Is alchemy magic?

[Kimras]

I was trying to homebrew an alchemist but could not figue out if he should be able to have grafting abilities. since grafts are more magic it seems but seem rather scientific at the same time falling into more alchemical field.

[HunterOfJello]

To make an item using Craft (alchemy), you must have alchemical equipment and be a spellcaster.

You have to be a spellcaster to create anything via alchemy. It's not explained much further.

[Blackhawk748]

You have to be a spellcaster to create anything via alchemy. It's not explained much further.

However, only the Alchemy items in the PHB actually put that rider on the table, other ones dont, which i always found odd. Mix that with the fact that apparently you need to be a spellcaster to use the freaking skill and confusion is inevitable. I go with Arms and Equipment Guide's stance: Alchemy does a lot of things that magic does, just worse and usually for a shorter duration, but it is not magic. Thus why i houserule that anyone can make Alchemical items.

[DeltaEmil]

However, only the Alchemy items in the PHB actually put that rider on the table, other ones dont, which i always found odd. I also thought that too.

Unfortunately, I was shown this line.


To make an item using Craft (alchemy), you must have alchemical equipment and be a spellcaster.Still, I would do away with that line, since as you wrote, alchemical items are generally just crappier versions of magic items. That, or just say that being a spellcaster gives you a +2 bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks, but everyone can still craft alchemical items.

[Blackhawk748]

Still, I would do away with that line, since as you wrote, alchemical items are generally just crappier versions of magic items. That, or just say that being a spellcaster gives you a +2 bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks, but everyone can still craft alchemical items.

This seems like a fairly solid plan, i mean no one is doing to break a campaign with alchemy, an encounter or two maybe, but never the whole campaign.

[FocusWolf413]

This seems like a fairly solid plan, i mean no one is doing to break a campaign with alchemy, an encounter or two maybe, but never the whole campaign.

Dust of sneezing and choking.

[VariSami]

Dust of sneezing and choking.

...is a cursed item, and as such, a magic item instead of an alchemical item. After all, magic items also include one-shot effects; they are not limited to alchemical ones.

And on-topic, I never noticed the spellcaster-rider on alchemy. Now I am uncertain as to whether I should simply mindrape myself to forget it because it is simply a stupid carry-over among many others. Likely, though, if I need alchemists as NPCs, they will now have levels in Magewright (ECS). And most of my players seem to already either ignore alchemy or be casters, but I should likely keep this information tugged somewhere in the deep unconscious, just in case.

[Spore]

I guess you're playing 3.5 instead of Pathfinder because the Alchemist class has captured the "Alchemy" part quite well. There, a professional alchemist is a dilettante spellcaster who is useless without his remedies, solutions and so on. He has an extract list and formula book, however none of these count as being a spell list in order to create magic items (or in order to use magic items that require a spell list).

For your everyday 3.5 and Brew Potion feat usages, yes. An Alchemist has to be a spellcaster.

[Urpriest]

Whether or not alchemy is magic is irrelevant. Even if alchemy isn't magic, alchemy doesn't cover all science-themed stuff in D&D: rather, it covers a rather specific range of tasks, involving creating certain types of mundane items. Even if grafts were nonmagical there still would be no reason to give an alchemist access to them based purely on the fact that they are an alchemist. Rather, if you want to give your alchemist grafts then it doesn't particularly matter whether alchemists are magical or not: regardless, you're choosing to expand the fluff of alchemy to make them capable of creating grafts.