find the time to do so, but Taron's work is worth a look.

[@mcullennz]

Came here to say this

[@FlutesLoot]

@@mcullennz I'm feeling the hype! I might have to do that.

[@GoblinLord]

Note on the homunculus, I love the idea of being an alchemist in a workshop, you hear someone call you and you whistle to call your servant and suddenly they look up to see this small gnome or some such floating down because that's just how you traverse your home

[@FlutesLoot]

That's a fantastic visual! I also love thinking of different forms that the homunculus can take depending on character flavor.

[@karrenwatson567]

This is the class I would love to play, but currently not sure if my DM will allow 3rd party classes in our campaign. I'm in Taron's community and watched much of his livestream creation. I also learned much about game mechanics. Thanks for reviewing it.

[@FlutesLoot]

Right on, I'll see you in future livestreams! Do you know what your DM's reasoning is for avoiding third-party content? There are plenty of reasons I've heard, but I'm curious what your situation is.

[@karrenwatson567]

@@FlutesLoot I haven't directly asked. My DMs (husband and wife team) do a lot of homebrew, so they don't avoid it. I've purchased a printed copy of UAH (for group use) and my DM will approve stuff from it on a case by case basis. With this reasoning I may be allowed to play this class if my current character dies and I must generate a new one, or wait until a new campaign begins.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@karrenwatson567 Sounds reasonable. Let me know if you end up playing it!

[@karrenwatson567]

@@FlutesLoot I will.

[@gabef9538]

I hope alchemist draws general ingredients based on traits and cr of monster slain. Traits such as 'fire resistant' or 'undead' or 'from the abyss'.

[@FlutesLoot]

I enjoy when DMs allow that kind of ingredient gathering.

[@BK-qe9gq]

This is honestly my favorite class. I get to play the brain of the group and have it apply to my class features without needing to make an Int Caster and I can do it with practically no magic involved. I've honestly always wanted to make a witcher-esque character in 5e and this class let's me do that with the salbenist. One could say an Order Of The Mutant Bloodhunter can work and while I don't disagree, my biggest complaint with that is this. Where are my dang BOMBS? When I played the Witcher 3 I specced Geralt into alchemy which meant I was really good at 3 things, using blade oils, chugging potions like an addict, and liberal use of bombs. This class let's me do all of that, and I get so many "bombs" and potions to make and use, it's great. I have a character sheet for this class, currently going unused, but when I did get to play with it, I had fun. His name is Bahgda Cronekin, my idea for this character was that he was a human monster hunter raised by a Silat which is a type of hag from 2e which typically range in alignment from chaotic evil to chaotic good. I used that as justification for making him look unusual (ala Witcher) because he grew up in the presence of hag magic, and to give him some beliefs you'd more often find in hags like the Rule Of Three, and faith in Baba Yaga for use in roleplay and if I ever met another hag maybe my 8 CHA character could manage to do some networking? they might know his mother through the hag gossip grape vine after all. He has green eyes like a cat's and slightly sharper teeth than normal, and I also took the magic initiate feat as the bonus feat (I was playing variant human) because he was raised by a hag he's gonna know some magic, plus I could flavor him making hand gestures like Witcher Signs. he knows Control Flames because he has flaming sword with NON-magical flames, he can get mileage out of this cantrip, Prestidigitation because utility, and Protection From Evil and Good because although conditional it is REALLY good at protecting against such creatures and I don't have to just target myself, and on top of that for the spell's material components, Alchemist's Supplies contains powdered iron and I can probably justify it having powdered silver as well and even if I can't I can make holy water, plus he's a monster hunter so the spell just fits. As you can probably tell I was eager to make Bahgda Cronekin and I put plenty of thought into it, I can't help but want to gush. He is my favorite character I've ever made and he has been a socially awkward, very polite, and very competent, giant of a man (I like to use the phb height and weight modifiers for my characters, he ended up 6 foot 3 inches (188cm) and 167 pounds (75 kilograms)).

[@Nojoro85]

Picked this up last week and I love it!

[@FlutesLoot]

Right on! Do you have a favorite subclass? I keep going back and forth on which one I'd select.

[@Nojoro85]

@@FlutesLoot I’m torn between Animator and Salbenist as my favorite, they’re both so interesting visually and thematically! I’m gonna be playing Animator in an upcoming game, but I really hope to give Salbenist a shot someday!

[@FlutesLoot]

@@Nojoro85 Yeah, they all seem great. I like the Apothecary because I enjoy being a healer. I really want to have a Flesh Golem minion as an Animator.

[@TheAwesomeSoul]

Wow, I don't know why I never thought about that grapple flight thing, lol. That's pretty neat.

[@FlutesLoot]

It can be a fun detail to use for small Alchs. :)

[@igormachado2194]

I love how well balanced this looks. Not too powerful, not too meek. Just perfect.

[@FlutesLoot]

I too like that about it. It's easily one of my favorite new classes for 5e, though I'm biased because it does what I like to do with the Thief Rogue, but this specializes in it.

[@joshuamigel]

@@FlutesLoot I have a question for you do you think the raw materials should be classified individually like x worth of silver powder and x worth of herbs or just use the raw material as an all encompassing word

[@FlutesLoot]

@@joshuamigel all encompassing word. It's difficult to patch 5e with specific components since it was designed with basically nothing of the sort. I recommend my video/article about heavyarms' Alchemy Almanac if you're interested in a system for specific gathering and crafting :)

[@joshuamigel]

@@FlutesLoot Ooh sounds interesting I'll check that out. Thank You.

[@elKinesis]

I would like to see some jobs/classes similar to this be used in more games, not just DnD.

[@FlutesLoot]

Those can be great for inspiration even for people who don't play the other games!

[@karamash4303]

What an exciting new class! I would love to hear from you or Opal if you playtest this and/or the alchemy almanac. Especially curious how well it might sub for a healer in a party, and what sort of dynamics it adds to the direction and focus of a game.

[@FlutesLoot]

For sure! I'm playtesting the Alchemy Almanac now as we're well into Tomb of Annihilation. It's working well so far!

[@onigamechannel2657]

Loved the class and the subclasses

[@FlutesLoot]

It's a good one!

[@raz8752]

I was hoping for more support options but I’m sure he’ll add a bit later on if he has time. Otherwise I’m definitely adding this in my campaigns.

[@FlutesLoot]

I think there are more support options than may be quickly apparent. The more I dug into the features and the items, the more I saw the potential for support. But yes, maybe more subclasses will be added in the future if Taron feels inspired to do so.

[@raz8752]

Flutes Loot True. I might need to look into it more whenever I buy it to get a feel for it myself. Good video btw!

[@FlutesLoot]

@@raz8752 thank you! :)

[@Balcamion79]

I made an NPC for my girls' game that this would be perfect for. It's a Boggle named Mr. Boggsworth, and he was the designated protector for the young dryad NPC they were escorting to the requested destination.

[@FlutesLoot]

Fantastic! You could use the NPC statblock at the end of the PDF or you could roll up the NPC as a full character.

[@SilentGlaceon94]

Theoretically, if one were to play a fulminate alchemist, they can create a Plague Knight-esque PC. That would be awesome.

[@FlutesLoot]

Totally!

[@creedence2587]

Great content.

[@blackgriffinxx]

Yes yes but it need a little more on the support side. some de-buff and buffs pots with a limit built in. Pot sickness/ immunity to keep them from buffing the whole part none stop. Also keep them from just wearing down target from a safe place. All with short up times. Also a wild brew that give random affects. So they have the ability to learn a new potions at a low chance but have fun while doing it.

[@FlutesLoot]

Maybe Taron will add a subclass someday that does some of that, particularly for random/wild effects.

[@hunterfay9817]

You could always check out the Apothecary class made by the Dungeon Dudes. It borrows the spell casting of the warlock and the flavor of the alchemist, and while it has limited spell casting it has a bunch of features for a variety of play styles, including debuffing and buffing. A player in a game I held played the apothecary and he was having a blast debuffing enemies to make it easier for everyone to fight

[@Ragnarok6664]

Sounds fun 🤩

[@FlutesLoot]

It does!

[@HorizonIncarnate]

I was already excited to watch this and then boom I get slammed by Octopath music. Hell Yeah. It’s Apothecary Time.

[@FlutesLoot]

Octopath is my go-to D&D music now :D

[@VainToxicity]

Question. How does this version of the bomber type Alchemist stack up against the version used in Pathfinder? I’ve always wanted to import the PF version into D&D 5E. However, in order to make it shiny the way I want it, it’d require the feats available to it from the PF system. Which, to my limited knowledge, D&D 5E doesn’t seem to be able to deal with. You seem to know a lot more than I do so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Lol.

[@FlutesLoot]

Of all the Alchemist options I've seen for D&D 5e, this is the best one that fits the same style and fit as the PF Alchemist. I've only played PF a few times, but I played an Alchemist. I enjoyed the bomber style in PF, and the Fulminare Alchemist here would be great for that.

[@TimothyMReynolds]

NB: “draught” rhymes with “laughed”

[@FlutesLoot]

lol I've been pronouncing "draught" incorrectly for years then :P

[@GoblinLord]

welp, now I need money, frick, time to rob xanathar I guess

[@FlutesLoot]

Xan is loaded, he won't miss the money :P

[@TimothyMReynolds]

This class introduces the Dazed condition into 5e. How is it quantified?

[@FlutesLoot]

Hi Timothy! Are you looking for quantification as to how the Fulminare's Quartz ability affects a typical combat encounter? Since it only lasts for the current turn until level ten when it upgrades, I would hope it would perform as well as a 5th-level spell that requires components. I think it could be compared to the 4th-level spell Confusion. Is that a useful answer? I think the question is interesting and worthwhile to dig into.

[@jacksonletts3724]

Loved the video, but it makes me very sad. Why couldn’t we have gotten this in the game?

[@FlutesLoot]

Yeah, we don't get innovative new class options from the official content :(

[@nickiellsworth8261]

Where was this when I made my snake-oil salesman?!?

[@FlutesLoot]

Haha, how did your snake-oil salesman character work mechanically? (I assume you mean a character and not a class you invented)

[@nickiellsworth8261]

@@FlutesLoot It was more how I played him. He sold fake potions, but was working on becoming an actual physician. His class was artificer with the alchemist subclass.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@nickiellsworth8261 something about a snake-oil salesman sounds really fun to play. I picture the antagonists from Pete's Dragon (the old one). Thanks for commenting!

[@nickiellsworth8261]

@@FlutesLoot Literally who I based him on 😂

[@FlutesLoot]

@@nickiellsworth8261 hahahaha brilliant!

[@scottburns4458]

This was an informative and interesting review The class looks good 👍🏻 Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Cheers

[@FlutesLoot]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@Thkaal]

Review Arcanum

[@FlutesLoot]

The Netflix show? I might be up for watching that! :)

[@gabef9538]

Trolls blood is op. They won't stay down.

[@FlutesLoot]

I see your point, though I don't think it's overpowered (I'm not sure what the baseline is for reference). Healing options are often lackluster in 5e, so I'm happy to see new things like the Apothecary's Troll's Blood.

[@chrisg1341]

Sounds fun but as with most fan created content, it is too OP and needs to be dumbed down quite a bit. I would not allow this as a DM personally.

[@FlutesLoot]

How did you determine this was OP (the term "OP" is thrown around a lot without justification)? I've not heard one person think this class is OP in all its playtesting or public feedback. I've seen DPR calculations and I have no problem with them. I'm worried that you're making a knee-jerk reaction to it because it's third-party content, which is a bias I want to dispel. 3PP has plenty of well-designed options if you look at actual professionally done stuff and not wiki or D&D Beyond fan content. 3PP is not synonymous with "fan content" to me. That said, if you identified a problem that I missed, I'd like to hear about it.

[@kaisiegfried425]

That is aPretty much the Pathfinder Alchemist from second edition lol

[@FlutesLoot]

I received another comment similar to yours but I don't see it when I read about the PF2 Alch. Can you explain what you find so similar? An Alch isn't a new trope, so there's a common set of skills that are expected to come with it. That's about all I know of that I find truly common.

[@kaisiegfried425]

@@FlutesLoot So The Pathfinder 2e Alchemist was explisetly so designed to not use Magic like the 1e did and Relign heavely on Alchemist Items, Infusions, Mutagens and Bombs. Also some of the Skills are named the same way or work similiar. Sorry English is not my Mother Tounge and im Slightly Tipsy but i didnt wanted to let you wate for an awnser.

[@Indestructoboy]

@@kaisiegfried425 So, this alchemist seems like the alchemist from pathfinder because they're both alchemists? You're making an accusation of plagiarism based on class identity, not any actual mechanics here.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@kaisiegfried425 that's fine, thanks for answering! I appreciate it :)

[@Mr_m33k]

Sounds like they copy pasted most of pf2 alchemist

[@FlutesLoot]

I took this criticism/point seriously, so I looked up the pf2 Alchemist to compare. I spotted some similar concepts like the DCs and using the Int modifier, but I don't agree with you. To me, it's clearly different. Besides that, the Alchemist is a common trope with a clear fantasy behind it, so there will often be commonalities between different designs for such a character option. However, I saw another comment like yours. Can you explain what you believe to be so similar that you'd say it's copy-pasted? That's quite an allegation.

[@Indestructoboy]

So I take any claims of plagiarism seriously and would like to hear an expansion on why you feel this way. I made it extremely clear in my livestreams that I didn’t want to do a conversion of the Pathfinder alchemist and wasn’t looking at it during development.

[@Mr_m33k]

@@FlutesLoot quick alchemy aka "catalyze" is the same just different time duration alchemist have class feat called unstable concoction that let them combine random potions together the also use a formula based book and can learn new formula by breaking them down a lot of the stuff is the same I would take a closer look at the alchemist pf2 class feats alot of the stuff is the same just reflavored some are different but alot of stuff just seems way to close to each other I will add the animator is original and I like the flavor but it just seems like core classe play very very similar

[@FlutesLoot]

@@Mr_m33k it sounds to me like you were being hyperbolic when you really just observed some similar concepts, not a copy-paste/plagiarism. Accurate?

[@Indestructoboy]

@@Mr_m33k Of course they're going to play similarly, they're Alchemists. I've paid to have a Pathfinder designer take a look at my Alchemist and do a comparison to see if the identity is too similar, but to make the jump that I plagiarized this thing is seriously bad faith when your only examples are "They can make items in combat" and "A lot of the stuff is the same if you look"