Need help picking a Paizo class

[Cind3rs]

Hi all,
Haven't done Pathfinder but once and I'm not well versed with classes and options.

Playing in an old West world. I'd like to make an alchemist of sorts. I kinda have a Constantine (movie version) in mind mixed with mcguyver. A hard bitten guy that is resourceful and can grab one of his clinking vials off his bandolier and mix it with a reagent to make just what is needed or to hurl it as a weapon. He can look at a situation and read it. He knows how to pressure someone, find their weak spot.

It has to be a Paizo class. Can someone pitch a few ideas to me? I'd appreciate the knowledge!

[JHShadon]

Sounds like the Investigator would work well for you, it's a combination of the Alchemist and Rogue, doesn't have any bombs but has some cool skill stuff instead.

[Cind3rs]

That does seem cool. I'm not a fan of poison, though. How worthwhile are alchemist bombs, though?

[Ellrin]

That does seem cool. I'm not a fan of poison, though. How worthwhile are alchemist bombs, though?

It depends on how much you invest in them, like most damage-dealing class features, but it's not bad. It's a customizable AoE ranged touch attack dealing rogue-SA-levels of damage. It's not going to break the game, but you can focus on it in a mid-op game and come out looking pretty good.

And if you're looking at Investigator, one of the best archetypes (Empiricist) trades out all the poison stuff for bonuses to saves vs. illusions and making most of the best skills on your already considerable list Int-based instead of Dex or Wis-based, making you that much more MacGyvery.

[Recherché]

There are ways to make alchemist bombs quite fearsome if you focus on them. However if you don't invest in them they aren't that great.

[Florian]

How worthwhile are alchemist bombs, though?

That depends a bit on your group setup. Some discovers allow to add some battlefield control or debuff effects to bombs and that quite early compared to other casters (Frost, Stink, Void). It´ll get absurd once you have fast bombs. Now, like said, effectiveness hinges a bit on how your party cooperates. When the high-ini pouncing Barbarian is already at it before you can start debuffing, you´d either need precise bombs or just drop the idea, and so on.