Do potion feats and class abilities work on oils?

[roguerouge]

Specifically, I'm wondering about Brew Potion, Extend Potion, and Enhance Potion.

[ErichAD]

It would probably depend on the oil. How is it made, what is required to make it, that sort of thing.

Without seeing the specific oil that could be an edge case, I'm assuming no. Potions have specific level and target limitations that oils don't also have by default. Oils also don't always apply a specific spell effect, making modifiers to spells meaningless or easily exploitable.

[Belafon]

I don't think that there are any rules that specifically mention the creation of magic oils - only of potions. The assumption has always been that if you can create potions you can create oils; otherwise no one could create oils. The description of potions in the Magic Items section indicates that potions are drunk and "Magic oils are similar to potions, except that oils are applied externally rather than imbibed." so it should be fairly obvious for most spells which category they would fall into.

So for your specific questions:
Brew Potion: Yes, otherwise no one has the ability to create oils.
Extend Potion: No. Specifically only works on potions you drink and oils are applied externally.
Enhance Potion: No. Same as Extend potion.

[ErichAD]

Machine Bane Oil, Oil of Attraction and Oil of Silence, all require craft wonderous item rather than brew potion. There are also oils that are merely alchemical, like anointing oil. I'm pretty sure "oil" isn't a mechanically specific word.

[Pizza Lord]

ErichAD wrote:

Machine Bane Oil, Oil of Attraction and Oil of Silence, all require craft wonderous item rather than brew potion.

I believe those require Craft Wondrous Item because those are not functionally potions or 'oils' in terms of Brew Potion.

Potions and Oils typically just evoke a spell that's placed into them. It is functionally the same as casting the spell will be. The above items have effects that differ from spells. Technically, by the normal naming conventions, they should bear a different moniker, such as 'elixir' or 'unguent' or something else, but... these things do slip by.

roguerouge wrote:

Specifically, I'm wondering about Brew Potion, Extend Potion, and Enhance Potion.

Belafon is correct. Extend and Enhance Potion both specify potions being drunk. An oil, by it's very nature (in regards to the oils and potions being discussed here), is applied externally and is typically reserved for spells that would directly effect objects or things that can't drink a potion, ie. magic weapon which would be rubbed onto the target weapon.

[zza ni]

i myself think that craft W. items is too large for it's scale compared to the other craft items feats. and while i do not limit it. i allow some trespassing on the other's side.

brew potion - also able to craft elixer's and one-use oils\edible items.

forge rings - can also make magical necklaces and bracelets.

crat magic arms and armor
from the weapon side: weapon-like specific items such as magical horse shows (even more so them that magickly enhance attacks). if you can craft magical cat claws for catfolk, you can do something like that for horses. also items that go along with weapons such as laces, scabbards, quivers etc. seeing as making 50 magical arrows also assume you make the quiver for it, same for scabbards.

from the armor side: magical helmets and gauntlets, maybe also some boots. also stuff that directly connected to armor ,such as the steelbone frame (that one actually also physically connected as well. says slot "armor" but craft w items feat).

i also combined craft wands, craft rods and craft staves into one feat, but limit the character to not be able to craft an item before heaving the caster level that the original crafting feat required.
(it seemed silly to me that if you know how to craft a staff you can't make wands without taking a separate feat first)

[roguerouge]

Sorry--oils like Magic Vestment or oil of animate rope. They have the * on this page.

[Azothath]

I agree that Potions, oils, philters, ointments, and salves (addressing the form of the potion) of the magical variety (spell in a can) are all made using Brew Potion. There's no reason to over-parse the text and make it more complicated than it already is. Some specific ones can be made as Wondr Items. A potion will have 1 application whereas a Wondrous item may have several. Game history (earlier editions) is also in agreement here.
The RAW text is in the post above (roguerouge).

You'll still need specific GM approval if you exceed a third level spell as that's the normal RAW cap for Brew Potion.

Extend & Enhance Potion APG is an Alchemist (Potion/Elixir) Discovery with the text "any potion he drinks" thus limiting applicability and requiring that you'd drink an oil (sounds like a "NO"). Alchemists are oddballs and thus you'll need GM consent to open it up to applied oils etc. The issue is potions apply to the caster(in this case) or imbiber(a creature), oils *can* apply to objects and objects can be passed about.