Ghoststrike Oil - Bad deal?

[Keenath]

What's up with this ghoststrike oil? Am I reading this right - it works for only a single hit? What the heck? Alchemical silver has a similar effect -- overcoming a rare but annoying defense -- but Silver works for a whole fight, not just one hit!

Would it be totally broken to have GS Oil work for a whole encounter, giving each of that weapon's hits a secondary fortitude attack to avoid the Incorporeal penalty?

 

[superpriest]

Yeah, Ghoststrike sucks.

 

[Mort_Q]

I noticed a few alchemicals that were like this... cheap at low levels... but still not worth it.

I'd rather that the effect lasted until you hit (once) or until the end of the encounter, whichever comes first.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Interestingly the way I read it, it stays in effect until you hit an insubstantial undead. So if you KNOW you'll likely face some of them, apply yon oil and do 2x more damage the first time you hit one, which of course you might want to use a high damage power for.

I think the reasoning on not making it an encounter long effect is that insubstantial monsters pretty much always have 50% normal hit points. Double damage for the entire encounter is a bit extreme for a consumable item. Now, maybe a single hit duration is no flaming big deal, but think of it this way. A 3rd level party can for say 90gp equip all its melee attackers with one of these and at that level 90gp is a pretty minimal cost. The advantage isn't large, but if used wisely could be pretty nice.

 

[Mort_Q]

Ghoststrike does work until you hit (or until you choose to use when you hit).

I was thinking about stuff like Keen Oil and Panther's Tears from the Eberron Player's Guide.

 

[Keenath]

I think the reasoning on not making it an encounter long effect is that insubstantial monsters pretty much always have 50% normal hit points. Double damage for the entire encounter is a bit extreme for a consumable item. Now, maybe a single hit duration is no flaming big deal, but think of it this way. A 3rd level party can for say 90gp equip all its melee attackers with one of these and at that level 90gp is a pretty minimal cost. The advantage isn't large, but if used wisely could be pretty nice.

I would agree, except that you're having to roll vs Fortitude every time to see if you bypass. Against undead of even level 4, that +6 bonus is only a 50-50 chance of working, but the oil is expended in the attempt. Going to all the trouble of having your oil ready and using it and then failing the fortitude attack... that's just frustrating.

 

[Stalker0]

I think most consumable items are too expensive, predominately the ones that last on one hit.

Now some of the all encounter ones are quite nice, and may actually be too cheap. Potions of Resistance are crazy cheap.

 

[Kishin]

To paraphrase Faramir: I would not pick it up if I found it lying on the side of the road.

Our party acquired some of this playing through a modified version of Remains of Empire. I (Dragonborn Paladin) managed to use it to take down a bloodied specter with a high damage charge, but that was more lucky than anything IMO.

The fact that a) It works only once b) You have to hit with your first attack roll, then roll to see if the oil even WORKS (With a pathetic bonus versus Fortitude that doesn't scale well at all) makes it incredibly unreliable. It inspired open contempt from all three of our melee characters, especially since it was one of the sole pieces of treasure in a side trek encounter. (Though we did later net a +2 totem for the shaman).

In short, it is not worth expending effort to acquire it.

 

[ChristopherA]

The great majority of consumable items have rather mild effects. Ghoststrike Oil doesn't seem that bad compared to the average consumable. It doesn't activate until you hit something, then you get a free attack roll to try to double your damage. That is more or less equivalent to getting a free attack. No so bad for something that doesn't cost a daily magic item use or a healing surge. It doesn't even cost minor actions, since you can put it on your weapon before the adventure and leave it there indefinitely. It is terribly restricted in what targets it works against, but then again, it isn't used up until you actually hit such a target.

It doesn't exactly seem like the greatest item. But with many other consumables, I wouldn't even want to use them at all, since the wimpy effect is not worth the healing surge or daily magic item use. These are the items I would really leave on the side of the road. If I found some Ghoststrike Oil, I'd be happy to put it on my weapon, forget about it, and get a pleasant surprise next time I fought an insubstantial creature.

 

[boolean]

I wouldn't mind it, if it wasn't for the fact that it takes a standard action to apply.

So, I can take two standard actions to do full damage, maybe?

I'd much prefer using those actions to do half damage twice.
(Yes, I'm aware of edge cases like using the oil then attacking with a Daily power. I just don't consider them worth the effort and the delay caused by using your earliest action not attacking.)