fearsomepirate
Hero
DO WE SHARE PLAYERS????
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D&D 5E Too Few Player Options During Combat?
DO WE SHARE PLAYERS????
CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing
A boring encounter can get exciting in a hurry through the skillful application of Alchemist's Fire. I think it's one of the most underrated weapons in the game.
Sure, the target takes 1d4 fire damage. No big deal, right? Well, the target also catches fire, automatically taking 1d4 damage each round until it spends its action to put itself out with a DC 10 ability check. Also not that big of a deal, you're probably thinking. But look closer: there's no save against the ongoing damage, and preventing that damage will cost the target its action. That's rare.
And that damage is cumulative, too. Hit with 2 vials of alchemist fire? That 2d4 fire damage/round, no save, and 2 actions required to put the fire out. Hit with 6 vials? 6d4 fire damage/round, no save, 6 actions required to put the fire out. If your whole crew lobs a volley of alchemist's fire in Round 1, your target will be in a world of hurt come Round 4.
Sure, the target takes 1d4 fire damage. No big deal, right? Well, the target also catches fire, automatically taking 1d4 damage each round until it spends its action to put itself out with a DC 10 ability check. Also not that big of a deal, you're probably thinking. But look closer: there's no save against the ongoing damage, and preventing that damage will cost the target its action. That's rare.
And that damage is cumulative, too. Hit with 2 vials of alchemist fire? That 2d4 fire damage/round, no save, and 2 actions required to put the fire out. Hit with 6 vials? 6d4 fire damage/round, no save, 6 actions required to put the fire out. If your whole crew lobs a volley of alchemist's fire in Round 1, your target will be in a world of hurt come Round 4.
Oofta
Legend
Well, until the DM decides that zombies should have fire resistance because they feel no pain and suddenly you're facing a horde of flaming zombies
In 5e, I am much more likely to say "yes and..." to requests to influence or interact with the environment than I am to requests to directly put modifiers on a major enemy with ad hoc actions. The guy is running away - if you want to shoot him in the leg to get a special benefit, I am apt to say the game doesn't support called shots. If you want to catch up to him by jumping off the balcony and swinging form the chandelier... roll an Athletics check!
In other games, that are designed with ad hoc modifiers as part of the core expectation (like Fate), I'm all over creative solutions.
I think many GMs may not rule this way - ask before you depend on this.
Also, note that it is 50 GP per vial. Hit with 6 vials? That's 300 GP. Miss with 6 vials? That's 300 GP...
Also consider what happens to whoever is carrying this stuff when, say, the fall, and the vial breaks and ignites...
Flamestrike
Legend
OP, do you incentivise actions other than 'I attack'?
Do you craft encounters with pits, or bridges spanning lava, nearby chained animals that can be released, minions fighting the PCs while the BBEG behind them needs X rounds to get his ritual completed, ropes and chandeliers to swing from and so forth?
If your encounters are just 30' wide rooms with a monster swinging away then the problem could lie elsewhere.
I do get what you're saying to some extent. I loved ToBs manouvers because they removed the 'I attack' response and replaced it with 'Ill initiate Steel Wind Strike/ Sapphire Nightmare blade, Iron Mountain Tomb strke etc etc which gave martials options, and was just infinitely cooler.
Do you craft encounters with pits, or bridges spanning lava, nearby chained animals that can be released, minions fighting the PCs while the BBEG behind them needs X rounds to get his ritual completed, ropes and chandeliers to swing from and so forth?
If your encounters are just 30' wide rooms with a monster swinging away then the problem could lie elsewhere.
I do get what you're saying to some extent. I loved ToBs manouvers because they removed the 'I attack' response and replaced it with 'Ill initiate Steel Wind Strike/ Sapphire Nightmare blade, Iron Mountain Tomb strke etc etc which gave martials options, and was just infinitely cooler.
CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing
Correct on all counts, I'm only going with the way I've seen it done at our table. (An exception was once made for the quench spell, which allowed all of the flames to be extinguished on a target all at once at the cost of a spell slot.) The rules aren't terribly detailed for it. But for 50gp per dose, it feels right.
I should also point out that alchemist's fire is not only expensive, it's an improvised weapon...no proficiency bonus to that attack roll, so your odds of wasting money are higher than with most other attacks of its kind. Alchemist's Fire won't be feasible for all characters to use, on every round or every battle. (Nothing should ever be, in my opinion.)
Still, it's worth a second look if it feels like your character "can't do anything." See also: vials of acid, flasks of oil, holy water, a net...
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
I mean, I don't give them fire resistance, since they can burn away to nothing - but since they feel no pain, until they are at 0 hps, their slams are "FLAMING SLAMS!"
Stormonu
Legend
I mean, part of the reason there is a GM instead of just the players running bad guys via behavior scripts is there is (hopefully) some decision-making going on to what’s viable and not as well as who’s doing what. Players shouldn’t get outraged when the DM “makes stuff up” because that’s part of the job description.
Oofta
Legend
Hmm. with undead fortitude they may just shamble along with flaming slams for a while even at 0. Maybe time for a flaming zombie hug?
