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Secrets of the Alchemist, Blowing Stuff Up

Secrets of the Alchemist, Blowing Stuff Up

What are reviewers saying about Advanced Feats: Secrets of the Alchemist by Sigfried Trent, Open Design’s resource for expanding your alchemist PCs and NPCs for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game?

I love the feats in the book. They are clearly well designed, taking into account the strengths of the class and add new options without being overpowering. The … commentary explaining rule decisions and expounding on the feat’s application are a great addition.

I found all the feats in the book useful; they work especially well with the three builds at the end of the book, very flavorful. The builds … show very well how different race and feat choices create diverse, effective and exciting versions of the same class.

This book lives up to the hype … In its short 12 pages, 9 of them actual rules, the author manages to add depth and options to the class that will add months, if not years, of gaming opportunities for the Alchemist class.

… you can’t go wrong with this book. I heartily recommend it.

Read the full review at Stargazer’s World.

And…

Trent takes the time to include design commentary and add rules explanations or examples with the more complicated feats, like Lighten Weapon. This commentary goes a long way in helping the reader understand the feats.

Create Wondrous Creature allows you to create your very own lab-grown abberation, magical beast, monstrous humanoid or plant creature. Before I had finished reading the feat entry, I had already started planning my Little Shop of Horrors adventure… I think that this feat, alone, makes the PDF worth it.

Read the full review at tenletter.

And…

… not only are we presented a slew of new feats, 30-in-all, but we are also offered a look at the small details of what an alchemist is… What can they do, what makes them special, and various builds focusing on the different kinds of alchemists that a player character can be. Is an alchemist simply just a brewery of potions? A drinker of draughts? An exploder of things that need to go ‘splodie?

Clear, concise, and economical; … accurately describes this offering from Open Design.

Read the full review at Emerson’s Bookshelf.

And…

This is a neat supplement providing tools to enhance alchemist characters and make the most of the possibilities inherent in the ruleset… many people in the real world will take a specific qualification or career move just to further a long-term goal, so may your characters plan their progression through the game, even if they themselves don’t quite see it in terms of the feats and stat blocks that we players use to describe them!

Read the full review at RPG Resource.

And…

… the three character build paths for the alchemist … demonstrate a lot of insight into this character and give players and GMs some very viable paths to follow. The first is the Carpet Bomber, who essentially maximizes the number of bombs that can be thrown and their damage. Next is the Mighty Mutant build, which specializes in mutagens to create a pretty hefty front line alchemist tank. The last is the Mad Scientist build, who plays more of a support role but can equip a party with some pretty neat stuff.

Read the full review at Troll in the Corner.

And…

Sigfried Trent knows the feat mechanics and how to build characters well… I’ve seen sourcebooks four times bigger with less usable content.

The builds are logical extrapolations from the core concepts of the class. Options on races and feats are suggested.

For the price, it’s a keeper and will be a popular option for players and GMs as well for those games where alchemists are found. I expect some games will crawl with alchemists and an all-alchemist party is viable for games with gothic or steampunk trappings.

Read the full review at Fame & Fortune.

We’ve got a little something for everybody. Pick up your own copy of Advanced Feats: Secrets of the Alchemist today.

3 thoughts on “Secrets of the Alchemist, Blowing Stuff Up”

  1. Wow! Create Wonderous Creature. That has sold me. I’ts always bothered me that there wasn’t a “life manipulation/genetics” magic in D&D, despite all of the monsters in the MM’s and various novels that were created by magic users of various stripes (Mongrel Men and those things living under Raistlin’s tower for example). We (as players) only ever get undead and maybe a flesh golem. I hope this theme continues as I’d hate to see such a fertile minefield for PCs and DMs as an “IT’S ALIVE…!” theme go to waste.

  2. DoomedPaladin, I couldn’t agree more. The mad wizard crossbreeding owlbears or the like seems like a venue for further exploration; this Alchemist feat is a great start.

    There may be a KQ article in this topic…

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