Can I throw an oil (potion) as a weapon to use its effect?

[CalebTGordan]

There are some spells that qualify for potions that have negative effects. Spells like bestow curse or even shocking grasp qualify just as much as cure light wounds does. Can I make them be oils instead and throw them like I would alchemist's fire or acid? I suspect that it wouldn't be very cost effective, but I can't think of any real reason why an oil of bestow curse couldn't work that way. The rules say that oils work by applying externally, and hitting someone with a vial of magic oil is applying it externally, even if it is violently.

[Maezer]

The general philosophy is that potions targets creatures. And oils target objects.

That said applying an oil to an unconscious creature takes a full round action that provokes. I think applying to a creature that is not helpless should be at least as hard and thus take a full round action. And changing melee touch spells to ranged touch spells is not really something I think should be without cost either.

[Starglim]

A potion affects a creature who drinks it. edit: An oil affects an object or creature on which it is smeared as a standard or full-round action respectively. Neither does anything, apart from destroying the magic item, if thrown.

[CalebTGordan]

Man, that is disappointing. Pathfinder really needs spellvials, and I was hoping they didn't need to be home brewed.

I guess I will have to figure out something else to do with negative effect potions.

Thanks for the help!

[blackbloodtroll]

Alchemist does what you want.

[CalebTGordan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Alchemist does what you want.

Unless I missed something when I played one, you can't throw extracts at people and expect anything but losing a perfectly good extract. Is there a "Throw Extract" discovery or an archetype that I missed?

I am honestly looking for Ebberon's spellvials, which worked like potions except you threw them at people to use their effects. I like the idea of expanding potions to include this concept, and maybe allow for more spells to qualify for these throw-able potions. I am not asking for potions of fireball or any other area of effect spell, as those could be seriously unbalanced.

I guess I like the idea of throwing potions of cure light wounds and having it actually heal my ally, or a potion of dispel magic and have the bad guy loose a few buffs.

[blackbloodtroll]

I mean for the effects listed. There are bombs for that.

[CalebTGordan]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

I mean for the effects listed. There are bombs for that.

Oh! Yeah, there are. Sorry, I kinda spaced on that. Still, I can't throw a healing bomb. Or can I and I just missed something else?

By the way, "There's a bomb for that," makes me wonder if Steve Jobs would have been an alchemist...

[blackbloodtroll]

An alchemist can always take craft wondrous item and make something that does that.

[Jiggy]

There's some misinformation in this thread.

First of all, there's nothing saying that oils are for objects. You can heal yourself with an oil of CLW just fine.

Second, activation time:

The Potion Rules wrote:

Drinking a potion or using an oil is a standard action.

The only exception listed is if you're applying the potion/oil to an unconscious creature. So rubbing an oil of invigorate onto your friendly neighborhood barbarian is a standard action.

Not saying you couldn't houserule it, of course, but people sound like they think the rules don't even say one way or the other. Sans houserules, applying an oil is a standard action unless the target is an unconscious creature.