Explosive Missile, Void Bombs, and Alchemical Weapon


Rules Questions


Explosive Missile:
Benefit: As a standard action, the alchemist can infuse a single arrow, crossbow bolt, or one-handed firearm bullet with the power of his bomb, load the ammunition, and shoot the ranged weapon. He must be proficient with the weapon in order to accomplish this. When the infused ammunition hits its target, it deals damage normally and detonates as if the alchemist had thrown the bomb at the target. If the explosive missile misses, it does not detonate.

Alchemical Weapon:
Benefit: At 2nd level, a grenadier can infuse a weapon or piece of ammunition with a single harmful alchemical liquid or powder, such as alchemist’s fire or sneezing powder, as a move action. This action consumes the alchemical item, but transfers its effect to the weapon in question.

The alchemical item takes full effect on the next creature struck by the weapon, but does not splash, spread, or otherwise affect additional targets. Any extra damage added is treated like bonus dice of damage, and is not doubled on a critical hit. The alchemical treatment causes no harm to the weapon treated, and wears off 1 minute after application if no blow is struck. At 6th level, a grenadier can use her alchemical weapon ability as a swift action. At 15th level, this ability becomes a free action.

Void Bomb:
Benefit: Benefit: By combining the spores from strange fungi with slivers from extradimensional voids, some drow alchemists create bombs that cause bursts of gravity capable of crushing those inside. Void bombs deals 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage, plus 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage for every 2 alchemist levels beyond 1st, instead of 1d6. A creature hit by the bomb must succeed at a Reflex save against the bomb's DC. If it fails, it is knocked prone and can't get up for 1 round. If it succeeds, all of its movement speeds are reduced to 5 feet for 1 round. Other creatures within 5 feet of the bomb's target take no damage, but must succeed at a Reflex save against the bomb's DC or have all their movement speeds reduced to 5 feet for 1 round.

So I have a few questions here about how these abilities interact:

1. Can I use Explosive Missile to apply a Void Bomb to a crossbow bolt? Essentially I'm asking whether discoveries that change bomb properties would apply to explosive missile

2. If I attach a tanglefoot bag to my crossbow bolt using Alchemical Weapon, then attach a void bomb using explosive missile, THEN hit that orc with it - in what order do the effects resolve? Prone then entangled? Entangled then prone?

Cheers!


1) Yes. "deals damage normally and detonates as if the alchemist had thrown the bomb at the target" - whatever the bomb would normally do if thrown will also happen here.

2) I think it's whatever order is most beneficial to the creature using the abilities(in this case the alchemist), but I'm not sure.


I'd say (not out of any sort of rule, but only logic) that the order the abilities were cast would would relate to the order of effect.
Because bombs are very time-sensitive, while alchemical weapons are not as sensitive, I'd say that the alchemical weapon would be done first, then bomb infused after, resulting in the most recent effect (bomb) being applied first.

It would be completely legal for the alchemist to reverse the order of his actions, but it seems illogical or unrealistic (game-y, gaming the system), since outside of the implications it has on game mechanics, he would have no reason to reverse the order realistically-speaking.

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