Potion Seller, I Am Going Into Battle and I Need Your Strongest Potion: Iluzry’s Guide to the Pathfinder 1e Extracts
Introduction
Heyo Internet, my name is Iluzry or Polypan if you’ve seen me around! I am not what one would call a veteran, I don’t think, but I’ve been playing this game for a longer time! This guide, and the ones following it are all a part of my overall goal to give people more up to date content for pathfinder players to use, because I love the game and I want to help everyone become the ungodly kaiju monster of their DM’s dreams/nightmares. To See My List of Guides, Go Here
All Guides use the Color Rating System and honestly? It’s a good Idea.
Game Breaking (6/5): This feature or option is so powerful, so useful, so unapologetically ridiculous that it very well make snap the game in half. DM’s reading this guide are welcome to ban these options, or are warned to somehow work around them. Players? Use these powers carefully.
?TAKE ME NOW? (5.9/5): If 5/5 is the best options, we don’t really care when you take them, you should just be taking them. Stars means that this option will be useful from when you pick it up to level 20, and thus, you should be taking it IMMEDIATELY and as SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Really its a case of urgency.
Take Me Please! (5/5): Class defining. Taking them changes the game, or adds so much power it's insane not to.
Fantastic (4/5): Incredibly solid, Not class breaking, but something that can add a fair bit of power and versatility to the character.
Fine, I Guess (3/5):Pretty good. They'll be helpful and have some use, but aren't likely to make things incredibly amazing.
Maybe Don’t (2/5): Unhelpful. It probably doesn’t...do much for you to pick these. Either they make your life slightly harder, or the bonuses just aren't very relevant to what you do.
Actively Bad (1/5): God why. These options are the least helpful. They either are pointless, replaceable or completely outdated. These are abilities that will likely never be used and make you ask why they are there in the first place.
Unrated: This is rare but some options are unratable. Likely a class feature that is powered on DM fiat, in which case...ask the DM, something that is campaign dependent or something that literally does nothing.
Guide Overview
Because I wrote a guide to the alchemist and I can’t really finish the guide to the alchemist without talking about one of their most important and weird class features that is completely unique. Yes I know I usually don’t do prepared people stuff, but I’m justifying it because they technically do have a pretty small list of stuff they are allowed. As per usual, I am NOT reviewing every single spell. That would be hell, a waste of my time, and frankly a waste of yours. I will be using my rating system to tell you if something is really good, game changing, or godlike.
So with that out of the way…what do we need to talk about?
Right, great place to start. What the fuck is an extract? How do they work? Well basically its an on the fly potion that only lasts about a day that is made with bullshit and part of your magical essence. That sounds like cool fluff but there are actually really important notes that go with that fluff so…let’s just have a refresher course.
All Extracts:
Are Similar To Spells
So overall, extracts work very similar to spells in that you have extract slots, you need a certain ability score to be able to make extracts, you get bonus extracts slots for having a high ability score, and they come in levels from 1-6. They have durations and schools and all that stuff. So they basically WORK very similar to spells on a high level.
ARE NOT SPELLS OR POTIONS
So this is very important. You do not have a caster level, you do not cast spells and thus any pre-req that requires spellcasting, you do not fufill. This ability allows you to DUPLICATE the EFFECTS of spells…so that blows.
This also means no metamagic!
Caster LVL = Class LVL
Okay so at the very least, for our fake spells, we still have full fake CL.
Are Prepared From Book
Okay so this basically just means we are a prepared caster, which is great. That means we can swap new tricks every day, depending on the issue.
We can also add wizard spells on our formulae list and other formula books to ours with a little bit of cash! Woo!
?Take 1 Min To Prepare?
THIS is actually really important. Most prepared casters have to take an hour to basically prepare everything or like 15 minutes for one spell. With this we can basically keep a few slots open to make sure we have the right solution for the right problem!
Stay Prepared for 1 day
Okay so this one is just a fun note so you can absolutely prep something at night and it’ll be good until the next night.
That said, any slot that you prep is now taken up, so that’ll be one less you have the next day to use!!!
?Draw & Drink as Standard Action?
This is how we “cast” our spells. By drinking them like potions.
Okay so not the most important, just confirms action economy BUT drawing and drinking as a standard means we don’t have to waste actions looking for shit. Actually, very important wording there.
This also means that if the spell normally takes longer to cast…well now its a standard action. Go nuts!
It also has no verbal component or somatic so…armor up baby!
ONLY AFFECT YOU*
OKAY here is the BIG BIG thing besides them not being spells. *Unless you have the infusion discovery, your spells ONLY AFFECT YOU. Can’t be used offensively. Can’t really make anything. You are the only target. This is both a really good thing and a really annoying thing because it means we don’t have to worry about a lot of things, but also we get a lot fewer options so…
Have Material Components
Usually they cost nothing like most spells, but if you have a costly one, you still have to pay for it and its still consumed.
This also means that you can’t copy divine focus spells because well…you don’t have a divine focus.
Only Count For Scrolls
Basically any extracts you know count as a spell known for spell completion items but not for spell trigger items…meaning anything that isn’t a scroll.
Suggested RAW Changes
So Rules as written Extracts work…weird and several formulas that you have that are REALLY Good suddenly don’t work because they don’t really have clarifications. So here are a few things that I suggest having as house rules and will be implementing for the sake of clarity within this guide, because otherwise, this becomes a pain in the ass.
Extracts Work like Oils for Objects
Technically speaking, since extracts ONLY affect the imbiber, this can cause a bunch of your object spells (like full pouch and tears to wine) which target objects and not a person to basically do…nothing??? Or do everything?
Anyway to clear things up, you can draw and pour as a standard action, that includes onto items. Without infusion, if the object leaves your possession, the effect becomes inert and useless. With infusion, anyone can pour them on whatever.
Using extracts is a standard action, unless the spell says otherwise
There are some spells that are listed as swift actions that we can’t use because technically we do them as a standard action because extracts are dumb. Just let players use those ones as swift actions. Yes this means spells that were usually longer now take the full time. I think thats worth it to have spells that WORK! If your DM is nice, let this only be beneficial by saying its a standard action or less.
Extracts that require foci are allowed to be cast so long as you have the focus when you drink them.
Please just let us cast the spells that are on our list. Really really weird.
Communal Spells are cast by passing around the blunt
Basically hand extract to anyone who needs it at time of casting (I.e. creatures touched)
Recipe For Potions Fit For a Dragon
So now that we know how extracts work overall, how do we take the most advantage of them? Well to make the strongest potions, we will need the proper recipe. Just follow these steps and I assure you, that your potions will be unlike any others!!! These are not listed in order of importance, just how I thought about them.
Step 1: Leave Slots Open
I said it before and will say it again! YOU CAN PREP EXTRACTS IN A MINUTE. You will probably want at least 1 slot open at each extract level so that if a weird niche problem comes up, you can prep an extract for that moment! This is not something other casters can do with ease!
No seriously, just take it. It lets you pass your extracts around, giving you more utility, variety and staying power to the group and makes them easier to use in general. Not to mention you can pass around PERSONAL RANGE SPELLS to your party. Give the fighter Beast shape. Give the barbarian pouncing fury. Hell even if you want to be selfish, there are tricks that familiars and such can take advantage of that won’t really matter if they can’t use your not-potions….so take the damn discovery.
Alchemical Allocation is one of, if not THE most powerful extracts you can use, because it basically refunds potions. Trading a second level slot for 3rd level elixirs/potions that can have a MUCH higher caster level than you do naturally…is insane.
Step 4: Get A Familiar With Hands
Okay so I don’t really care how you do this. Improved wasp familiar. Tumor Familiar. Homunculist. I don’t care. Get a familiar with hands so that they can hold potions/extracts and most importantly, take advantage of ?Poisoner’s Gloves?.These are one of the few items that SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT INFUSIONS as something that is allowed, and can be used to smack you with a buff without using your action economy. If there was an item called “Double Quickened Spell Wand” for any other caster, I’d be foaming at the mouth. Now is no different.
Most of your spells are transmutation and abjuration and you are int based. This gives you more versatility and specifically affects the spell effects on you, not the casting of the spell itself…so it should still work with extracts. Definitely work picking up.
Whhhhat? But it uses a level two levels higher! Yeah well there are actually a lot of low level buffs that we love and would LOVE to apply faster. This is free action economy, treat it as such. Who doesn’t want to start a battle with enlarge person + longarm? That’s absolutely worth a 3rd level extract slot. So when a combination comes up, I’ll include it in the guide.
Step 7: Buy Formula Books
They are super cheap, have a lot of spells in them and with the exception of the Journal of the Beasts Within, you don’t really need any of their preparation rituals, so they are basically a steal. Remember, you can prep your extracts from any formula book and if you buy them as you get to the appropriate levels, it provides a lot of easily accessible extracts known and even some fun niche ones, so that you don’t have to worry so much about having to choose.
So brewkeeper is an absolutely crazy archetype for alchemists because it allows us to A.) turn our extracts into draughts. All of our extracts. AND they count as if they had the infusion discovery as draughts and b.) TREAT THOSE DRAUGHTS AS POTIONS. That means a bunch of feats and abilities that were previously useless suddenly become massively powerful, this clears up A LOT of rules, and sort of breaks one of the few things keeping alchemists in check…which I love!!!! It even gives us a boost to our will saves. More levels is cool and gets you cool tricks, but one level is REQUIRED.
Ingredients for a Beast Let Alone A Man
So now that we know the steps to MAKE the strongest potions, you should probably know which potions we should be making. So we need to know the ingredients that make a strong extract for our alchemy users. Now normally I’d talk about SR, and Saves, and Metamagic…but you can’t use any of that. So your choices will be a bit…simpler?
So what ingredients do we need in our formula books?
Everyday Spices
So since we are a prepared caster, and we can add spells to our book you don’t need to have extracts you will use EVERY day…but you do want to pick extracts that you are likely to use any day. So if you find yourself looking at extracts that you can only imagine yourself using in SUPER SPECIFIC NICHE cases, then you can probably pick something better.
Flavor Boosters
Pick extracts that make you better at your role. There are a lot of extracts meant to work with alchemist features. Find them. Use them. But if you don’t like to use bombs, don’t take bomb extracts just because I say they are good. They are good. For bombers. If you are a mutagen main or something or an investigator, feel free to skip! This also means for infusion users, pick up infusions that make your TEAM better.
Exotic Imports
Make sure, as always, that your extracts offer a variety of benefits. If you have 3 spells that all give different levels of concealment, that's 2 extracts that you could have bought for something else. We will break this rule occasionally, but in general, look for new stuff first, as it boosts your versatility.
Common Substitutes
Pick extracts that fill in weaknesses either for yourself or for your team. Have a low defense? Pick something that gives you concealment or better stats. Can’t get pasted DR? Find something that boosts your enhancement bonus. Skill Checks not amazing? Take buffs that boost it through the roof. If there is a problem you find yourself up against that you can’t deal with, let your extracts be your answer.
Labels for The Strongest Potions
So how do we label our different kinds of potions? How do we tell them apart? How will these be graded? That’s right BABY extracts get their own version of spell genders called LABELS because I AM STILL QUEER and we are going to make it everyones problem (also it fits with the potion schtick). Anyway, these are a bit different from the usual spell genders because we have less options so…..here we go.
Skill Monkey (SM)
Extracts that boost your skills and make you better at a certain set of skills.
Defense (Def)
Extracts that…well…protect you! Things that make it harder for you to die.
Offense (Off)
Extracts that want to hurt people! Either through direct damage or giving you an attack or causing a debuff. These don’t help you, they hurt someone else!
Healing (Heal)
Extracts that provide some manner of healing, recovery, or status undoing.
Combat Buffs (CB)
Buffs that specifically make you better at doing combat, or excel in combat.
Utility (Uti)
Everything else! Gives you weird new abilities, helping ways to deal with the world, or just other miscellaneous things.
Class Feature++ (CF++)
Extracts that SPECIFICALLY boost or affect specific class features rather than your general ability.
Alchemical Allocation (AA)
So these are extracts that are great…but would be significantly better as alchemical allocations than actual extracts.
Alchemist Extracts by Level
1st Level Extracts
Skill Monkey
Heightened Awareness: Baby bonus to noticing things that evolves into an initiative buff. Pop this if you are going into a dangerous area and be ready to be faster than everyone!
Anticipate Peril: Hey we like going first? This is a pretty useful buff early on, just make sure that you get the initiative.
True Skill: This will often fall behind tears to wine, but makes for a great backup when you really need to be better at diplomacy than you are, or if a teammate wants to be better at a skill.
Defense
Shield: Easy +4 to AC. Not much more needs to be said.
Offense
Coin Shot: For those who don’t really have ranged attacks, this provides a pretty good ranged touch attack with DR bypassing options. IT will never be amazing, but its a good substitute.
Healing
Cure Light Wounds: Don’t prepare this in the morning, just keep it on your list and if something bad happens, whip it up in your downtime.
Combat Buffs
?Enlarge Person?: ENBIGGENATE!!!!! The classic go to Buff. Your martial will love this from level 1 to level 20, even if they get better buffs because this gives three very important things: Extra Strength, Higher Damage Die, and REACH. That last one is super important because its actually pretty hard to increase your reach...especially constantly. Want to be a team player? Take this, and keep it moving.
Reduce Person: SHRINKIMIFY!!! So for bombers, this is basically just their enlarge person, but it doesn’t expend their reach, just gives cute bonuses, so not AS important.
Longarm: Increase your reach? For melee types this is amazing and you should absolutely be taking this. Gets better when you can combine it within enlarge person.
Pesh Vigor: Okay so enhancement bonuses are usually a no go but this DOES scale with CL and higher than most of your items too at the level. Sure you hurt yourself a little but its nonlethal damage and the boost is way worth it.
Utility
Disguise Self: Sometimes you just need to be someone else. Remember, with infusion, you can pass this around and let anyone be someone else.
Expeditious Retreat (CB): SPEEED BOOST!!!! If you need to get in and get out fast, this is one of the best buffs for that. Later on you can combine it with other buffs to make silly tricks.
Class Feature++
Targeted Bomb Admixture(Off): Lose splash damage but add your int again! Best at low to mid levels and helps when you just want to burst one person down and either want to avoid splash damage or straight up don’t need it.
Alchemical Allocation
?Tears To Wine? (SM) <CL15>: The only spell work breaking the alchemical allocation rule for, to get us a 10 enhancement bonus to ALL int and wisdom based skills for 10 minutes per level. Completely worth the price.
2nd Level Extracts
Skill Monkey
Focused Scrutiny: Stare a man down and don’t lose him! Also lets you do a little better at social stuff, which alchemists aren’t really great at. Awesome skill to pass around too.
Investigative Mind: ADVANTAGE ON Appraise, Knowledge, Linguistics and Spellcraft. HOLY FUCK. Reroll and take the highest is really good, and it stacks with all the other crazy bonus we have to skills. KNOWING THINGS IS USEFUL.
Defense
Blur: Miss chance is a bitch and makes you harder to deal with. Still, we get the improvement next level, so if you want to save for now, its not too bad.
Offense
?Skinsend?: No save, no SR, if someone gets hit with this, they basically drop to 0 HP and you have a spooky skin monster version…who you can ignore and just attack the main body. So use your syringe spears, your poisoner’s gloves, or Touch Injection and have fun just sorta two tapping the boss. Toss this to the fighter so they can follow up by smacking a guy even harder.
Vine Strike: Extra damage and small debuffs for natural attacks! Yay!!!!
Touch Injection: OH HEY THIS thing. Great for poisons as it removes any onset time for said poisons and affects them immediately. Less ideal for extracts because it allows them a fort save and SR even if they didn’t have it before.
Restoration, Lesser: Another thing we don’t want to prep everyday, but when you take ability damage (Either from your mutagen or otherwise), you’ll want that!
Combat Buffs
?Pouncing Fury?: You get claw pounce. Do you plan on using natural attacks that are claws? Yes? Great. Its pounce and that makes it easier for you to get full attacks. Not planning on using claws? Then you can safely skip. REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS GIVE THIS TO FRIENDS
Adhesive Blood (Def): So normally we don’t like having abilities based on getting hit That said…this is is a GREAT way to waste your enemies actions and if you happen to be in melee alot, this can be REALLY funny as they have to take actions just to get their weapons back.
Utility
?Invisibility? (CB/Def): So invisibility is amazing for being a sneaky bastard, either getting the jump on people with sneak attack, or attacking from weird angles with smoke bombs and such. Using extracts does not pop invisibility. Neither does attack indirectly. You can be a HUGE bastard with this classic.
Vomit Swarm: Vomit swarms of increasingly annoying creatures that force distraction and poison. You won’t get everyone but these can be a pain in the ass to deal with if the enemy is unprepared and for dealing with grunts. Its also another fun one to pass around.
?Full Pouch?: Okay so technically this should not work at all because extracts are weird, but I find that very dumb considering this is the class that would use it the most and have included my adjustment. Disclaimer done. Now that we are done with that, HEY look a way to duplicate alchemical items and raise their DC’s to acceptable levels! You can even turn sneezing powder into a terrifying force with this extract! And it’s instantaneous! Nothing says the object decays or is destroyed so you can probably just hold onto the duplicate. All alchemists should have and abuse this as necessary!
Spider Climb (AA): Climb is an underrated ability especially due to how common fly is. Still, definitely work picking up as a neat movement option in my book.
See invisibility: You see invisible things. Not something you will prepare all the time, but with a good knowledge check, you will be able to tell when you might need it.
Class Feature++
?Alchemical Allocation?: It literally has its own section but okay. Why is it the best spell? Because it lets you get the full effects of your potions without expending them, meaning that you can get the benefits of really high level potions really early. That is incredibly powerful, and absolutely worth burning every single second level extract you have at higher levels. You and every alchemist you know ARE taking this.
Alchemical Allocation
?Barkskin? (Def) <CL12>: Barkskin is an AMAZING buff because it gives you an enhancement bonus TO our natural armor bonus, so it stacks with our NA buffs. It’s a great extract to have on its own, but with Alchemical Allocation, we can get the full buff much earlier, and with extend potion discovery, it lasts for nearly 4 hours!!!
?Resist Energy? (Def) <CL11>: Hey want Resistance 30 to any one element, which basically makes you immune to that type of energy attack? Wanna combine this with emergency attunement to be the biggest pain in the ass? I knew you would. Still a great extract to take on its own.
Ablative Barrier (Def) <CL10>: Hours per level duration, helps deal with chip damage, and we while it doesn’t prevent a lot of damage each hit, it can make you subtly much more tanky.
Acute Senses (SM) <CL8-16>:BYAKUGAN!!! Alright weebs aside, this is a HILAROUS amount of perception to be able to pull out. Honestly if you are looking for anything, you found it. No question.
Bullet Shield(Def) <CL15-CL20>: This gives us a MASSIVE deflection bonus against ranged attacks (Which makes it best for bombers and the like because they won’t be getting in close) but its a deflection bonus…which aren’t that hard to get in the long run. Still, more bonuses are more bonuses.
Delay Poison (Def) <CL12>: Basically lets you ignore the effects of poisons until the end of the duration. At CL12 with extend potion discovery, you won’t feel it literally until the next day if you don’t want to, which is functionally poison immunity before we actually get it, or for those who traded it away.
3rd Level Extracts
Skill Monkey
Heightened Awareness + Anticipate Peril (CB): When you positively, absolutely HAVE to go first in the next fight, a +9 to initiative should do it.
Defense
?Displacement?: NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! 50% miss chance is annoying as hell to get around giving people a 50/50 chance of just not hitting you at all. Absolutely need this in your defensive kit.
Selective Invisibility(CB): Okay so its invisibility but only rounds per level…but you can choose for 1 person to see you and if you attack that one person directly, it doesn’t break stealth. This is AMAZING for bombers you can just nuke one person with impunity, or even for maulers who want some alone time with their foes.
Offense
Nauseating Trail: Run around and cover everything in stinking clouds singed style! Best if you have ways of increasing your movement speed…which we do!!!
Thorn Body: In pathfinder, hit damage YOU! Its not a lot of damage, but if you are in melee, this can be really funny. Still probably needs an upgrade….
Healing
N/A
Combat Buffs
?Channel Vigor?: Oh hey its our BETTER HASTE spell. That we can pass around! And change the bonuses off at a whim! Literally every single alchemist should have this because its so fucking silly.
?Aspu’s Shining Scales? (Def): How has this been under the radar? This buff lets your natural attacks bypass good AND silver (yeesh) and gives you a +5 bonus to your natural armor, which is actually REALLY good. Like REALLY good. Honestly I think ANY mutagen master should pick this up ASAP.
Enlarge Person + Long Arms: The melee now suddenly has 15 foot reach, and is large. Yeah that's 100% worth it.
Bomber’s Eye + Long Shot: Congrats, now you have +20ft to your bombs range increment so you can be a shitlord from much farther away with much fewer penalties. Good for you!!!!
Monstrous Physique I: Good form, still humanoid, so you can still have your stuff! Try on the gargoyle for size, usually does what you need.
Fiendish Wrath: Oh hey a baby buff and the ability to REND! Stacks with all of our other buffs, and we do like it with claws.
Utility
Arcane Sight: See magical auras, tell what spells people might be rocking with, and think about how to prepare for them! Knowing things is useful!!!!
Tongues (AA): There will be a time where you just don’t know a language and didn’t put enough points into linguistics to deal with it. So when that happens, just make sure you have this spell in your book. It’ll make your life a lot easier.
Gaseous Form: Fun utility spells for getting in and out of weird places.
Paragon Surge (Half Elf Only): Its paragon surge! Now we can’t use this to sneak new spells, but it does just give us a free feat for nothing while also boosting the stats that we enjoy. Also Emergency Attunement makes it even sillier. Extra discovery is a fun power.
Burst of Speed(Def): Swift action boost of speed and no AoO’s makes for a great escape ability.
Vomit Twin (Goblin Only): Silly teleportation tricks are silly, and good for messing with traps and the like. Lesser twin form!
Fly (AA): HEY ITS FLY, a spell that we love and everyone will take advantage of.
Class Feature++
?Amplify Elixir?: OH hey its empowered/extend potion…again! That stacks with extend potion!!! Enjoy absolutely insane durations by combining it with alchemical allocation!!! Yes you should take this!!!!
Bouncing Bomb Admixture (Off): Swift action damage another person with direct damage. A lot of the best abilities are based on direct hit damage, and this just makes that fASTER! Also normally doesn’t work, so if your GM doesn’t like my changes, uh…don’t take it.
Alchemical Allocation
?Clay Skin? (Def) <CL10>: So greater ablative barrier…that stacks with ablative barrier. It has less duration but its still 10 minutes per level and has no expensive component!!!!
?Blood Sentinel? (Uti) <CL13>: If you don’t have a familiar (Which you should by now), this gets you a familiar! The real benefit is being able to give your pseudo familiar different archetypes based on your needs for the day. But again…you should probably have a dedicated familiar. Also only works with my houserules
Countless Eyes (Uti/CB) <CL12>: Gives you the ability to see in all directions for hours per level and makes it impossible for you to be flanked. Byakugan part 2. Get it at CL 12 to enjoy the 24 hour bonus.
?Heroism? (CB/Def) <CL12>: Its a really simple buff and not even huge but with amplify elixir and extend potion, you can basically have it up as long as you could possibly need it. So it just becomes a constant investment. At CL 12 that should be about 8 hours of heroism.
Orchids Drop (Def/CF++) <CL12>: Drinking your mutagen (or anything that counts) heals 2d10 and also gives you a +2 alchemical bonus to saves…and its hours per level. You only have to pay the costly components once and boom, thats a +4 between this and heroism, just as part of your morning meal.
Penumbral Disguise(Uti) <CL12+>: Be BIG sneaky with a massive bonus to disguise and stealth checks. Sure we do have access to invisibility, but we don’t always want to be invisible, and this lasts MUCH longer. Again CL12 for either 4 hours with extend potion or 8 hours with extend potion + amplify elixir.
Nondetection (Def) <CL12+>: You cannot be scried, spied, or identified. Great for sneaky bullshit, and lasts for hours per level. Plus we want a high caster level so we are hard to contest. You know the drill by now.
Cure Serious Wounds (Heal) <CL15>: me as CMW, but serious! Also makes for an excellent CL15 potion for alchemical allocation.
4th Level Extracts
Skill Monkey
Tears to Wine + Investigative Mind: When you need to know everything and never fail a knowledge check, this is the combo you pull out!
Bit of Luck (Catfolk Only): So for some reason this isnt listed as catfolk only on the pfsrd but it is on aon so that will be our source of truth. Anyway just stealing inspiration from the investigator but in a not shitty way is pretty dope. Long lasting and fantastic.
Defense
?Freedom of Movement?: Hey you have a low CMD, are ? BAB and generally don’t like being held down. Wouldn’t be nice if you just couldn't be? Welcome to one of the best buffs in pathfinder.
Stoneskin: Honestly you are probably better off just using alchemical allocation with ablative barrier and clayskin but if you need to get a nice buff quickly, this is still really good. Mind the price though…
Barkskin + Shield: Doesn’t seem like much but a potential +8-9 to AC ain’t something to sneeze at!!!!
Offense
?Caustic Blood? (Def): If you take piercing or slashing damage, your opponent takes CLd6 acid damage no SR, Reflex Save Half. And THEN they can save again the the extra damage. And this procs EVERY TIME you take piercing or slashing. Yes we dont like to plan for getting hit but FUCK this is hilarous and actually really good damage. Don’t be afraid to hand this out.
Healing
Cure Critical Wounds: Same as CSW but now critical! Have it on your list but only prep it when you need it.
Restoration: VERY expensive but you probably want to have it on your list just in case. Ability damage is a bitch.
?Purify Body?: WOW this one has it all. Healing! Ability Damage Removal! Status removal! Honestly you should always have at least 1 of these prepped in my opinion because it helps deal with some of the worst conditions in the game.
Combat Buffs
?Greater Invisibility? (Def): Wow okay so yes people get true seeing and blindsight and shit, this is STILL AMAZING and we LOVE being invisible. Maulers love it for potential sneak attack and poison shenans, and bombers love being menaces with impunity. Everyone should have this.
Fluid Form (Def): Oh hey another good one DR 10 slashing and get 10 more feet of reach!!! Great for melee types. Becomes absolutely hilarious if used with a enlarge person + longarms combined extract for a total of 25 ft reach….take combat reflexes and ruin someone's life. Also can be given to your friendly fighter!!!
?Beast Shape II? (Uti): HEY pounce but for everything! I mean also yay size bonuses and yay being large and grab is also good but YAY POUNCE!!! 😀 Obviously if you are a beastmorph, then you don’t really need this, but you can also give this POUNCE attack to your friends…which is REALLY STRONG
Monstrous Physique II (Uti): Lots of weird abilities. Also don’t miss out doppelgangers ability to use whatever item they want with mimicry. Also Four armed Gargoyle. Remember, you keep access to your stuff in these forms!!!
Utility
?Echolocation?: OH HEY BLINDSIGHT!!! LETS FUCKING GO! Nothing can escape your daredevil vision!!!!
Arcane Eye: Sneaky spy eye skill. I assume you drink the potion and then it just kinda…happens. Seriously no idea how else this is supposed to work. I’d fluff it as losing one of your eyes to get access to this. Can get very creative with this if you know what you are doing.
Eyes of the Void: See in Darkness! Darkvision! Seriously though, while this is definitely an ability you want to have, you don’t need to have it every day.
Assume Appearance, Greater (SM): So you copy their voice, their aura, and can basically jack their shit with a picture and hearing their voice, even if they aren’t dead!!! FOR DAYS PER LEVEL! Intrigue has never been so crazy.
Class Feature++
Universal Formula (All): Sometimes you don’t know what you need but you need it RIGHT NOW. I think you should have one of these prepared at all times, but only one, just in case.
?Hobbling Bomb Admixture? (Off): Fort save or lose 20 feet of speed. This stacks with itself. There is no SR. It also affects 2 splash targets and can lead to people shaving min 0 movement…which means they are just stuck wherever you bombard them from. Most creature don’t have more than a 60 ft movement…thats 3 bombs. Yeah this is fucking great.
5th Level Extracts
Skill Monkey
N/A
Defense
?Dust Form? (Uti / CB): Incorporeality basically means all attacks while either have 50% damage reduction or 100% damage reduction. And you can still use all your items as normal…so you it is objectively better than base incorporeality. This is RIDICLOUSLY powerful, even at this level, and you will be using this every fight.
?Spell Resistance?: SR is super annoying to deal with and unlike us players, who specifically have abilities to deal with it, most monsters dont have abilities to DEAL with SR even though all of them have it. So this can fuck with A LOT of spells that would otherwise be a massive pain in the ass. Another GODLY defense.
Apsu’s Shining Scales + Barkskin (CB): Potentially +10 natural armor bonus and bypass good and silver with claws! WOW!
Offense
Magic Jar (Uti): Hey this one is a classic especially with confusion/madness bombs to hurt peoples saves. You will not be as good as using this as a fullcaster, not even close, but its nice to have some fuckery in your back pocket.
Healing
Resurgent Transformation (CB): Okay so this is something that you’ll probably just have to keep you from dying if you aren’t doing. If you can, combine it with a delayed consumption restoration or purify body to remove the debuffs. Still, keeps you from going down!
Combat Buffs
Beast Shape III: Get EVEN BIGGER and MORE DANGEROUS. And again, you can pass this around!
Fey Form II: Jumps from a +2 to a +6 to your dexterity for small fey and a host of REALLY fun abilities. Also we get to keep our hands! Bombers? This is for you!!!
?Displacement + Channel Vigor?: OH HEY your go to combat buffs! Gives you defense, offense all in a neat package that can be applied quick fast and in a hurry!!!
Apsu’s Shining Scales + Fiendish Wrath: My claws now bypass Silver and Good DR, and have REND! Combine with feral mutagen or beast shape to be an entire BEAST.
Utility
Sending: Drink and text. Just generally useful power.
Overland Flight: ALL DAY FLIGHT. I mean we can use alchemical allocation for most of our needs, but this is great!!!!
Class Feature++
?Delayed Consumption? (All): OH SHIT ITS CONTINGENCY????!??? LETS FUCKING GO! Seriously pick it up as soon as possible.
6th Level Extracts
Skill Monkey
N/A
Defense
Stoneskin + Caustic Blood (Off): GET DR and when people hit you they can potentially take a LOT of acid damage…yeaaah scumbag fighter technology is the best.
Offense
N/A
Healing
?Heal?: Heals all the conditions, and a lot of HP. Great as a Delayed consumption pick and honestly, still good at this level. It’s heal. Name is simple enough.
Combat Buffs
?Fey Form III?: MASSIVE bonus to Dex for tiny fey and a bunch of REALLLY cool abilities. For bombers, this is godlike and honestly, even for maulers this can be a really serious buff.
Undead Anatomy III: Energy resistances, save bonuses, good stat buffs and cool abilities…not to mention potential template nonsense? Okay yes this is finally worth our time.
Beast Shape IV: Competitive bonuses to all others and with some really good abilities from magical beasts and excellent attacks, beast shape is the buff that keeps on buffing.
Legendary Proportions: ULTIMATE INBIGGENATE!!!! DR/10 adamatine (constant, fuck that stoneskin shit) competitive size bonuses, natural armor the WORKS! Honestly at this point if you would be using legendary proportions you arent going to benefit from the natural armor (because of mutagen) and the size bonuses are okay so we are mainly here for the DR. Still, comes with no penatlities and its a nice trick that doesn’t rely on polymorph.
Giant’s Form I: AYE ENBIGGENTATE BUT WITH REGENERATION????? Congrats on not being able to die fam.
?Greater Invisibility + Beast Shape II?: Turn into an invisible big cat and maul people ot death or a flying bomber and ruin peoples day. Either way, this is fun!
?Analyze Dweomer?: Know what everything is, how it works, what it does, how well it does it, and what level it can do it at. A bit late, but remember? Knowing things…
Twin Form: If played right, this basically lets you double your HP and provides yourself with interesting escape routes.
Wind Walk: Long range travel ability that turns you into a cloudy person! Sometimes you don’t need to teleport and this is a great option!
True Seeing: HEY see through EVERYTHING. Absolutely necessary at high levels when everything has some crazy visual trick.
Borrowed Time:Extra swift actions are really cool…if you can take advantage of them. But we don’t usually have many ways to do that as we don’t really have a quickened ability, but er…well even if YOU can’t use it, other people can! So definitely infusion bait.
Paragon Surge + Universal Formula: Honestly just have one of these prepared. I call this the Limited Extract Wish because you get a feat and a 3rd or lower spell and that should handle any random problem you could run into feasibly.
Class Feature++
?Caging Bomb Admixture? (Off): No save, no SR, just smack and get bubbled nerd. You don’t have a way to do teleportation? SUCKS TO SUCK now.
