Homebrew Alchemist archetype: Abomination Artist
Hey, I've seen a few people post their customs here for feedback, so I thought I'd do the same. I'm starting a new campaign with a custom-designed setting-- wanted to do something a little different. So I decided to make a new creature type approximately equivalent to Undead. Except instead of corpses brought back via necromancy, they are body parts grown into horrible mockeries of the body they came from via dark magic and/or mad science.
So my big question was: what sort of character or creature is the BBEG running these mooks? I ran through a lot of possibilities: some sort of sorceror? Wizard? Something like a Death Mage, but different?
I finally decided that since I wanted the big confrontation in his or her sanctum to be surrounded by boiling beakers and pickled horrors, it made the most sense to design a custom archetype of Alchemist.
So I'd love to get some feedback on it. With some caveats. First, this isn't really meant to be a build suited for a wandering adventurer. You probably wouldn't choose it for a PC, unless chilling in your sanctum and letting the heroes wanting to stop your horror factory come to you is the game you want to play. And it may seem unbalanced how one character is effectively a whole party by himself. My POV: I don't see a big difference between my guy using his awful alchemy to make his mooks and a similar level warrior using high charisma and prestige to attract mook followers.
So here it is:
Alchemist Archetype:
Abomination Artist
The Abomination Artist creates awful, unnatural creatures from the "donations" of normal living creatures. Hair, claws, scales, teeth.... Or more. She exploits the uncanny connection between the abomination and the base creature to steal his/her/its health and experience.
The Abomination Artist has the following class features.
Knockout Bomb
The Artist wants undamaged specimens. Her bombs deal the same damage as a standard Alchemist, except non-lethal.
Obviously-lethal bomb Discoveries are not available to the Artist. Concussion, for example, would be okay. (You're going to mostly want to take the homebrew Discoveries anyhow.)
This otherwise functions as and replaces the standard Alchemist Bomb class feature.
Create Mindless Abomination
Starting at first level, the Artist may create Mindless Abominations from clippings (eg hair, nails, scales) from any creature with at least one HD.
See stat blocks for a few types of Mindless in the comments. Hair creatures have higher Dex, vulnerability to fire, and an entangling attack; nail or scale creatures have higher natural AC.
Others may be invented with different strengths and weaknesses based on the type of clipping and type of creature.
But what they always have in common: only 1/3 CR each based on vulnerability to positive energy and no damage resistance. Also they have no mind to control-- only anger and pain that the Artist can point in a general direction.
To begin the process to create one Mindless, the Artist must have one clipping, one empty Alchemical pickling jar for a size-Small creature, and must expend one hour of continuous effort.
The Alchemist may have a maximum number of decanted Mindless equal to one half her Alchemist level plus her Intelligence modifier. If she has NOT yet maxed out, she may attempt to decant the Mindless after waiting 1d4+2 hours for it to "cook."
To decant, she must beat a DC of 11 with a d20 roll modified by half her Alchemy level plus her Intelligence modifier.
If she fails this skill check, the Abomination reverts to the clipping, and she may try again.
This class feature replaces the standard Alchemist class feature Mutagen.
Wellll... This is pretty long. I think I'll add the rest of the class features and the Abomination stat blocks as comments. I wanna hit "send" before the internet eats this whole thing.
I hope I get some feedback!
Posted Jul 31, 2015, 11:44 PM UTC · edited