Chemist

The world is made of chemicals, and for some chemicals can do almost anything imaginable. Alchemists are one sort of student of chemicals, though they frequently focus on the fantastic and flashy. Others seek only simple solutions to common problems - healing and harming in turn. After all, the world is made of chemicals, and the world and chemicals both can be equal parts beneficial and malevolent.

Medical License

When you take this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Medicine, herbalist’s kits, and poisoner’s kits.

Chemical Preparations

Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to create chemical solutions to aid you and your companions. Over the course of a short rest, you can prepare up to 2 vials from the list of options below. This increases to 3 vials at 9th level, 4 vials at 13th level, and 5 vials at 17th level. These vials remain potent until your next short or long rest, whichever comes first.

Preparing a vial requires 10 minutes, or half that if you possess a herbalist’s or poisoner’s kit. Each vial can be prepared with common ingredients, which can be found by spending 1 hour searching any wilderness area – doing so produces enough ingredients to create 20 vials, and the ingredients remain fresh for 1 week.

Restorative Powder. This vial contains a powerful restorative, which can be administered as an action to yourself or a creature you touch. When applied in this fashion, the targeted creature gains temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier. Alternatively, you may apply this restorative over the course of 10 minutes, in which case the amount of hit points restored by the elixir is doubled, and the hit points are no longer temporary.

Empowering Draught. This syringe contains an empowering liquid, which can be administered as an action to yourself or a creature you touch. For 1 minute, the target creature may roll a d4 and add the number rolled to any attack roll or saving throw. This effect ends immediately if the target falls unconscious.

Lingering Poison. This vial contains a powerful poison, which can be applied to up to two weapons or 20 arrows or crossbow bolts by spending 10 minutes with the weapons. The poison remains on the weapons for 1 hour, or until the weapons are submerged in liquid for 1 consecutive minute. While poisoned, attacks you make with the weapon deal bonus poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Lethal Venom. This vial contains an especially potent substance which can be quickly applied to a weapon or a single arrow or crossbow bolt as a bonus action. The next time the weapon deals damage to a creature within 1 minute, the target creature takes an additional 1d10 poison damage. This damage increases to 2d10 at 9th level. The weapon must be held so as to keep the edge covered – if you hand the weapon to anyone else or otherwise drop or sheathe it, the substance is negated.

Side Effects

Starting at 9th level, your crafting process leaves you with minor benefits of your own. Whenever you craft a beneficial vial, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency modifier + your Intelligence modifier. Whenever you craft a harmful vial, you gain resistance to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against poison. You can only have one of each benefit at a time.

Both benefits until your next short or long rest. Making new vials during a short rest refreshes these benefits.