| 4 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
The meat and bones, how do weapon qualities like holy, shocking or burst interact with the alchemy items that are the ammo for Crossbow Launchers/Flask Throwers and/or Alchemical Arrow with Magical bows.
The meat and bones, how do weapon qualities like holy, shocking or burst interact with the alchemy items that are the ammo for Crossbow Launchers/Flask Throwers and/or Alchemical Arrow with Magical bows.
+1 If the rumor posted in the other thread is true, then this is going to be quite improtant once Ultimate Combat comes out.
Anarchic: An anarchic weapon is infused with the power of chaos. It makes the weapon chaotically aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all creatures of lawful alignment. It bestows one negative level (see page 562) on any lawful creature attempting to wield it. The negative level remains as long as the weapon is in hand and disappears when the weapon is no longer wielded. This negative level cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the weapon is wielded.
The descriptions for axiomatic, holy, and unholy are exactly the same except for the associated/opposing alignment.
Flaming: Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire that deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.
Flaming Burst: A flaming burst weapon functions as a flaming weapon that also explodes upon striking a successful critical hit. The fire does not harm the wielder. In addition to the extra fire damage from the flaming ability (see above), a flaming burst weapon deals an extra 1d10 points of fire damage on a successful critical hit. If the weapon's critical multiplier is x3, add an extra 2d10 points of fire damage instead, and if the multiplier is x4, add an extra 3d10 points of fire damage.
Even if the flaming ability is not active, the weapon still deals its extra fire damage on a successful critical hit.
The descriptions for corrosive/corrosive burst (Advanced Player's Guide), frost/icy burst, and shock/shocking burst are almost exactly the same except for the type of damage.
2 Bows, crossbows, and slings crafted with this ability bestow this power on their ammunition.
All of the weapon abilities mentioned above are affected by this note.
How this interacts with specific ammunition is generally straightforward: Magical weapon qualities follow normal stacking rules (i.e., a flaming bow firing a searing arrow does only 1d6 points of extra fire damage on a successful hit instead of 2d6, although the searing arrow continues to do 1d6 points of fire damage for the next 3 rounds as normal); all non-duplicate effects apply. When dealing with splash damage from alchemical ammunition, however, magical weapon qualities should not be applied IMO; only the target actually struck by the ammunition would be affected by the weapon enhancement bonus, extra damage, etc. The note from Table 15-10 states that the ability is bestowed on the ammunition, not a substance contained in the ammunition.
With alchemical arrows this makes well sense but wat happens when the ammo is an alchemical item? Does the result change with the item? I.e. Frost Launcher loaded with alchemist's fire?
When dealing with splash damage from alchemical ammunition, however, magical weapon qualities should not be applied IMO; only the target actually struck by the ammunition would be affected by the weapon enhancement bonus, extra damage, etc. The note from Table 15-10 states that the ability is bestowed on the ammunition, not a substance contained in the ammunition.
This distinction is pretty meaningless. The substance contained in the flask being fired from the flask launcher and the flask are BOTH the ammunition.
By comparison, many arrows are made with a straight shaft of wood with a cap on the back which hatch a notch in it. This cap is what is nocked to the string and it is what the bow releases its energy into when the bow is fired. The cap, then, is the ammunition, and the "arrow" is the substance carried in the ammunition. Also, for arrows where the notch is in the shaft itself, but which still have a separate arrowhead rather than just a pointy shaft, which is to say, effectively every arrow in Pathfinder, the shaft is the ammunition and the arrowhead is the substance carried.
But you wouldn't argue that a capped arrow doesn't get the bonus, only the cap does. Nor would you argue that the arrowhead receives no bonus in either situation.
If it is fired from a bow, crossbow, or launcher, it is ammunition, unless the rules specifically single out splash weapons as behaving differently.
EDIT: fixed quote tags
When dealing with splash damage from alchemical ammunition, however, magical weapon qualities should not be applied IMO; only the target actually struck by the ammunition would be affected by the weapon enhancement bonus, extra damage, etc. The note from Table 15-10 states that the ability is bestowed on the ammunition, not a substance contained in the ammunition.This distinction is pretty meaningless. The substance contained in the flask being fired from the flask launcher and the flask are BOTH the ammunition.
Um, no. The distinction is still there. The flask is the "ammunition" fired by a flask launcher. What the flask contains (acid, alchemist's fire, holy water, tanglebag goop, etc.) has no bearing on how ammunition is treated. In all cases the effect of weapon enhancements only affect the target hit by the ammunition (and only for that hit). Secondary effects (continuing damage, splash damage, magical area effects, etc.) are treated separately; see dustburst bullet, searing arrow, and tangle bolt, for example.
|
Is there any doubt to how this works?
A +1 Holy Launching Crossbow loaded with an Alchemist Fire would deal 1d6 (fire) + 2d6 (holy) + 1 (enhancement) to an evil target.
Or more, if the wielder is an Alchemist.
I'm picking up Exotic Proficiency for my Bolt Ace just for this reason.
Take Crossbow Mastery, load up a bandolier with Alchemical goodies, and go to town.
No, the weapon enhancements would not apply to any splash.
|
|
You will encounter people that argue it takes at least a move action to load the thing, though, due to the "retrieve a stowed item" mechanic.
I believe that's the general rule, though, and once you take Rapid Reload or Crossbow Mastery the loading time becomes reduced.
That's why I mentioned the bandolier, because it would be hard to argue your "ammunition" wasn't at the ready.
Bolt Ace
I'm sorry.
But seriously, talk to you DM and sort some of that s++% out. It's ludicrous.
It's really not. There is the oversight of still having the battered gun and firearm proficiency and that's it.Bolt AceI'm sorry.
But seriously, talk to you DM and sort some of that s@@# out. It's ludicrous.
You also have a deed replacing half a feat you'd quite possibly want before you get the rest of at 11th.
You also have a rather cool deed that's completely unclear about what sort of action it is, proving useless if it's a standard action.
You have no good way to not provoke in melee - and the normal way to do so for gunslingers is invalid, because it specifies firearms.
You get the other half of Crossbow Mastery at 11th. If you have Rapid Reload already. Also, this is 6 levels past your first choice on crossbows to use, and 2 levels away in each direction from the 2nd and 3rd... so if you want to use heavy crossbows, get bent. Oh and lol @ that rider.
Because your Menacing Shot replacement is just.. no, please stop.
Oh, and if you want to use hand crossbows, get bent and get your own EWP.
It's all prety easy to fix if you talk to an understanding GM, but as-is it's drek.
|
You also have a deed replacing half a feat you'd quite possibly want before you get the rest of at 11th.You also have a rather cool deed that's completely unclear about what sort of action it is, proving useless if it's a standard action.
You have no good way to not provoke in melee - and the normal way to do so for gunslingers is invalid, because it specifies firearms.
You get the other half of Crossbow Mastery at 11th. If you have Rapid Reload already. Also, this is 6 levels past your first choice on crossbows to use, and 2 levels away in each direction from the 2nd and 3rd... so if you want to use heavy crossbows, get bent. Oh and lol @ that rider.
Because your Menacing Shot replacement is just.. no, please stop.
Oh, and if you want to use hand crossbows, get bent and get your own EWP.
It's all prety easy to fix if you talk to an understanding GM, but as-is it's drek.
1: You still want crossbow mastery even with inexplicable reload, because not an action reload is so much better than free action reloads, as shown by the shuriken thread going on now.
2: You don't provoke at 11 for shooting, and really, it's usually not difficult to make a 5' step. You could also dip fighter to pick up Point Blank Master.
3: Again, you really want crossbow mastery AND inexplicable reload. Not an action lets you do so much more, especially with thing like snap shot.
4: Pinning Shot is actually pretty nice. At 15th level, a lot of things are immune to fear, and this is a no save Entangle + Stagger + No Move that forces at least one round of no actions to remove.
5: You should never be using Hand Crossbows ever. They are a joke of a weapon that only exist for style purposes.
