Boulderhead Bock and Kineticist Burn

[kadance]

How do the item and mechanic in the subject interact?

This was first mentioned about 8 months ago here

Burn:

At 1st level, a kineticist can overexert herself to channel more power than normal, pushing past the limit of what is safe for her body by accepting burn. Some of her wild talents allow her to accept burn in exchange for a greater effect, while others require her to accept a certain amount of burn to use that talent at all. For each point of burn she accepts, a kineticist takes 1 point of nonlethal damage per character level. This damage can't be healed by any means other than getting a full night's rest, which removes all burn and associated nonlethal damage. Nonlethal damage from burn can't be reduced or redirected, and a kineticist incapable of taking nonlethal damage can't accept burn. A kineticist can accept only 1 point of burn per round. This limit rises to 2 points of burn at 6th level, and rises by 1 additional point every 3 levels thereafter. A kineticist can't choose to accept burn if it would put her total number of points of burn higher than 3 + her Constitution modifier (though she can be forced to accept more burn from a source outside her control). A kineticist who has accepted burn never benefits from abilities that allow her to ignore or alter the effects she receives from nonlethal damage.

Boulderhead Bock:

This malty ale has a legendarily thick, creamy head. It creates a pleasant buzz and sense of euphoria that dull the effects of pain and concussions, granting the drinker a +1 alchemical bonus on saving throws to avoid becoming dazed, staggered, or stunned, or against any effect with the pain descriptor (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 138) for 1 hour. In addition, a dose of boulderhead bock grants the drinker 1d6 temporary hit points that apply exclusively against nonlethal damage. Multiple doses of boulderhead bock stack, to a maximum alchemical bonus of +5 and a maximum of 20 temporary hit points.

[Protoman]

The intention of kineticist burn is that nothing alleviates the nonlethal damage the kineticist takes when accepting burn. If there's a pre-existing item that sounds like it would, it shouldn't. The text "Nonlethal damage from burn can't be reduced or redirected" serves as specific over general unless something comes along in the future that SPECIFICALLY says "this ignores the no nonlethal damage reduction rule of kineticist's burn".

[Mark Seifter]

Protoman is right on the general rule. Also, this item seems to be written under a non-standard interpretation of nonlethal damage. Nonlethal damage counts up instead of reducing hp, so you can't have "temporary hit points that apply exclusively to nonlethal damage". There's no way for them to interact.

[kadance]

Thank you for the responses.

The Alchemy Manual was written by Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, and David N. Ross, so there's your prime suspects.