Does Deadly aim feat work with alchemist's bombs?


Rules Questions


I only play PFS so asking for PFS ruling

thanks

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Deadly Aim wrote:
Benefit: You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all ranged attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all ranged damage rolls. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every +4 thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.


And before someone asks about gunslingers and guns, they have an explicit rules exception that Deadly Aim works with firearms.

Sovereign Court

Typically, PFS will not make custom rulings that overrides the native pathfinder rules. There are maybe a couple of exceptions, but they can all be found in the FAQ.

The rules forum is typically the best place to ask these questions.

Sczarni

I've flagged it to be moved as well.

Sovereign Court

CRobledo wrote:
And before someone asks about gunslingers and guns, they have an explicit rules exception that Deadly Aim works with firearms.

I haven't heard that, and it sounds too good to be true. Can you cite a ruling? (or were you just pointing out it works with guns when they're not using touch attacks, such as beyond the 1st range increment?)

Grand Lodge

deusvult wrote:
CRobledo wrote:
And before someone asks about gunslingers and guns, they have an explicit rules exception that Deadly Aim works with firearms.
I haven't heard that, and it sounds too good to be true. Can you cite a ruling? (or were you just pointing out it works with guns when they're not using touch attacks, such as beyond the 1st range increment?)

Ultimate Combat, page 136:

Quote:
When firing an early firearm, the attack resolves against the target’s touch AC when the target is within the first range increment of the weapon, but this type of attack is not considered a touch attack for the purposes of feats and abilities such as Deadly Aim.

That language is repeated for the Advanced Firearms, too.

Sczarni

It's surprising how often that confusion keeps resurfacing.


For the sake of some thread necro, what about the Bolt Ace gunslinger archetype which uses a crossbow instead of a gun, but still can manage touch attacks? Does deadly aim work then?


It does not.
They didnt (last I saw) have any wording to allow it. Sadly.

The Concordance

Isn't there a difference between "touch attacks" and "attacks that target touch AC"?

Attacks that target touch AC can use Deadly Aim and don't bypass DR.

Touch attacks can't use Deadly Aim and do bypass DR.


Oh hum I suppose sharpshooting does only say resolve agianst rather than calling it a touch attack.

Less sure now. I can see either way.
but. I would have say yeah you can use it then.

'resolve agianst touch AC' is considerably weirdly worded like to avoid calling it a touch attack otherwise they could have just done it simplier "counts as ranged touch attack"


An Alchemist can combine Deadly Aim and an Alchemist Bomb using the Discovery Explosive Missile. In that case, you infuse an arrow or something with the bomb, and you use Deadly Aim with the arrow. If you were a Grenadier, you could infuse both a Bomb and a flask of Alchemist Fire to the arrow and use Deadly Aim.

To make up the loss of accuracy, take an Extract of True Strike, first.

When you get to higher levels, you might alternate between shooting single, powerful arrows like the one I described above and using the Fast Bombs Discovery to throw volleys of bombs.


I would point out, however, that DA used on an arrow with riders still only increases physical damage, not the energy damage which is typically the desired increase for this question.


An oversight more than likely, but the Alchemist iconic applies his deadly aim bonus to his bombs.

Haven't heard of any corrections by PFS.

Grand Lodge

Opuk0 wrote:

An oversight more than likely, but the Alchemist iconic applies his deadly aim bonus to his bombs.

Haven't heard of any corrections by PFS.

There's no PFS corrections because the Iconic Alchemist isn't a PFS legal pregen. None of the APG pregens are PFS legal.

Sovereign Court

Sorry for the thread necro, but since Deadly Aim doesn't work for bombs, are there any other way to boost bomb dmg other than Point-Blank Shot?


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If you really want you could use a crossbow and the explosive missile discovery, with or without deadly aim.

If you're willing to wait the immolation bomb discovery adds damage.

There's at least one alchemist archetype which is an arcane spellcaster; arcane strike should work for them.

Hammer the gap, probably martial focus and some other wastes of feats can add a little damage.

A cognatogen can increase your Int bonus which gets added to damage.

Sovereign Court

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Targeted Bomb Admixture for double Int to damage, but doesn't splash.
Unstable Accelerant for fire bombs.

A level dip into Medium channeling Champion spirit gives +1 to hit and +3 damage (+1/+1 from Sprit Bonus, +0/+2 from seance). Another +1 hit and damage with the feat Spirit Focus, and if you aren't playing PFS the Spirit-Bonded medium armor enchant brings another +1/+1. So +3 to hit and +5 to damage. If you compare that to losing a level in bomb progression, it's not bad. Half a d6 is an average of 1.75 damage and you comparing that to +5.

Medium also gets you a d6 added to failed attack rolls or fort saving throws with Champion spirit a few times a day. It also gets you cantrips... notably Detect Magic which I always found annoying to not have as an Alchemist. Also proficiency in all martial and any exotic weapon you feel like (and can change it daily) or a few more of those d6s. Also medium(ha) armor proficiency.

Personally, I find it's well worth the dip. On most classes.

And when you run out of bombs, throwing an Acid Flask for 1d6+5+Int still feels good at medium-low levels (and don't get me started on Hybridization Funnel which keeps it relevant in the low teens). The Grenadier archetype even allows you to attach one of those Acid Flasks (which may or may not be hybridized) to your crossbow bolt that AVR mentioned that you fire with Explosive Missile. So Bolt damage (+5 from Medium), Bomb damage (+5 from Medium), and Acid Flask damage (+5 from Medium). Though, I would probably go with Tangleshot or Dye bolts to lock in that touch attack at the expense of the bolt damage.

Sovereign Court

Firebug wrote:
So Bolt damage (+5 from Medium), Bomb damage (+5 from Medium), and Acid Flask damage (+5 from Medium).

About this combo: isn't there a rule against stacking bonuses from the same source? I doubt you can add the +5 medium bonus three times on the same explosive arrow...

Sovereign Court

Purple Dragon Knight wrote:
Firebug wrote:
So Bolt damage (+5 from Medium), Bomb damage (+5 from Medium), and Acid Flask damage (+5 from Medium).
About this combo: isn't there a rule against stacking bonuses from the same source? I doubt you can add the +5 medium bonus three times on the same explosive arrow...

Note: Its 3 different damage rolls. In my example, it's a Piercing damage roll followed by a Fire damage roll and an Acid damage roll. You aren't applying the medium damage bonus multiple times on a single roll.

This isn't generally a good thing. For example, if something has damage reduction(or energy resist or hardness) it applies to each individual portion.

You might be thinking of the rule (FAQ really) that untyped ability score bonuses do not stack.

Also forgot to mention a Conductive Weapon enchant in my previous post for an extra bomb instance on the Explosive Missile at the cost of 2 uses.


Firebug wrote:
Note: Its 3 different damage rolls.
    No it's not. It's one damage roll with extra damage. The text in Grenadier is pretty explicit: "Any extra damage added is treated like bonus dice of damage". It says the alechemical weapon's damage is added, not simultaneously applied.
    If you make one attack roll, you only have one damage roll*. It's just like a Flaming weapon.

Likewise, the Hybridization Funnel produces a single alchemical weapon, it requires a single attack roll, and the effect is a single damage roll.

*) The only exception is Manyshot, which is very explicit about what you can add how often.

Firebug wrote:
In my example, it's a Piercing damage roll followed by a Fire damage roll and an Acid damage roll.

It's a single damage roll with piercing, fire, and acid portions.

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