The alchemist is an experimenter in the compounding of chemicals.  He is expert at the understanding and use of chemistry-based magic and non-magical chemicals.  He can use any potions, powders, ointments, and similar "chemical" magic items, even if normally limited to specific classes.  He can also use any magic item not restricted by class, any weapons that are not pole arms or two-handed weapons, and any armor and shield.  If available to the character's culture (Oriental), he can learn martial arts, but not a weapon-oriented style.  He saves as a thief, but uses the attack matrix of the magic user.  Weapon proficiencies are 1+1/6, and he does not get multiple attacks.  Hit points are d4 per level through level eleven (11), plus one point per level thereafter; non-fighter constitution bonuses apply.

  Minimum ability scores are 9/12/10/9/6/3/3; several multi-classed possibilities are permitted.  Any alignment is permitted.

  All alchemists except Orientals have initial non-weapon proficiencies in Fungus Identification, Healing (2 slots), Cooking, Plant Lore, Foraging, and Fire Building.  They gain an additional non-weapon proficiency at every third level (4, 7, 10, 13).  Oriental alchemists are treated the same in most ways, but initial proficiencies are Herbalist (2 slots), Cooking, Brewer, Firebuilding, Agriculture, and one slot in Survival in an appropriate area, used for foraging skills.  At the referee's discretion, a zero-slot may be offered based on previous skills or cultural background.  They begin with 5d4x10 gp.

  Alchemists can easily produce any chemically derived substance in normal use--candles, oil, soaps, spices--if the ingredients are available.  They can produce any poison from a formula at any time, given the ingredients.  The probability of developing a formula from a poison is identical to that for a potion (infra), but poisons do not use up potion slots.  Note that non-evil alchemists normally will not themselves use poison, and good alchemists will normally disapprove the use by others.

  An alchemist may learn to formulate two potions (or similar alchemic magic items approved by the DM) per level.  He must have either a sample potion or a written formula from which to learn.  In the latter case, he gets +10% on his chance to know.  This chance to know a given potion is identical to a magic-user's chance to know a listed spell, but he gains exactly two potions for each level of advancement.  He can recheck for any potion previously failed at any future level, provided he still has the sample or written formula.

  If the alchemist already knows his full quota of potions, he cannot identify the formula of a new potion until he achieves the next level.  However, he may be able to identify the nature and purpose of the potion and one or two key ingredients.  This probability, on d20, is 4 + 1 per level.  If the roll is exact, the alchemist knows the general nature (some kind of healing potion); if below the maximum roll, the potion is exactly identified.  There is a 35% (+7) bonus to identifying poison as poison, but a normal success roll must be made to more precisely identify the nature of the poison.  Delusion potions have a 20% (-4) penalty.  Any roll for any potion which fails by exactly one is misidentified as something else, and any greater roll is failure to identify at all, except in the case of a delusion potion.  With a delusion potion, any failure to identify correctly results in misidentification as the apparent potion.  Identification assumes available lab equipment.  Field identification (not in a lab) is at a -10 penalty in all cases.  Identification of potions of a formula known to the alchemist is automatic, but unless that is known to be so, there is only 1/10 chance that the same potion is made by the same formula.  For any given potion only one roll may be made per level (which is compared to any applicable needed rolls), but if a field identification roll fails which would have succeeded as a lab identification, the same roll applies when (if) the alchemist attempts a later lab identification.  All rolls are made in secret by the DM.

  Particular potions may be penalized for identification by the referee for containing rare ingredients which may not be recognized.  As usual, notwithstanding bonuses and penalties, a 20 always fails and a 1 always succeeds.

  At every level (including the first) the alchemist makes a transmutation of metals roll.  His chance of success is equal to his new level as a percentage.  Success indicates that he has discovered the next alchemic transmutation, and can perform a transmutation of that type in a coin weight per day equal to his level.  Transmutations are learned in this order:

1. lead to tin;
2. copper to brass;
3. brass to electrum;
4. tin to silver;
5. lead to silver;
6. silver to electrum;
7. electrum to gold;
8. brass to gold;
9. copper to gold;
10. lead to gold.

  (Historically, occidental alchemists were seeking to transmute lead to gold, and Oriental alchemists were seeking the elixir of life, that formula which would keep him alive forever.  These rules do not address that possibility, but treat Oriental alchemists as if they were occidental style alchemists living in an Oriental realm.)

  Alchemists, after their apprenticeships (equal to that of a magic user, during which ordinary alchemy is learned), are entirely self-trained, but pay the same costs as other character classes.  However, they must also pay costs for normal chemicals and equipment equal to 10 gp per level per level each week (10, 30, 60, 100, 150, etc.) at all times to maintain normal lab functions.  Failure to do so will result in a -1 penalty per week unpaid on all lab functions up to -10 until the full costs are caught up.  This is in addition to special ingredient costs (usually extracted from monsters) for which he adventures or pays appropriately high prices.

  Starting at level 7, the alchemist attracts students.  He attracts d2 students of level -2 (Clerk) at the seventh and each subsequent level; he may of course interview and decide whether to accept or reject each applicant (e.g., for reasons of alignment), but only d2 will apply.  These students will help with simple work as they are able, and work for room and board plus training.  Beginning at first level, each student has a percent chance of leaving his teacher upon advancement equal to his new level; if at that level the student succeeds in learning a new transmutation, the probability is increased by +10% for that level.  In any event, if the student learns more transmutations than the teacher, he leaves automatically.  (Note that he does not automatically leave if he surpasses his teacher's level but not the transmutations.)

  Oriental and Occidental Humans (U), any Dwarf (U), any Gnome (8+1/pt In>16 to 21) except Tinker Gnomes, any Hobbit (6+1/pt In>18 to 21), Drow (10+1/pt In>16 to 21), and Half-Orcs (5+1/pt In>17 to 21) may be alchemists.