Quick Links
So you want to be an Alchemist, eh? Does the periodic table give you goosebumps? Do you have an overwhelming desire to turn iron into gold and delve deep into the secrets of the universe? Then perhaps alchemy is for you.
Related:D&D: Best Feats For An Alchemist Artificer
Dungeons & Dragonshas plenty of support classes, but none of them offer the flexibility of the Alchemist. As an Alchemist, you may heal the sick, restore the wounded, and create magical items that will propel your adventuring party to greater feats of bravery. Building an Alchemist can be a challenge, which is why we’ve created this guide to help you on your alchemical journey.
Alchemist Features Overview
In Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, the Alchemist is an Artificer subclass thatspecializes in support, whether that be creating helpful (if random) potions to casting buffs and debuffs on allies and enemies.Alchemists are the healers of the Artificer world, with spells that cleanse player characters and bonuses to healing.
Combined with their ability to infuse magical items, Alchemists are able to both equip and maintain their adventuring party like no other character can. However, where Alchemists excel in support,they tend to fall behind in damage output. Bolstering your alchemist’s damage is going to be a key focus in determining your species.
As an Alchemist, you gainproficiency with alchemist supplieswhich provide you the ability to alchemical reagents. You also gain access to theExperimental Elixirfeature, which allows you to create six different potions provided you are able to complete a long rest and have an empty flask.
3rd
healing word, ray of sickness
5th
flaming sphere, Melf’s acid arrow
9th
gaseous form, mass healing word
13th
blight, death ward
17th
cloudkill, raise dead
At fifth level,Alchemical Savantallows Alchemists to add their Intelligence modifier to one healing or damage roll, making magic their preferred damage source. At ninth level, Alchemists can castlesser restorationwithout using a spell slot, and at 15th level they can cast both greaterrestorationandheal.
Best Species For Alchemists
Alchemists do not gain proficiency in heavy armor or martial weapons, and at fifth level, they’re able to deal additional damage to their spells. Therefore,it makes sense for Alchemists to focus on magic, choosing a species that enhances that magic or offers a greater variety of spells to cast.
Feel free to play any species as an Alchemist, but the below species arejust a little more effective.
Astral Elf
Extra cantripsfromAstral Fire,Darkvision, resistance to being charmed, andPerceptionproficiency are all great, but the real draw here isStarlight Step, which lets the Astral Elf teleport 30 feet.
Autognome
Mending is a key cantripthat all Artificers should take, and beingable to heal yourselfwith it is a huge boon. Extra base armor, the added d4 from Built for Success, and not needing to eat, drink, or breathe are also pretty great features.
Air Genasi
Shocking graspisn’t exactly the best cantrip for an Alchemist, butfeather fallandlevitateare fine spells to add to your spell list. An extra five feet of movement and Darkvision aren’t bad either.
Kobold
You could choose the extra skill, but being able to take anextra cantripis probably the more effective choice. Pickingfirebolthere will allow you topick another cantrip as a level one Artificer, such asGuidance,Message, orMage Hand.
Goblin
Fury of the Smallprovides a fairly consistent way for Alchemists to boost their lackluster damage.Darkvision,Nimble Escape, andFey Ancestryare also all great buffs for Alchemists.
Owlin
Being able toflyand havingDarkvisionthat extends out to 120 feet make additions to the Alchemist’s toolkit.Stealth proficiencyis nice since you’re going to have to wear light armor to fly anyway.
Warforged
The other mechanical class on this list, Warforged might not be quite as good as Autognomes, but they’re still pretty great.Extra armor classand anothertool proficiencyare great additions for all Artificers.
Variant Human
Being able tochoose a starting featgives you access toMagic Initiate, which provides two cantrips and a first-level spell. You could also pickElemental Adeptto avoid enemy damage resistance and improve your spells' consistency.
Firbolg
You candetect magic,disguise self, andturn invisibleas a Firbolg, which are all nice things to have. You can also talk to beasts and plants, making your Alchemist a naturalist too.
Yuan-Ti
Poison sprayis a decent cantrip to add to your spell list.Animal friendshipandsuggestionare fine support spells, whilemagic and poison resistancecan increase your overall resilience.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Best Trinkets
Best Ability Scores For Alchemists
Alchemists want highIntelligencescores to fuel their magic and improve their skill checks, so boost this as high as possible. Next will beConstitutionto boost your hit points.Dexterityis third to improve your armor class and overall resilience. Wisdom, Charisma, and Strength are your dump stats.
If using the points buy system to create your character,a good starting spreadof stats might look like this:
8 (-1)
14 (+2)
16 (+3)
10 (0)
Best Alchemist Spells
Alchemists are actually half-spellcaster characters. You don’t get as many spells as a Wizard or Sorcerer, so it’s important topick spells that’ll have the most impact. This is also why it’s a good idea to choose a species that has some innate spellcasting in order to widen your poor of available spells.
Fifth-Level Spells
Lesser restorationcan bechanged out at ninth levelthanks to the Alchemist’sRestorative Reagentsfeature, but is still nice to have for those four preceding levels.Greater Restorationcan bechanged out at 15th levelthanks toChemical Mastery.
Best Starting Alchemist Infusions
At second level, all Artificers gain the ability toinfuse mundane objects with magic. There is a large list of potential infusions that grows as you gain Artificer levels. Here are some recommended starting infusions at second level.
Enhanced Arcane Focus
As your damage will be coming primarily from spellcasting, Enhanced Arcane Focusimproves your attack consistency.
Enhanced Defence
Extra armor classis always helpful for squishy spellcaster types like Artificers.
Homunculus Servant
Essentially theArtificer version of a familiar, Homunculus Servant can be both helpful and a lot of fun for roleplaying.
Replicate Magic Item
Bag of Holdingis probably going to be your first infusion, followed byGoggles of Nightif you don’t have Darkvision, and thenSending Stonesfor long-range communication.
At higher levels, you’ll be able to create a variety of magical items using Replicate Magic Item.Cloak of Elvenkindat sixth level,Cloak of Protectionat tenth level, andRing of Protectionat 14th levelare just a few examplesof what Artificers can create.
