Getting those potions out in combat: How long?

[diaglo]

...especially if it's flaming oil.... <snip>

Anyone disagree? Only minor problem is where is 'within easy reach' without using those funky potion belts (which we don't use).

lighting a flask of oil is another thing entirely. it requires a full round. iirc. unless you have something like a tinder twig or lit torch. plus you have to have the hands free to perform all that stuff.

and then you throw it... which requires another standard action.

flaming flasks ain't easy....

besides flasks can't be in a potion belt. potions are 1 oz. whereas flasks are 1 pint or 16 oz.

 

[fett527]

On the original topic:

Manipulate an Item
In most cases, moving or manipulating an item is a move action. This includes retrieving or putting away a stored item, picking up an item, moving a heavy object, and opening a door. Examples of this kind of action, along with whether they incur an attack of opportunity, are given in Table: Actions in Combat.

Activate Magic Item
Many magic items don’t need to be activated. However, certain magic items need to be activated, especially potions, scrolls, wands, rods, and staffs. Activating a magic item is a standard action (unless the item description indicates otherwise).

Emphasis mine. Someone had tried to say it was a full-round action to retrieve an item.

It is a move action to retrieve the potion if it is stored (no special rolls) and a standard
action to drink a potion (activating a magic item).

Both actions incur AOOs per the Actions in Combat table.

EDIT: This what Shilsen said in the first place, I'm just providing the quotes.

 

[werk]

I don't know what to think about the potion belt. I guess if in your game all the potions come in some sort of standard bottle format, you could have that sort of easy-access holder. I always picture potions as being in irregular bottles so you can easily tell them apart from one another, which might complicate things.

I stole some House-flavor from a previous DM in that potions are not held to the 'liquid in a bottle' format (but often are found like this). His reasoning was Snow White's apple...the witch didn't give her a poition to drink from a bottle, she brewed the potion and put an eye-drop of it onto an apple. So in-game players would be given the gift of dried apricots from the elves that function as cure light wounds potions. "These apricots stave infection and promote rapid healing." Or the cleric that oversees a band of dwarven caravan guards hands out some kind of strong tasting chewy confection that they pop into their mouth before combat (Taffy of Bull's Strength). It all works exactly as the potion, but instead of one ounce of liquid it's been expanded to a comparable amount of any ingestible substance.

 

[fett527]

I don't know what to think about the potion belt. I guess if in your game all the potions come in some sort of standard bottle format, you could have that sort of easy-access holder. I always picture potions as being in irregular bottles so you can easily tell them apart from one another, which might complicate things.

I stole some House-flavor from a previous DM in that potions are not held to the 'liquid in a bottle' format (but often are found like this). His reasoning was Snow White's apple...the witch didn't give her a poition to drink from a bottle, she brewed the potion and put an eye-drop of it onto an apple. So in-game players would be given the gift of dried apricots from the elves that function as cure light wounds potions. "These apricots stave infection and promote rapid healing." Or the cleric that oversees a band of dwarven caravan guards hands out some kind of strong tasting chewy confection that they pop into their mouth before combat (Taffy of Bull's Strength). It all works exactly as the potion, but instead of one ounce of liquid it's been expanded to a comparable amount of any ingestible substance.

This is similar to infusions in the 3.0 Masters of the Wild. Though infusions were more like edible scrolls as far as how the rules were done.

 

[focallength]

the forgotten realms campaign book has a potion belt in it I think its 6sp. for a belt that holds 8 potions and 12sp for one that holds 16. All in all Most characters even if they dont say it probablly have some potion holster or keep them in a pouch and potions probally would have some simple strap for attaching them to a belt. And removing a potion from a belt is a free action drinking it is a move action.

 

[dungeon blaster]

Regarding flaming oil, would you allow a PC to spend a move action to retrive the oil, a standard action to begin to light it, and then the next round spend a move action to finish lighting it and a standard action to throw it?

 

[Amal Shukup]

Regarding flaming oil, would you allow a PC to spend a move action to retrive the oil, a standard action to begin to light it, and then the next round spend a move action to finish lighting it and a standard action to throw it?

Start/Complete Full-Round Action

The “start full-round action” standard action lets you start undertaking a full-round action, which you can complete in the following round by using another standard action. You can’t use this action to start or complete a full attack, charge, run, or withdraw.

So splitting a Full round Action across two rounds seems to take two sequential Standard Actions - which strikes me as harsh, but there ya go...

A'Mal

 

[KarinsDad]

I disallowed the FR belt in my campaign.

Pulling a weapon as part of a move action is one thing. Pulling out spell components as part of the standard action of casting a spell is one thing. Pulling out an arrow as part of the standard action of firing a bow is one thing. All of these is pulling something out as part of another action.

Pulling a potion as a free action is something else. Buying the "mini-quick draw" belt for potions seemed like getting a feat for money. Also, we had some unusual circumstances where characters got to do a lot in a single round because they did quite a few actions in 3E including pulling out the free action potion (and clicking on the Boots of Haste, etc.).

 

[Ninja-to]

Actually Complete Adventurer has a hollow "potion tooth" that you can put one dose of a potion in and open the tooth as a free action. One of the handfull of usefull things in the book IMO.

That seems a bit unlikely. I'm pretty sure a potion is the size of say a shot glass (which is exactly one ounce). You'd have to have huge teeth to be able to hollow one out and fill it with a potion!

I rule that lighting oil is a move, throwing is standard. So:

1 To get out oil is a move (can be combined with another move, if you go with the ruling that flasks of oil can be treated as weapons)
2 Another move to light,
3 Then a standard to throw.

Lots of AtOps there though (3). Makes sense too. I can't imagine being in a fight and trying to get out a flask of oil, light the thing and then throw it at the enemy while they try to chop my head off.

Oh on another note, I do not allow Quick Draw to be used for potions, but that's just me. I consider the Quick Draw feat to be not only fast reflexes, but a knowledge of how to customize your weapon sheathes and wear them expertly so as to maximize speed. Potions and wands aren't true weapons, they're weapon-like. For example, there are ways to draw a sword and attack with it in the same motion. You can't do this with a potion or wand. But as I said, this is my ruling (but is backed up with my 10 years of studying sword work ).

 

[Krinkle]

Sharn:CoT has a Potion Bracer. Holds three potions on your forearm, can drink a potion as a standard action without provoking an AOO or dropping your weapon. It has some special vulnerabilities to Sundering and ASF too.