[PF] Alchemist Mutagens and Crafting Times

[magotter]

Hey all, I've got a bit of a situation. I have a party with a 9th level Alchemist in our group, so his mutagen persists for about an hour and a half. However, I'm falling into a bit of a ruling situation when it comes to what and how long it takes for him to make his hyde-potions. We're trying to determine if he can make his mutagen while on the move, or if the party has to stop and wait for an hour every time he concocts a new one.

The only ruling I can find on mutagen (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist#TOC-Mutagen-Su-) crafting says:
It takes 1 hour to brew a dose of mutagen, and once brewed, it remains potent until used. An alchemist can only maintain one dose of mutagen at a time—if he brews a second dose, any existing mutagen becomes inert.

Now looking at that, there's little in the way of RAW; it just gives a duration, and no methodology. My own take on the RAI is that, since they say it takes an hour to Brew (which implies fermenting and the like), the alchemist can whip up the ingrediants, shove them into a vial, and it'll be ready to chug in an hour.

I really can't find anything in the way of threads talking about this, so I'm turning to you guys. Is my opinion flawed? Is there some ruling or discussion of the topic that's slipped my eye? And more importantly, if an Alchemist has to stop in order to Craft, could he make a Craft (Alchemy) check to reduce the time it takes?

[Psyren]

I would rule that it's just like brewing a potion - he needs a flat surface, container, ingredients, and a heat source. He also needs quiet, comfortable, and well-lit surroundings. So if they are riding on horses, probably not, but if he has an enclosed carriage that might be better.

Note that there is a rule for crafting on the move - it takes double time. So I would rule that he can craft his mutagen while moving, but it takes 2 hours due to jostling and distractions.

[magotter]

That's an interesting thought. Thinking on that, what about a Portable Alchemy Kit and a Wand of Floating Disk? take it back down to 1 hour on the move, perhaps?

[Psyren]

That's an interesting thought. Thinking on that, what about a Portable Alchemy Kit and a Wand of Floating Disk? take it back down to 1 hour on the move, perhaps?

I'd say yes - floating disk lasts long enough to support his workbench.