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Can alchemists bombs (normal) catch trees, bushes, grass, etc. on fire? What if the bomb misses?
Since Explosive Bombs literally say the direct hit is caught on fire, can the splash also catch other things on fire? What if the bomb misses?
I have done some searching online and haven't been able to find an answer to this question. Please point me to reference materials if I'm just failing at google-fu :D
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PF is fond of the principle that if some rules element doesn't specifically say it has an effect and there isn't another rule which says so, then it doesn't have that effect. People used to D&D may well assume that throwing fire around in dry grass may have consequences, and it's not unreasonable, but it's not specified anywhere in PF except under a handful of spells that I know of; not as a general principle.
In the particular case of explosive bomb it says creatures which take a direct hit catch fire. Not splash damage, and misses only do splash damage:
If you miss the target (whether aiming at a creature or a grid intersection), roll 1d8. This determines the misdirection of the throw, with 1 falling short (off-target in a straight line toward the thrower), and 2 through 8 rotating around the target creature or grid intersection in a clockwise direction. Then, count a number of squares in the indicated direction equal to the range increment of the throw. After you determine where the weapon landed, it deals splash damage to all creatures in that square and in all adjacent squares.
As a GM I might well think that a thrown explosive bomb which misses might set a fire, but like I said, not in the rules.
avr is 100% correct.
If you're playing in a home game it might not be unreasonable to use these for other purposes (eg. throwing a bomb into dry grass to set a fire).
In one of my games game the GM let me use Frost Bombs to put out a small fire. I was using a thematically appropriate ability (cold vs fire) and expending a daily resource to overcome the challenge. It was also only 1 of 4 fires threatening the party and the other villagers, so this wasn't a single ability to end the encounter (I also had to roll damage vs the fire, and could only put out fires within the radius etc, so it wasn't a viable way of putting out forrest fires or anything).
This would of course be 100% GM fiat though, and it's all house rules, not official.
I'm pretty sure that they are not supposed to catch anything on fire. They'd work like a fireball. They are magic fire after all, so I think it's not even a matter of debate, and that there's specific rules indirectly relating to it.
That said, immolation bomb is more debatable if it could light something on fire, but I still think the answer is no (aside from it's normal DoT effect).
Explosive bombs WOULD start fires though.
Fireball actually does start things on fire in Pathfinder.
The fireball sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in the area. It can melt metals with low melting points, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, and bronze. If the damage caused to an interposing barrier shatters or breaks through it, the fireball may continue beyond the barrier if the area permits; otherwise it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does.
I agree that a normal bomb wouldn't generally start a fire, though. I'd treat it as an instantaneous fire, as described in 'Catching on fire'.