Pretty much what the title says. I'm likely going to run a certain PFS scenario in which thw PCs need to keep ebemies alive, and want to reccomend that the weapon users buy Merciful Balms from Treasure Vault. I can't find any text saying you can't apply an oil to a ranged weapon and have its effects apply to the ammunition, but I want to be sure so I can forestall any potential rules lawyers.
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General case for oils applied to ranged weapons:
I'm not finding much in the rules regarding how effects on a ranged weapon interact with the ammunition.
I thought there was some rule somewhere that said that property runes on a ranged weapon transfer their effects to the ammunition that it fires. Which makes sense, and is probably the only sane way to run the game. But I thought it was actually stated somewhere - and now I can't find it.
I also remember some items that say that they can be applied to a melee weapon or 10 pieces of ranged weapon ammunition. But I can't find any of them right now either.
What I am finding is the rules for Magical Ammunition - ammunition that has its own magic and ignores the property runes or other effects of the weapon firing the ammunition. It only uses the weapon's fundamental runes for attack bonus and damage dice count.
So while I don't see a rule saying that you can't apply an oil to a ranged weapon and have all the ammunition fired have that oil's effect, I also don't see any rules that say that you can.
So barring any PFS rulings on the matter (or anyone else coming on this thread and finding more rules that I am not), I think it is ambiguous enough to be left up to the GM to decide on.
Personally, I would allow oils on a ranged weapon to work. Oils and other alchemical and magical effects put on a ranged weapon are generally thought to transfer to their ammunition. Only poisons are generally thought of as being put onto the ammunition.
An alternative ruling that I would have no problems accepting is that you can put the oil onto 10 pieces of ammunition and then use it as non-activated special ammunition. These pieces of ammunition would ignore any property runes that the weapon has when fired, but would have the effects granted by the oil.
A ruling that is potentially RAW but I would argue against is that you can put the oil on the ranged weapon, but it would only have an effect if the weapon is used for melee attacks. You have to beat the enemy with the bow itself. I don't like that because the oil rules allow applying oils to weapons - not just melee weapons. This would be an appropriate ruling for an oil that specifies only being applied to a melee weapon.
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Specifically for Merciful Balm, it is applying the Nonlethal trait onto the weapon that it is applied to. Even if it is a ranged weapon, a ranged weapon with the Nonlethal trait would be applying that trait to the Strikes made with the weapon.
So I am not seeing much argument against this idea of using Merciful Balm on a ranged weapon. Even for PFS.
That was more or less my thought as well. Thanks for the guidance.
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I also remember some items that say that they can be applied to a melee weapon or 10 pieces of ranged weapon ammunition. But I can't find any of them right now either.https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=861
https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2912
Awesome. Thanks.
Cold Iron Blanch, and Silver Salve, for those who don't want to copy/paste the urls. Alchemical treatments that are applied to melee weapons or 10 pieces of ammunition.
With magic, I'd allow it unless the text specifically mentioned an effect that wouldn't include/allow the projectile. I doubt there is such a thing.
With alchemy, it'd depend on whether the effect altered the weapon in a pseudo-magical way or if the weapon merely delivered the substance, i.e. poison. I'd expect the latter to be more typical, and would allow on multiple projectiles if it has a duration/works for multiple Strikes.
Issues might arise if PCs start distributing the projectiles. Not that many groups would benefit from this, but those that do might deal too much front-loaded damage (as opposed to how a typical duration/single weapon/single PC would dole out damage more incrementally).
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I also remember some items that say that they can be applied to a melee weapon or 10 pieces of ranged weapon ammunition. But I can't find any of them right now either.Silver Salve
Fixed.