Fanmade:Alchemist

The Alchemist is mainly a caster/ranged class, with several possible variations on gameplay and multiple builds. He (much like his female counterpart) is an student of alchemy, an apothecary, and a philosopher. The Alchemist can throw lethal potions to attack his enemies and inflict them with various debuffs, and manifest powerful spirits to fight for him, protect him, and even change his form. His shape-shifting abilities allow him to vary his standing on the field; making him elusive, deceptive, magic-mighty, or a pure tank. The new skill system includes runestone effects and traits designed specifically for the Alchemist.

The Alchemist is not an official class: It's a fan class. Author(s) of the article are: Kire

Background

Diablo III Class [e]
Alchemist  Fan-made Class
Role:	Caster
Primary Attributes:	{{{attrib}}}
Class Skills
Skills and Traits
Background
Origin:	Dry Steppes
Affiliation:	Oruegia Society
Friends:	Several clans, especially Priests of Rathma
Foes:	Demons, Cultists

Hailing from the southern reaches of the Dry Steppes, the Alchemists of the Oruegia Society strive to learn and record all knowledge found in the world of Sanctuary. Normally reclusive, young alchemists are sent out into the world to broaden their knowledge of the magicks and beliefs of other cultures. Many individuals hold the title of Alchemist, but few are trained in the ancient arts of the Oruegia, the eldest of alchemical orders. The purpose of the Society is to study the fundamental nature of existence –the natural laws and energies as well as the basic components of matter. With the understanding of the Greater World around and the Lesser World beneath and their own perspective between, Alchemists are naturally humble and do not futilely seek power. This same control of ego prevents alchemists from being lure by the tempting powers of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. While most mages seek wisdom through power –reaching outward –alchemists instead choose to seek power through wisdom –reaching within. Their name for themselves, the Oruegia, actually comes from a phrase in their own ancient tongue as Orue Agea -meaning Seekers of the Self. Their concept of balance is exemplified in the ancient text "Opus Mensurae Firmamentorum" in the passage "De Terra et Ceteris Paribus Superiorque Inferiorque":

"We are but a world upon a grain of sand, and the sands beneath be the lower worlds unseen by mortal eyes as we dwell upon our grain unseen by the eyes of a higher world. For just as all things are above, so be they below." -Arlore Geid

The ancient city of Melatras is the stronghold of the Alchemists, carved into the very mountains of the Dry Steppes that border Kehjistan. At the heart of Melatras is the Grand Library of Cedurnem, considered by most to be the oldest repository of knowledge in the world. Countless scrolls and vials fill the shelves and wisdom of the ages can be felt when walking down its weathered passages. Alchemists over the centuries have gathered knowledge of other clans and tribes and refined their techniques to great degrees. Though they are willing to share their arts with other magic-users, most outsiders do not possess the precision to use their skills –yet they have shared knowledge with of mage clans before. The curses of the Necromancers share a common root with the Alchemists' studies of physiology and psychology, and the Horadric Cube is actually an elder secret bestowed to the Horadrim to show the Alchemists' support. Of all the mage clans of Sanctuary, the Alchemists are most closely tied to the Priests of Rathma -some believe they share a common history. The two orders often refer to each other as "two sides of the same coin."

While the Alchemists of Oruegia normally show compassion and peace to all life, they despise otherworldly forces that bring unbalance to the mortal realm. Therefore, Alchemists often view Demons with caution and even fury. They abhor humans that ally themselves with such wickedness even more than Demons, viewing them as traitors to their own kind that pervert the noble pursuits of knowledge for their own selfish purposes. Although not prone to war, an Alchemist will do all possible to ensure the complete annihilation of those like the Cultists. As the dark and insidious influence of the Burning Hells creeps forth onto the mortal plane, the Alchemists have become less solitary in order to confront those that would deliver our world into the hands of evil.

With the destruction of Arreat, the world's natural fields have shifted -coursing with greater, unleashed energy. The Alchemists have noticed this, and so two young students of Oruegia have set foward to study the strange occurences of the West. They are indeed are rare sight, as few in the world of Sanctuary have the natural ability and focus to be trained in the arts of the Oruegia, and only when they are young do they wander the world. After countless years of training and studying, the apprenticeships of the two have ended, and they set out to begin their own studies of the world. Though still inexperienced, the training of the youths guides them to understand and combat the darkness that has come upon us.

Class Design

The Alchemist is a devoted scientist and student of the philosophical arts. Unlike the wizard, he is a patient scholar, who has learned his skills from years of dedicated research and practice -he is learned and experienced. Science is his faith, and he bases his beliefs on logic and knowledge of scholars passed. The alchemist is mainly a caster/ranged class, with the ability to cast a wide variety of potions and call upon spirits to either attack enemies or give the Alchemist a boost in some way. Given such a wide variety, new players can handle the class with relative ease while more experienced players can focus on skills that complement each other for complex and interesting character builds. Along with a variety of caster builds, a player could choose to design a melee fighter build, a crowd-control/debuffing build for multiplayer, or a number of other possibilities.

Although the alchemist has some skills that require moving into melee range of an enemy, he typically tries to keep his enemies at a distance. To this end, he possesses several spells that work to manipulate enemies by weakening them, slowing them, repelling them, or keep them from casting magic. He can also boost his own skills and even shape-shift to grant him various enhancements and abilities. He is capable of inflicting damage in the forms of physical, elemental, and magical attacks.

Resource System

Given that the resource systems have yet to be finalized for canonical classes, the resource for the Alchemist cannot be determined at this time; however, it wil no longer be mana. The general idea is to base it on the steps of the Great Work of alchemy, although it is not yet known how this will be done. The way of the Great Work can be seen in the symbol of the Orue Agea below.

Representing the whole philosphy of the Alchemists, the Squared Circle carries multiple layers of meaning:

The Outer Circle– The Chaos of existence, from which all things come. It is the Prima Materia, the first matter, which is the base form of creation.

The Foundation Triangle– The three fundamental susbstances of matter that arise for the Chaos: Sulfur - Mercury - Salt

The Elemental Square– The four basic elements of magic of the mortal plane: Fire - Water - Earth - Air

>Each magical element has its own patron in alchemic lore: Vulken of Fire - Enquirre of Water - Agathaea of Earth - Hermothes of Air

The Balanced Ring– The duality of existence: male & female, light & shadow, mind & body, physical & ethereal.

The Inner Circle– The Order of existence, that bonds all things together and gives rise to life. It is perfection.

The Alchemist does not rely on traditional magic, as he is not the typical mage. His resource would be focused on used his connection to magical energy to manipulate the chaos that hides everywhere and use it to craft more complex sunstances and energies. The skills reflect this progression along the Great Work, as the first tier involves the fundamental substances, while the elemental skills appear mid-way through the list. The top tiers concerns dual natures and profound powes of order. My personal liking is for something akin to "Focus," as the Alchemist requires great focus to alter the chaos into useful substances. The mechanics of the system are still under development.

Skills & Traits

The skills have recently been redesigned to conform to the new skill layout of the canonical classes. The former list of skills can be seen at Former Alchemist Skills. Each skill includes a description, next level effects, lore, and known rune effects. More skills are likely to be added while ones may be changed.

Tier 1 Skills

Brimstone: No damage. The Alchemist throws a vial at his feet to release a billowing yellow cloud of sulphur that lingers for a few seconds. Good for escaping a tight situation.

• Description -Releases of cloud of sulfur for X yards that blinds enemies and causes them to flee for Y seconds.
  • Next level - Increases ranged of cloud and duration of blinding/fleeing effect.
• Lore -Not all potions are meant to attack directly. When surrounded by enemies, an alchemist can utilize the foul nature of this fundamental substance of volatility to create a powerful flash and putrid clouds of sulfur that quickly spread through the area. So powerful is the sulfur that it drives enemies away.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Cloud changes into a stream that flows in the direction casted for X yards.
  • 2. Fiery brimstone rains down on selected target to deal X fire damage.
  • 3. The cloud follows the alchemist, leaving a wake of sulfur for X seconds.

Quicksilver: Physical damage. The Alchemist extends a tendril of quicksilver from his hand that quickly solidifies into a spike and pierces any enemies in its way. It then reliquifies and falls to the ground. The casting rate is high and the cooldown time is short, so this is a quick way to attack close-by enemies.

• Description -Extends a spike of liquid metal to damage enemies in its line of effect. Deals X physical damage.
  • Next level -Increases damage.
• Lore -Because of its liquid form, alchemist have long considered quicksilver to be the base form of metal and the fundamental substance of fluidity. An alchemist can send out this quicksilver to strike at enemies with its metallic tendrils.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Increases range and damage of tendril by X%
  • 2. Skill becomes protective circle that automatically attacks nearby enemies X number of times.
  • 3. Skill rains metallic spikes from above onto AoE, enemies are skewed and immobilized for X seconds.
  • 4. Skill becomes ranged; seeks out selected enemy, attacks, and ensnares enemy for X seconds.

Salt Acids: Lightning damage. The Alchemist sprays nearby enemies with acid that shocks them. Afterwards, affected enemies are susceptible to random spasms that shock them again and interrupt their actions.

• Description -Sprays enemies with acid while button is held to deal X lightning damage per second. Affected enemies then have Y% chance to spasm, interrupting their currect action, over next 5 seconds.
  • Next level -Increases damage and chance to spasm.
• Lore -Salt is the fundamental substance of stability, energy in its contained form. When combined with other chemicals, salt acids are capable of stinging the flesh of enemies. The strength of the acid is capable of shocking the nerves of enemies and causing random spasms.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Caster and allies can become charged; deals lightning damage to enemies within X yards for Y seconds.
  • 2. Living and slain enemies can become charged; deals lightning damage to other enemies within X yards for Y seconds.

Tier 2 Skills

Black Powder: Fire and Physical damage. The Alchemist ignites volatile powder to send out a conical explosion that burns enemies and knocks them back.

• Description -Explodes in direction casted to deal X fire and physical damage and deal knockback.
  • Next level -Increases damage and knockback amount.
• Lore -Should an alchemist be in need of force, he can cast a volatile powder that generates powerful explosions. So great is the force of the explosion that it can knock enemies away from the blast.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Lengthens the blast range by X yards.
  • 2. Skill changes to lobbed bomb that explodes after X seconds to damage enemies within Y yards.

Drug of Nepenthe: Cold damage. The Alchemist lobs a potion that shatters to release a swirling, churning cloud of alcoholic fluid that chills and drugs enemies.

• Description -Lobs potion at target to deal X cold damage and lower enemies' precision by Y% for Z seconds.
  • Next level -Increases damage and reduction of precision.
• Lore -Having long studied the effects of spirits on drunkards, an alchemist can distill a combination of laudanum and absinthe into a potion that intoxicates his victims. Their thinned blood leaves them cold and sluggish, while their attacks become uncoordinated. It is unlikely that an enemy could land even a single blow while in such a drunken stupor.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Vial hovers over selected enemy and pours its potion onto it, even following it for X seconds.
  • 2. Vial leaves trail of potion during flight, increases ranged of cloud by X yards.
  • 3. Caster and allies' weapons can become imbued, dealing cold damage and precision reduction effect for X seconds.

Noxious Miasma: Poison damage. The Alchemist sends out a small, poisonous cloud that infects enemies. The poisoned enemies can infect secondary enemies through contact, though only until the original poison duration ends.

• Description -Expel a cloud of gases that deal X poison damage over Y seconds, spreads through contact to enemies within Z yards.
  • Next level -Increases damage and range of infectiousness.
• Lore -Illness is the result of the miasmas, the bad air, the infects and corrupts living things. An alchemist can bottle this air to release infect enemies when necessary with a poison so potent that other enemies can be infected as well just by being too close.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Caster and allies carry infection, without being harmed, and can pass it to nearby enemies for X seconds.
  • 2. Alchemist force-feeds an enemy the poison, dealing X% more poison damage without the spreading ability.

Tier 3 Skills

Boiling Tar: Fire damage. The Alchemist launches a bottle that explodes in midair and coats an area with sticky, molten tar that burns enemies and slows them down.

• Description -Launch a bottle of tar over an area of X yards that deals Y fire damage and slows enemies by Z%.
  • Next level -Increases area of effect, damage, and slowing effect.
• Lore -Speed is a powerful weapon. By using the natural thickness of this substance, an alchemist can ensnare his foes and at the same time inflict blistering pain. After being slowed or even immobilized by the pitch, an enemy is easily dispatched by other attacks.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Skill changes to laying X number of traps that explode tar in area of effect when enemies approach.
  • 2. Increases the fire damage and decreases the slowing effect by X%, changes to a napalm-like attack.

Metamorphosis Serum: No damage. The Alchemist prepares a special concoction which, when combined with the blood of his enemy, allows him to shapeshift into the form of that enemy. During this time, other monsters are fooled and cease their attacks.

• Description -Strike a nearby enemy and takes its form for X seconds. Other enemies no longer attack.
  • Next level -Increases duration.
• Lore -A knowledgeable alchemist can brew a concoction capable of altering his very shape, allowing him to take on the form of any living creation so long as he has a small portion of its essence. In his new form, his enemies mistake him for one of their own and cease attacking until his formula loses power.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Attacked enemy takes the Alchemist's form and attracts enemy attacks for X seconds.
  • 2. Enemies of the same type as your form become enraged and attack other enemies with X% increases damage.

Wandering Wisp: Cold damage. The Alchemist calls forth a gaseous spirit to drain the warmth from his enemies, chilling them and leaving them less resistant to the elements.

• Description -Summons a wisp spirit to deal X cold damage for Y seconds to an enemy and lower its elemental resistances by Z% for its duration.
  • Next level -Increases damage, duration of wisp, amount of elemental resistance reduction.
• Lore -Wisps appear in legends across the world as mindless, mysterious, gaseous ligths that feed on heat and lead travelers astray. Alchemists can duplicate the natural mixture of gases that create this spirit to summon one of his own to feed on the warmth of this enemies. This throws off the natural equilibrium of the enemies, leaving them more susceptible to the elements.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Casts X number of wisps.
  • 2. Wisp steals X% resource for the Alchemist per second.
  • 3. Summons larger wisp able to attack all enemies in X yards.

Tier 4 Skills

Petrify: Arcane damage. The Alchemist shoots a blast of shimmering sand that binds to an enemy and hardens its body, slowing it down at the cost of making it slightly more resilient to damage for a time.

• Description -Blasts an enemy with sand to turn parts of it to stone; deals X arcane damage, slows it by Y% but reduces the damage it takes by 25% all for Z seconds. Slowing effect can be stacked up to 3 times.
  • Next level -Increases the damage, slowing effect, and duration.
• Lore -An alchemist of prodigious skill can solidify the flesh of his enemy with ancient spells, transmuting tissue into solid stone. The hardened enemy struggles to drag his solidified flesh, though the petrified skin does allow the monster to better resist other attacks.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Completely petrified enemies repel other enemies for X yards.
  • 2. Skill changes to stony stare that affects any target directly looked at, lasts X seconds.

Earth Embodiment: Physical damage. The Alchemist calls upon the spirit of the earth gnome to surround him with earth and stone. In this great form, the Alchemist easily resists attacks and smashes multiple enemies in front of him with powerful attacks of his own.

• • Description -Summons a earth spirit to change your form, increases attack damage and armor by X% for Y seconds.
• Next level -Increases damage, armor, and duration.
• Lore -Only a fool would think the alchemist weak. When the time for pure strength comes, the alchemist can summon the gnome spirit, an earth elemental, to surround him with a body of earth and stone. This lumbering behemoth crushes anything in front of it with little fear of counterattack, for what blade or arrow can overcome a mountain?
• Rune effects
  • 1. Adds AoE attack that damages all enemies within X yards.
  • 2. Adds X damage over Y seconds poison damage.
  • 3. Form doesn't attack multiple enemies, focuses on one with X% increased damage and stun effect for 3 seconds.

Wind Tutelary: Lightning damage. The Alchemist conjures the spirit of the wind sylph stand between him and his enemies as a guard, buffeting attackers with hurricane winds and striking them with lightning.

• Description -Summons a wind spirit in front of you as a guard, deals X lightning damage and knockback, lasts Y seconds.
  • Next level -Increases lightning damage and duration.
• Lore -The battling alchemist can seek the aid of the sylph spirit, an air elemental, to stand before him and deflect the attacks of those wishing to harm him. The sylph is composed of turbulent winds that repels attacks and the attackers themselves while also generating lightning that the spirit hurls at its enemies. None dare stand before this incarnation of the windstorm.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Elemental deals X% more lightning damage without knockback, creates blast of Y% lightning damage upon dispelling.
  • 2. Skill changes to caster being imbued with lightning damage and knockback effect for X seconds, increases speed by Y%.
  • 3. Increases ranged of whirlwind and amount of knockback.
  • 4. Elemental can reflect ranged physical and magical attacks back at attackers.

Life-force Extract: Arcane damage. The Alchemist fires a bolt of magical energy that pulls the life-force out of an enemy and returns it to the alchemist.

• 'Description -Fires a magical missile that deals X arcane damage, returns Y% of total damage to caster as health.
  • Next level -Increases damage.
• Lore -The spark of life is the essential energy that seperates the living from the dead. As he better understands this energy, an alchemist can craft powerful magic that extracts life from his enemy's core and siphons it back to himself in proportion to the power of the spell.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Skill creates AoE blast that affects multiple enemies.
  • 2. Missile homes in on selected enemy, has X% greater chance of critical strike.

Tier 5 Skills

'Combustion: Fire damage. The Alchemist excites the heat and anger within an enemy until he draws out the spirit of the fire salamander to scorch the enemy with its own rage. The enemy continues to burn all over so long as the spirit remains over him, pushing his anger to the point that he attacks his fellow monsters.

• Description -Summons a fire spirit from enemy by igniting him, deals X fire damage per second for Y seconds, enemy attacks others with X added fire damage.
  • Next level -Increases damage and duration.
• Lore -Our own bodies contain the four elements. The fire is in the warmth of our bodies created by the choleric ichor within. By stirring this ichor to higher levels, the alchemist can raise more and more rage in the enemy until it bursts into flames and releases the salamander spirit, a fire elemental, to torch the monster. In its burning fury, the tortured creature no longer distinguishes between friend and foe, attack all near it.
• Rune effects
  • 1. The enemy leaves a wake of fire as it moves, the elemental explodes upon dispelling to deal X fire damage.
  • 2. An X number of fire elementals leave body when enemy dies, attack other enemies for Y seconds.
  • 3. Skill changes to caster or ally becoming imbued with X% fire damage and aura that deals fire damage per second within Y yards.

Tonic of Sufferance: No damage. The Alchemist sacrifices a percent of his life to create a potion that reduces the damage he takes and the duration of debilitating effects over a period of time.

• Description -Drinks a tonic that reduces damage taken and duration of debuffs by X% for Y seconds at the cost of Z% of health.
  • Next level -Increases duration and reduction of damage taken/debuffs.
• Lore -Devotion to the study of medicines and anatomy enables alchemists to mix a complex tonic capable of invigorating his body, but at the cost of a portion of his own life. Upon making this sacrifice, the Alchemist seems to shrug off attacks more easily and be less afflicted by debilitating effects.
• Rune Effects
  • 1. Creates wave for X yards that shares buff with allies at the same health cost.

Invoke the Deluge: Cold damage. The Alchemist invokes the spirit of the water undine to change his shape into that of icy water, able to surge like a wave past enemies and over obstacles to any desired location until his loses control of the form.

• Description -Summons a water spirit to change your form, allows unrestricted movement and deals X cold damage to enemies in path for Y seconds.
  • Next level -Increases damage and duration.
• Lore -Ever-changing water is a difficult element to control. Through intense concentration, an alchemist can invoke the undine spirit, a water elemental, out of the moisture in the air and ground to enter into him and change his form to pure water. In this form, he can move freely and uncumbered by obstacles, though his enemies best beware the chilling power of his passing.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Skill changes to single ranged attack that smashes onto target location in a powerful burst of water, deals X additional physical damage.
  • 2. Increases the cold damage by X%, selected enemies are frozen in shell of ice for Y seconds.
  • 3. Skill changes to watery armor that reduced elemental damage take by X and enables Y health regeneration over Z seconds.

Tier 6 Skills

Astral Chaos: No damage. The Alchemist creates a glowing field over an area that drains enemies of their magical energies, negates their special abilities and lowers their resistance to magical attacks.

• Description -Casts a field that drains resources by X% per seconds, negates special abilites, silences, and lowers magical resistance by Y%.
  • Next level -Increases range of field, resource drain, and magical resistance reduction.
• Lore -Chaos is the base, unformed state of existence before any order. Understanding chaos allows an alchemist to affect the Archeus, the astral plane, a veil that seperates this world from the Ethereal Realm. The Ethereal Realm is the highest state of existence from which the fifth element Aether, the element of life, emerges into our world to give energy and life to the world. By unraveling the veil that connects the two realms, the alchemist sends that magical connection into chaos, denying his enemies the use of any magical energies or extraordinary abilities and rendering those enemies vulnerable to his magical attacks.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Restores X% resource per second for each enemy within the field.
  • 2. Field has glowing point in center that pulls nearby enemies towards it, explodes to deal X arcane damage when the field collapses.

Doppelganger: Physical damage. The Alchemist stabs an enemy and uses its blood to create a copy of it that fights for the alchemist against the original enemy.

• Description -Slashes enemy to create shade of enemy to attack with X% attack damage of original, lasts Y seconds.
  • Next level -Increases percent of original's attack damage, duration.
• Lore -Creating life is one of the long sought-after goals of alchemy. With enough experience, an alchemist can use a small sample of an enemy to create a homonculus, an artificial lifeform, which rapidly grows into a shade of the original monster. However, the alchemist uses his talents to alter the mind of the copy to turn against its original and fight on the side of its master until its life-force is consumed by its exertions.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Shade continues to survive for X seconds after the death of the original.
  • 2. Shade attacks with lightning damage.
  • 3. Shade attacks with arcane damage.
  • 4. Initially shade-creating attack becomes melee AoE slash to affect multiple enemies.

Fuming Oil: Unknown damage. The Alchemist throws a flask full of chemicals so corrosive that they leak out of the container as it travels. The projectile rolls under enemies and will ricochet off of objects and walls. The chemicals consume enemies' weapons and armor to leave them weakened and vulnerable to attack.

• Description -Tosses a rolling bottle of deadly acid that deals X unknown damage that travels Y yards, lowers enemy attack damage and armor by Z% for W seconds.
  • Next level -Increases damage, reduction of attack damage and armor, and duration.
• Lore -Spirit of Nitre, Muriatic Acid, Vitriol, I have crafted the master solvent. The legendary oil known as Alkahest has long been hailed as the universal solvent, capable of dissolving even incorruptible gold. As a weapon, this supernatural chemical dissolves any metal, leaving any unfortunate victim's weapon dulled and armor corroded. Throw it quickly, for it even eats through its own container once created.
• Rune effect
  • 1. Skill changes to caster and allies becoming imbued with unknown damage, dealing damage and armor reduction effect over X seconds.
  • 2. Skill no longer passes through enemies, explodes in AoE for X yards, pool of acid lingers on ground for Y seconds.
  • 3. Skill has X% chance of multiplying into three bottles that spread out.

Empathy: Physical damage. The Alchemist reaches into the mind of his enemy and links the two together. For every pain that the Alchemist feels, the enemy feels the same pain as if it were inflicted on its flesh.

• Description -Connects your mind with an enemy's, enemy receives X% of the physical damage you take from all sources, lasts Y seconds.
  • Next level -Increases damage shared and duration.
• Lore -The mind is capable of unimaginable power. An alchemist that can penetrate the mind of his enemy will be able to connect his mind with that of his foe, forcing it to feel every painful blow that the alchemist receives. Even with perfect health, the enemy's mind is convinced that its own flesh is stabbed and torn. Its mind causes the body to act as if the wounds were real.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Skill also reflects elemental and magical damage as well.
  • 2. Skill changes to AoE, able to affect multiple enemies.
  • 3. Enemy under the effect receives X% more damage from its own attacks.
  • 4. Enemy stores damage instead of receiving it, releases damage as wave for X yards to nearby enemies after effect dispels.

Tier 7 Skills

Sacred Molecule: -Arcane damage. The Alchemist crafts a glowing molecule of energy in his hands that he detonates in a brillant explosion of light. Magical particles radiate chaotically outward from the blast, penetrating enemies and obstacles.

• Description -Detonates a sphere of energy to deal X arcane damage for Y yards, particles expand outward and penetrate enemies to deal Z arcane damage.
  • Next level -Increases range and damage of blast and damage of particles.
• Lore -The ultimate manifestion of order is the sacred molecule, in which the energy of chaos is contained and organized into an incredibly powerful structure. It represents the perfect unity of matter and energy, though it is highly unstable in this world. A master alchemist can design this sacred structure as a mark of his understanding and skill. Then, he allows it to shatter and release its magical energies in a magnificient blast that splits the molecule into chaotically radiating particles.
• Rune effects
  • 1. Increases the damage and range of initial blast by X%, decreases number of particles.
  • 2. Multiplies the number of particles by X.
  • 3. Particles home in on nearby enemies.

Transfiguration: No damage. The Alchemist ascends into a higher form of pure energy, increasing the damage of his spells, the speed at which his resource regenerates, and his resistance to magical damage.

• Description -Changes you into an energy being, increases spell damage by X%, resource regeneration by Y%, magical resistance by Z%, lasts W seconds.
  • Next level -Increases spell damage, resource regeneration, magical resistance, duration of form.
• Lore -The Great Work is the path of the alchemist, the work of obtaining philosophical perfect. The most determined and enlightened scholars can briefly reach into the Ethereal Realm and attain a form of pure infinite energy. In this moment he manifests the full potential of mortal man and becomes a divine being, channeling unfathomable power in his spells and easily replenishing his energies.
• Rune effect
  • 1. Increases spells' critical strike damage by X%.

Traits

Even though the trait system is relatively new, I have thought of some alchemist-specific traits:

• Lingering Aftereffects –Increases duration of effects and debuffs by X%
• Order and Equilibrium –Increase arcane resistance and health regeneration by X
• Philosopher’s Stone –Increases Life and gold find by X%
• Balanced Humors –Increases elemental resistances by X
• Potent Catalyst –Increases damage of critical strike by X%
• Panacea –Increases effects of drinkable potions, elixirs, and shrines by X%
• Practiced Hand –Increases Attack by X% amount of Precision
• Enhanced Formula – Affects resource in some way (unfinished)
• Thriftiness –Increases material received from salvaging and lowers costs of crafting recipes by X%
• Execute and Recover –Increases casting speed and lowers cooldown period by X%
• Infused Potential –Base spell damage increases weapon damage by X% for Y seconds

Leveling-Up Effects

(This idea is something I thing would be interesting, but I doubt it would be implemented with the arrival of the artisan system) As the Alchemist gains in experience from his studies and travels, he learns the ways of infusing mundane objects with powerful alchemical abilities. The art of Transmutation is well-known to Alchemists; it is the nature of the inquisitive mind. While the exact effects of each occurence of leveling-up have yet to be determined, There is a special ability an Alchemist acquires after every five levels. Upon leveling up five times, the Alchemist is allowed the ability to imbue one non-magical item with random magical qualities -much like Charsi from Act I of Diablo 2. This occurs every five levels and is permittable for any kind of item.

-My thanks to Munedwg for this suggestion. I had been looking for a way to work in Transmutation for a while!

Development

7/09 -The Alchemist originally started as an experiment in designing a character for Diablo 2, but has been revamped to accomodate the new skill system of Diablo 3. One thing about Diablo 2 is that there were potions that could be equipped as weapons, yet these potions quickly became outclassed by other weapons. It seemed like a waste, but it was wondered if new, more lethal potions could be used on a more regular basis. The Alchemist is intended to take that step in using potions as his main weapon. However, the potions are a skill, so the Alchemist can still equip an actually weapon to suit his/her purposes. There are even Alchemist oriented item sets and Alchemist-specific helms already created; however, until more is revealed about items in Diablo 3, these sets and item ideas will not be posted. Many of the skills have connections to actual alchemical inventions or concepts.

"Opus Mensurae Firmamentorum" - "The Work of Measuring the Expanse"

"De Terra et Ceteris Paribus Superiorque Inferiorque" - "Concerning the Earth and All Others Being Equal, Higher, and Lower"

3/10 -The Skill system has been completely redesigned. The trees have been completed.

12/10 -The Skill system has been completely redesigned...again. The trees and passives are gone, and traits have been created. The names have been simplified to make it easier to understand the nature of the spells; the lore now contains the references to actual alchemical philosophy. The redesigned rune system has been taken into account as well: the skills are meant to be far more interesting when socketed with runes. The resource system and appearance design are being worked on.

Media

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  Alchemist preparing his dangerous potions.

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  A male Alchemist.

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  A female Alchemist.

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  New Alchemist Artwork - by Veskin7 Bukito.

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  Location of Melatras in Sanctuary.

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  The Alchemist Skill Trees (now obsolete).

My thanks to my cousin Jeffrey for helping design original male and female versions with whatever programs he uses.

References

Feel free to ask questions about the Alchemist to Kire or at his e-mail at [email protected] He looks foward to any comments or suggestions you might have, especially concerning the skill system redesign.

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