When you get a basic crafting book, it contains formulas for common items. Some of the things you gain access to are formulas for alchemical items. How does this pair with the alchemical formulas from the Alchemist class?
i.e. If I learn lesser antidote from the basic crafting book, can I just add that into my formula book for use with the quick alchemy/advanced alchemy class features? Or is there something I need to do to copy the formula from one book to another so that I can take advantage of the class feature? Or is it completely separate?
Best Answer
The Alchemist gets a unique class feature, Formula Book, which specifies that they gain a formula book (item) and many of their class features reference that formula book, suggesting that you can only draw from that source.
However.
The item in question also indicates
This suggests a rule that having a formula is the only requirement, not that it be in that particular book.
The bottom line
You're going to have to check with your GM(s) on this one. There are contradictory rules and it's not entirely clear if the Alchemist class features constitute "more specific rules" because they never use language like "only" or indicate that you have to copy them to the specific book (although the text does say "your formula book" in the singular multiple times). RAW it would seem that you have to copy them over because you cannot use your class features without that book, but RAI seems that you should be able to use any formula on hand for crafting including the Alchemists' expedited versions.
There may be a caveat that a GM could allow; the text in the Formula Book (class feature) is
It does not specify that it needs to be a blank formula book. The Basic Crafter's Book is, in fact, a book of formulas and is worth 10s or less (1s, in fact). Compared to the balnk formula book costing 1g (10s), this might suggest that the BCB is "full" and not a full sized formula book, and you would likely also need a blank formula book.