Grenade-Likes and Ranged Weaponry

[Valo56]

At present, Alchemist's Fire can be applied to melee weapons, only.

For whatever reason, Bioware decided it was okay to ruin a sword (only not really, as the sword isn't damaged here) by setting it on fire with magically burning liquids and immediately swinging at hard surfaces with it. (I'm not a smith or physicist IRL, but this seems to me like a stupid thing to do.) However, putting it on arrows, darts and bolts? NO CAN'T DO THAT. Despite that actually being a very.. smart thing to do! Assuming you don't care for your position being revealed.

So here's my suggestion. Add in a player tool or, if possible, simply change it so that alchemist's fire can be applied to ranged weapons. Bonus points if holy water can be applied to melee weapons and arrows to provide specifically a +1 vs undead for a few rounds, or for acid to be able to be applied to provide the same damage as Alchemist's Fire.

Now for the second suggestion! Whenever Acid or Alchemist's Fire is applied to a weapon, apply a permanent -1 penalty to the weapon that can only be removed with a whetstone and successful metalworking check.

[Dredi]

I would be for this, for no other reason that against things with damage reduction if you don't have sneak attack dice its pretty much impossible to do damage with ranged weapons which are widely available.

Further. Alchemists fire is a magically burning fire - but this is not by any means hot enough to melt metal or cause any issue with it (Consider that a level 3 wizard with burning hands would cause significantly more damage) so I dont feel for a minute that a permanent negative to weapon damage would be in any way have any IC or OOC arguement or requirement.

Acid on the other hand should not be applied to a weapon because that WOULD damage a weapon and not reasonably increase its damage.

Holy water / Unholy water would be fun to consecrate weapons for a temporary 1d4 damage to undead/outsiders respectively.

[Valo56]

Actually, Dredi.. The average commoner in D&D has 4hp. Acid flasks do 1d6 damage. That means that it's a very deadly acid applying it to a sword, while it would definitely damage the sword, would actually be somewhat useful in the short term. Plus, it's good for fighting things that are resistant to regular damage but not to things like acid.

[Dredi]

I should clarify then.

If you put acid on metal 1 of two things is going to happen, if not both.

The acid will run off the metal, or the acid will eat into the metal - the speed of which depends on the relative concentration of the acid (further if it does, its going to hiss and smoke like crazy, which is also why you don't add sulfuric acid to the water)

The acid is not going to stick around on a swung sword for a minute or two while you stab someone with it, it will drip off

This is unlike alchemists fire which is through documentation, an oil forming a cohesive layer over the sword which would stick around for some time (not a long time, but a time)

My point in a nutshell. If you put a metal stick in a bucket of acid then stabbed someone with it, the acid is going to have a negligible effect unless a droplet happens to get in their eye or something.

[Witchcraft]

I had always hoped this would somehow be a part of alchemy or herbalism. In the very first alchemy system, there was a way to create fire arrows and the like. If there's some way to do it now, I haven't ever seen it.

[granny]

C'mon!

Can't we have some sort of corrosive oil/ paste to represent acid damage?

[LordOfBones]

Yes, let us destroy our own weapons with corrosive acids..

[Dredi]

Not against the idea of alchemical or otherwise found items which can allow you to manually apply such an effect to the item.