Pathfinder Alchemist: How does Infusion work?

[spruce56]

I'm a new Pathfinder player, grappling with the Alchemist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist)class. Link is the source I've been using, and quote from below. Essentially, I want to know how the Infusion Discovery works (basically an alchemist feat) with regard to caster level. Infusion allows the alchemist to share extracts (bottled spells) with party members - without this discovery, extracts become inert once they leave the alchemist's possession, ie, cannot be given to anyone.

The Infusion Discovery:

Benefit: When the alchemist creates an extract, he can infuse it with an extra bit of his own magical power. The extract created now persists even after the alchemist sets it down. As long as the extract exists, it continues to occupy one of the alchemist’s daily extract slots. An infused extract can be imbibed by a non-alchemist to gain its effects.

Extracts:

An extract is “cast” by drinking it, as if imbibing a potion—the effects of an extract exactly duplicate the spell upon which its formula is based, save that the spell always affects only the drinking alchemist. The alchemist uses his level (!! class level, or total level?) as the caster level to determine any effect based on caster level.

To learn or use an extract, an alchemist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the extract’s level.


Question 1 - What determines the extract's level - spell level, or caster level?

Cure Light Wounds (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/cure-light-wounds) is a 1st-level formula/spell. It has the effect of curing 1d8 +1 point per caster level of health (maximum +5).

My alchemist has a class level, and therefore caster level of 3, for the purpose of determining the effects. So the extract would cure 1d8 +3 health. But does the extract count as first or third level, once caster level comes into effect? My interpretation is that it's still 1st level, and you need a minimum Intelligence of 11, please correct me if I'm wrong.


Question 2 - What is the level and caster level of extracts shared with Infusion?

In my party, there is a level 2 fighter (Int 10), and a level 2 sorcerer (Int 13). My reading of the rules is that only the sorcerer can drink extracts of CLW, because the minimum intelligence is 11.

When he imbibes the CLW extract, does he gain the benefits based on the alchemists caster level, or his own? His caster level could either be 2 (his sorcerer class level, as he is effectively the alchemist at this point), or 0 (his alchemist class level). OR it could be cast with the Alchemist's class level of 3. Which is right, and how much damage does it heal?

Thank you very much for your help :smallredface:

[Kamai]

In a sense, the infusions at like potions. The Caster level/Spell level is set when it's made (in your case of CLW, 1st level infusion and 3rd caster level). Once you give the infusion, it doesn't matter who the drinker is, you were already able to make it since you had at least intelligence 11.

[Psyren]

Welcome and I hope you enjoy Pathfinder!

To answer your questions:

1) When the text says "the extract's level" it means the spell level. So an Alchemist's extracts range from 1st-level to 6th-level. This means that you need a minimum of 16 intelligence to be able to learn any extract in the game - 10 + 6.

"Caster level" is different - your caster level is what determines the strength of your extracts (their duration, how much they can heal, how difficult they are to dispel, and so on.) As you correctly calculated, your caster level is equal to your level in alchemist.

PF and D&D use the word "level" in many different ways. As you've no doubt discovered, this can sometimes get confusing. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0012.html)

2) The spell level of an extract is fixed; so an extract of Cure Light Wounds will always be a 1st-level extract, no matter how high your own level is when you get it. Infusion, however, basically turns your extract into a potion - meaning that anyone you give it to can use it, even if they are not alchemists themselves. Thus, their own intelligence doesn't actually matter - only yours does, and since you were smart enough to make it, you've already cleared the hurdle.

[spruce56]

Thank you, that much makes sense - but the intelligence restriction is to drink or use (check the extract rules above), which I think bars characters with less than 11 Int.

Assuming they can drink it, how much damage does CLW then heal?

1d8 + 1 point per caster level, but whose caster level? Because in this case they're acting as the caster. An alchemist has a caster level equal to level, so do they just take their level and use that?

[Psyren]

Thank you, that much makes sense - but the intelligence restriction is to drink or use (check the extract rules above), which I think bars characters with less than 11 Int.

The infusion discovery is more specific than that general rule and thus overrides it. Anyone you hand the extract to can drink it. This is also the intent of the rules - otherwise a Chirurgeon alchemist could only heal smart people, which doesn't make sense.

Put it this way - Infusion works by you putting a portion of your own energy into the extract. The extract thus functions for others as if you were the one drinking it.



Assuming they can drink it, how much damage does CLW then heal?

Again, you would use your own stats here, just as a cleric casting CLW on someone else would use his.

They are not acting as the caster - the caster is still you.