Battle Brewer (3.5e Class)

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Bottles are better than swords sometimes.

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Battle Brewer

Battle Brewers are a fusion of the Apothecary and the Battle Chemist, with the intention on using the same item creation system and make a 10 level base class that works differently than the Chemist. They are sabotuers, medics, salesmen, and all to often pyromaniacs.

Making a Battle Brewer

Battle Brewers excel at various things, depending on what potions they have brewed. Given time to prepare, they will have the medicine for what ails ya.

Abilities: Intelligence directly impacts their ability to Craft items, Dexterity helps with accuracy when flinging alchemical substances.

Races: While all races are can be Battle Brewers, coggleborn goblins and Christmas elves are especially likely to be members of this class, as are most varieties of gnome.

Starting Gold: 4d6 x 10 gp (140 gp)

Starting Age: Moderate

Table: The Battle Brewer

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Alchemist, Apothecary, Potioncraft, Trapfinding, Throw Potion, Bonus Feat
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Discount 10%, Heighten Potion, Alchemical Resistance
3rd	+2	+1	+1	+3	Poisoner, Identify, Batch Production (4-pack), Bonus Feat
4th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Discount 20%, Bottoms Up (move)
5th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Experienced Brewer, Grenade Potion, Bonus Feat
6th	+4	+2	+2	+5	Discount 30%, Batch Production (6-pack)
7th	+5	+2	+2	+5	Bottoms Up (swift), Advanced Potioncraft,Bonus Feat
8th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+6	Discount 40%, Improved Throw Potion
9th	+6/+1	+3	+3	+6	Auto-Potion, Bonus Feat
10th	+7/+2	+3	+3	+7	Discount 50%, Bottoms Up (immediate), Personal Potion, Brew ArchPotion, Bonus Feat
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the brewer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Brewers are proficient with light armor, simple weapons, flamethrowers, and all splash weapons. They often have to gather materials in dangerous places (or from dangerous beasties) and have some capacity to protect themselves.

Alchemist You may use the Craft(alchemy) skill even if you are not a spellcaster and gain a competence bonus on craft(alchemy) checks equal to your character level. You gain Alchemical Mastery as a bonus feat.

Apothecary A 1st level apothecary starts with an alchemist's lab which provides a +2 circumstance bonus on Craft (alchemy) skill checks. In addition, an apothecary simplifies everything down to the essentials and multi-use tools. This lab only weighs 5 pounds (instead of 40). She may gather and purchase new tools for a new lab for only 50 gp, though non-apothecaries won't be able to use such a sparse set for the bonus. Her crafting in this way is done by the hour.

To craft an alchemical item, she must gather raw materials worth 1/3rd the market cost and make a check for an hour's work. If the check result equals the DC to craft the item, the item is completed. If the DC isn't met, write down the result as progress. When working on the project again, add any previous results to your next check until the result equals or exceeds the DC. Any exceeded result amount may be put forth as effort on another project so long as the materials are available.

To get raw materials, you can purchase generic "raw materials" from other apothecaries or in cities. Alternatively, you may gather materials from a wild source, making either a Knowledge (nature) or Survival skill check to represent 1 hour of gathering, of which she may "Take 10". She may choose to "Take 20" for the check, but spends 2 hours gathering instead. Your check result is equal to the gp value of the raw materials you gather, depleting that area of resources until renewable sources refresh themselves over time (generally a month for things like plants). Optionally, certain special raw materials may only be used toward the creation of certain items. She may use her ranks in Craft (alchemy) to create poisons as well. The DC to craft a poison with her alchemist's lab is twice that of the DC of the poison itself. She still needs 1/3rd the cost of the poison in raw materials. Some poisons may require special raw material ingredients. She may use her ranks in Craft (alchemy) as ranks in Craft (poisonmaking) for prerequisites. She may use her ranks in Craft (alchemy) to create healer's kits as well. The DC to craft this kit with her alchemist's lab is 20 (2 per use of the kit). She still needs 1/3rd the cost of the kit in raw materials. She may use her ranks in Craft (alchemy) to create candles (×10) DC 10, ink (1 oz. vial) DC 10, oil (1-pint flask) DC 10, sealing wax DC 10, soap DC 10, torches (×10) DC 10 and empty vials (×10) DC 10 using her alchemist's lab. She still needs 1/3rd the cost of the item(s) in raw materials. She may produce a variant of the antitoxin that protects against diseases instead or protects against both poisons and diseases for double the cost. Alchemical items she crafts in this manner are potent, only weighing half as much as normal.

Potioncraft (Ex): At 1st level you gain Mundane Crafter(Brew Potion) as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the prerequisites. Potions you create are considered alchemical items, and thus follow the rules listed in the apothecary class feature above, except as noted here:

Creating a potion via potioncraft, requires the use of your alchemy lab and a Craft (alchemy) check with a DC of 30 + caster level of the potion or 30 + twice the spell's level, whichever is greater. You may craft potions as a spellcaster with a level equal to your ranks in Craft (alchemy) for the purpose of determining the highest spell level and caster level of a potion you create.

Throw Potion: The battle brewer gains Throw Potion as a bonus feat, allowing them to affect others with their potion supply.

If she throws with a ranged attack roll rather than a ranged touch attack, she may apply her strength to damage as if it were a thrown weapon. This is typically done with offensive potions.

Bonus Feat: At 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th level, a battle brewer can select a bonus feat from the following list: Acquire Skill, Battle Looting, Brutal Throw^CAdv, Careful Observation, Catfall, Communicator, Daring Step, Dedicated Surgeon, Device Knowledge, Far Shot, Fighting Multiclasser, Flammability, Grapple Defense, Great Saves, Grenadier^PHB2, Growing Bloodline, Handyman, Improvised Weapon Proficiency, Inverted Senescence, Light Weight Optimization, Light Sleeper, Northern Wanderer, Obtain the Worst Familiar, Point Blank Shot, Potion Cache, Potion Potency, Potion Sipper, Power Animal, Puffness, Power Throw^CAdv, Quick Draw, Refreshing Bath, Shored Weakness, Skill Focus, Skill Tool Optimization, Universal Expert, Venomous Doubler, 10-Foot Pole Proficiency, or any Item Creation Feat.

She does not need to qualify for the feat to select it or gain its benefits.

Alchemical Resistance (Ex): A 2nd level she gains her class level as an alchemical bonus on saves against diseases (but not magical diseases) and poisons. Her ingredients and concoctions have infused themselves with her over constant exposure. At 5th level, she gains immunity to poisons and diseases. She may apply half her Alchemical Resistance bonus toward saves against magical, supernatural and curse-like poisons and diseases.

Heighten Potion (Ex): The body of a 2nd level battle brewer learns to absorb the best benefit from potions as possible. Any potion she consumes or makes herself, has its caster level increased by half her class level. For example, a 6th level battle brewer consumes a potion of enlarge person (CL 1). It becomes CL 4 for her, lasting 4 minutes instead of 1. The bonus doesn't stack with itself, so a crafted enlarge person potion at level 6 (CL 4th) is still CL 4 when consumed by her, not CL 7.

Discount: A 2nd level battle brewer can cook up brews for cheap and with less ingredients. She receives a 10% discount on the gold cost of any alchemical item, poison, potion, or other item created through apothecary per two levels, to a maximum of a 50% discount at 10th.

Identify (Ex): A 3rd level brewer may spend 30 gp in raw materials and 10 minutes to replicate the effects of identify as an extraordinary ability. This determines all magic properties of a single magic item, including how to activate those functions (if appropriate), and how many charges are left (if any). At 4th level, she also identifies any curses or drawbacks on the item. At 6th level, she also may identify if it is an artifact.

Additionally, she may double-roll all Appraise skill checks, taking the better of the two die results for her check. Her laboratory now functions as a masterwork tool for Appraise checks for her, so long as it is available.

Poisoner (Ex):A 3rd level brewer never risks poisoning yourself when applying poison to a weapon or wielding a poisoned weapon. You may apply poison to a weapon as a swift action. You gain Venomous Doubler as a bonus feat.

Batch Production (Ex): A 3rd level brewer may instead choose to spend thrice the cost in raw materials when making an item with her alchemist's lab to make a batch of 4. However, the produced items have to be tended for another hour (no check) before they're ready to use.

At 6th level, at the same cost, she can make a 6-pack instead of a 4-pack.

Bottoms Up: A 4th level battle brewer gains the Bottoms Up feat as a bonus feat. Unlike the normal feat, she can use a potion as a move action at 4th level, a swift action at 7th level, and an immediate action at 10th level (rather than scaling as the normal feat). Swift and immediate actions never provoke attacks of opportunity, and she may choose which actions it will take.

Grenade Potion (Ex): A 5th level battle brewer unlocks secrets to brewing unknown to the uneducated masses at 5th level. She may craft potions of area spells (such as fireball or lightning bolt). It takes a standard action to use a grenade potion, which involves smashing the potion's container. When the container is destroyed, the spell’s area is centered on where the potion broke, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. Grenade potions that are thrown break on impact.

Advanced Potioncraft: A 7th level battle brewer is not limited by mere 3rd level spells. She may craft potions of any level as permitted by her Craft (alchemy) skill ranks. The effects of any potions they have brewed are considered extraordinary effects, rending them incapable of being dispelled and working within an antimagic field. This does not apply to potions with a permanent effect, or offensive potions. You may brew Bottomless Potions as though you possessed the Craft Wondrous Item feat

Improved Throw Potion: At 8th level, the battle brewer may now use Throw Potion as an attack action. Offensive potions still require a standard action.

Auto-Potion (Ex): A 9th level brewer can react rapidly to changing events. As a standard action at will, she can set up an effect like contingency where she will automatically react and deploy a specific potion up to 5th level in response to a particular event, if able. If she is unable to act, or has no potions left this does not go off. Examples include using a cure light wounds potion when taking hp damage, or shield at the beginning of combat. This is a non-action action, and is expended when triggered. Like contingency it may be accidentally triggered if the terms are too broad, and while it is not magical it is the result of muscle memory and twitch reflexes.

Brew Archpotion: A 10th level brewer gains Brew Archpotion as a bonus feat. If she already has this feat, she may choose another feat for which she meets the prerequisites.

Personal Potion (Ex): You may craft potions of personal range spells at a base price of caster level x spell level x 100 gp.

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