Character Concept - Moonshiner

[tieren]

I am planning on participating in an upcoming lvl 20 one shot. I am working on an Artificer (alchemist) 15/ Rogue (thief) 5.

The idea is a support character who spends his time in combat picking up fallen allies, buffing, healing, etc... while in a sanctuary spell.

I want to use the healer feat and healing kits, the chef feat and temp hp "treats", alchemist elixirs, and crafted potions. However, I want to flavor them all as flasks of different kinds of liquors and/or liquor soaked fruits or baked goods. He's going to be a tool master of sorts with proficiency in thieves tools, tinker tools, brewers tools, herbalism kit, poisoner's kit, smith's tools, alchemist's tools, and cooking utensils. All of which will get expertise from artificer level 6 feature.

A twist I want to lean into is instead of the stereotypical very scientific alchemist, I want to go more rural with it and have him use the smith's tools and brewer's tools to make his own still and experiment with various herbs and natural flavorings/ingredients. My idea is to have him be a firbolg for a back woods wild mountain man kind of theme. He can use the hidden step feature to duck out of harms way and sneak off to the woods, and the firbolg magic can help him smuggle his liquor into town or what have you.

I'd like to hear from anyone who's played high level alchemists or if you have any ideas to lean further into the theme. I'm not looking for "optimization", style points matter to me.

[Dork_Forge]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why did you add the Thief levels?

Is it meant to be a fast hands to feed treats and elixirs kind of thing?

[Kane0]

Looks solid enough for your concept, the only thing you really need to figure out is the level progression.

[Unoriginal]

Maybe Goodberry could be a fun addition?

[tieren]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why did you add the Thief levels?

Is it meant to be a fast hands to feed treats and elixirs kind of thing?

Yes, mechanically the Fast Hands will allow me to run up to a fallen ally, administer a healing kit with a bonus action. reviving them with 1 hp because of the healer feat, and then if the enemy who dropped them is still there standing over him or something I can stab it with my Bowie Knife (dagger) and get the sneak attack damage for having an ally within 5 feet. If it isn't a melee situation I still have lots of options for my action.

Thematically I like the outlaw component of a moonshiner, keeping out of sight so he doesn't have to pay any taxes, smuggling his product when he needs to run it somewhere, etc...

Narratively, I am having him start his career as a bit of a charlatan. He began trying to sell miracle elixirs of homebrew remedies long before he learned how to do it for real. So not so much of a thief as in burglar, but more a rogue who is constantly in trouble with unhappy customers or the law. Perhaps a literal snake oil salesman (but there aren't enough people wo want to oil a snake).

He eventually finds a Headband of Intellect, and when he puts it on he is smart enough to figure out there really are some beneficial properties to some of the ingredients he is hawking and begins to experiment beginning his career as an alchemist in earnest.

Playing into the charlatan idea he is a bit of a fake, and always has insecurity issues. I am using the following starting stats (using 27 point buy):

STR 8 Set to 19
DEX 15 + 1 (race) = 16
CON 8 Set to 19
INT 12 + 1 (race) = 13 Set to 19
WIS 14 + 1 (race) + 1 (chef feat) = 16
CHA 14

The headband of intellect (which mechanically he can craft as an infusion if DM doesn't have them otherwise available), is going to raise his INT to 19, He is also through infusion (or buying) the Amulet of Health to get his CON to 19, and Gauntlets of Ogre Power to set his STR to 19. I did make sure he wasn't relying on any items to meet his multiclass requirements.

So he is going to use all of his attunement slots and potentially 3 of his infusions just so he can get the benefits of someone who is truly exemplary, but internally recognizing its mostly an act. With no open attunement slots he is going to prioritize consumables when it comes to acquiring magic in the future. I can see a portable hole toting about the still, and a Handy Haversack which magically puts the bottle he is looking for right on top and keeping them in an extradimensional space so they don't shatter if I get crushed or something.


EDIT:
Good Idea Unoriginal; maybe I can look at picking it up with a feat. Magic Initiate (druid) could fit well thematically with the outdoor woodsman feel.

Just made this with an Ai art generator:

[can't figure out how to post the picture but it looks cool]

[Dork_Forge]

Yes, mechanically the Fast Hands will allow me to run up to a fallen ally, administer a healing kit with a bonus action. reviving them with 1 hp because of the healer feat, and then if the enemy who dropped them is still there standing over him or something I can stab it with my Bowie Knife (dagger) and get the sneak attack damage for having an ally within 5 feet. If it isn't a melee situation I still have lots of options for my action.

Thematically I like the outlaw component of a moonshiner, keeping out of sight so he doesn't have to pay any taxes, smuggling his product when he needs to run it somewhere, etc...

Narratively, I am having him start his career as a bit of a charlatan. He began trying to sell miracle elixirs of homebrew remedies long before he learned how to do it for real. So not so much of a thief as in burglar, but more a rogue who is constantly in trouble with unhappy customers or the law. Perhaps a literal snake oil salesman (but there aren't enough people wo want to oil a snake).

He eventually finds a Headband of Intellect, and when he puts it on he is smart enough to figure out there really are some beneficial properties to some of the ingredients he is hawking and begins to experiment beginning his career as an alchemist in earnest.

Playing into the charlatan idea he is a bit of a fake, and always has insecurity issues. I am using the following starting stats (using 27 point buy):

STR 8 Set to 19
DEX 15 + 1 (race) = 16
CON 8 Set to 19
INT 12 + 1 (race) = 13 Set to 19
WIS 14 + 1 (race) + 1 (chef feat) = 16
CHA 14

The headband of intellect (which mechanically he can craft as an infusion if DM doesn't have them otherwise available), is going to raise his INT to 19, He is also through infusion (or buying) the Amulet of Health to get his CON to 19, and Gauntlets of Ogre Power to set his STR to 19. I did make sure he wasn't relying on any items to meet his multiclass requirements.

So he is going to use all of his attunement slots and potentially 3 of his infusions just so he can get the benefits of someone who is truly exemplary, but internally recognizing its mostly an act. With no open attunement slots he is going to prioritize consumables when it comes to acquiring magic in the future. I can see a portable hole toting about the still, and a Handy Haversack which magically puts the bottle he is looking for right on top and keeping them in an extradimensional space so they don't shatter if I get crushed or something.


EDIT:
Good Idea Unoriginal; maybe I can look at picking it up with a feat. Magic Initiate (druid) could fit well thematically with the outdoor woodsman feel.

Just made this with an Ai art generator:

https://starryai.com/app/my-creations/964013357https://starryai.com/app/my-creations/964013357

I know you're not really fussed about optimization, but what level are you starting at? an 8 Con and 13 Int is going to be really, really rough, you won't be able to fix your Int and Strength until 10th level Artificer, and your Con until 14th level. Hamstringing yourself so badly may mean you might not get that far depending on your starting level.

I would advise prioritising the Healer feat over the Chef feat, the former is more useful whereas Chef is more flavourful. If you do manage to fix your Int, then don't sleep on Healing Word, the Alchemist is an excellent user of it.

Your link didn't work for me, just went to a log in page.

[Kane0]

As an artificer you do get extra attunement slots too

[tieren]

I know you're not really fussed about optimization, but what level are you starting at? an 8 Con and 13 Int is going to be really, really rough, you won't be able to fix your Int and Strength until 10th level Artificer, and your Con until 14th level. Hamstringing yourself so badly may mean you might not get that far depending on your starting level.

I would advise prioritising the Healer feat over the Chef feat, the former is more useful whereas Chef is more flavourful. If you do manage to fix your Int, then don't sleep on Healing Word, the Alchemist is an excellent user of it.

Your link didn't work for me, just went to a log in page.

It is for lvl 20 one shot so I don't need to worry about the leveling. Although I think in this role he could level ok as a support character. AC will be fine with medium armor and shield on a character who wouldn't be on the front line. The healing kits don't need an ability roll and he could still cast healing word and be the thieves tool guy at lower levels.

[Dork_Forge]

It is for lvl 20 one shot so I don't need to worry about the leveling. Although I think in this role he could level ok as a support character. AC will be fine with medium armor and shield on a character who wouldn't be on the front line. The healing kits don't need an ability roll and he could still cast healing word and be the thieves tool guy at lower levels.

Oh big derp on my part missing that in the OP sorry, in that case this will work just fine, you'll have plenty of infusions and attunement slots to cover your stats!

[tieren]

I play in an online group through Discord/Roll20.

Do you think this concept would offend someone actually from Appalachia? I'm not trying to poke fun, I intend to play him as a crafty woodsman not a parody of a redneck moonshiner. My own family is from Tennessee so I don't see it as cultural appropriation, but I want to be sensitive to the other members of the group.

[Dork_Forge]

I play in an online group through Discord/Roll20.

Do you think this concept would offend someone actually from Appalachia? I'm not trying to poke fun, I intend to play him as a crafty woodsman not a parody of a redneck moonshiner. My own family is from Tennessee so I don't see it as cultural appropriation, but I want to be sensitive to the other members of the group.

The only people that can answer that are the ones you're concerned about. Just ask them if they feel okay with it, I'm sure they'd appreciate the thought.