Cigarette?

[kenobi65]

This actually sort of came up in a d20 modern horror game I played in. I had doused a zombie in gasoline, and another PC wanted to set it on fire. The GM, I swear to God, made it impossible to pull out a match and light it in one round, claiming it was a separate move action to draw the matches, to open the pack, to retrieve a match, and to light one, then a standard action to throw it on the zombie, which would still require a touch attack at a -4 penalty because you're non-proficient in "match."

DM's call, of course, but a few things I can think of:

1) If you watch someone who's a "dedicated" smoker light up, the whole process has become so routine that it's nearly effortless. They know where the matches are, and their muscle memory can do the whole process without much conscious effort. Should've saved you a move action or two, at least.

2) Depending on how you had doused the zombie, there might well have been a fair amount of gas that hit the floor. If so, all you'd need to do is hit the gasoline somewhere in that square (on the zombie or on the floor) to initiate the flambe effect. At that point, the match becomes a grenadelike weapon, and everyone's proficient. (And, the AC to hit just got lower.)

 

[lukelightning]

Last time I checked, he was still alive, in his late 70s. Man has an amazing Constitution score, is all I can say.

Either that, or he's a Player Character.

 

[kenobi65]

Either that, or he's a Player Character.

Snort. He's a character, that's for certain.

 

[Rhun]

One move action to retrieve the pack and extract a single cigarette.
One move action to re-stow the pack and place the cigarette in the mouth.
One move action to retrieve the matches or lighter and prepare to create flame.
One standard action (draws AoO) to create flame and properly light the cigarette.
One move action to re-stow the matches or lighter.

Don't forget that if it is a new pack of cigarettes, you've got to add a round or two to "pack the tobacco." Generally accomplished by smacking the pack against the palm of one's hand.

 

[Daermon]

Because of this thread, I just timed myself on grabbing my cigs and lighter and beginning to smoke. 3 seconds.

 

[blargney the second]

Don't forget the ultimate magic item for smokers: trach ring of cigarette regeneration.

 

[redmoon]

While lighting a cigarette could provide morale bonuses, what about nicotine addiction? Do characters who go too long without smoking become irritable, and shakey?

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Either that, or he's a Player Character.

Or he just isn't subject to the diseases caused by smoking. A few lucky people just won't get lung cancer or emphysema or whatever from smoking.

The reason tobacco companies have been so ridiculously successful at evading liability is that they can always point at people like the one described and say, "See? Smoking doesn't cause cancer!" Completely fallacious, but juries are often specifically picked to be not-too-bright.

"See this guy who miraculously survived a point-blank .45 caliber shot to the head? This proves that being shot in the head doesn't cause death!"

 

[satori01]

As a smoker I do not think it unreasonable to rule, that drawing a cigarette is no more time consuming than drawing a weapon. If you have a BAB greater than +1, you should be able to draw a cigarette as part of a move action.

It does not take more than 12 seconds max to grab cigarettes from your easily accessible pocket, (and that is where they will be), pull a cigarette from the pack, light it, assuming 2 flicks of your lighter and non windy conditions, and store the pack back into your easily accessible pocket.

I am not the most dexterous person, so for some it will be even faster. It might take me three rounds, if I have a fresh tight pack, as sometimes the tight packing makes it harder to carefully get a cigarette free. Event hat gross exaggeration of time seems unlikely.

Also smokers should get the benefit of a Haste spell after several hours of not smoking, at least in terms of getting that cigarette out, and a bonus to Intimidate might not be a bad idea.

 

[Bad Paper]

Whenever you first light a cigarette, you take 1 point of nonlethal damage, but gain a +1 morale bonus to all attack rolls, checks, and saves for 1 round. Then, for as long as you keep the cigarette in your mouth (to a maximum of 5 minutes, after which the cigarette burns out), you gain a +1 morale bonus to Charisma-based checks.

...and a -2 circumstance penalty to all Charisma-based checks. And a -2 circumstance penalty to Spot checks (smoke gets in your eyes). And a -1 penalty to all Constitution checks made to hold your breath, for ten minutes.