Another Burning Damage Question

[KingCrab]

Thanks very much everyone for answering my last burning damage question. Here's a new clarification I need:

It says in the MM and SRD under fire elemental that if you fail a reflex save after a hit you catch on fire for 1d4 rounds. Am I correct to assume that the normal rules for putting out the fire do not apply to this fire? (So you cannot make a save at the beginning of each round, and can not attempt a full round action attempt to put out the fire.)
(http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elemental.htm)

I see three possibilities:

1. If the normal burning rules do not apply, then there can be no attempt to put the fire out early and it automatically goes out at the end of the 1d4 rounds.

2. If the 1d4 is interpreted as a maximum then the normal rules for putting out the fire would apply but you can only burn for at most 1d4 rounds, then it goes out no matter what.

3. If the 1d4 is interpreted a minimum then you would still have to put out the fire at the end of the 1d4 rounds, but for the first 1d4 you burn no matter what.

Also, I'm assuming the damage is the 1d6 as listed in the DMG for buirning but could it instead be the +x fire damage listed for the fire elemental's slam ?

 

[Dross]

I would have thought that if the fire could not be put out normally then it would say so.

Which makes it #2

I notice that Acid Arrow (SRD) has the phrase: unless somehow neutralised, which seems a "more magical" effect to me.

 

[Delta]

This one's pretty clearly a grey area. Anything the DM feels good about adjudicating is probably okay.

Personally I'd assign the normal 1d6 damage, and I would allow attempts to put it out before it expires on its own (giving tactical decisions to the players is good). So option #2 for me.

 

[frankthedm]

(So you cannot make a save at the beginning of each round, and can not attempt a full round action attempt to put out the fire.)

You don't have to. A burning creature can take a move action to put out the flame.

I'd say...
Failed the save vs burn

Burn for 1d4 rounds, until you take the move action to "put out the flame".

During that time you are exposed to a non-instantaneous fire. Thus the rules for catching on fire have you rolling a save. {I'd say you check once per turn]

If you make that save every time, your problem ends after the 1d4 rounds of burn. Sooner with a move action.

Fail that save and now the fire on you has to both be satisfied by the catching on fire rules and the burn rules. You get a free save each round to eliminate "caught on fire", but you have to spend the move action to satisfy "burn" during that 1d4 rounds.

Also, I'm assuming the damage is the 1d6 as listed in the DMG for buirning but could it instead be the +x fire damage listed for the fire elemental's slam ?

It could be the fire damage of the elemental, but I'd playtest that carefully since that burn damage may also be effecting the character's gear.

Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, and noninstantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don’t normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash.

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. (That is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire.)

A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.

Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.