Dragonsborn Breath Weapon Issue

[captainstewart]

Some interesting ideas.

My dragonborn player came up with an interesting idea at our last game session. He decided to visit some shops while they were in town a bought a few bottles of oil. His plan--smash the oil on the ground (or toss it into the air) in front of him while he breathes out his FIRE-based breath weapon.

I thought--hey, clever thinking. We never got around to him actually using it in combat, since the next fight the guys were all pretty spread out, but my first inclination is to make it some kind of blast 2 area (it doesn't go as far as the fire) that does no damage by itself, but will add Ongoing: 2 Fire damage to the attack if it hits. If the guy manages to avoid the fire, he doesn't get the ongoing damage.

Any thoughts?

 

[kclark]

I like that idea. I probably would make a flask of oil only blast 1 (that is a 15 by 15 ft area). Has WOTC made any official oil rules? I like the ongoing 2 fire damage as being the effect of oil. I think I might rule oil as being 1d6 fire and 2 ongoing if thrown on a single target, just 2 ongoing if poured (Blast 1) on the ground. Not really deadly as it isn't more powerful than any At-Will power, so it cuts down the low level party being massive arsonists scenario.

 

[Arbitrary]

Right, because I'm the only guy who has ever wildshaped into a cobra so the rogue could milk me for poison. Sure.

As far as balance goes it barely even earns the rank of "minor inconvenience" He fills a flask with acid, he throws it someone for 1d6+con worth of damage, so what? It's going to be worse than basically every basic attack and at-will power in the game. The range on it will be terrible.

 

[Center-of-All]

Yeah, this is both cool and clever. Let them do it. Saying no is, usually, a bad thing, and I can't see this breaking anything.

 

[Arbitrary]

It should probably count as an improvised ranged weapon which would mean zero proficiency bonus.

So go nuts, fill up 12 jars an hour and pass them out.

 

[Ahglock]

Work it like a ritual - figure out a cost for additional materials to make the acid keep (say, the cost of an acid flask - after all, if dragonborn could do it for free the price would be lower, so clearly it must cost them about that much) and then let him do it as a 5 minute ritual. Done.

I like the ritual idea.

 

[inati]

It's all fun and games and cool creativity until the players start taking advantage of it. Other people have mentioned selling off the bottles for cash. Or how about the players start stockpiling the stuff for other uses? They are creative, remember. So in the future, maybe they will start building acid booby traps, or stick them on arrows, or heck even launching one big mass out of a catapult to terrorize the countryside. The sky is the limit with an unlimited supply of acid. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile, as the saying goes.

Then you would have to explain why the other dragonborn in the world don't have acid flasks. Or acid traps. Or etc etc etc... Or maybe they do have this stuff! Evil dragonborn acid beathers could make a lake of the stuff and burst the dam and flood a town/castle/dungeon. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

What started as a cool concept from a player could potentially become a world ecology disaster in the making. Then again, maybe you like that sort of stuff

 

[Arbitrary]

It just isn't very good acid.

 

[jimtillman]

Kewl idea from the player, so as DM, i'd go with it.

Also, they just released Ecology of the Dragonborn with the "Hurl Dragonbreath" Feat (look it up, it's nice)
Benefit: explodes in a burst 2 with a range of 10 squares

but for the bottle of Acid

at creation : 1 per encounter if dragonbreath was not used, arcana or Con challenge DC 20 (25?)


creates : Bottle of Acid DB (improvised weap), Range 5+str base modifier, burst 1, atk Dex vs Reflex or Fort, 1d6 damage , ongoing damage = Con modifier, save ends

You can add : "If bottle of Acid DB is not used in the next encounter, it does no damage when next used."


So this limits the creation and usage of said bottle

but add or remove restrictions depending on how you and your group feels about it

i would do it as a ritual "making a magic item style" but give him a reduced componant cost due to supplying 1 of the needed ingrediants, say a 50% cost reduction