Grenadiers and tanglefoot bags

[Jiraiya22]

Grenadier alchemists can "infuse a weapon or piece of ammunition with a single harmful alchemical liquid or powder, such as alchemist’s fire or sneezing powder." Does this include Tanglefoot Bags?

[Rynjin]

I don't see why not. It's not just damage dealing items since Sneezing Powder works.

[Fatespinner]

Seems perfectly legit to me. Applying tanglefoot bags to ranged ammo seems like a pretty effective means of crowd control at lower levels, albeit a tad costly.

[Tempest_Knight]

But would they count as a powder or liquid?

I'd allow it if the player was smart enough to not expose the gunk in the bag to the air...

[Joesi]

I'd say no; Tanglefoot bags weigh 4 friggin pounds.

Aside from the mechanics of tanglefoot being applied to a missile being kinda strange in the first place, getting 0.5–4 pounds of the stuff (however much is necessary) attached to a missile without changing any properties of that missile (accuracy, range, damage) seems especially unplausible.
Sure, it's not necessarily just applying ALL the item to the missile, but rather using some supernatural/extraordinary ability ALONG with applying some of the material, but I'd still say that due to the huge base amount of material (and the nature of the material), that it wouldn't be viable.

That said, I wish there was a more compact/light (and hence expensive, maybe a higher DC as well while we're at it, for extra cost of course) alchemical item to use to replace tanglefoot bags for those who do want to use it without being terribly bogged-down/"encumbered" (at least at lower levels), or to use it for the suggested use.

I guess in a sense there already is: the alchemist's tanglefoot bomb.
The alchemist's tanglefoot bomb CAN be attached to a missile using the alchemist's Explosive Missile (lvl 4) discovery, so the grenadier should maybe aim for that feat (even though it's obviously similar to his class feat)

[Jiraiya22]

There are already tanglefoot arrows from the elf book so it shouldn't be that incomprehensible, although those halve the weapon's range and don't do damage. However you shouldn't let thoughts as to the practicality of tying a tanglefoot bag to an arrow distract you from the question as that's not what's happening here. The alchemist infuses the weapon with the item's properties, there's magic involved. Already the alchemist can infuse a projectile with alchemist's fire, which weighs a pound and would have a significant effect on a projectile, but it doesn't because the alchemist isn't really tying alchemist's fire to an arrow.

The question is whether a tanglefoot bag is a harmful alchemical liquid and subject to this ability.

[Kamelguru]

Plausible. Pathfinder.

Choose one.

Seriously, having a magical class using one of it's class abilities to launch a four pound object is hardly the most fantastic thing that happens in this game.

It is far less plausible that a sword can cut through anything with a higher density than what it is made of (dragon scale), and straight-out ignoring requirements of a higher grade of density (DR X/Adamantite) due to the flimsy reasoning that "GOD WILLS IT!" (ie: smite)

[Rynjin]

Kamelguru wrote:

Plausible. Pathfinder.

Choose one.

Seriously, having a magical class using one of it's class abilities to launch a four pound object is hardly the most fantastic thing that happens in this game.

It is far less plausible that a sword can cut through anything with a higher density than what it is made of (dragon scale), and straight-out ignoring requirements of a higher grade of density (DR X/Adamantite) due to the flimsy reasoning that "GOD WILLS IT!" (ie: smite)

Even better, high level Monk unarmed strikes.

Think the steel sword is implausibly going through a tougher material? Try that squishy flesh beating straight through it. Bonus points if using Snake Style to deal Piercing damage when you do so, so it can't even be handwaved as transferring the force because blunt weapons.

[Joesi]

Oh It's supernatural not extraordinary, so I guess It wouldn't necessarily have any substance on it at all, just "essence" or whatever.

I forgot that tanglefoot arrows existed; with that in mind it seems like it'd certainly be doable (even though such arrows are weaker, these ones are magical and might not be subject to weaker effect at all)

Kamelguru wrote:

It is far less plausible that a sword can cut through anything with a higher density than what it is made of (dragon scale), and straight-out ignoring requirements of a higher grade of density (DR X/Adamantite) due to the flimsy reasoning that "GOD WILLS IT!" (ie: smite)

It's just another form of magic really.