OIL OF POTENCY ITEM 2
Consumable, Magical, Oil, Transmutation
Price 5 gp
Method of Use held, 2 hands; Bulk L
Activation [[A]] Operate Activation
When you apply this oil to a nonmagical weapon or
suit of armor, that item immediately becomes magically potent.
The item gains a temporary +1 potency rune of the appropriate
type, even if it isn’t expert-quality or higher. This lasts for 1 minute.
One of my players, in purchasing items for his 7th-level Affair at Sombrefell Hall character, was enthusiastic about Oil of Potency. He imagined buying several mundane weapons with his 125 gp, waiting to see what enemy showed up, and enchanting the right weapon for the job of defeating that enemy. He has a lasting impression from one of his first Pathfinder 1st Edition battles being against skeletons with DR 5/bludgeoning that the right damage type or special material is a key to victory.
When I described Method of Use to him, he lost much of that enthusiasm.
I said, "Held two hands means that you need to hold the oil in both hands. Perhaps you have the bottle in one hand and an application cloth in the other. Either way, you are using both hands to hold the Oil of Potency before you can apply it. You can't be holding the weapon in your hand, because you need both hands for the oil. Maybe the weapon is on a table in front of you, or it could be on the floor at your feet or still in the scabbard. It just has to be within reach. And the Operate Activation means you have to spend a resonance point as you apply the oil, but that does not require an extra action. After you apply the oil, you can drop the empty bottle and use an Interact action to pick up the weapon in the proper grip to wield it."
Thus, his actions upon seeing an enemy and deciding on which weapon to enchant with the Oil of Potency would be an Interact Action to put away whatever weapon is in his hands, an Interact action to draw the oil, an Operate Activation action to apply the oil to the chosen weapon still in its scabbard, and an Interact action to draw the oiled weapon. If he is lucky, he has the right unenchanted weapon in his hands and can drop it on the floor as a free action instead of putting it away as an Interact action, because applying the oil to it on the floor is as easy as applying it on a table or in the scabbard, and picking it up off the floor is as easy as drawing it. If he is crazy prepared, he has all his weapons on a table in front of him.
And Interact and Operate Activation all have the manipulate trait, so they provoke attacks of opportunity.
Do I have that right? It seems like a heavy action cost to use the Oil of Potency. The only other threads on Method of Use I could find were Spell Duelist's Gloves are "Held" and Action system, simplicity, quantum physics?.
The same goes for a lot of the oils, I think, like Oil of Keen or Mending.
I can't say where fro the rules ATM but I really thought I saw somewhere that the 2 hands for applying something like that could include holding the thing you apply it to in one hand.
Similarly poisons are 2-hand applied I believe, but you can apply them to a weapon in one hand with the other free.
I check on applying poisons, to see if that method followed Edge93's description.
Applying alchemical poisons uses Operate Activation
actions, but these activations don’t cost Resonance Points.
A poison typically requires one hand to pour into food or
scatter in the air, or two hands to apply to a weapon or
item. The Method of Use entry for a poison describes these
typical means of application, but the GM might determine
that using poisons in other ways functions differently....
Injury
An injury poison activates when applied to a weapon,
and it affects the target of the first Strike made using the
poisoned weapon. If that Strike is a success or a critical
success and deals piercing or slashing damage, the target
must attempt a saving throw against the poison. If the
Strike is a failure or a critical failure, or if it fails to deal
slashing or piercing damage for some other reason, the
poison is spent but the target is unaffected.
I scrolled down to find an injury poison. Black Adder Venom on page 361 says, "Method of Use held, 2 hands; Bulk L; [[AAA]] Activation Operate Activation, no cost." No other details about application. Cytillesh Oil, Giant Centipede Venom, Giant Scorpion Venom, Giant Wasp Venom, Graveroot, and Hunting Spider Venom are the same.
Finally, I found the right entry in the Treasure chapter under Types of Magic Items.
Activating Oils
You can activate an oil by applying it to its target,
which is usually an object. This usually takes two hands,
as indicated in an oil’s stat block: one to hold the jar
containing the oil, and another to extract the oil and apply
it. An item or creature you apply the oil to must be within
your reach. Because the process is so thorough, it is usually
impossible to apply an oil to an unwilling target or an item
in the possession of an unwilling target unless that target is
paralyzed, petrified, or unconscious.
Thus, one hand to hold the jar and the other hand to apply the oil. That leaves zero hands to hold the item, so the item is elsewhere within reach.
I had a faint hope that "held, two hands" might be short for "oil held in one hand, target weapon held in the other."
My players--I checked with three of them--have a big objection to using Oil of Potency (or the similar Oil of Keen Edges) right before combat. It would mean disarming oneself when fighting might break out any second. Even in a scenario where the party is quietly preparing for battle before kicking in the door to an occupied room, there is a chance that the occupants might open the door themselves and rush out.
And the one-minute duration of the oil means applying it is useful only right before combat or during combat.
And I have a more subtle objection: indirect taxes on actions. I can understand the PF2 designers wanting applying Oil of Potency to take several actions. Pulling out a bottle of oil, pouring the oil onto a rubbing cloth, polishing the blade with the rubbing cloth--this is not a quick activity. It should take at least a full turn. Using an oil in Pathfinder 1st Edition takes a full turn: one move action to draw the oil and one standard action to apply it. But the only step mentioned on the Oil of Potency entry is the [[A]] Operate Activation, which I presume means applying the oil to the blade with the rubbing cloth. The rest of the steps are implied. And the wrong steps are implied, since dropping the sword on the floor is the fastest way to free up both hands.
PLAYER: I apply Oil of Potency to my longsword. And then I move to the door.
GM: Wait, how many actions did you take for the oil?
PLAYER: One to draw the oil and one "Operate Activation" to apply the oil. It has the single-action symbol. I dropped the bottle on the floor as a free action.
GM: The oil says Method of Use is held in two hands. You can't hold your longsword while using the oil. It would be one free action to drop the sword, your first action to draw the oil, your second action as Operate Activation to apply the oil, and your third action to pick up the sword again.
PLAYER: Wow. Okay, I draw the oil, then I drop the sword, and then I apply ...
GM: No, you have to drop the sword first; otherwise, you would be holding the oil in one hand and need another Interact action to extract the oil once you have two hands free.
The scenario is complicated because the GM is explaining details to the player, so let's jump ahead to the next game session where the player has mastered using the Oil of Potency.
PLAYER: Looks like this is the boss battle. Time for the Oil of Potency. I sheathe my longsword. I draw my bottle of Oil of Potency and extract the oil with both hands in one Interact action. I apply it to the sword while it is in its scabbard. Next turn, I will draw the sword.
That is still a lot more mechanic-laden description than I want in my game. I want to hear, "On my turn I draw my Oil of Potency and apply the oil to my sword. I already had the sword in hand," or "On my turn I draw my Oil of Potency and apply the oil to my sword. I draw my sword in the process."
I am going to make a houserule so that my players will try the Oil of Potency. The rule is:
Activating Oils, Mathmuse version
You can activate an oil by applying it to its target, which is usually an object. This usually takes two hands, one hand holding the oil and one hand interacting with the oil and the object, as indicated in an oil’s stat block. Applying the oil takes a mimimum of two actions, one Operate Activation action to appy the oil combined with an Interact action to manipulate the object, but some applications may take longer. An item or creature you apply the oil to must be within your reach and if it can be held in one hand, you may hold it while activating the oil. The Interact action can also perform other Interact activities, such as drawing the object and arranging it in a proper grip for use and putting the empty oil bottle in a belt pouch. Because the process is so thorough, it is usually impossible to apply an oil to an unwilling target or an item in the possession of an unwilling target unless that target is paralyzed, petrified, or unconscious.
Thus, using Oil of Potency on a sword held in one hand would take three actions: one to draw the oil and two to apply the oil to the sword. If the sword is two-handed, the character can finish with the oil bottle put away and the sword in a proper two-handed grip.
The heading on Oil of Potency would be editted under my housrule to say:
OIL OF POTENCY ITEM 2
Consumable, Magical, Oil, Transmutation
Price 5 gp
Method of Use held, one hand, plus one hand for object; Bulk L
Activation [[A]] Operate Activation, [[A]] Interact
When you apply this oil to a nonmagical weapon or suit of armor, that item immediately becomes magically potent. The item gains a temporary +1 potency rune of the appropriate type, even if it isn’t expert-quality or higher. This lasts for 1 minute.
Well, the description of applying oils is pretty explicit in saying that one hand holds the jar and the other scoops the junk out and smearing it on the object (as long as the object is in reach).
It does make sense in the sense that applying it one handed means that you somehow scoop the substance with the same hand you're holding the jar, which seems impossible.
On the other hand it is indeed quite limiting in action economy, needing around 2 rounds just to apply the oil.
Maybe a slight increase in duration to like 10 min would be enough.
It keeps the realism of applying, and keeps the functionality of lasting a battle since now you can preapply.
It would be nice to say that it does not matter how awkward applying magic oil is, because the character can perform it during downtime or exploration mode and we can handwave the awkwardness. That is what a ten-minute duration would allow.
But so long as we are going to allow oil to be applied during encounter mode, we need a system that works during encounter mode.
Practically, anything stored in a bottle requires two hands to use: one to hold the bottle and one to pull the cork. We could invent special bottles that could be opened one-handed, such as a potion bottle with a wax seal that can be bitten off, but if we are going that route, we could also invent a way to apply oil one-handed, too. The oil could be stored soaked into a rubbing cloth, like a modern wet wipe, that is wrapped in waxed paper.
My solution was to add an Interact action to explain the time spent holding the rubbing cloth in the same hand as the sword and then putting away the bottle and transfering the rubbing cloth to free hand to rub the oil on the sword. It isn't much more difficult than using spell components for a Material Casting.
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My solution was to add an Interact action to explain the time spent holding the rubbing cloth in the same hand as the sword and then putting away the bottle and transfering the rubbing cloth to free hand to rub the oil on the sword. It isn't much more difficult than using spell components for a Material Casting.
Nope, because then you'd just have Handwraps of Mighty Fists with Oil on them. :P