Alchemist

Alchemist

(Class)

Races

Any

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Iconic character

Damiel Morgethai (1E)
Fumbus (2E)

Images of alchemists

Source: Advanced Player's Guide, pg(s). 26–32 (1E)
Core Rulebook, pg(s). 70–81 (2E)

Whether secreted away in a smoky basement laboratory or gleefully experimenting in a well-respected school of magic, the alchemist is often regarded as being just as unstable, unpredictable, and dangerous as the concoctions he brews. While some creators of alchemical items content themselves with sedentary lives as merchants, providing tindertwigs and smokesticks, the true alchemist answers a deeper calling.

Rather than cast magic like a spellcaster, the alchemist captures their own magic potential within liquids and extracts he creates, infusing their chemicals with virulent power to grant him impressive skill with poisons, explosives, and all matter of self-transformative magic. These items are known as extracts, bombs, and mutagens. The extracts available to an alchemist are governed by which formula he has written in their formula book, which acts in many ways as the alchemist's equivalent to a wizard's spellbook.

On Golarion

Alchemists most frequently ply their trade in urban areas, where they can easily buy their components and have a larger market for their specialty goods. The desert nation of Thuvia in Garund is particularly known for its alchemists, and owes its entire economy to the discovery of the most famous alchemical substance in all Golarion: the sun orchid elixir. Alchemists find a home anywhere were experimentation and innovation are valued, such as the city-state of Alkenstar, the gnome city of Brastlewark in Cheliax, fleshwarping pits of the city of Oenopion in Nex, and north-eastern areas of Ustalav collectively called the Palatinates. Many alchemists join up with the Pathfinder Society's Grand Archive.

In Absalom, cosmetic-creating alchemists join the Perfumers' Conglomerate, a guild of artisans.

The Sparkforge Collective in Dongun Hold is always looking for smiths, alchemists, and inventors to join their ranks.

Races

There are no restrictions on the race of an alchemist, but elf, goblin, halfling, hobgoblin, grippli, kobold, ratfolk, android, aphorite, and suli adventurers often become alchemists.

Religions

Damiel Morgethai, an iconic elven alchemist.

Scholarly characters like alchemists may recognize that religious devotions bring a connection to their community, a purpose in life, and maybe a route to a superior position of power. This awareness might bring them to the worship of a deity associated with the intellect, such as the god of magic, Nethys. Alternatively, they might enjoy established and influential churches, such as those of Abadar, Iomedae, or Asmodeus, depending on their personal calling.

One of Norgorber's aspects, Blackfingers, is an ally of alchemists and poisoners, and is respected even by good alchemists for the forbidden knowledge he possesses. His followers often conduct reckless and immoral experiments.

Ydersius is a god of the serpentfolk, immortality, and poison. Alchemists value Ydersius's ancient lore regarding potent poisons, and the secrets of his threefold venoms are traded among certain sinister circles.

Some other deities and demigods take an interest in alchemy, including:

• Cixyron is a daemonic harbinger of gunpowder and poisonous metals amongst other things
• Haagenti, demon lord of alchemy whose Abyssal realm is Cerebulim, the Hermetic Horizon: an alchemical clockwork realm of laboratories
• Jubilex, demon lord of poison
• The Great Old One Orgesh has alchemy within his portfolio
• Scarmiglione is the Malebranche of poison
• Vorasha is a daemonic harbinger of poison and toxicity

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.