High Noon at Midnight
Alchemists ain't afraid to use logic and laborious experiments to claw magic from the dirt. Their knowledge of alchemical lore allows them to imbue inert objects with arcane volatility. They employ tinctures that heal or control, fling powders that explode or transform, and most impressively, animate rude substances into pseudo living entities known as forgeborn. Many alchemists pursue their craft merely from a desire to push back the boundaries of ignorance. Others have a specific goal in mind, such as to gain riches or power, to bring back a loved one, or merely to make a friend.
Especially accomplished alchemists may have a far more powerful forgeborn assistant, such as a deadshot or angalith.
Motive: Use alchemy to achieve their ends
Environment: Almost anywhere
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (5 points)
Movement: Short
Modifications: Speed defense as level 6 due to their forgeborn companion; alchemical knowledge as level 7
Combat: Alchemists use long range pistols or rifles with at least one alchemical round. A forgeborn assistant also accompanies most alchemists, often helping with defense.
Forgeborn assistant: level 3; health 15; Armor 1 Especially accomplished alchemists may have a far more powerful forgeborn assistant, such as a deadshot or angalith.
A given alchemist also has one or two of the following alchemical resources available in combat.
Empower. The alchemist uses a tincture to regain 11 points of health and gain +3 to Armor for one minute (or gives this tincture to an ally).
Petrify. The alchemist flings a powder that turns up to two targets in immediate range to stone on a failed Might defense roll. Targets remain stone for one minute, then regain their flesh.
Flummox. The alchemist flings a powder causing two targets in immediate range to randomly attack their allies on a failed Intellect defense roll. Affected targets remain flummoxed for one minute or until they succeed on an Intellect defense roll on their turn.
Blast. The alchemist flings a flask a short range that detonates in an acidic blast on impact, dealing damage to all creatures in an immediate area on a failed Speed defense roll, or 1 point of damage on a successful roll.
Non-Combat Alchemy. A given alchemist could create tinctures able to revive the recently dead, animate dead flesh, transform lead into gold, and so on, if given many hours or days.
Interaction: Few alchemists can resist talking about their research and the wonders of magic that "natural philosophy" can unlock, regardless of their larger goals.
Use: The PCs need to revive an unresponsive forgeborn to learn what it knows, which means they need to find an alchemist.
Loot: An alchemist may have a couple of useful items (roll twice on the Alchemical Rounds and Slugs table), assuming they didn't use them in combat.
GM Intrusion: The alchemist's round has a chemical load that expands and hardens when exposed to air, trapping the target in the resulting crust until they can escape.