Prepping a Flask of Oil to be Thrown

[Quidam]

Oil: A pint of oil burns for 6 hours in a lantern. You can use a flask of oil as a splash weapon. Use the rules for alchemist’s fire, except that it takes a full round action to prepare a flask with a fuse. Once it is thrown, there is a 50% chance of the flask igniting successfully.

You can pour a pint of oil on the ground to cover an area 5 feet square, provided that the surface is smooth. If lit, the oil burns for 2 rounds and deals 1d3 points of fire damage to each creature in the area.

Is it possible to prepare a flask of oil ahead of time, or must the full round action be taking immediately prior to throwing?

 

[MarkB]

A flask of oil prepared that way would basically be a molotov cocktail - an open-topped flask with an oil-soaked rag hanging from its mouth. You could prepare it in advance, but it would be impractical to carry it around except by hand, and you certainly wouldn't want to be participating in combat while holding it.

 

[pallandrome]

Actually, you can make a molotov coctail by filling a large bottle with gasoline and then plugging the opening with a rag. Simply light the rag and throw. Storing them or carrying them around is no problem, which is why they make such effective weapons. The round of prep time would essentially be lighting the fuse, because if it aint good and burning, then it'll go out when you toss it.

 

[werk]

Storing them or carrying them around is no problem...

So long as you don't mind reeking of gasoline and staying safely clear of any open flame.


Flasks of oil are for your lantern, get some alchemists fire if you want to throw burny burny.


IMC I'd say that prepping the oil is a full round action, if all your supplies are ready...cloth cut into appropriately sized strips, etc. Once prepped, you need to keep them upright, and the oil will slowly wick out, so it'll make a stinky mess and after a day or two they'll be a little less effective. Then lighting them should be the same as lighting a torch. Once burning, it's a ranged attack.

 

[Ranger REG]

Actually, you can make a molotov coctail by filling a large bottle with gasoline and then plugging the opening with a rag. Simply light the rag and throw. Storing them or carrying them around is no problem, which is why they make such effective weapons. The round of prep time would essentially be lighting the fuse, because if it aint good and burning, then it'll go out when you toss it.

I didn't realize gasoline were being processed and sold in the Middle Ages.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Not Quite, Almost Though

The Byzantines had a variant of Greek Fire that instead of being thick and jellied was very thin, almost a kerosene. They used it in flamethrowers and they were making fairly decent ones for the technological level by the eighth and ninth centuries.

Yay just had to, I love fire a little too much.

 

[pallandrome]

I didn't realize gasoline were being processed and sold in the Middle Ages.

Actually, in certain societies, the use of "High Tech" weaponry came about a lot earlier than most people know about. HeavenShallBurn noted the byzantines use of an early variation of "Greek Fire" for example. Most people know about the chinese use of rockets in warfare as early at the 13th century.

"The date reporting the first use of true rockets was in 1232. At this time, the Chinese and the Mongols were at war with each other. During the battle of Kai-Keng, the Chinese repelled the Mongol invaders by a barrage of "arrows of flying fire." These fire-arrows were a simple form of a solid-propellant rocket. A tube, capped at one end, contained gunpowder. The other end was left open and the tube was attached to a long stick." -about.com, history of rocket science

The knowledge that high-proof spirits were flammable was in no way a well kept secret. While these days we might use gasoline as an accellerant, you could use a good 150 proof liqure almost as effectively. Though as Werk noted, you would not neccisarily want to be around open flames afterwards, or people with fully functioning noses for that matter.

Seriously though, if you want to make a big explosion in a mideval society, research grainery explosions. They're much more fun, in my humble opinion.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Chemical weapons for example, The first known uses were by Chinese centuries before the birth of Christ. They set up a cyanide laced smoke that drifted across enemy positions and apparently caused mass casualties to such an extent that its use turned the tide of the battle. Can anybody say CLOUDKILL.

And grainery explosions are really nasty, a big grainery explosion can be equaivalent to hundreds of tons of TNT.

As it goes I'd say a molotov cocktail like arrangement should take a standard action to light since the rag catches pretty much right off.