Unstable Reactions: Remastered Alchemist Guide PF2e

Unstable Reactions: Remastered Alchemist Guide

Table of Contents

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• The Rating System
• The Alchemist Ingredients
• The Alchemist Building Blocks
• The Research Fields: Bomber, Chirurgeon, Mutagenist, Toxicologist
• The Flaws in the Formula
• How Does It All Come Together? Playstyles
• Building Your Alchemist: Attributes, Ancestry, Background, Skills
• Archetypes and Multiclass Options
• The Tools of Your Trade: Items, Bombs, Elixirs, Mutagens, Poisons, Equipment
• Final Words and Changelog

---

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Welcome, brave adventurer! So you want to play an alchemist! The most unique of all support classes in the game! Welcome! This guide aims to help new players tap into the Alchemist's flexible toolkit in the post- remaster era of 2024. While the author emphasizes that the Alchemist is not a pure power class, its strength lies in versatility and teamwork. The remaster brings a significant quality of life change: automatic knowledge of higher level formulas from those you already know, making memorization and preparation far more efficient. The guide stresses a few core philosophies: be familiar with a broad set of alchemical items, keep formulas organized, and leverage the party's needs with the pathway of your chosen field. The author confesses that the most impactful aspect of the remaster is during exploration and out-of-combat phases, where regenerating versatile vials allow constant top-tier support. The tone remains practical and a touch contrarian, appreciating the alchemist’s place in a party while acknowledging structural design limitations in action economy and combat potency.

The guide also lays out a rating system for options: Blue(★★★★) Excellent, Green(★★★) Good, Orange(★★) Average, Red(★) Bad. This ratio is used to evaluate class feats, fields, and items, though the author notes that much of the alchemist's identity depends on teamwork and field choices rather than raw numbers.

The author frames the Alchemist as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife: you will always have a solution, even if not the best one. This is a recurring theme: don’t neglect non-field alchemical items, because the remaster creates a broad toolbox across all alchemical item groups.

The Rating System, in brief

• Blue(★★★★): Excellent Choice! You won’t regret taking this option!
• Green(★★★): Good choice. Maybe not essential in all builds but generally very good.
• Orange(★★): Average choice. Useful if it enhances your build but not essential.
• Red(★): Bad. Very niche. Could be used for flavor but not mechanically beneficial.

The text emphasizes that there is often a synergy between items and the chosen field, but warns against overly narrow focus: even with a strong field, you should consider the entire alchemist toolkit, including non-field alchemical items and general feats.

The Alchemist Ingredients

The guide emphasizes understanding the alchemist’s building blocks as crucial to crafting an efficient character. It introduces a multi-layer system centered on Alchemy, Field Vials, Daily Preparation, and Two types of vials (encounter vials and cantrip vials). The remaster’s most significant change is the daily preparation pool, which lets you prepare a fixed number of items per day: 4 + Int Mod alchemical items per day (for the daily items), plus up to 2 + Int Mod versatile vials during the day (the latter are your encounter vials). The field vials created by Quick Alchemy can be used for field effects, but must be invoked within a turn; these are cantrip vials that are short-lived.

The guide describes the daily vials as a hero’s toolkit for buffs, debuffs, and critical pre-combat preparations. It emphasizes the need for a free hand, as drawing and using vials requires actions and can compromise weapon/shield use. There is an emphasis on memorizing formulas and tracking items, with a reminder that your GM’s support (resources, downtime, and formulas) can dramatically shape what you can accomplish. It also explains the ranking of several field options and the tradeoffs between field choices. A common theme is that the Remaster’s design aims to give alchemists more in-combat options without fully solving the action economy problem.

The section also outlines the concept of “Additive” in alchemical items, which applies to encounter vials only. Additives provide a one-time per-round bonus to an item (bomb, elixir, or poison) but you can only apply one additive to an item per attack, and only to encounter vials. This is a core mechanic to manage for field builds.

The Alchemist Building Blocks

The foundation includes the Alchemy feature (lvl 1) and four major components that define the core playstyle:

Alchemy(★★★★) (lvl 1)

Your bread and butter ability, subdivided into several parts, including Advanced Alchemy, Versatile Vials, and Field Vials. The remaster emphasizes simplifying the understanding of Alchemy, with the author noting that the system remains convoluted in Paizo’s explanations, and offering simplified explanations for clarity.

• Advanced Alchemy (★★★★): At the start of each day, you prepare 4 + Int Mod of alchemical items, usable for 24 hours or until your next preparation. These are daily prepared vials; you must draw one as an action to use it. The items provide long-term buffs, pre-poisoning, or essential elixirs for the party. A variety of items fall into this category, including mutagens and elixirs. Feel free to stock up on these daily items, with feats to increase their numbers.
• Versatile Vials (★★★★): During daily preparations you can create up to 2 + Int Mod versatile vials. These are your workhorses, and you can Quick Alchemy an item to use as a single action. They expire if not used by the start of your next turn (for the field items or mutagens). These reveal the day’s flexibility but must be used within 10 minutes for duration-limited effects. They regenerate at 2 per 10 minutes, and even regenerate during non-combat downtime tasks.
• Field Vials (★★): Quick Alchemy can create a versatile vial that can be used as a weak acid bomb or its field field type. They are short-lived and must be used by the end of the current turn; these can be used as cantrip vials, and serve as a flexible, low-risk fallback when your other vials are spent.
• Other Freebies (★★★): You begin with 2 free formulas in your formula book, and you also gain the Alchemical Crafting feat for free, providing 4 free common formulas. At level-up you learn two new common formulas. You also automatically identify alchemical items for which you have formulas. The free formula and the ability to identify items are minor but helpful perks.

The other feats and class features within Alchemy

• Powerful Alchemy(★★) (lvl 5): Replaces the item DC with your class DC for higher-level formulas; however its practical usage is often limited to lower-level poisons and riders. It’s a niche but often handy option.
• Double Brew(★★) (lvl 9): You can make two items with Quick Alchemy, using cantrip vials and encounter vials; you must use both before expiration; you need both hands free.
• Alchemical Expertise(★★★) (lvl 9): Your encounter vials regenerate faster: 3 per 10 minutes. Also your class DC increases to Expert, enabling stronger field resilience.
• Abundant Vials(★★) (lvl 17): You gain an extra action to make one cantrip vial; you can drink it using another action, leaving two actions for other attacks. It is particularly strong for mutagen-heavy builds and toxicologists who rely on frequent cantrip vials.

The Alchemist Finishing Touch: The Research Fields

Research fields grant bonuses to Alchemical Items and provide progression through levels:

• Each research field gives 2 additional formulas at level 1 (8 total formulas at level 1).
• Every field provides a Field Benefit at level 1 and more cantrip vial options.
• At 5e level (level 5) a more general benefit appears; at 11e level the cantrip vials are boosted; at 13e level the capstone of the field is gained.
• Fields are not hard subclasses; there is typically only one class feat exclusive to a field, so diversification is encouraged. Some fields can feel like traps, promising a specialization that cannot fully deliver that role (e.g., a chirurgeon aiming to heal but remaining limited in in-combat healing).

The document then goes through several fields in detail:

• Bomber(★★★): Field benefits reduce splash damage to primary target, Field Vials improve elemental splash, Field Discovery offers a free bomb damage boost, Advanced Field Vials give cross-elemental synergy, Greater Field Discovery expands splash range; all enabling effective bombers.
• Chirurgeon(★★): Healer-focused, but with limited in-combat healing and best used with Medic dedication; Field Benefit increases elixir healing and sometimes improves out-of-combat healing; Advanced Field Vials, and Greater Field Discovery improve out-of-combat healing; Capable though not ideal in pure healing.
• Mutagenist(★★): Mutagen-focused; Mutagen synergy with cantrip vials; Field Benefit adds temporary HP; Field Vials help suppress mutagen drawbacks; Field Discovery increases Fortitude saves; Advanced Field Vials increases resistances; Greater Field Discovery enables dual mutagens.
• Toxicologist(★★): Poison-focused; Field Benefit expands poison damage with resistance adaptation; Field Vials add poison damage to cantrip vials; Field Discovery improves poison resistance; Advanced Field Vials increase poison damage; Greater Field Discovery enables two simultaneous mutagen-like effects; Many tactical combos exist but action economy remains costly for poisoners.

Because of space, this section focuses on the key ideas of each field and their general usefulness rather than listing every single synergy; the larger takeaway is that Bomber is the strongest field in many builds due to synergy with AOE-like effects, but Chirurgeon and Mutagenist offer strong direct and support capabilities, and Toxicologist offers the poison-focused playstyle which has a rocky balance due to action economy.

The Flaws in the Formula

This section presents the major limitations, including the infamous hand economy: drawing and using alchemical items often consumes actions or requires a free hand. The class feature Alchemy demands two actions to effectively use items: one to draw or prepare, and one to apply the item or give it to another; this makes action economy tight, especially for non-bomb-focused alchemists.

Other issues highlighted include: heavy reliance on mutual support and field synergies; the necessity of memorizing formulas; the risk of losing a daily vial during a fight; and the enduring problem with reactive strike and other “manipulate” interactions that can shut down alchemist actions.

The author describes that pre-remaster, many alchemists used a vendor-machine approach to provide constant buffs, but with Remaster, balance shifted and the same issues exist, especially for poisoners and healers who must dedicate actions to deliver effects rather than broad-based buffs.

How Does It All Come Together? Playstyles

This section outlines different archetypal playstyles:

• The Classic Alchemist: The archetypal bomber who sits behind front-line melee, using Quick Bomber to treat bombs as weapons that can be used in a single action; recommended to maximize Recall Knowledge for weaknesses; Bomber field synergy shines here; mutagen and elixir can provide defensive/offensive options.
• The Melee Alchemist: Emphasizes unarmed or light melee damage; best with Mutagenist and bestial mutagen for unarmed attack, supported by ancestral weapon familiarity; uses medium armor for protection; footwork and mobility feats keep pace in melee range; note hand economy constraints require careful feat choices.
• Other Alchemists (Ranged, Poisoner): Ranged alchemists face extremes of range and poison constraints; Poisoner playstyle is frequently action-heavy and less efficient without good coordination; the text notes that prepects into ranged poisons remain less practical given mechanics of hit and Fortitude saves.
• Multiclass Archetypes: The book discusses alternatives such as Wizard, Witch, Psychic, and other archetypes; it notes that a primary spellcasting alchemist loses some of the Alchemist’s signature power when adopting heavy spellcasting, but that some archetypes can significantly complement and clarify a role. Multiclass options that fit best include Animist, Investigator, Rogue, Ranger, etc., with varying synergy depending on build goals.

The guide concludes that the Alchemist remains a flexible, team-oriented class and that the best path is to diversify with archetypes and not to chase one perfect build. It warns particularly about the “two-action per item” rule and the risk of poor action economy when attempting to buff multiple allies or pre-buff before combat.

Building Your Very Own Alchemist

The author emphasizes the key ability scores for an Alchemist: Intelligence is primary, followed by an attack attribute (Dexterity or Strength). The recommended distribution at character creation includes:

• Intelligence: +4 (max power for vials and field use)
• Attack stat: +3 (Dex or Str, depending on melee vs ranged orientation)
• Constitution: +1 or more for Fortitude saves and survivability, with emphasis on not sacrificing too much other stats.
• Wisdom: Boost as possible, due to poor Will saves and Perception; mutagens can increase Will in some cases.
• Dexterity: Useful for Reflex saves and Armor Class with light armor; boosting Dexterity to +3 or +2 depending on build is recommended.

The guide outlines Ancestry considerations in depth and covers a wide range of examples from common to uncommon and versatile heritages. It provides guidelines for selecting ancestries that complement alchemist plans (for example, Goblin for Burn It, Elf for speed and initiative, Gnome for innate cantrips and Theoretical Acumen, Hobgoblin for 50% more learned formulas and solid weapon familiarity, among others). It highlights the Adopted Ancestry feat as a potent way to gain access to feats from other ancestries, greatly expanding options.

Backgrounds: The guide lists common backgrounds (Alloysmith, Archeologist, Barber, Cook, Deckhand, Jewsl… etc.) and emphasizes their role in granting two ability boosts, training in Lore, and a level-1 skill feat. It stresses that backgrounds cannot be retrained and that the final kit advantage should reflect your intended path (e.g., Battle Medicine for Chirurgeon). It emphasizes not only combat uses of lore and knowledge checks but also the creative role of backgrounds in exploration and social situations.

Skills and Skill Feats: As an Intelligence-based class, you start with many trained skills (Crafting plus other skills) and use mutagens and elixirs to enhance various skills, particularly during exploration. The guide details how to progress in Recall Knowledge, athletics, deception, diplomacy, and other social or practical tasks. Kreighton’s Cognitive Crossover is highlighted as a highly valuable 4th-level skill feat, enabling a reroll on a recall check if the first skill check fails, by switching to the second chosen skill.

Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Lore, Medicine, Nature, Occultism, Performance, Religion, Society, Stealth, Survival, Thievery, Crafting: The guide provides a long analysis of how each skill can contribute to alchemist play. Arcana and Occultism are essential to recall knowledge; Stealth is particularly powerful for tactical positioning; Crafting is free but heavily reliant on downtime; Lore increases with Additional Lore; Medicine for Chirurgeon or healer play; Society for social recall knowledge; Stealth for initiative advantage; and others depending on party composition. The guide warns to coordinate with party members to maximize skills and lures etc.

The foundation of the “skill monkey” argument is that while alchemists have many skills, their signature utility is the combination of mutagens, elixirs, and vials and the ability to adapt to multiple situations rather than pure specialization.

Archetypes and Multiclass Options

The guide stresses you will need many class feats to stay flexible; the free archetype variant helps to expand your options. It divides archetypes into regular, spellcasting, and pseudo-alchemists. It notes that spellcasting archetypes require careful score allocation to maintain your alchemist’s signature strengths. It highlights that a dedicated spellcasting archetype can be powerful but may overshadow alchemist’s unique features, so it is not always the best route. It lists many archetypes with brief opinions on their synergy and usefulness for alchemists:

• Archer, Assassin, Bastion, Beastmaster, Blessed One, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Guardian, Gunslinger, Inventor, Investigator, Kineticist, Magus, Monk, Oracle, Psychic, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Summoner, Swashbuckler, Thaumaturge, Witch, Wizard.

Pseudo-Alchemist archetypes include Herbalist, Poisoner, Demolitionist, Wandering Chef. The guide describes how these borrow core alchemist feats to provide specialized playstyles, often providing unique feats not found in standard alchemist trees. The text emphasizes the value of mixing archetypes for versatility while noting that some dedicated archetypes can create power gaps or lead away from the alchemist identity.

Multiclass Archetypes: The guide discusses Animist, Barbarian, Bard, Champion, Commander, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Guardian, Gunslinger, Inventor, Investigator, Kineticist, Magus, Monk, Oracle, Psychic, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Summoner, Swashbuckler, Thaumaturge, Witch, Wizard, and more. It notes the attribute prerequisites and how to maintain class synergy; it emphasizes that the alchemist’s skill investments may limit the ability to sustain higher-tier spellcasting, especially at lower levels. The guide stresses using free archetype feats to diversify across multiple playstyles rather than stacking too heavily into one approach.

Some archtypes are especially highlighted for alchemists: Inventor for crafting and gadgetry, Investigator for recall knowledge, Ranger for hunting preys and range, and Guardian or Bastion for tankiness with heavy armor and protective features. The guide also mentions the “pseudo-alchemist” reforms and how these options may offer more situational synergy depending on the campaign.

Important note: The Spellcasting Archetypes section emphasizes that the class DC and attack roll depend on the chosen tradition and ability; an alchemist should either stay with Intelligence-based spellcasting (Arcane/Occult) or favor Wisdom-based or Charisma-based if they want to pursue a specific spellcasting career. A strong emphasis is placed on relying on ic-based skills like Arcana or Occultism for effective recall knowledge and gating for archtypes.

The Tools of Your Trade: Items, Bombs, Elixirs, Mutagens, Poisons, Equipment

A large section outlines alchemical items, beginning with Bombs and Elixirs, then Mutagens, Poisons, and finally other Alchemical Items. The author also covers Alchemical Ammunition, Alchemical Food, and Alchemical Tools. Here is a concise outline of the core content:

• Bombs: The core damage source for many alchemists. They scale from level 1 through major at levels 1-17. Splash damage rules are explained, including Field Benefit effects for Bombers that allow focusing splash on the primary target. The author describes a large list of bomb types (Acid, Cold, Fire, Force, Mental, Poison, Lightning, Sonic, Vitality, Void, and various misc. bombs like Pressure Bombu, Durian Bombu, Nail Bomb, Junk Bomb, Blood Bomb, and more). A special note on Vapors and various rider effects like Blinded, Dazzled, Enfeebled, etc. The importance of recall knowledge to-fine-tune bombs to enemy weaknesses is emphasized. The author also mentions that bombs count as weapons; you can apply weapon-progression bonuses from item level and some field discovery features.
• Elixirs: Buffs, healing, and personal boosts. Elixirs require two actions (one to activate, one to administer/deliver) in addition to the action to draw or prepare the elixir. Mutagens are special elixirs that alter your form with a drawback; you cannot be under more than one mutagen; some elixirs stack with others. Durations for encounter vials are restricted to 10 minutes. The Mutagen sub-section is covered later with a full list of mutagens and their draw backs.
• Mutagens: A large subsection details Bestial Mutagen (strong unarmed build), Choker-Arm Mutagen, Cognitive Mutagen (Recall Knowledge boosting), Deadweight, Drakeheart Mutagen, Energy Mutagen, Fury Cocktail, Juggernaut Mutagen, Quicksilver Mutagen, Sanguine Mutagen, Serene Mutagen, Silvertongue Mutagen, Stony Body Mutagen, Theatrical Mutagen, War Blood Mutagen.
• Poisons: The third group; Poison types include Injury Poisons, Inhaled Poisons, Ingested Poisons, Contact Poisons. The guide explains how poisons fail to stick due to Fortitude saves and class DC thresholds and how to maximize effectiveness with recall knowledge and alignment to enemy weaknesses. It covers the mechanics of stages, onset, duration, virulent trait, and the four delivery variants (contact, inhaled, ingested, injury). It also notes that Paizo nerfed certain poisons and that many high-level poisons have long onset/duration making them difficult to deploy in combat with encounter vials. The guide provides numerous examples of poisons and their stat blocks, including Arsenic, Giant Wasp Poison, Spider Root, Tears of Death, etc.
• Alchemical Ammunition: Ammo variants for crossbows and bows, using a single formula; activation costs an extra action per turn. It mentions that this is often best in the hands of archers and that alchemist feats can further bolster this. It also mentions Bane Ammunition, Elemental Ammunition, Aromatic Ammunition, Life Shot, Ooze Ammunition, Exsanguinating Ammo, Glue Bullet, Blister Ammunition, etc.
• Alchemical Food: Everything from Wandering Chef to Lozenge traits, processed foods; a long list of fantasy foods with mechanical effects (Lozenge, Mender’s Soup, Cinnamon Seers, Rainbow Vinegar, Angelic Meat snacks...). They grant temporary boosts, extra effects, and social/ exploration utilities; some items scale to later levels with powerful results.
• Alchemical Tools & Equipment: Tools and gear that enhance al anticon capabilities, such as Matchsticks, Rust Scrub, Animal Repellent, Aroma Concealer, Bookthief Brew, Forensic Dye, Ghost Ink, Glow Rod, Searing Suture, Smoke Ball; armor polishes, Dragons Blood Pudding, Fire and Iceberg, etc. The section also discusses Alchemical Equipment: Spark Wafer, Alchemical Gauntlets, Injection Reservoir, Weapon Siphon, Tanglefoot Extruder, Alchemical Chart, Dread Helm, Remote Trigger, Magnetic Shield, Collar of the Shifting Spider, Ooze skin, Living Leaf Weave, Poison Concentrator, Sun Dazzler, Bone Dreadnaught Plate, Troll Hide, Bottled Monstrosities (Ghost Ampoule, Hippogriff in a Jar, Tarantula Ampoule, Sargassum Phial, Hive Mother Bottle, Octopus Bottle, Bottled Roc, Tyrant Ampoule, Whirlwind Vial, Worm Vial, Mukradi Jar, Kraken Bottle).

Most of these items are situational or utility-based; the author emphasizes that you should build a large inventory with formulas and standard operations, not rely on a handful of specialized items. The text ends with a strong emphasis on the Signature features, a reminder to trust your GM, and a clear exhortation to prepare for downtime crafting.

Final Words and Changelog

The document ends with a reflective closing, a note on the limits of the alchemist in the current remaster, and an invitation to discuss, debate, or correct the author’s points. The changelog lines include specific patch notes: 4/29/2025, 5/1/2025, 5/9/2025, 23/5/2025, and 18/08/2025, indicating the author’s ongoing updates to fix mistakes, adjust ratings, add items, and refine phrasing. The author invites feedback and highlights that sample builds and formulas may quickly become outdated, so experimentation is encouraged. The closing remarks support a flexible, experimental, and fun approach to the alchemist, while acknowledging ongoing remaster updates and balancing.

---

Notes on Accessibility and SEO

• Primary keyword focus: alchemist, pathfinder 2e, vials, mutagens, bombs, poisons, research fields, archetypes.
• The article uses a consistent header hierarchy, anchors for internal linking, and a robust Table of Contents.
• It maintains a balanced tone, with neutral language and practical, data-driven viewpoints.
• The piece emphasizes the alchemist’s flexibility and its role as a support class, while acknowledging its limitations.

---

If you’d like, I can restructure this content to include explicit anchor IDs for every header and expand the Table of Contents with deeper in-line anchors for each subsection.