Combat Alchemist
A Recent profession in in the Iron Kingdoms
Arguably the oldest arcane art in the Iron Kingdoms, alchemy’s roots and practices predate the Gift of Sorcery by centuries. The practice of alchemy since the rise of the Iron Kingdoms increasingly draws on more reliable spell-based arcane arts than their haphazard predecessors. Alchemical formulae and discoveries form an essential element of mechanika. These mixtures have seemingly infinite useful applications, from acids to liquefy solids or etch metals, healing ointments and salves, explosive mixtures for firearms, and a wide variety of weapons and utilitarian substances.
This article includes is a new adventuring class for the Iron Kingdoms — the Combat Alchemist. These brave and half-mad students of the eldest arcane art have adapted their studies to practical application in an often violent profession. They do not study alchemy for the pure joy of experimentation and science, nor do they practice this trade as a commercial venture. Other alchemists may spend their time slaving over hot burners in sealed laboratories, universities, and city markets. The combat alchemist walks unafraid into danger and uses his mixtures as a weapon to arm himself against the dangers of western Immoren, whether on the battlefield, while exploring dangerous wilderness areas, or facing horrors lurking on the Scharde Islands or in subterranean Orgoth ruins.
Both kingdom militaries and mercenary companies value the pragmatic approach of these battle-ready apothecaries, yet even seasoned veterans fear the recklessness which often marks these men and women.
Drink this and you can jump right into that fire. Full refund if it doesn’t work!
— GARWIN MATHERBY, COMBAT ALCHEMIST
In the modern era, the combat alchemist has become synonymous with “explosive expert” as these men and women have found a lucrative and successful niche creating and improving a variety of grenades and bombs.
While many of these “field scientists” — using such a term generously — are also fond of firearms, they find a pure and beautiful violence in the art of engineering massive explosions. Why limit oneself to a pistol to shoot one adversary at a time, they ask, when a grenade can take out an entire batch of them all at once?
The combat alchemist is interested in a wide variety of chemical and arcane interactions. This includes the mixing of powerful acids, chemicals which create poisonous vapors, or finding ways to compress air itself so tightly its release can hurl people to the ground. Theirs is a fascination in science and magic along with exploring the practical applications of both, particularly on the field of battle. This puts them in similar company as others of like mind, including arcane mechaniks, wizards, pistoleers, or soldiers who appreciate the weapons they can produce.
Working around dangerous substances and employing them in the field requires a special mix of courage, hardiness, and nimble alacrity. The combat alchemist must be shrewd of mind as he delves into the deeper mysteries of arcane lore seeking ways to extract power from purified liquids, powders, and catalysts. Many would-be combat alchemists have had their careers foreshortened by disfiguring burns, lost arms, legs, eyes, hearing, or by having their lives ended by an ill-timed explosion.
Description
The combat alchemist is a profission occupying a role combining aspects of rogue and wizard classes. While combat alchemists are sometimes sneaky and benefit from attacking from ambush, they lack social and larceny skills. The combat alchemist studies chemical and alchemical interactions and must become an expert on arcane fundamentals. Unlike a wizard, the combat alchemist does not actually cast spells, but he knows how they function. The combat alchemist uses physical substances and mixtures to fuel spell-like effects. By formula and mixtures, he distills spell power into unstable potions. The combat alchemist can create these short duration potions to adapt to the challenges of his surroundings and to attack his enemies.
The combat alchemist will never have the combat skill of a rogue or the broad arcane mastery of a wizard, although some individuals dabble in each of these fields. The alchemist stands ready to meet the needs of nations hungry for blasting powder, grenades, and similar tools. In battle, the combat alchemist relies on an assortment of explosive, flammable, and debilitative projectiles.
Combat Alchemists in the Iron Kingdoms
Combat alchemists find themselves outnumbered by their less adventurous counterparts, and are found in small numbers across the Iron Kingdoms. Llael once boasted several prominent combat alchemists and some of these individuals have joined the Llaelese Resistance. Others have turned collaborator, now working alongside the Khadoran military.
The largest collection of combat alchemists exists in northern Cygnar and Ord, including former citizens of Llael who fled to find sanctuary elsewhere. Combat alchemy is less common in Khador, but such individuals do exist, often in the employ of the Khadoran military. The army employs them to work on blasting powder or helps with refinement to mortar, cannon, or warjack ordinance.
Humans make up the majority of this class, but gobbers have earned a reputation as exceptional combat alchemists. Their natural affinity for alchemy, long ingrained in their culture, combined with remarkable manual dexterity make them naturals. Not many trollkin dabble in the art, although certain independent trollkin kriels have begun to rely more and more on blasting powder and firearms, which may draw trollkin to learn these skills in the years to come. Their resistance to poisons is certainly helpful. Certain notable trollkin mercenaries, such as Greygore Boomhowler’s company, have integrated alchemical grenades and firearms into their tactics. There are no known ogrun combat alchemists. Some theorize that their lack of sorcery and inability to understand wizardry prevents them from mastering the fundamentals.
Aurum Ominus Alchemist
Most combat alchemists are members of the Order of the Golden Crucible. Since Khador’s occupation of Llael, the majority belong to one of the branches of the “Free Order of the Golden Crucible”, which no longer consider Leryn their headquarters. The fracturing of this organization and its resultant decentralization has loosened scrutiny on new members and reduced obligations by individual members. Larger concentrations of the order exist in Corvis, Fharin, Ceryl, Merin, and Midfast. Presently the organization has little ability to enforce its rules regarding yearly tithes. Members have found they can evade tithes by compensating with smaller bribes to local officers. ~100 gp is usually a sufficient bribe to cover a character for a single season in the vicinity of one of the branches of the scattered organization.
It is highly recommended that new combat alchemist characters spend an initial feat on Aurum Ominus Alchemist (IKCG, p. 152). This provides access to alchemical facilities in many cities and has benefits such as reduced manufacture time and XP costs for actual potions. For combat alchemists, the feat’s reduction in XP cost for potions also applies to creating blasting powder.
While the order has lost its monopoly on blasting powder and competition has driven the price on blasting powder down, this group retains the most widespread and reliable access to raw materials outside of the kingdom militaries. Members of the Free Order still produce the bulk of commercially sold blasting powder.
Alchemist’s Combat Gear
Even alchemists who walk into the field of combat must be prepared for violence, including being able to stride through their own corrosive clouds, choking mist, and vitriolic sprays as if they were little more than a spring rain. The following is a sample of the gear alchemists wear into combat.
Alchemist’s Beard
Normally only found in the lab, this gas mask can also be of use in combat.
Wearing an alchemist’s beard tight fit limits the speech of the wearer, makes casting spells with verbal components impossible, prevents the imbibing of potions, and prohibits use of command words or non-mechanikal spell triggers.
Alchemist’s Apron
This simple garment is built with a thick felt backing and a mesh of fibers rendered from an alchemical process which coats cotton and canvas fibers to create a material which is highly resistant to damage from extremes in temperature and which also resists against the corrosive action of acids.
Alchemist Cloack
A modification of the heavier alchemist’s apron meant for combat use, the cloak provides protection from splash damage from splash weapons.
Catalyst Set
The Arcane Catalyst feat requires a variety of easily portable alchemical catalysts. This includes a thin strip of perforated platinum, small rods of various other metals, as well as small flasks of mercury and a few essential powders and liquids which the alchemist can reclaim by filtering and other techniques after mixing.
Mist Piercer Goggles
These special alchemically-treated goggles are built with lenses that allow the alchemist to see through even murky clouds as if they were clear air. As long as the wearer can see, the lenses of the goggles will effectively negate any miss chances due to concealment from cloudy or foggy conditions for distances up to 100 feet.
Portable Alchemy Kit
This kit is a carefully packed case which includes several small and durable glass beakers and tubes, a ceramic pestles, miniature burners and fuel, mixing rods of various materials, and cork stoppers. It is intended for mixing potions while out in the field.
Fonte: No Quarter 20
