Fullmetal Alchemist (COMPLETE I think) [PEACH] Please

[y2kjman]

"Water, 35 litres. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4 litres. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosperus, 800g. Salt, 250 g. Niter, 100g. Sulphur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon 3g. And fifteen other elements. Those are the elements to make an average adult human body. You can buy these elemental ingredients at the market with the pocket money of a child. Humans are made so cheaply. " Edward Elric

http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/181/7/3/aspect_of_earth_circle_by_gaudifanyay-d55fd02.png
Alchemist:
The Alchemist attempts control of the ancient metaphysical science and mystical art of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. The method by which he does so is called "Transmutation." First he must comprehend the inherent structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a particular material to be transmuted, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within. Second he must use energy to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state so as to be easily reshaped into a new form. Finally he must reconstruct the material into a new shape by continuing the energy flow, thereby finishing the transmutation from old to new.

Alchemy as a whole is a discipline of near limitless power, limited only by the skills and imagination of the Alchemist. This power, however, is not without its costs. The Law of Equivalent Exchange states: "In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed." If the Alchemists attempts too much out of too little a Rebound occurs, this is the process by which the alchemical transmutation changes out of the control of the Alchemist. This can be either taking or giving more than was intended or both . This can often be in unpredictable and catastrophic ways such as accidental mutation, serious injury or death.

Abilities: Alchemists derive their power from their understanding of the mechanics of the world, as such, Alchemist's benefit from a high Intelligence score. Wisdom is important to an Alchemist as it gives them the ability to understand what is or is not equivalent for an exchange. In the event that the exchange was not equivalent, a high Constitution may help the Alchemist bear the burden of extra costs of transmutations.

Races: Alchemists can be of any race, however, they are usually humans as they are impulsive. Elves, Dwarves and other long lived races tend to be too cautious and are usually unwilling to pay the price of little understood transmutations. Halflings and Gnomes make good Alchemists.

Alignment: Any. Good Alchemists are the least common, and Lawful Good Alchemists are fabled as much as the Philosopher's Stone due to the need to be willing to sacrifice for ultimate gain. Neutral Alchemists are the norm, with no moral guide on the Good/Evil axis they are able to do whatever piques their interest.

Starting Gold: 3d4 x 10

Starting Age: There is no specific starting age.

Hit Die: d8

Skills: Concentration, Decipher Script, Heal, Transmutation Field (Air), Transmutation Field (Earth), Transmutation Field (Water), Knowledge (Transmutational Alchemy), Listen, Search, Spot, Survival, Tumble

Skills per Level: 4+int



Alchemist
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special | Nat Armor Bonus | Elemental Energy Resistance

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Alchemical Understanding, Transmutation Circle |
+0 |

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Alchemical Specialty |
+1 |
5

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3| Fabricate 1/day |
+1 |
5

4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Just Better |
+2 |
5

5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Tattoo |
+2 |
10

6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+5| Fabricate 2/day |
+2 |
10

7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+5|Full Circle |
+3 |
10

8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+6| |
+3 |
10

9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+6| Fabricate 3/day |
+3 |
10

10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+7|Alchemical Specialty, Improved Full Circle |
+3 |
15

11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+3|
+7| |
+4 |
15

12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8| Fabricate 4/day |
+4 |
15

13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8|Perfected Full Circle |
+4 |
20

14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+4|
+9| |
+4 |
20

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5 |
+9|Tattoo, Fabricate 5/day |
+4 |
25

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Just Better |
+5 |
25

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10| |
+5 |
25

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|Alchemical Specialty, Fabricate 6/day |
+5 |
30

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11| |
+5 |
30

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|Truth, Fabricate at will |
+5 |
Immunity[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Alchemists are proficient in all simple weapons. Alchemists are also proficient in all Light Armors.

Hardened Skin: Using his alchemy, the Alchemist is able to adapt. The Alchemist gains +1 Natural Armor at 2nd level and again at 4th, 7th, 11th and 16th.

Elemental Energy Resistance: The Alchemist gains resistance to each of the fields that he has Alchemical Specialty as per table.

Fabricate: The Alchemist gains the ability to Fabricate as the Wizard spell. Focus required is an alchemy circle. Can be used one time a day and an extra time every 3 levels thereafter. At 20th, it becomes an at will ability.

Alchemical Understanding(Ex): Earth, Fire, Air, and Water are generally understood to be the basic building blocks of everything. The Alchemists know this to be only partially true. Alchemists have the ability to see underlying structures, and the knowledge of how to manipulate those to meet their needs.

There is no time required to study the materials before Transmutation attempts can be made, however, with a study time of 1 round an Alchemist may take 1/2 CL as a bonus to Transmutation attempts. (Minimum bonus is 4)
Transmutation Circle: For reasons Alchemists understand, the actual transmutations must come full circle to be completed. The transmutation circle is a symbol of this and every circle must include the drawings for each individual process in the transmutation.

The act of drawing of the circle can be just as important as the drawing itself. Doing so unlocks latent energies in molecular structures, once completed the Alchemist must touch the drawing with both hands. This releases the energy in the manner intended.

The circle is increasingly complex as the transmutation becomes more difficult. Drawing a simple Transmutation Circle could take seconds, while a more complex one could take hours or even days. Drawing and touching one of these allows attacks of opportunity and the Alchemist is considered Flat Footed while doing so.

Alchemical Specialty: At 2nd level and again at 10th and 18th, the Alchemist may choose a branch of Alchemy (from the list below). This may be either a different branch or the same branch repeatedly. For each time this is chosen, all DC checks for successful transmutations from these branches are lowered by 5
Just Better: At 4th and 16th level, the Alchemist just becomes Better. By transmuting his own body, an alchemist at this point can choose an innate bonus of +2 to any of his ability scores
Tattoo: At 5th and 15th level, the Alchemist is able to draw a Transmutation Circle using their skin as the canvas. The transmutation circle must be from a branch of Alchemy that the Alchemist has specialized in. Drawing a second circle of the same branch amplifies the power of that same branch. Adding a second tattoo of a single branch of Alchemy adds +5 circumstance bonus to all DC checks for that type of Alchemy.

Example: Myron has specialized in Water Alchemy at 2nd Level and drew the Water Circle at 5th. He then specialized in Fire Alchemy at 10th. He now chooses whether to Draw a Water or Fire Circle as his 15th level Tattoo.
Full Circle(Ex): The Achemist gets a glimpse of The Gate and the Truth contained within it. By doing so, the alchemist learns some universal laws, by which, he gains Full Circle as an Extraordinary Ability. This allows him to perform any alchemy that would normally require a Transmutation Circle using himself as that circle. By pressing his palms together, he is able to release the energy of the transmutations. This adds 10 to the DC required.
Only Transmutations of types that the Alchemist has tattood on his body can be performed in this manner.

Improved Full Circle(Ex):The Gate reappears to the Alchemist, and allows more than a glimpse. The laws of the universe are better understood and he is able to utilize the Full Circle ability more efficiently. The DC required only adds 5.
Only Transmutations of types that the Alchemist has tattood on his body can be performed in this manner.

Perfected Full Circle(Ex): The Gate appears for a third time and the alchemist is now adept at manipulating all the laws of the universe. He may now use full circle with no penalty to his DC checks for alchemy with no drawn Transmutation Circles.
Only Transmutations of types that the Alchemist has tattood on his body can be performed in this manner.

Truth:The Alchemist has been inside The Gate and is now the expert of all laws of the universe. Not only does he understand the most granular building blocks around him, but he innately understands the universal laws that hold it all together. The Alchemist now gains +5 to all alchemical transmutational attempts of any field while using Perfected Full Circle. In addition, the alchemist gains a +20 circumstance bonus to any attempt while drawing a Transmutation Circle.

This also removes the limitation on types of Transmutations allowed by using Perfected Full Circle. All transmutations are available without the Circle.

[y2kjman]

Alchemical Transmutation Overview



Alchemists intuitively know the Transmutational Arts for each field they specialize in.

Creating Transmutations: The transmutational arts are based around fully understanding the possibilities and applications of their respective elements. As such, creative use of the element is important to the application of the art. Using a single art to make a transmutation is often very useful or powerful in its own right, and can continue to be so at later level by advancing the art's effects. However, in situations when two of the alchemist's known arts are compatible with each other, they can be executed simultaneously or in conjunction with the alchemist's other abilities. Doing so uses the transmutation time of the longest art and uses the art's combined transmutation DCs +4.

Transmutation Circle When drawing the circle, an alchemist must take some factors into account. The more precisely drawn and complex the circle, the better chance the transmutation is performed as planned. See table for bonuses:

{table=head]Time taken to draw | Bonus to DC
Standard Action | +0
10 Full Rounds | +5
1 Hour | +10
1 Day | +20
1 Week | +30
1 Month | +40
[/table]

Due to diminishing returns past this point, there is no benefit for taking longer than this to draw Transmutation Circles, however there is one exception. Nation sized Transmutation Circles have been known to exist, these would take decades of work by teams of alchemists to draw.

The Transmutation Skill: Almost all of an alchemist's special abilities are determined by his modifier in the transmutation skill. This is a skill exclusive to an alchemist, the skills modifier is Intelligence. Having at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Transmutational Alchemy) grants a +2 synergy bonus to the Transmutation Field () skill, and vice versa. Armor Check Penalties need to exist, not sure how to fluff it.

Range of Transmutations: The distance from which a alchemist can transmute any Alchemical Field is 30 ft + 5 ft/2 levels. Going further is possible, but every 5 feet beyond this range adds a +5 to the Transmutation DC . A transmutation that begins within this ‘safe’ range but extends beyond it can fall short, and any material being transmuted simply falls from the alchemist’s control, acting naturally (water being absorbed into the ground, earth rolling downhill, etc.). If the transmutation’s DC exceeds that of the Alchemist's roll, the transmutation failed due to the Law of Equivalent Exchange being broken. Recourse occurs as per table below.

Recourse
{table=head]Failed By | Effect
1-5| Fatigue
5-9| 1d4 Con damage
10-15|2d4 Con damage
16-20 |3d4 Con damage, Exhaustion
21-25 |4d4 Con damage
26-29 |Unconciousness1, Loss of limb2, 1 con permanently lost
>30| Death[/table]
1 An alchemist rendered unconscious in this manner makes a DC 20 Fort save to wake up after four hours, and every hour thereafter, with the save decreasing by -2 at each attempt. After eight hours, the Alchemist automatically wakes up, but is still Exhausted. It takes additional rest to remove this condition.
2 Roll 1d4 for limb lost.

{table=head]Roll | Limb Lost
1 | Left Arm
2 | Right Leg
3 | Right Arm
4 | Left Leg[/table]

Transmuting: Performing a transmutation provokes attacks of opportunity unless noted otherwise, and if the alchemist is damaged while performing a transmutation, she must make a Concentration check against the damage done+1/5 points of the transmutation DC or lose it completely. Transmutations cannot be performed while pinned, but an alchemist can attempt to perform one while while grappling by adding +15 to the Transmutation DC, and must make DC 20 Concentration check in order to successfully perform it.

Step Transmutations: Especially at lower levels, the DC for multiple transmuting art attempts can be prohibitive. Remember that you can split up the transmutations into steps, Tyree does not have to make enough adamantine to build his house in one transmutation. He can do it over many transmutations.

Taking 10: Alchemists may choose to take 10 on any bending check, unless rushed or threatened. For the purposes of this, combat does not count as being rushed, though an opponent threatening a bender in combat does prevent him from taking 10 on bending checks.

Contested Transmuting: If two alchemists are vying for control of a single mass of an element, they make opposed opposed transmutation checks as a move action. In order to gain control of the element, an alchemist must beat his opponent's transmutation check by 5 or more, though winning by 4 or less adds a +2 circumstance bonus to the next opposed check, until one gains uncontested control of the element. If an alchemist wishes to take control of an element already controlled by another alchemist (such as a fire or a wall of solid iron being raised on the battlefield) he takes -5 to the transmutation check.

Motion: Unless stated otherwise, all transmutations have somatic components and are difficult to use with restricted mobility. An alchemist takes -5 to tranmutation checks to do a form while prone and a -15 to do forms while grappling. Transmutation is impossible while pinned unless the alchemist has Full Circle and is able to press his hands together. This requires a concentration penalty to his roll of -10

Saves: Any saves in response to a transmutation has a DC 10 + half the alchemist’s class level + the bender’s Intelligence modifier.

Fatigue: A fatigued alchemist takes a -4 to all transmutation checks, in addition to the other effects of fatigue, and an exhausted alchemist takes an additional -4 to all checks, for a total of -8.

Transmuting on the Defensive: Performing a transmutation while on the defensive does not provoke an attack of opportunity. It does, however, require a Concentration check (DC 15 + 2 for every 5 of the transmutation DC) to pull it off. Failure means that you still successfully complete the transmutation (provided you are able to make the appropriate DC), but provoke an attack of opportunity for doing so.

This section was highly influenced (90%) by http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54063

All credit goes to this.



This list of Transmutation DC checks is by no means complete. If you have ideas, feel free to post them here. I will add what I feel adds to the class, also feel free to discuss with your DM. Anything is possible, are you able to make the DC?


Earth Tranmutation DC's

Earth is considered ACID for purposes of resistance and damage


{table=head]DC | Control | Damage (with this material)
5 | 5ft | 1d8
10 | 10ft | 2d4
15 | 15ft | 2d6
20 | 20ft | 2d8
25 | 25ft | 2d10
30 | 30ft | 2d12
35 | 35ft | 3d6
40 | 40ft | 3d8
45 | 45ft | 4d6[/table]
This table shows the DC of controlling a cube of X ft of earth, and how much damage that earth would do when flung or dropped on something. Adding 10 to the DC adds to the die damage without adding the size of earth as well. A DC of 15 would manipulate 5ft to deal 2d6. Useful in areas without space.

Ranged attack rolls must still be made even when transmutation is successful.


{table=head]DC | Size
1 | Fine
2 | Diminutive
4 | Tiny
6 | Small
10 | Mediium
15 | Large
25 | Huge
40 | Gargantuan
60 | Colossal[/table]
DC's to pin creature (by size), previous rounds attack roll must have been successful. This check must be made each successive round, if you fail the check or decide not to attempt it again, the pin lasts for another round before ending.

Example: Gimne pins his opponent in the 3rd round, makes successful pin checks on the 4th and 5th but fails in the 6th. The pin would end on the 7th.

{table=head]DC | Earth Needed | Material Produced
5 | 5ft cube | Iron (enough to make longsword)
10 | 10ft cube | Steel (enough to make longsword)
15 | 15ft cube | Adamantine (enough to make longsword)
15 | 15ft cube | Mithral (enough to make longsword)
20 | 20ft cube | Cold Iron (enough to make longsword)
20 | 20ft cube | Silver (enough to make longsword)
[/table]
This table shows transmuting earth into different metals, though the amount of that metal needed to make larger objects might need to be done in multiple batches. This is determined by weight.

{table=head]DC | Level of Craftsmanship
5 | Apprentice
10 | Journeyman
15 | Expert
20 | Master[/table]
Merely having the materials is only part of it. Shaping them is necessary.

{table=head]DC | Magic Item Bonus
5 | +/- 1
10 | +/- 2
15 | +/- 3
20 | +/- 4
25 | +/- 5
35 | +/- 6
45 | +/- 7
60 | +/- 8
75 | +/- 9
100 | +/- 10[/table]
In order to add magical qualities, an Alchemist must compensate for the magical nature of the item. The more powerful the item, the more difficult this is. When adding to an already magical item, the DC remains the same.

When transmuting an item to remove bonuses, it requires the difference in bonus levels to remove. Example, it takes 25 to remove the +10 level and the item is now a +9 etc etc.

{table=head]Failure by | Result
Less than 5 | Nothing
5 - 10 | Suppresses Magical Bonuses 2d4 hours
11 - 15 | Suppresses Magical Bonuses 1d4 days
Greater than 15 | Magical Item is Destroyed
[/table]These penalties are in addition to Recourse in the above table.

Remember, combining multiple transmutation checks is possible. Add +4 to the DC each time you add another check.


Water Transmutation DC's

Water is considered COLD for purposes of resistance and damage

{table=head]DC | Control | Damage
5 | 5ft | 1d6
10 | 10ft | 1d8
15 | 15ft | 2d4
20 | 20ft | 2d6
25 | 25ft | 2d8
30 | 30ft | 2d10
35 | 35ft | 2d12
40 | 40ft | 3d6
45 | 45ft | 3d8[/table]
This table shows the DC of controlling a sphere with a diameter X ft of water, and how much damage that water would do when flung or dropped on something. Adding 10 to the DC adds to the die damage without adding to the size of water as well. A DC of 15 would manipulate 5ft to deal 1d8. Useful in areas without space.

{table=head]DC | Size
1 | Fine
2 | Diminutive
4 | Tiny
5 | Small
8 | Mediium
10 | Large
15 | Huge
30 | Gargantuan
50 | Colossal[/table]
An Alchemist can fill the nasal passages of humanoids, and whatever apparatus is used to breathe by other types of creatures. This does not have to surround the creature in water as the Alchemist is adept at manipulating the water itself.

DC's to drown creature by size, previous rounds attack roll must have been successful. This check must be made each successive round, if you fail the check or decide not to attempt it again, the drowning stops lasts for another round before ending.

{table=head]DC | Control | Damage
5 | 5ft | 1d8
10 | 10ft | 2d4
15 | 15ft | 2d6
20 | 20ft | 2d8
25 | 25ft | 2d10
30 | 30ft | 2d12
35 | 35ft | 3d6
40 | 40ft | 3d8
45 | 45ft | 4d6[/table]
The DC's to freeze an appropriate amount of water and the damage said block of ice would do.

{table=head]DC | Magic Item Bonus
5 | +/- 1
10 | +/- 2
15 | +/- 3
20 | +/- 4
25 | +/- 5
35 | +/- 6
45 | +/- 7
60 | +/- 8
75 | +/- 9
100 | +/- 10[/table]
In order to add magical qualities, an Alchemist must compensate for the magical nature of the item. The more powerful the item, the more difficult this is. When adding to an already magical item, the DC remains the same.

When transmuting an item to remove bonuses, it requires the difference in bonus levels to remove. Example, it takes 25 to remove the +10 level and the item is now a +9 etc etc.

{table=head]Failure by | Result
Less than 5 | Nothing
5 - 10 | Suppresses Magical Bonuses 2d4 hours
11 - 15 | Suppresses Magical Bonuses 1d4 days
Greater than 15 | Magical Item is Destroyed
[/table]These penalties are in addition to Recourse in the above table.

Remember, combining multiple transmutation checks is possible. Add +4 to the DC each time you add another check.



Air Transmutation DC's

Air is considered half SONIC and half ELECTRICITY for purposes of resistance and damage



{table=head]DC | Control | Damage | Knockback Distance
5 | 5ft | 1d4 | 5ft
10 | 5ft| 1d6 | 5ft
15 | 5ft | 1d8 | 5ft
20 | 5ft | 2d4 | 10ft
25 | 5ft | 2d6 | 10ft
30 | 5ft | 2d8 | 10ft
35 | 5ft | 2d10 | 10ft
40 | 5ft | 2d12 | 15ft
45 | 5ft | 3d6 | 15ft[/table]
This table shows the DC of controlling a ball of air of 5ft, and how much damage that air would do when flung on something. Adding 10 to the DC adds to the die damage without adding to the size of air as well. A DC of 15 would manipulate 5ft to deal 1d6. Useful in areas without space.

{table=head]DC | Knockback | Daze
5 | 5ft | 1rd
15 | 10ft | 1rd
25 | 15ft | 2rd
35 | 20ft | 2rd
45 | 25ft | 3rd[/table]
Without dealing damage, the Alchemist is able to knock the breath out of any creature. 1 1/2 DC is required for Huge and larger creatures.

{table=head]DC | Magic Item Bonus
5 | +/- 1
10 | +/- 2
15 | +/- 3
20 | +/- 4
25 | +/- 5
35 | +/- 6
45 | +/- 7
60 | +/- 8
75 | +/- 9
100 | +/- 10[/table]
In order to add magical qualities, an Alchemist must compensate for the magical nature of the item. The more powerful the item, the more difficult this is. When adding to an already magical item, the DC remains the same.

When transmuting an item to remove bonuses, it requires the difference in bonus levels to remove. Example, it takes 25 to remove the +10 level and the item is now a +9 etc etc.

{table=head]Failure by | Result
Less than 5 | Nothing
5 - 10 | Suppresses Magical Bonuses 2d4 hours
11 - 15 | Suppresses Magical Bonuses 1d4 days
Greater than 15 | Magical Item is Destroyed
[/table]These penalties are in addition to Recourse in the above table.

Remember, combining multiple transmutation checks is possible. Add +4 to the DC each time you add another check.


Still trying to decide whether to add fire or not

[y2kjman]

I am not sure how to homebrew, this class is my first attempt. That being said, I am in need of Feats and Items. Would anyone like to help?

[Omnicrat]

Thematically, I thing a good reflex save makes a lot more sense than a good fortitude save.

Edit: Also, you might want to have starting wealth be determined by the age of the character.

[y2kjman]

May I ask why Reflex is more thematically accurate than Fort?

Gold: Agree, that is the best way to do so.

[Macros]

Ok, I know I love this concept.

About the types of alchemy, shouldn't "earth" alchemy be the first designed ? It seems to be the most common one, probably the one that every alchemist start to learn before moving on to more complicated stuff.

For the type of save, I'll throw in more confusion and say Will should probably be their primary. After all, reflex and fortitude depend too much of the individuals (Edward would be reflex, Armstrong would be fortitude, for exemple), but each alchemist need a strong will to master such a complicated craft

EDIT : nevermind, it already is.

What do you have in mind for the other classes ? Homonculi ?

[y2kjman]

I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to keep this balanced at all. Alchemists according to the universe they are in are the masters of everything. The power of the Alchemist is that anything that they can imagine can be done as long as Equivalent Exchange is provided... and that can be the limiter, though that adds too much DM discretion.

A good DM could make it work well, a bad DM would demolish the class and all their potential... the trick would be to find a middle ground.


Homoncoli could be another class, though I was thinking it could be one of the drawbacks to the class... dont have equivalent exchange on a raise dead type alchemy? Now you have a homonculi to deal with. That was my initial thought anyway, its all up in the air as of now. Though I am open to suggestions/ideas at this point.

[Macros]

Hmm... you're going with the anime as baseline, then ? Because by manga rules, "raise dead alchemy" will always end in abject failure. You'd be lucky to survive it at all, really.

Otherwise, alchemists can be limited by the fact that, sure, they have the potential to be masters of everything (or close enough, anyway), but they don't actualy have the TIME for that. Learning the basics is a lot of work, learning a specialty even more so. So each of them has to stick to their own bag of tricks. I'd say that specialized alchemy (flame alchemy, water alchemy, etc...) could be some sort of prestige class.

As possible class go, you might have Humans Chimeras, which seemed pretty common. Ishval warrior-monk as a possible other. And if you followed the manga a bit, Xing warrior too (basically, ninja).

[y2kjman]

Yeah, I have no knowledge of the manga at all. Just the two animes, and the lore between the two changes a bit... though the mechanics seem to stay the same. This is going to be a major undertaking for me as I have not done this before, and the material is scattered and there arent really any rules that I am aware of for this type of mechanic

/le sigh

If I do go Homonculi as another class, this project just got a hell of alot bigger.
My vision was basically this:
Captain: Oh, ****... that wizard is decimating our army!
General: Our Alchemist is on the way, we just have to hold out long enough.

[Omnicrat]

May I ask why Reflex is more thematically accurate than Fort?

Gold: Agree, that is the best way to do so.

Granted, I've only just started watching the show (not brotherhood), and maybe the manga and other show are different, but it seems nearly every alchemist dodges stuff really well.

Also, on the resurrection front, soul binding for when people just die (it would probably have to be the same round, at most same minute) is a good option.

[Macros]

Well, now that I think about it, Homonculus is probably not a good idea as a class, anyway. They'd fit better as antagonists (on the other hand, you could create the Elixirologist class, basicaly, the cleric to the wizard-like alchemist)

But you're right, one step at a time. If you manage to build up from scratch the Alchemist class, that would already be a great result.

[GreenSplotches]

Wow I really like this class

[y2kjman]

So, I am in need of some help.

1. Mechanics of the Class: Not sure how to implement this.
2. Types of Transmutations: Did I miss any? If not, the descriptions need a bit of work, any suggestions?
3. Capstone Ability: Critiques?
4. Bleh... just feel a bit over my head.

Also, are there any other classes that I might look at for ideas? :smallbiggrin:

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Oh wow. I am loving the flavor here! Lemme just take a quick looksee.


Alchemical Understanding(Ex): Earth, Fire, Air, and Water are generally understood to be the basic building blocks of everything. The Alchemists know this to be only partially true. Alchemists have the ability to see underlying structures, and the knowledge of how to manipulate those to meet their needs.

For any material in a living (constructs, undead, golems, and any other magical) creature, this takes 1 full round of study. Not sure how to word this
For anything else, this happens with no study required (stone, iron, etc)

Is this supposed to be similar to the Discern Truename check the Truenamer class uses? You seem to be saying that studying a creature/object/place for 1 round (might bump up time for a place) imparts a bonus to all Alchemy used against it. Like, what? A +5 to Alchemy Checks? Seems good. It should progressively get easier to use though, otherwise that 20th level Master Alchemist will be taking the same amount of time to do anything as a 1st level novice. It should basically be a Free Action by that point (~15-20th).


Transmutation Circle: For reasons Alchemists understand, the actual transmutations must come full circle to be completed. The transmutation circle is a symbol of this and every circle must include the drawings for each individual process in the transmutation.

The act of drawing of the circle can be just as important as the drawing itself. Doing so unlocks latent energies in molecular structures, once completed the Alchemist must touch the drawing with both hands. This releases the energy in the manner intended.

The circle is increasingly complex as the transmutation becomes more difficult. Drawing a simple Transmutation Circle could take seconds, while a more complex one could take hours or even days. Drawing and touching one of these allows attacks of opportunity and the Alchemist is considered Flat Footed while doing so.


So, if I read this correctly, Alchemy is an At-Will ability dependent on drawing out the proper Trans-Circle for the material and desired effect, which I assume goes up with the complexity of the transmutation. I like it. Wondering how you determine the length of time a given circle will take. Also, having an article of clothing or an item made with an Alchemical symbol (ala Roy's gloves or the tattoos on Kimbley's hands) would seem like an obvious thing to do.

One way of keeping a DM from messing the class up would be to distinctly label the "Amount of Transmutable Stuff". For example, "Units". A Unit could equal a 5ft square, for instance, and there could be a table delineating how many "Units" a given Alchemist can use in a single Transmutation based on their level and what Specialty they pursued. That way you can fairly transmute, say, 20ft of Earth Units into 20ft worth of a Stone Wall type effect. For a moderate DC increase you could even turn that 20ft of Earth Units into 10ft of a denser material, or 5ft of Metal Units.


Alchemical Specialty: At 2nd level and again at 10th and 18th, the Alchemist may choose a branch of Alchemy (from the list below). This may be either a different branch or the same branch repeatedly. For each time this is chosen, all DC checks for successful transmutations from these branches are lowered by 4

Can't say for certain til you've made the Branches, although I would change the levels when the bonus is gained (something like 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 to better represent the different levels of play). Might I ask why 4 and not a +5?


Just Better: At 4th and 16th level, the Alchemist just becomes Better. An alchemist at this point can choose to either be granted an innate bonus of +2 to any of his ability scores OR replace one limb with "automail".

This automail limb is fully functional with no benefit or detriment to everyday living, however, the material that makes up the limb is something that the alchemist understands completely. An alchemist may as a standard action, transmute this limb into any simple or martial weapon or any shield that is not a tower shield with an appropriate DC check. This is an immediate action and lasts as long as the alchemist wants.

{table=head]Material|DC
Masterwork |15
Mithril | 20
Adamantine | 25
Cold Iron | 25
Silver, Alchemical | 25
[/table]
There will be a DC modifier to include bonuses such as +1 +2 fiery etc etc.

All weapons and shields created by the Alchemist are treated as if the Alchemist was proficient in their use.


While I like the first option, the second feels a little like you're trying to play the player's character for them. I would let an Automail limb be an option (pricey!) item that any adventurer can purchase and use if they need/want to, but the Alchemist benefits the most because of his/her powers.

Actually, why can't the Alchemist manipulate the weapons they already use? Why can't someone just make a stone or metal spear out of what's on hand and count as having proficiency? Why can't an Alchemist transmute that Short-Sword into a Rapier? Or that punch-dagger into a brass-knuckle? Seems like it would add to their versatility (and trolliness if you allow them to mess with other people's weapons and armor! :smallbiggrin: Do it!!!)


Full Circle(Ex): At 5th level, an Alchemist gains Full Circle as an Extraordinary Ability. This allows him to perform any alchemy that would normally require a Transmutation Circle using himself as that circle. By pressing his palms together, he is able to release the energy of the transmutations. This adds 10 to the DC required.

Improved Full Circle(Ex): At 12th level, through experience, the Alchemist is able to utilize the Full Circle ability more efficiently. The DC required only adds 5.

Perfected Full Circle(Ex): At 19th level, through trial and tribulation, the Alchemist becomes fully attuned to his body. He may now use full circle with no penalty to his DC checks for alchemy with no drawn Transmutation Circles.


I would lower the levels on these abilities, if only so more people get to use them. Strictly speaking, no one save for Father gets to World-Warping Power Levels in FMA, so having an ability unlock at 19 that doesn't do too much isn't a splendid idea.


Magnum Opus:At 20th level, and Alchemist begins work on his Magnum Opus. This is a never ending quest that consumes all of his free time. While on his Magnum Opus the Alchemist makes periodic discoveries that create magical items, improve his already owned items, or even increases his abilities.

Once reaching 20th level, roll 10d10 (easier mechanic for this?)
{table=head]Roll|Result
1-50 | Nothing
51-60 | Roll for Item as per DMG loot table
61-65 | Increase Str by 1
66-70 | Increase Dex by 1
71-75 | Increase Con by 1
76-80 | Increase Int by 1
81-85 | Increase Wis by 1
86-90 | Increase Cha by 1
91-95 | Roll for 2 results
96-99 | +1 Luck Bonus to all Transmutations
100 | Philosopher's Stone [/table]

For each 3 months that the Alchemist spends on his Magnum Opus, make another check. The Philosopher's Stone never lasts forever, so the Alchemist always comes back to this quest.



I...don't think this is a spectacular capstone. Perhaps something more akin to the Monk's capstone would fit, seeing as how that capstone practically describes Father and Hohenheim. Basically ageless native outsider.

Regardless, it's a little weak. If you're bound to keep it though, percentage dice are your friend!


Yeah, I have no knowledge of the manga at all. Just the two animes, and the lore between the two changes a bit... though the mechanics seem to stay the same. This is going to be a major undertaking for me as I have not done this before, and the material is scattered and there arent really any rules that I am aware of for this type of mechanic

/le sigh

I...I... I am disappoint. Leave here. Go and read the manga. Or just watch Brotherhood (same thing mostly), and VASTLY superior in every single respect possible to list to the original anime. And I LOVED the original anime, so that says something.


If I do go Homonculi as another class, this project just got a hell of alot bigger.
My vision was basically this:
Captain: Oh, ****... that wizard is decimating our army!
General: Our Alchemist is on the way, we just have to hold out long enough.

Homonculus should be a Monsterous Race. Then you could give it a few Alchemical At-Will abilities to represent the crap they could pull off in the show, and simply ban the race from pursuing the Alchemy class (or PC classes in general that aren't Martial).

[inuyasha]

I must ask, will you include life alchemy? (how chimeras and bizzare hybrids are made)

[Xaotiq1]

If you haven't seen this, may you draw inspiration from it!

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19528038/The_ALCHEMIST_Core_Class_V2_Eat_Your_Fullmetal_Hea rt_out..._Again!

[y2kjman]

Thanks for the responses, due to them, I believe I will have to take another tack to get to where I wanna go. The class will probably function near what I had hoped, though the path there and the fluff will be added to and changed a great deal to do so.

Another question for you though... Father and Hohenheim do sound like outsiders. My issue with it is that they contain the souls of hundreds of thousands in their philosphers stones to make that happen. How would I make that fit? Other than a catastrophic circumstance with a nation size alchemical circle blah blah blah...

[y2kjman]

So, I have decided that depending on how this class is received, I will make another base class... the Alkahester. So the idea is the Alchemist is Arcane and the Alkahester will be Divine, though there will be a bit of overlap.


/shrug

[OutsiderOpinion]

First off, let me just say that I love the idea of porting FMA into D&D, I'm probably seen the entire Brotherhood anime through two or three times, and it's one of my favorite shows ever. I think the difficulty in creating an Alchemist class lies in achieving balance between the fact that its power will largely come from the imagination of its player, and the need to include rules and regulations for anything they might do.
I think it'll definitely be better for everyone to let player's imaginations run wild with the concept than to simply give them a list of abilities. So it's great that that seems to be what you're doing! But how exactly are the numbers determined here? If an earth elemental wants to make rock-spikes pop out of the ground and attack his foes (as happens many times in the show), we can easily make that a ranged touch-attack, but how do we know how much damage it does? Maybe they could function as piercing weapons with a Die roll determined by the size of the earth, plus a bonus equal to Intelligence mod, or maybe Wisdom since it allows them to judge proportions better?
For some of the other classes, like Xing warrior, well, I was gonna say you could use a regular Monk and just give her some additional feat options, but thinking on some of the crazy stunts those guys get up to, no a custom class would just be way more fun. Kind of like a Duelist, but more themed around Acrobatics.

[y2kjman]

1. Transmutation mechanic is about completed. Impressions?

2. Starting to flesh out the Transmuting Fields, though I am afraid I am limiting what may be done. Is this an accurate statement and if so, how can I go back to the original intent? (if this changes, then I will have to rethink the mechanics of transmuting?)

3. Either way, I am looking for suggestions for each of the fields of Transmutation. If you have any ideas or suggestions that would be awesome.




Also, thanks to those that have responded already. Been a great help.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Looking over it now, three things jump out at me:


There doesn't appear to be an Alchemy Scale. That is to say, what would a normal DC look like? How does the DM determine the DC for a given transmutation a player may attempt. See: Difficulty Class Examples, DMG 3.5, pg 31.

An Alchemist should (logically) be able to modify the armor and weapons of himself and his companions. Perhaps someone who specializes could impart an Alchemy Bonus to armor and weapons of a particular material? Maybe a Nth level Alchemist is able to impart a Masterwork benefit to his armor and weapons? Better yet, as Scar was able to do in FMA, an Alchemist who specializes in it should be able to damage or destroy completely the armor and weapons of his opponents.

Finally, why is Explosive and Fire Alchemy separate? Actually, seeing as how Mustang's Flame Alchemy is air-based and Kimblee's explosions change between Chemical and simply Destructive Imbalance depending on which series, I would suggest the following:

Eliminate Fire Alchemy as Fire is a Reaction (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0423.html), and grant the power to create Flames to either Water or Air Alchemy, maybe both if there's a DC difference. Then change Explosion Alchemy to Destruction Alchemy, and allow for more types of destruction, allowing players to run the range between simply shattering things (Scar), melting them, or blowing them the frell up (Kimblee).

Just something to think about. Looking forward to more!

[y2kjman]

For your perusal and PEACHing :smallbiggrin:

[inuyasha]

15 X your age for starting gold is a bit much...what if I play an elf?

[y2kjman]

I didnt think about that.... damn...

Edit: Fixed

[Omnicrat]

I still think the good saves should be reflex and will. There is lots of dodging stuff in the series.

Also, the picture should be smaller. Throws of the formatting and makes the page take longer to load.

[y2kjman]

Picture is spoilered.

The saves will be decided after a full PEACH. Depending on how it goes, will decide what the saves end up as.

[Getsugaru]

First off, this is a wonderful idea, and I'd love to support it in any way I can.


Yeah, I have no knowledge of the manga at all. Just the two animes, and the lore between the two changes a bit... though the mechanics seem to stay the same. This is going to be a major undertaking for me as I have not done this before, and the material is scattered and there arent really any rules that I am aware of for this type of mechanic

Um...The second anime (Brotherhood) follows the manga almost perfectly, if not perfectly itself. Therefore, if you've seen Brotherhood, it's almost as if you've read the manga. But read the manga anyway :smallbiggrin:

Something I've noticed is that you haven't made the alchemist so much as the Elric brothers, their teacher (the housewife!), and a couple others. Might I suggest that, instead of including the knowledge of the truth in the base class, perhaps have a feat or a prestige class that enables the truth? After all, the only people who can utilize alchemy in that way are those who've performed human transmutation (SPOILER! HIGHLIGHT TO READ: or been forced through the gate like Mustang).

Also, how do you plan to include Alkahestry (http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Alkahestry)?

If you need help making any of what I mentioned, let me know.


P.S. As alchemy focuses on the knowledge of what the item is, then perhaps something similar to the archivist's dark lore might fit?

P.P.S. Going to take another look over the class; look for any holes...

[y2kjman]

Something I've noticed is that you haven't made the alchemist so much as the Elric brothers, their teacher (the housewife!), and a couple others. Might I suggest that, instead of including the knowledge of the truth in the base class, perhaps have a feat or a prestige class that enables the truth? After all, the only people who can utilize alchemy in that way are those who've performed human transmutation (SPOILER! HIGHLIGHT TO READ: DELETED.


I was leery about doing so as well, though while making the class as open ended as I could (table as just suggestions for example) I had to come up with some class abilities that would be worth having. Yes, there are some excellent ways of increasing skill checks... but, some of the DC's on this are extremely high by DMG standards. 30 is supposed to be an insane knowledge check and yet its about mid-road for the alchemists.

If I were to take out the knowledge of truth that would also necessitate removing the [i]Full Circle[/] ability as well right? Since the gate is the only known way to grant the alchemist that ability... or am I mistaken?


Also, how do you plan to include Alkahestry?

So, the idea is this class is all about shaping the raw energy of the elements. Alkahestry would be more the application of that into new avenues including some Divine casting effects. Heal, Harm, etc etc. Then again, equivalent exchange is going to make that class even harder than this. My only question at this point is... Did I bite off more than I can chew?


If you need help making any of what I mentioned, let me know.

I always welcome help/ideas. Like I said earlier, this is my first homebrew. It needs ALOT of work before it would become playable. The thing is, I want to play a character like this, so I have to get it right somehow.


P.S. As alchemy focuses on the knowledge of what the item is, then perhaps something similar to the archivist's dark lore might fit.

I will look that up as I am not familiar with it.

[Ravian]

So I've actually been looking into making a Fullmetal Alchemist RPG (A full system , generally based off of Dnd since that's what I know best) and the actual Alchemy is definitely the hardest part to make (probably since there needs to be a balance between the sheer potential of what alchemists can do, while still being tied by natural laws).
My biggest idea is that I'm separating combat Alchemy from regular alchemy. Combat Alchemy is limited to a certain number of Transmutations that the Alchemist has learned to use on the spot. (which may also be inscribed into items or tattoos for even easier access) Alchemists also make a transmutation on the fly at a significant penalty or through a check (not sure which yet)

My reasoning for this is that most of the Alchemists we see (even those not limited by transmutation circles) generally have a set of favorites that they use (Ed transmutes his arm into a blade, makes shields out of slabs of Earth, crosses distances via pillars ect.) but when push comes to shove can pull some trick out of their sleeve (such as Ed adapting to Scar's style of destructive Alchemy, exploiting Greed's ultimate shield or making Ammonia out of dynamite to disable chimera)

Other Alchemy is handled in a more long-term sense and can make and repair items, or include more significant transmutations (like soul-binding, chimera creation, human transmutation, or philosopher stone creation)

Generally just my idea to balance the two and have a clear distinction of what and what not could be used in the middle of a fight.

[LordErebus12]

im shocked you dont get an ability to cast fabricate at will, since thats 90% of what an achemist does out of combat.

as far as the natural armor and energy resistance, i think it has nothing to do with the source material. you'd be better off i think by adding their intelligence modifier to AC. the ER is just silly, imo


Edit: maybe ER isnt so sill afterall.

i think you need to rethink what application the circles can have. i mean with the right materials close by (ie in the the circle) you should be able to fabricate just about anything within level range.

[y2kjman]

Could you please explain what you mean about the application of the circles comment?

[LordErebus12]

Could you please explain what you mean about the application of the circles comment?

I was saying that should include the ability to use a Fabricate-like ability at will, since thats all that alchemy really does in the show. they use alchemy to craft items or objects.

[y2kjman]

On Fabricate, I do not think it should be at will. Too easy to break the game in my opinion... how about more uses as you go up in level? Alchemists should get fatigued after a while, at least that is the flavor that I am trying to get in the class.

I will add that progression and then hope for another PEACH and maybe a playtest... then again I am not sure the class is fully fleshed out either. Oh well, it will get figured out eventually.

[Omnicrat]

...still never changed it to reflex saves...

There are lots of examples of dodging in both Brotherhood and the original series.

[y2kjman]

There are also lots of examples of them taking shots to the chest, other than that specific example (which we just disagree on)... how does the rest of the class look and how might it play?

If the full PEACH makes it more thematically accurate due to other stuff, the save change will be made.

[LordErebus12]

Note : The armor-bound soul template can only be applied to a humanoid or monstrous humanoid within one size category of the suit of armor it is to be bound to. The suit of armor must be heavy armor and is generally half plate or full plate. However, heavier armors have been used, such as mountain plate.

Armor-Bound Soul

http://i.imgur.com/f0AyUKl.png

+4 Str, +2 Dex, -4 Cha. The Armor-Bound Soul is much stronger and generally faster than normal, but suffer from certain personality quirks, they have doubts about themselves and their fates. Many are introverted, quiet and typically are loners.
Type: Type changes to Construct (Bound Soul) and gain the traits below.

Armor Bound Soul Traits:

No Constitution score.
Low-light vision.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects.
Cannot heal damage on their own, and must use repair spells or through the use of the Craft Construct feat.
Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.
Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless).
Not at risk of death from massive damage. Immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less.
Due to the special circumstances of its binding, Armor-Bound Soul cannot be raised or resurrected. Spell effects that displace the soul, such as magic jar and clone also do not work. Wish and Miracle, such as that cast by using a Philosopher's Stone, can restore the body to normal, removing this template.
Because its body is a suit of armor, an Armor-Bound Soul is harder to destroy. It gains bonus hit points based on size, as shown on the following table.

Armor-Bound Soul Size|Bonus Hit Points
Fine|—
Diminutive|—
Tiny|—
Small|10
Medium|20
Large|30
Huge|40
Gargantuan|60
Colossal|80


Proficient with no armor. Because of the fact you are a suit of armor, you cannot wear armor.
Armor-Bound Souls do not eat, sleep, or breathe.


Hit Dice: Convert all racial levels to construct levels. Do not alter class levels.
Armored Body: The Armor-Bound Soul gains the bound armor's armor bonus to its armor class and suffers the maximum dexterity modifier limit and Armor check penalty.
Speed: Armor-Bound Soul moves at 30 ft.
Feats: Any feat based around racial prerequisites is retrained until the body is restored.
Freeze (Ex): A armor-bound soul can hold itself so still it appears to be a suit of armor. An observer must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice the armor is really alive. The armor bound soul gets a +4 bonus on hide attempts while hiding with other suits of armor. This also applies to the aforementioned check.

Variant Rules I've Been Thinking About:

Perhaps something about a called shot to the blood symbol. Liquids such as water or mud can wash off the symbol, destroying the construct.
Perhaps add the base armor's hp to the creature's hp, instead of the construct's size bonus of hp.



-----------------------
what you think? my submission to your homebrew.

[katarl]

You copied and pasted your second post, alchemists are not "Benders" (ahem).

I checked this thread and there is no mention of this, please credit the original source.

[y2kjman]

I copied alot and changed a few things, I apologize about not giving credit (forgot). Will do.

[inuyasha]

will we have anything for homonculi? I really would like to see 7 monsters or templates, maybe an 8th for father