Mindchemist Alchemist Op help (PF)

[Mr.Sandman]

Greetings Playground. My brother is soon beginning a Pathfinder game with the PCs being members of an assassin guild. My brother has given me full promision to optimize, and I am helping build 2 of the newer players characters. As the only one wanting to play a caster my original thought was Bomb focused for elemental damage, but then I had another Idea. Half Elf Alchemist 5, with the Mindchemist archtype and Infusion. Doesn't look like much, but the other two I am helping are a Dex based Melee, and a Dex based Skill Monkey. Wait two levels and I can Paragon Surge any one of us if I can convince them to take Half Elf. How Optimal is this? And how Optimal can I get it with your help?

[Psyren]

Mindchemist.... ehhhhhh

You can replicate the whole archetype with a discovery and some skill points really...

If you want to really play up the knowledge-monkey Alchemist angle, combine it with the Psychonaut archetype. Problem is, your bombs will hit like wet spaghetti.

[Mr.Sandman]

Its not really knowledge monkey, its more bumping my Int as high as possible, and we already have 3 beatsticks and a poison user so I wont be using those features much anyway. Its more of buffing them with Imbued Infusions and bombing focus. On myself Paragon Surge would mostly be used for Extra Discovery for situational bombs, but the Fighter, Ranger, and Spy archtype Rogue could use that extra feat for so much more. I prepare the spell, so it uses my CL, but they cast it by drinking it so that works for the Self range right?

[Spore]

I prepare the spell, so it uses my CL, but they cast it by drinking it so that works for the Self range right?

If they are Half Elves, sure. The description sadly says Range: Personal (Half Elves only).

[Mr.Sandman]

The three of them are, yes. The Halfling Barbarian will sadly have to go without.

[grarrrg]

The three of them are, yes. The Halfling Barbarian will sadly have to go without.

AW SNAP YO!

But seriously.
Nice comeback.

[Psyren]

Thing is, you can take Cognatogen without needing this archetype. And some other, very useful archetypes also replace Poison Use and so are incompatible with this - like Preservationist, Grenadier and, possibly for your purposes as a support character, Chirurgeon.

The only real reason to take it at all is to be the loremonkey, and you said you don't want to do that.