Crafter type build for 3.5, need advice

[pigomugo]

I'm struggling to figure out a new character build and need your brains. It's a level 1 start in a 3.5 campaign. I'm playing a twin brother with my friend who is going to be the more outgoing frontline brother. I want my guy to be a crafty support character who builds/brews his attacks and buffs. In my mind he would create little flashbombs as distractions, maybe throw grease and acid in bottles. Also he could throw potions as buffs or attacks. Also, this dude could build traps to set in sneaky moments. So yeah, I'm struggling to find a build for this guy and am hoping someone can help me out. I rolled my stats well, (17,17,14,13,12,12). Ideally he would be a range, non melee, support, buff, spell thrower. Thanks in advance

[Oberron]

See if you can use Pathfinders Alchemist or if only 3.5 use the artificer they are both exactly what you are asking for The Alchemist has bombs and Buffs and the artificer r is all about anything you want really but can be a good range buff support class

[Ken Murikumo]

Artificer is basically the best "crafter" the game offers. Though, this is not really like what you described.

Alchemist Savant is a prestige class that can make "spell vials" which are splash potions like how you want. This is a prestige class that you could enter as early as level 6 but no sooner. You could go Artificer 5 into Alchemist Savant.

But all things considered, you want to be a support/buffer so why not take artificer, wizard, bard, or cleric and describe your spellcasting as throwing potions. The Feat "spell thematics" kind of allows you to describe how your spells look, but is generally a waste because most (good) GMs will allow you to do this without the feat.

[Tvtyrant]

I'm struggling to figure out a new character build and need your brains. It's a level 1 start in a 3.5 campaign. I'm playing a twin brother with my friend who is going to be the more outgoing frontline brother. I want my guy to be a crafty support character who builds/brews his attacks and buffs. In my mind he would create little flashbombs as distractions, maybe throw grease and acid in bottles. Also he could throw potions as buffs or attacks. Also, this dude could build traps to set in sneaky moments. So yeah, I'm struggling to find a build for this guy and am hoping someone can help me out. I rolled my stats well, (17,17,14,13,12,12). Ideally he would be a range, non melee, support, buff, spell thrower. Thanks in advance

At low levels there are a few ways this can go, but most aren't going to be magic item based due to cost.

If you go Shaper Psion you can use Minor Creation at level 1, giving you access to all vegetable poisons in the game. There is a poison sprayer in Lords of Madness to use contact poison with, or you can put it in bags/vials and lob it at people.

Then there is alchemical items. This involves a ton of crafting like magic items, but much quicker. Artificers with dedicated wrights can make as many alchemical items at a time as they have wrights, so by mid levels you can have a factory (but by then a wizard can just use fabricate to do the same thing.)

Magic items you either go Warlock/Chameleon 2 so you can make magic items via Use Magic Device and a floating feat, or you play an Artificer.

You can find a list of none-magical items including poison and alchemical items here (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2714.0).

[Kelb_Panthera]

Artificer is -really- hard to argue against for this. It's "I craft all the things" the class. Max out craft alchemy and keep boosting it at each opportunity and you should be able to start cranking out the various offensive items very quickly. Taking the alchemist savant prestige class can stretch the potion and alchemy angle even further.

Then some alternatives.

This one makes -everyone- in your party a caster; wizard/ alchemist savant/ master alchemist. Running it all the way down will allow you to make -all- of your single target spells into potions and, under a certain interpretation, spell vials (offense potions). This allows you to hand out buffs to your allies or sling them at your allies as spell vials with your iterative attacks. Pick up any of the means to improve the number of attacks you get and become the machine-gun of casters.

This one gets you some crazy tinker flavor without being quite so powerful as the other two; Beguiler/ X/ gnome artificer, where X is your choice of any warrior, skirmisher, or caster class you prefer (including more beguiler if you want to keep things simple). The gnome artificer's devices function a lot like wands that anyone can use except the effects produced are non-magical functions of alchemy and engineering. Really crank the steampunk, magitech angle.



Artificer is in the Eberron Campaign Setting. Alchemist savant is in Magic of Eberron. Master Alchemist is in Magic of Faerun as is Gnome Artificer. All of them are setting agnostic in their mechanics and requirements, except G.Artificer's demand that you be from Lantan; an easy refluff.

[Jack_Simth]

But all things considered, you want to be a support/buffer so why not take artificer, wizard, bard, or cleric and describe your spellcasting as throwing potions. The Feat "spell thematics" kind of allows you to describe how your spells look, but is generally a waste because most (good) GMs will allow you to do this without the feat.
It's actually a DMG recommendation that players can describe the effects of their spells. DMG page 34, right column, 2nd or 3rd paragraph down.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There's a 2nd level Sorcerer/Wizard spell in Spell Compendium named Quick Potion. It takes 1 minute to cast, but it transforms a flask of water into a potion of the next spell cast onto it. The potion created lasts an hour per level of the person who cast Quick Potion. Not exactly great, but it effectively gains you temporary potions in exchange for spell slots.

I'll agree that just a standard spellcaster whose spells are described as throwing potions is the way to go. Otherwise you're turning all the loot you would gain and the gear you would acquire into single-use items that would have been stronger as a spell cast from a slot that you get back for free every day.

[Zaq]

This is challenging at level 1. Very challenging indeed. Artificer, as mentioned, is likely your best choice.

If you genuinely expect to level up quickly, you might consider looking ahead at runesmith, a PrC from Races of Stone. Their “shared rune” class feature seems perfect for you, but it won’t come online until a minimum of ECL 8, which might be unreasonably far away right now.

I can think of another option, but it’s STUPID cheesy and PROBABLY isn’t appropriate for you:

Leaning into the sacrifice rules from Book of Vile Darkness can get you free piles of “dark craft XP” and “dark gold,” both of which can be used to make crafting cheap or even free. Making sacrifices mostly involves optimizing Knowledge (religion), which isn’t that hard. A truenamer can, without counting INT or items and without making any choices you weren’t already going to make, easily have +9 at level 1, +13 at level 2, and +24 at level 3. Plus INT and stuff. Then just load up on crafting feats and find ways of working around spell prereqs.

You’ve gotta be unrepentantly capital-E Evil, you’ve gotta delve into a messy and poorly designed set of rules, you’ve gotta find a way to take your victims alive, and you’ve gotta do some bookkeeping, which is why this isn’t appropriate for most games. But it does work if you lean into it, so y’know, here it is to consider if only to dismiss.