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Setting Arrows on Fire
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<blockquote data-quote="Eric Finley" data-source="post: 4775413" data-attributes="member: 83401"><p>Huh, Surprised I'm the first one to mention this. Alchemist's Vault, p.42. "Alchemist's Fire - Ranged Ammo Variant". 25gp each. Burst 1, range as per weapon, targets Reflex, 1d6 fire damage for the 2nd level version. Downside: the damage is bad, the fixed attack roll makes players feel irrelevant, and they cost real money.</p><p></p><p>Or, if your mental image is less of a bursting clay ball-head full of splattery grease, and more of a sticky pitch which sets their clothes on fire, talk to your group about a fire retyping of Alchemist's Acid instead - single-target damage plus ongoing save-ends damage. (Balance note, Alchemist's Acid is arguably too powerful for its level; compare and contrast with Dragonfire Tar.)</p><p></p><p>However, if you're wanting to actual fire damage, as compared with a percentage chance of setting a flammable structure on fire, IMO you need something on this scale. If you're in (say) mail, which would you prefer: get hit by an arrow blunted by a wrapper of pitch-soaked rags and set on fire, or get hit by an arrow with a finely honed bodkin point? I know where my preference lies. Thanks for putting that flaming pentration-limiter on your arrow, otherwise I might have actually gotten injured there!</p><p></p><p>The only thing I'd do (and I may yet, in my game, if it comes up) is to work out a better set of rules for the to-hit rolls on alchemical items like this. I really don't like the flat attack scores simply because it makes the archer's carefully nurtured accuracy and skill completely irrelevant - Bob the Cleric with his secondhand nonmagical crossbow can do <em>exactly</em> as good a job with these, per RAW, as Ereviel Thrice-fletched with his +5 Legendary Crossbow. In fact if Bob blows 360gp on a Distance Crossbow +1, he'll be strictly better. But that's a much easier fix, and more needed anyway...</p><p></p><p>Alternately, if you have a DDI subscription, the most recent <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/2009Mar" target="_blank">Ampersand column</a> previewed magical ammunition (to appear in AV2), including the Firestorm Arrow. The lowest-level version of which costs just 30gp per shot. Some interesting limitations being voiced there... let me just say that the hit and damage bonuses <em>aren't</em> the old "bow enhancement plus arrow enhancement" that obviously was trouble back in 2e, nor is it even the reasonably-intuitive "they're both enhancement bonuses, use the higher of the two." Instead there's actually a tradeoff. I like it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Eric Finley, post: 4775413, member: 83401"] Huh, Surprised I'm the first one to mention this. Alchemist's Vault, p.42. "Alchemist's Fire - Ranged Ammo Variant". 25gp each. Burst 1, range as per weapon, targets Reflex, 1d6 fire damage for the 2nd level version. Downside: the damage is bad, the fixed attack roll makes players feel irrelevant, and they cost real money. Or, if your mental image is less of a bursting clay ball-head full of splattery grease, and more of a sticky pitch which sets their clothes on fire, talk to your group about a fire retyping of Alchemist's Acid instead - single-target damage plus ongoing save-ends damage. (Balance note, Alchemist's Acid is arguably too powerful for its level; compare and contrast with Dragonfire Tar.) However, if you're wanting to actual fire damage, as compared with a percentage chance of setting a flammable structure on fire, IMO you need something on this scale. If you're in (say) mail, which would you prefer: get hit by an arrow blunted by a wrapper of pitch-soaked rags and set on fire, or get hit by an arrow with a finely honed bodkin point? I know where my preference lies. Thanks for putting that flaming pentration-limiter on your arrow, otherwise I might have actually gotten injured there! The only thing I'd do (and I may yet, in my game, if it comes up) is to work out a better set of rules for the to-hit rolls on alchemical items like this. I really don't like the flat attack scores simply because it makes the archer's carefully nurtured accuracy and skill completely irrelevant - Bob the Cleric with his secondhand nonmagical crossbow can do [i]exactly[/i] as good a job with these, per RAW, as Ereviel Thrice-fletched with his +5 Legendary Crossbow. In fact if Bob blows 360gp on a Distance Crossbow +1, he'll be strictly better. But that's a much easier fix, and more needed anyway... Alternately, if you have a DDI subscription, the most recent [URL="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/2009Mar"]Ampersand column[/URL] previewed magical ammunition (to appear in AV2), including the Firestorm Arrow. The lowest-level version of which costs just 30gp per shot. Some interesting limitations being voiced there... let me just say that the hit and damage bonuses [i]aren't[/i] the old "bow enhancement plus arrow enhancement" that obviously was trouble back in 2e, nor is it even the reasonably-intuitive "they're both enhancement bonuses, use the higher of the two." Instead there's actually a tradeoff. I like it. [/QUOTE]
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