Alchemist Savant

Requirements

Skill: Alchemy 8 ranks.

Feat: Brew Potion, Skill Focus (Alchemy)

Spells: Ability to cast 3rd-level arcane spells or infusions.

Summary

These alchemist savants excel in the capacity to break down the normal barriers that lie between alchemy and magic, between potion and alchemical fluid, between science and art.

Most alchemist savants are wizards, simply because they are the most likely to spend skill points on the Alchemy skill. Bards and sorcerers can also qualify for the class, but they rarely do.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Mad scientists of the magic world, brewing and combining potions and alchemical mixtures to great effect

Source: Magic of Eberron

Game Rule Information

The Alchemist Savant has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Intelligence is an important ability, since it relates to the savant’s spell progression and Craft modifier. Dexterity is also important for succeeding on ranged touch attacks.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Alchemist Savant's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Alchemist Savant.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Alchemist Savant is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an alchemist savant, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Efficient Alchemy Ex: You can manufacture alchemical items much more quickly than a typical alchemist. You make as much progress when creating an item with Craft (alchemy) in a day as a normal character would make in a week (check result × DC in sp), and as much progress in an hour as a normal character would make in a day (check result × DC in cp).

Beginning at 3rd level, your rapid alchemy talents extend to brewing potions. You can brew up to two potions (including spellvials—see below) in a single day (rather than only one), as long as their combined market price does not exceed 1,000 gp. At 5th level, you can brew up to three potions per day, with the same total market price limitation.

Poison Use Ex: Your skill with brewing and handling dangerous substances means that you never risk accidentally poisoning yourself when using poison.

Brew Spellvial Ex: Beginning at 2nd level, you can brew spellvials, potionlike concoctions that can be used as thrown weapons. You create the spellvial just as you would any other potion; the spell stored within must be of 3rd level or lower and capable of targeting a creature other than the caster. For example, Hold Person, Slow, and Invisibility would all be legal options for the spellvial, but [{False Life]], Fireball, and Magic Weapon would not, because these spells either can target only the caster (False Life), don’t target a particular creature (Fireball), or target an object (Magic Weapon). Even spells that include nontargeted effects (such as Dispel Magic) can be incorporated, as long as they include a targeted effect as well (only the targeted effect functions). Such potions cost 50% more than a normal potion (for example, a spellvial of hold person would cost 750 gp × 150%, or 1,125 gp).

A spellvial is thrown as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet; a spellvial that is consumed has no effect on that creature, even if the spell it holds is beneficial (such as a spellvial of cure light wounds). If the spellvial hits the target, treat the target as if the spell had been cast on it; saves and spell resistance apply normally. Spellvials have no splash effect.

Create Alchemical Mixture Su: At 4th level, you learn to combine existing substances together into a single, effective alchemical mixture. As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, you can mix an alchemical splash weapon (such as acid, alchemist’s fire, alchemist’s frost, and similar liquids) with a spellvial (such as a spellvial of hold person) by pouring the two together into a container and imbuing it with a hint of your magical ability. Once mixed, the two substances remain combined until used. They can never again be separated.

The alchemical mixture is treated as a single thrown weapon. Any creature directly hit by the alchemical mixture is exposed to the effects of both substances simultaneously.

If you have at least 4 ranks in Craft (poisonmaking), you can substitute a contact or injury poison in place of the spellvial. An alchemical mixture that includes a contact poison affects the target normally when it hits; an injury poison works in a mixture only if the alchemical splash weapon it is combined with successfully deals damage to the target (for example, if an alchemical mixture of acid and an injury poison struck a creature with immunity to acid, the injury poison would have no effect).

Brew Universal Potion Su: At 5th level, you gain the ability to create a universal potion—a potion that you can “fl avor” with a particular spell or infusion at a later date. To create a universal potion, you choose the maximum spell or infusion level it can hold (1st, 2nd, or 3rd). You then brew the universal potion, consulting the table below for the cost to create it. (Universal potions have no market price, since only the creator can take advantage of their utility.) An uncharged universal potion radiates faint magic of no school.

Once the universal potion is brewed, you can place any infusion or arcane spell you know (including spells in your spellbook, if you are a wizard) of the appropriate level (or lower) into the potion by shaking the flask as a move action. A character who uses infusions rather than arcane spells can imbue any infusion (of the appropriate level or lower) into the universal potion; treat this as an oil that holds the infusion. The spell or infusion to be placed into the universal potion must have a casting time of 1 minute or less; it otherwise follows the normal rules for the types of spells that can be put into potions. (Despite the name of this ability, you can create either a potion or an oil when you imbue the universal potion with the chosen spell.)

Placing a spell or imbuing an infusion into a universal potion doesn’t actually cost you a spell slot or infusion slot, though if the spell or infusion requires a costly material component, focus, or an XP cost, you must expend the material component, have the focus on hand, or pay the XP cost.

Upon completion of this action, the universal potion is treated as a standard potion (or oil) of the minimum caster level for the spell or infusion, and it can be used by any character normally.

Table 1-1: Alchemist Savant Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	Efficient alchemy, poison use	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	Brew spellvial	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+3	+1	+1	Efficient alchemy (2 potions/day)	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th	+2	+4	+1	+1	Create alchemical mixture	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+2	+4	+1	+1	Brew universal potion	+1 level of existing spellcasting class

Table 1-2: Universal Potion Cost

Maximum Level	Cost
1st	100 gp, 8 XP
2nd	600 gp, 42 XP
3rd	1500 gp, 120 XP