Alchemist Class

A grinning gnome cackles with glee as he hurls a bomb into a group of charging goblins, blasting them into scorched chunks. He produces another, throws it at his feet, and disappears, still laughing, into the ensuing cloud of smoke.

A slender elf quickly mixes liquids and herbs in a small bowl. She applies the mixture to an arrow wound on an injured dwarf ’s side, which immediately stops bleeding.

Whether their methods are explosive, transformative, or restorative, alchemists live to transmute the world around them to their liking.

Alchemist Class Features

As an Alchemist, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified Alchemist levels.

Alchemist Class Features

Level 1: Natural Philosopher

You have learned many things about alchemy during your studies. You can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded up, to any ability check you make to identify herbs, potions, poisons, or other alchemical substances. If the ability check already includes your proficiency bonus, you can add this bonus in addition to your normal proficiency bonus.

Level 1: Bombs

You can create volatile Alchemical Bombs using your alchemist’s supplies. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can create a number of bombs equal to 10 + twice your alchemist level. For you the cost of materials necessary to create these bombs is negligible. After 24 hours, an unused bomb becomes inert. The statistics of a bomb are shown in the Bomb sidebar above.

Priming Bombs. Once per turn you can take the Use an Object action to prime a bomb with explosive reagents and make an attack with it, increasing the bomb’s explosive potential. When you do so, you can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of Dexterity, to the bomb’s damage roll.

Additionally, when you throw a bomb in this way, its damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Saving Throws. When you throw a bomb, the save DC for its blast radius is calculated as follows:

Level 2: Bomb Formulae

Your research has granted you insight into new alchemical formulations for your bombs. Select three bomb formulae from the Bomb Formulae section. Once per turn when you prime a bomb, you can apply a formula to it. Applying a formula sometimes changes all of the damage dice rolled for a bomb, but also grants it special effects.

When you gain certain levels in this class, you learn additional formulae of your choice, as shown in the Bomb Formulae Known column of the Alchemist table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the formulae you know and replace it with another formula.

Level 2: Field of Study

While all alchemists share a common knowledge base, most alchemists specialize into a particular field of study. You select your field of study, which grants you features at 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 18th level.

A formula granted by your field of study doesn’t count against the total number of formulae you know.

Level 3: Reagent

You have a collection of powerful alchemical reagents, represented by a pool of reagent dice, that you can spend to brew potions or magnify the power of your explosives.

Reagent Dice

You start with three reagent dice, which are d10s, and you gain additional reagent dice as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Reagent Dice column of the Alchemist table. You regain all expended reagent dice when you finish a long rest.

When you prime a bomb, you can expend a number of reagent dice up to your proficiency bonus and add the dice to the bomb’s damage roll.

Brewing Potions

You can spend 10 minutes and expend any number of reagent dice to brew potions. These potions retain potency for 24 hours, after which they become inert. If a potion calls for a saving throw, it uses your bomb save DC.

The number of reagent dice and the alchemist level required to brew a potion are given on the Potions table:

Potions

Reagent Synthesis

When you finish a short rest, you can choose to regain all of your expended reagent dice that weren’t used to brew potions. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Level 4: Discoveries

In the course of your research, you have made a number of discoveries regarding the nature of alchemy. You gain two discoveries of your choice. When you gain certain alchemist levels, you gain additional discoveries of your choice, as shown in the Discoveries Known column of the Alchemist table.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the discoveries you know and replace it with another discovery that you could learn at that level.

Level 4: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Alchemist levels 8, 12, and 16.

Level 5: Flashbang

You carry a supply of concussive explosives to help you escape from perilous situations. As a bonus action, you can throw one of these explosives at your feet, disorienting and distracting nearby foes. Each Large or smaller creature within 5 feet of you can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn.

Level 11: Evasion

When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Level 15: Blast Coating

You automatically succeed on saving throws against your own bombs and never take damage from them.

Level 19: Epic Boon

You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which qualify. Boon of Truesight is recommended.

Level 20: Nuclear Bomb

By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with your philosopher’s stone, you can change it into a nuclear bomb. A nuclear bomb deals 10d10 + 100 force damage instead of its normal fire damage, has a blast radius of 1 mile, and completely destroys the philosopher’s stone. Additionally, each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw takes the full bomb damage rolled, or half as much damage on a successful save. Creatures within 60 feet of the bomb gain no benefit from Evasion or similar features.