Personality for a Gnome Alchemist (PF)

[panaikhan]

Hi.
I am putting together a Gnome Alchemist for an upcoming run through Serpent's Skull.
I have a vague idea about how I want to play the character, but I thought I'd ask people's opinions - so here I am.

I am looking at a kind of anti-hero... fighting for the side of light, but not necessarily using 'good' methods to do it.
The character is a little unhinged, loving practical jokes but often taking them too far, sometimes with potential lethal consequences.

[kharmakazy]

Clearly this calls for split personalities (ala Dr. Splitz/Splitzy from space monkeys) He will either respond to a given situation in a calm rational demeanor, or like the joker from batman. Bonus points if you can get special armor with prestidigitation to change the theme slightly depending on mood.

Choose when to be which, or roll a d20 with highs being joker lows being rational.

Be completely oblivious to your changes in personality.

[Andry]

Play him like Jokey Smurf

[Andry]

double post grrrr please delete Mod

[Socratov]

play him liek Demoman from Team fortress 2, and try to slap on as many of sterotypes you can find. another way would be to play him like the alchemists in Terry Pratchett's Discworld (if you are familliar with it), they are all somewhat insane about explosions, constantly blowing stuff up with #[insert number here] poweder/liquid. Also, let him have a hero complex wanting to wait until the very last second on any timed alchemical device :smallbiggrin:

[panaikhan]

I want to play the character as quirky, but useful.
I don't want the party to come to the conclusion that they are better off leaving the diminutive pyromaniac behind...

I plan to borrow little aspects from several places - Ledger's (spelling?) Joker, the Operative from Serenity, the Doctor from Back To The Future... I just don't want to end up as the comic relief (aka Tweety "Aw... poor Orc. He fall down, go BOOM!")

[NamelessNPC]

He can be just a bad guy, making fun of everyone who isn't as smart and/or received any education (I'm assuming alchemy is taught at some kind of academy). Choose a particularly dumb pc or npc and bother him constantly.

Or a really bad guy, who used to work for an evil tyrant making poison, potions or as an advisor or whatever (kind of like Arquimedes). Maybe he used to be a slaver, or a terrorist for a national or religious cause.

[Seffbasilisk]

"Eyebrows? What are these eyebrows?! You mean the signs of NOT BEING AWESOME?!"

"Here! Drink this, it will help with the poison. ...or is that my acid flask?"

"EEE HEE HEE HEE! Ha HA! ...was that last Ha too much?"

"Plotting something? Why would I be plotting something?"

"Stop scrying me!"

"You don't seem to understand. You are here, to step on the traps. He is here, to be eaten by monsters. She is here, in case something bad happens to me. That guy over there? His job is simple. He's the one who gets to try first. When he fails, then you'll see what my job is. Usually, it's to show you all what putzes you are."

[Larpus]

Not sure how the Reanimator Alchemist archetype looks when compared to a Cleric, but if he's decent enough to make it work, you could make one and have him constantly raise the fallen enemies bodies as his minions.

If someone in the group says he can't do that he can give one of many answers, such as:

What? He's not using it anymore!

Nah, it's cool, he doesn't mind, right buddy, you wanna become an undead minion and fight for me? *move the head of the corpse in a 'yes' motion* See? All good!

Let's face it, 90% of the villains out there are some sort of necromancer, so me raising this guy now as my minion is actually helping the world since some other most probably evil necromancer guy won't have him as his minion. I'm such a good samaritan!

Bottom line, make him ridiculously happy and positive to things that most people either consider a taboo or would puke their insides out about.

[hamishspence]

He can be just a bad guy, making fun of everyone who isn't as smart and/or received any education (I'm assuming alchemy is taught at some kind of academy). Choose a particularly dumb pc or npc and bother him constantly.

Or a really bad guy, who used to work for an evil tyrant making poison, potions or as an advisor or whatever (kind of like Arquimedes). Maybe he used to be a slaver, or a terrorist for a national or religious cause.



I am looking at a kind of anti-hero... fighting for the side of light, but not necessarily using 'good' methods to do it.

Ex-villain is one way of doing it- but hero teetering on the edge of villainy, but never having been a complete villain, might be a bit more distinctive.