The damage of an alchemist’s bomb increases by 1d6 points at every oddnumbered alchemist level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike).
Does this mean you CAN use Vital Strike with Bombs, but each level of VS only adds +1d6 for the base bomb damage?
The damage of an alchemist’s bomb increases by 1d6 points at every oddnumbered alchemist level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike).Does this mean you CAN use Vital Strike with Bombs, but each level of VS only adds +1d6 for the base bomb damage?
Huh. Kind of reads that way. Waste of a feat though really.
Huh. Kind of reads that way. Waste of a feat though really.
Perhaps not if you are also taking Potent Bombs which increase the base bomb damage.
Potent bombs: The damage dealt by an alchemist’s bomb
increases by 1d6. An alchemist can select this discovery
more than once, its effects stack.
It also seems reasonable if an Alchemist HAS Vital Strike, for their Delayed Bombs to benefit from it. ...?
I don't know about potent bomb increasing base damage. It's not worded either way. I gotta go with James on this one. It's not something intended to work with bombs, because they now scale rather well with the new revision. Here's James post in the old threat about this. Source
OK, well either way I figured it would help clarify the final wording.
It does seem like there should be some mechanism to increase Delayed Bombs...
I would think that setting up a Delayed Bomb (as Full Round?) could apply the Direct Damage to EVERYBODY in Range (but give a Reflex Save unless they are in same square).
To me it reads as you can not use the feat with it. As vital strike does increase or multiply damage by default.
To me it reads as you can not use the feat with it. As vital strike does increase or multiply damage by default.
I think that's the intent, but as written it looks a lot like VS and subsequent imp, and greater VS would add another d6.
To clarify it might just be easier to write a line like "Bombs cannot be used to apply precision based effects (eg VS, sneak attack damage, or critical feat effects other than deafening or blinding)
(Which would open an interesting discovery: Shaped Charge... which sacrifices splash damage and effects for precision basd damage.)
I think that's the intent, but as written it looks a lot like VS and subsequent imp, and greater VS would add another d6.
How so? What I am seeing is "(this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike)." which means you would not gain the 1d6 from vital strike as its a multiplier of your standard 1d6.
Vital strike: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together, but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack). This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit (although other damage bonuses are multiplied normally)
see vital strike does not multiple on a crit but is extra damage. So as it could not work on a crit it has to be the normal bounse damage...which as you see above is not allowed as the feat multiples the damage your weapon deals as if you crited with the exceptions above
seekerofshadowlight it's from this line:
From this line:
"On a direct hit, an alchemist’s bomb inflicts 1d6
points of fire damage + additional damage equal to the
alchemist’s Intelligence modifier."
That suggests that the base damage of the bomb is 1d6, and so if you handled it like a short sword, VS and it's betters would each add another single dice of damage to a VS'ed bomb. (The return in damage for a feat is low, but it seems consistent with RAW rules.)
(I agree the bonus damage for addtional levels of alchemist is would not be multiplied, but the base damage of the bombs does seem open to VS.)
seekerofshadowlight it's from this line:
From this line:
"On a direct hit, an alchemist’s bomb inflicts 1d6
points of fire damage + additional damage equal to the
alchemist’s Intelligence modifier."That suggests that the base damage of the bomb is 1d6, and so if you handled it like a short sword, VS and it's betters would each add another single dice of damage to a VS'ed bomb. (The return in damage for a feat is low, but it seems consistent with RAW rules.)
(I agree the bonus damage for addtional levels of alchemist is would not be multiplied, but the base damage of the bombs does seem open to VS.)
That is how I read it too. It also means a critical hit with a bomb only adds 1d6 + intelligence bonus. All other dice are additive and do not multiply.
I still disagree, that and we have been told it does not work with VS.
I still disagree, that and we have been told it does not work with VS.
On a direct hit, an alchemist’s bomb inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage + additional damage equal to the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier. The damage of an alchemist’s bomb increases by 1d6 points at every oddnumbered alchemist level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike).
Emphasis mine.
This implies that only the original 1d6 + Intelligence bonus is the base weapon damage. The additional damage is bonus dice and operates like additive dice from sneak attack or magic weapon properties (such as bane), i.e. it does not multiply.
As such, the Vital Strike feat would allow you to roll the base damage die twice, giving you an extra 1d6 damage. It is not much of a damage increase really.
Edit: While I agree with James, his comment there does not actually rule out the way I am reading the rules. If I am correct, the feat does very little to increase the power of a bomb. In fact, it is more useful when combined with an alchemist's Throw Anything feat for all of the improvised throwing weapons he can make use of.