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Winged bottle is a magic item from the Alchemy Manual:
"A winged bottle can be filled with the contents of an alchemical splash weapon as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Three times per day, on command, the bottle sprouts crystalline wings and takes flight. The owner can move the winged bottle to any space within 130 feet as a move action; if given no direction, the bottle floats in place. While flying, the bottle is able to drop its contents as a splash weapon with an attack bonus equal to 3 + the owner's Dexterity modifier. The owner must have line of sight to the bottle in order to direct it. Three rounds after being activated, a winged bottle loses the power of flight and drifts safely to ground." Emphasis mine.
My question is: does the bottle need to be commanded to drop it's payload with an action or is that part of the move action command. Additionally, does this work like Flyby Attack where the bottle can drop it's payload anytime during it's move or only at the end? The wording is rather ambiguous. Official ruling would be preferred, general consensus works for me too though!
While flying, the bottle is able to drop its contents as a splash weapon with an attack bonus equal to 3 + the owner's Dexterity modifier.
My question is: ... does this work like Flyby Attack where the bottle can drop it's payload anytime during it's move or only at the end?
I doubt it. the "While flying" means that you have to have used a move action to fly the bottle into position, it can't just launch itself as part of the attack. It doesn't mean that it can make the drop during its move action like flyby attack.
It's not clear what sort of action commanding the bottle to release the payload is, but because activating the bottle in the first place was a standard action (because no other type of action was specified), I'm OK with it not costing an action at all (you already paid a standard when you activated it) and then a move action to direct it to the target (and possibly previously paid a move action to get it out and a standard action to fill it, unless you keep it already filled, reducing your flexibility to change from alchemical fire to alchemical acid or caustic base or whatever other alchemical splash weapon you might have in your kit).
That's... very strange wording. It sounds almost like it'd be a free action, since the standard action 'activation' is to get it to fly in the first place. At the very most, I'd argue 'free action as part of the move action'. That, or it's expected to be treated like a temporarily Animated Object... but that's strongly improbable.
When in doubt, the safest route would probably be to 'activate' it Again with a standard action. At the very least, the rules cover that. But this seems to be in GM territory.
It say's "while flying you can drop its payload" When you are done moving a flying bottle it "floats" in place, I would totally let you get away with using it like flyby attack, so long as you are using up your standard action, and your move action I don't see why not. Would have been nice if the text had said something like "Anytime during its movement it can drop its payload" Perhaps the GM will allow you to craft a flying bottle with the flyby attack feat attached to it? Just increase the DC of the craft check by 5 to ignore the prerequisites of having flyby attack as a trained feat.
I'd be wary of letting the bottle do a fly-by, because somebody will try to get three attacks out of 1 activation by
1) Activate pre-filled bottle (std action) + move 65 feet, flyby drop load and return (all 1 move action)
2) refill bottle (std action) + move 65 feet, flyby drop load and return (all 1 move action)
3) refill bottle (std action) + move 65 feet, flyby drop load and return (all 1 move action)
Even though it doesn't have such language, I feel that the bottle is only intended to get one drop per activation, thus limiting it to three times a day. But without the designer telling us, that's only my interpretation of RAI.
Flyby attack is a an action that requires your move and your standard action. I think by the language it will still require both of them actions, but the bottle can move a total of 130 ft. during the action, but it could move 65 ft drop its load, then move 65 ft to return to its owner, at which point you would have a single swift action remaining.
It does say "it is able to drop its contents as a splash weapon" a splash weapon is a ranged touch attack, and therefore it requires your standard action to release its contents.
You know a tricky question was asked when the first three people to respond gave wildly different answers lol. Not exactly the general consensus I was looking for but I'll take it ;)
Heh... Welcome to the messageboards =P
The safest stance you can possibly take is to interpret it to require a secondary standard action Activation, a command word or something, as usual. The rules support that. Since there is nothing in the RAW that directly supports an alternate theory other than strange wording, it seems the default. A splash weapon touch attack also fits under this category.
The second best interpretation seems to be a free-action use at any time during its (Move action) flight. A GM could easily rule that. A game in PFS would likely not.
Flyby attack is a an action that requires your move and your standard action. I think by the language it will still require both of them actions, but the bottle can move a total of 130 ft. during the action, but it could move 65 ft drop its load, then move 65 ft to return to its owner, at which point you would have a single swift action remaining.
It does not have a Flyspeed. There's nothing to determine its maneuverability in the air. It moves to a Single space within x distance as a move action; nothing seems to imply this can be a gradually plotted movement 5 feet at a time. This seems to invalidate any "flyby attack" that actually returns.
It does not have a Flyspeed. There's nothing to determine its maneuverability in the air. It moves to a Single space within x distance as a move action; nothing seems to imply this can be a gradually plotted movement 5 feet at a time. This seems to invalidate any "flyby attack" that actually returns.
You make a good point, I was thinking it could move 130 ft, but since it moves to a square within 130 ft I would still think during that movement you could spend your standard action to drop its payload on any square / cross section / foe that it passes over.
Again, without talking to the actual designer, I can't claim special insight into RAI, but here's how I'd do it.
The move action to direct the bottle is one of two commands;
Move to square X,Y,Z (target co-ordinates must be within 130 feet)
or
Move to square X,Y,Z AND drop your payload there.
That's it. Nothing fancier, because your control is limited. It's not a two-joystick RC helicopter, after all.
It's reasonably sound. However, in almost any other context, the wording to denote that is usually "As part of" this movement, or action. "While flying" is poor, vague wording indeed, compared to most other examples out there. I would, however, agree with Slimgauge that these are the rules as Intended.
Unfortunately, feel the need to assert that if you're ever unsure in such a situation, then the standard action fallback is always the right one. That at the least is Always clear in the rules.
At 1,620 gp, it is priced as a 3/day command activated item. It is based off of Spiritual Weapon, which auto attacks but needs a move to reposition.
The description also states: While flying, the bottle is able to drop its contents.... That is, the bottle's action and not your action. Just like a summoned creature.
I think RAI is free action attack.
/cevah