Thrown Items: Targeting a particular square

[Phalimar]

I'm sure I've just missed it in the PF2E CRB, but whether you're throwing a bomb, torch or caltrops at a particular square (on a flip-map), what are the rules? In PF1E, we gave each square an AC of 5 and, if the target was missed, we'd roll a d8 to determine which surrounding square was hit instead. Is there something similar for PF2E?

[FlashRebel]

There are no explicit rules about intentionally targeting empty squares with weapons but the rules about undetected creatures provide something close enough:

Undetected wrote:

For instance, suppose an enemy elf wizard cast invisibility and then Sneaked away. You suspect that with the elf’s Speed of 30 feet, they probably moved 15 feet toward an open door. You move up and attack a space 15 feet from where the elf started and directly on the path to the door. The GM secretly rolls an attack roll and flat check, but they know that you were not quite correct—the elf was actually in the adjacent space! The GM tells you that you missed, so you decide to make your next attack on the adjacent space, just in case. This time, it’s the right space, and the GM’s secret attack roll and flat check both succeed, so you hit!

The relevant part is about attacks always treated as a miss on an empty square, and for a splash weapon, a miss means it deals its splash damage in its landing square and in a 5-foot burst around it. Throwing a torch is the equivalent of using an improvised thrown weapon, and thrown weapons generally land in the square they're aimed at, whether they hit or miss.

Caltrops actually aren't used by throwing them:

Caltrops wrote:

These four-pronged metal spikes can cause damage to a creature’s feet. You can scatter caltrops in an empty square adjacent to you with an Interact action. The first creature that moves into that square must succeed at a DC 14 Acrobatics check or take 1d4 piercing damage and 1 persistent bleed damage. A creature taking persistent bleed damage from caltrops takes a –5-foot penalty to its Speed. Spending an Interact action to pluck the caltrops free reduces the DC to stop the bleeding. Once a creature takes damage from caltrops, enough caltrops are ruined that other creatures moving into the square are safe.

Deployed caltrops can be salvaged and reused if no creatures took damage from them. Otherwise, enough caltrops are ruined that they can’t be salvaged.

[Phalimar]

Thanks FlashRebel.

I was just asking specifically about hitting a particular square (not really, necessarily I guess, as a part of combat). I _think_ I have my head around that first quote but I think I'll just house rule the AC5 (it's just easier for what you get out of it). Regarding the torch and caltrops, it was mostly about placement.

Caltrops are small and, thus, throwable. So if a PC is hiding around the corner of a building and some creatures are coming down the adjacent street, they might want to target a particular square during their movement (and not be in a position to just scatter them next to their current position). With a torch, they may be a similar position attempting to target a dry stack of wood.

[willot]

mmm problem with giving it an AC:5 is it wont take long before the AC before pointless.

Better that the GM just assigns it a Simple DC (Table PG 503 CRB). Also that way the GM can alter the DC based on local conditions. EG: The square is obscured by a smoke stick? (DC Adjustments PG504 CRB)

[Timeshadow]

Just a note throwing caltrops will likely not have the desired effect ie to scatter them all over the target 5' sq. I might allow you to remotely scatter them from up to 10' away with a throw but it would requre a check likely thevery to make them spread on impact the way you desired. DC would depend on cercimstances and surface and weather the caltrips were packed with this in mind ect.