61
edits
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Complete Redesign
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.
===Male Alchemist Background===
The Alchemist is considered to be primarily male, just as the Barbarian is first seen male, the Witch Doctor male, the Wizard female, the Monk male, and the Demon Hunter female. The background for the male version of the Alchemist is further detailed:
Beginning as a lonely street urchin in Ureh, this young boy survived on his resourcefulness and creativity from a young age. As he grew into a youn adult, he began to work an assistant to local apothecaries, where he found particular skill in potion work. Eventually, he set out on his own to Caldeum in hopes of studying more alchemy and magical arts with the Vizjerei but was rejected for not possessing suficient magical talent. He desperately attempt to survive by joining the military of the city as soldier and medic, being fairly decent with a blade, but was again refused by the elitist commanders. Distraught, he wandered in search of more instruction until he was forced to live as an urchin again in Caldeum, making meager potions to sell for his livelihood. He was discovered by a passing alchemist of the Orue Agea who took him to his homecity of Melatras.
There, he was amazed at the feeling of the scholars of various fields: many possessed little magical ability but were still masters of their arts. He apprenticed to a master alchemist and spend several years learning the precisd and delicate art of alchemy. Over time the young alchemist mastered not only potion-making but also the philosophical nature of existence and the spirits that dwell within the elements. In his pursuit of the Great Work, he mastered techniques that allowed him to alter fundamental matter and even shift his form. He was taught humility, patience, and bravery during his time with the Orue Agea. Although he never did have the traditional magical prowess necessary to study in other mage clans, he came to be adept in his own arts.
Now a man in his late twenties, he has finished his apprenticeship and learned all he can from his master. Curious of the apothecaries' techniques in the West, he set out on a journey across Khanduras as far as Westmarch to learn from fellow alchemists. Unfortunately, his expedition has been interrupted by the streaking fire falling from the sky. Filled with wonder over this event, he makes his way to New Tristram to decipher the meaning of this strange occurence, for he senses an unnatural chaos in this fiery harbinger.
-The female Alchemist background has not been completed.
==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. However, he is a stronger physical fighter than the Wizard or Witch doctor and is quite skilled with a sword. 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.
'''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. For this reason the costs of the skills has not been listed yet.
==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. Skill costs, casting speeds, and cooldowns are not listed until a resource system is created. More skills are likely to be added while ones may be changed.
===Tier 1 Skills===
** 4. Skill becomes ranged; seeks out selected enemy, attacks, and ensnares enemy for X seconds.
'''<u>Salt Acids</u>:''' 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. A momentary spasm is all that's needed to escape an enemy for finish him off.
*'''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.
===Tier 2 Skills===
'''<u>Black Powder</u>:''' Fire and Physical damage. The Alchemist ignites volatile powder to send out a conical explosion that burns enemies and knocks them back. Blast enemies back when they crowd in too close.
*'''Description''' -Explodes in direction casted to deal X fire and physical damage and deal knockback.
**'''Next level''' -Increases damage and knockback amount.
** 2. Skill changes to lobbed bomb that explodes after X seconds to damage enemies within Y yards.
'''<u>Drug of Nepenthe</u>:''' Cold damage. The Alchemist lobs a potion that shatters to release a swirling, churning cloud of alcoholic fluid that chills and drugs enemies. This one can slow enemies and make their physical attacks less likely to actual hit you.
*'''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.
** 3. Caster and allies' weapons can become imbued, dealing cold damage and precision reduction effect for X seconds.
'''<u>Noxious Miasma</u>:''' Poison damage. The Alchemist sends out a small, poisonous cloud that infects enemieswith a deadly toxin. The poisoned enemies can infect secondary enemies through contact, though secondary poisonings only last until the original poison duration ends. Most effective when in tight areas where enemies are close to each other to maximize the spread effect of the poison.
*'''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 Sickness 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.
===Tier 3 Skills===
'''<u>Boiling Tar</u>:''' 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. Not only burns enemies from original contact but slows the movement of enemies in the area of effect -good to slow the advance of an oncoming mob.
*'''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.
** 2. Increases the fire damage and decreases the slowing effect by X%, changes to a napalm-like attack.
'''<u>Metamorphosis Serum</u>:''' 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. Important in those early stages when the alchemist is still fair weak and in near of ways to keep enemies away. This is the first of four shape-shifting skills.
*'''Description''' -Strike a nearby enemy and takes its form for X seconds. Other enemies no longer attack.
**'''Next level''' -Increases duration.
** 2. Enemies of the same type as your form become enraged and attack other enemies with X% increases damage.
'''<u>Wandering Wisp</u>:''' 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. Definitely a good skill to focus on an enemy in order to lower its resistances and then follow up with a more damaging skill.
*'''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.
===Tier 4 Skills===
'''<u>Petrify</u>:''' 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. The Stone Curse from Diablo 1 returns in this skill, good for slowing an enemy down at the cost of making it take less damage from attacks. *'''Description''' -Blasts an enemy with sand to turn parts of it to stone; deals X arcane damage, slows it by Y% but reduces the physical damage it takes by 25% all , lasts 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.''
** 2. Skill changes to stony stare that affects any target directly looked at, lasts X seconds.
'''<u>Earth Embodiment</u>:''' 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. The second shape-shifting skill, this allows the alchemist to get his hands dirty as a melee brawler and even a tank.
**'''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.
** 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.
** 4. Increases the armor and maximum life by X%.
'''<u>Wind Tutelary</u>:''' 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. Good for putting some distance between you and the enemy while dealing some damage at the same time.
*'''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.
** 4. Elemental can reflect ranged physical and magical attacks back at attackers.
'''<u>Life-force Extract</u>:''' 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. This does great for hitting distant, evasive enemies and for low-health emergencies.*'''Description'' -Fires a magical missile that deals X arcane damage, returns Y% of total dealt 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.''
===Tier 5 Skills===
'''<u>Combustion</u>:''' 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. A fire-and-forget skill that also gives you a temporary ally.
*'''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.
** 1. Creates wave for X yards that shares buff with allies at the same health cost.
'''<u>Invoke the Deluge</u>:''' 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. This third shape-shifting skill also serves as a movement skill, letting you slip between enemies and over gaps.*'''Description''' -Summons a water spirit to change your form, allows quick 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.''
===Tier 6 Skills===
'''<u>Astral Chaos</u>:''' 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. Deadly against magic users, as it hinders casting speed and prevents special abilities such as spells, curses, and teleporting.*'''Description''' -Casts a field that drains resources by X% per seconds, negates special abilites, silenceslowers casting rate, 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.
** 2. Field has glowing point in center that pulls nearby enemies towards it, explodes to deal X arcane damage when the field collapses.
'''<u>Doppelganger</u>:''' 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. Provides you a distraction that tanks for you and adds a little more damage against an 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.
** 4. Initially shade-creating attack becomes melee AoE slash to affect multiple enemies.
'''<u>Fuming Oil</u>:''' ''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. A heavily damaging skill able the bounce off walls and could be used to block off certain areas. *'''Description''' -Tosses a rolling bottle of deadly acid that deals X ''unknown damage'' that along path and 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.''
** 3. Skill has X% chance of multiplying into three bottles that spread out.
'''<u>Empathy</u>:''' 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. Unlike Diablo 2's Thorns and Iron Maiden, which affect multiple enemies and reflected only the monster's own damage, Empathy affects a single enemy but shares all incoming damage you receive from attacks with that enemy.
*'''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.
===Tier 7 Skills===
'''<u>Sacred Molecule</u>:''' -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. Has a long cooldown, but is great for annihilating all enemies in range with a chance to strike distant enemies with the particles.
*'''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.
** 3. Particles home in on nearby enemies.
'''<u>Transfiguration</u>:''' 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. The fourth and last shape-shifting skill, any spell-casting alchemist will want this skill because, although it will be costly, it will also boost all spell damage.*'''Description''' -Changes you into an energy being, increases spell damage by X%, resource regeneration by Y%, and magical resistance by ZY%, lasts W Z 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%.
(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.
==Development==
"<u>Opus Mensurae Firmamentorum</u>" - "The Work of Measuring the Expanse"
==Media==
Image:Alchemist-Male.jpg|A male Alchemist.
Image:Alchemist-Female.jpg|A female Alchemist.
Image:Alchemist-New.jpg|New an Alchemist Artwork with a heavier armor look - by '''[[User:Veskin7 Bukito|Veskin7 Bukito]]'''.
Image:Melatras.jpg|Location of Melatras in Sanctuary.
Image:Alchemist Skill Trees.JPG|The Alchemist Skill Trees (now obsolete).