Does enlarge person increase the die size of an Alchemists bomb?


Rules Questions

The Exchange

I was looking around and I couldn't find a clear reading about whether or not this would increase it. I mean technically the bombs would be bigger since everything increases in size but couldn't get a pinned down answer. If someone could help that would be great!


ask yourself, does a small size alchemist do less damage then a medium size one with the bombs?

Scarab Sages

Quoting from Enlarge Person:

Enlarge Person:
All equipment worn or carried by a creature is similarly enlarged by the spell. Melee weapons affected by this spell deal more damage (see Table: Medium/Large Weapon Damage). Other magical properties are not affected by this spell. Any enlarged item that leaves an enlarged creature's possession (including a projectile or thrown weapon) instantly returns to its normal size. This means that thrown and projectile weapons deal their normal damage. Magical properties of enlarged items are not increased by this spell.

Emphasis mine. Simply put, anything that leaves your hands (Arrows, Alchemist's Fire, Throwing Axes, Bombs, etc) returns to its normal size.

Neat trick to do with Reduce Person is to cast it on a Halfling Ranger who has Gravity Bow already on them. Tiny Size, Medium Arrows.


That's how I would rule it my self

The Exchange

Oh thanks guys, Its a bit late didn't even think of actually checking the rules on Enlarge person! Silly me was searching through all the Alchemist faqs and threads and what not. Appreciate the speedy answer!

Scarab Sages

Now if it was a Breath Weapon Bomb, that would be a different story:

Breath Weapon Bomb:
Instead of drawing the components of, creating, and throwing a bomb, the alchemist can draw the components, drink them, mix them within his body, and then expel them as a breath weapon as a standard action. This breath weapon is a 15-foot cone and has the same DC as the bomb. Each creature within the cone takes damage as if it had suffered a direct hit from the alchemist’s bomb, but succeeding at a Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the alchemist’s level + the alchemist’s Intelligent modifier) halves the damage. Unlike throwing normal bombs, drawing, drinking, and expelling breath weapon bombs does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

In this case, you do not throw it, you consume it and upchuck it out like a Elixir of Fire Breath, so that might affect the way the damage rules out.

The Exchange

Cao Phen wrote:

Now if it was a Breath Weapon Bomb, that would be a different story:

** spoiler omitted **

In this case, you do not throw it, you consume it and upchuck it out like a Elixir of Fire Breath, so that might affect the way the damage rules out.

Hmm its an interesting concept, technically the bomb doesn't leave so its considered a large bomb cause it stays on your person. I could see how that would affect the damage. It would be an interesting ruling or call on how that works.

Scarab Sages

Of course we can look back towards the first post that I did. It state "Melee weapons affected by this spell deal more damage". The Breath Weapon is not technically a "Melee Weapon", so I would think that it can not apply the size bonus to its damage, unless someone can rule otherwise.

The Exchange

Also enlarge person does have the line stating "Magical properties of enlarged items are not increased by this spell." SO maybe the vial gets bigger but the property of the bomb doesn't increase in any way.


Cao Phen wrote:
Of course we can look back towards the first post that I did. It state "Melee weapons affected by this spell deal more damage". The Breath Weapon is not technically a "Melee Weapon", so I would think that it can not apply the size bonus to its damage, unless someone can rule otherwise.

This is correct.

Bombs are a SU and due to this fact they are not effected by Enlarge Person etc.. Compare Bombs with spells .. do Fireballs from a large creature more damage?

Scarab Sages

Though if you want, you can get a larger radius, you can grab the Explosive Bombs Discovery. 10-foot radius with a chance to set the target on fire.

Combine that with Strafe Bomb and Shock Bomb Discoveries, and you can have multi-use, 80-foot line "Lightning Bolt". Earliest that you can grab this is at level 4.


my group has a tiny alchemist, its not a temporary effect like reduce person... should his bombs cause less damage? i was thinking that maybe it would because "Bombs are considered weapons" but maybe not the extra damage they add every odd-numbered alchemist level.

on a second thought they use the same vial with the same "one ounce of liquid catalyst", them he would be using an weapon Inappropriated to his size?


Splash weapons don't have 'sizes'. Otherwise my alchemist would load up on inappropriately sized 'huge' splash weapons, suck up the penalty to hit Touch AC, and still hit everything he throws at.


ok them, thank you. But that's RAW?

Grand Lodge

Shogal wrote:
ok them, thank you. But that's RAW?

Yes, splash weapons do the same damage no matter what size they are.


I know a guy who told me that he kept a large size set of bows and arrows. He would drop them as a Free Action, then cast Enlarge Person, then pick them up and shoot with them. He probably cast Gravity Bow after that!

If your Alchemist took Explosive Missile, and you cast Gravity Bow, the arrows would do more damage, even if your attached Bombs didn't.

I am pretty sure that extra dimensional spaces do not count as "on your person." So objects inside a Bag of Holding or a Handy Haversack are not Enlarged when you Enlarge. If you premade large-sized flasks of Alchemist Fire then Enlarged without the flasks being on your person, perhaps with in a Handy Haversack, then you could throw your large flasks normally and do your supersized damage that way.

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