Is This a Work Around for Bomb Vital Strike? (Two Part Question)


Rules Questions


Alchemist Bombs have two clauses which prevent Vital Strike from working. Firstly, throwing a bomb doesn't use the attack action. Secondly, the bonus damage is not multiplied by the feat.

To circumvent the first issue, can we use a feat like Thuvian Grenadier?

Spoiler:
...In addition, if you miss with a splash weapon and the errant weapon lands in a square occupied or adjacent to an ally with this feat, your ally can attempt a DC 20 Reflex save. If the ally succeeds, he is able to catch the weapon. If your ally also has the Snatch Arrows feat, he can toss the splash weapon back to you as an immediate action.

For instance, if you use a standard action to create and throw a bomb at your feet, then use Thuvian Grenadier to catch the thrown bomb, you no longer have to take a special action to create said bomb on the next turn. Would this enable the attack action for vital strike on the following turn?

As for the second issue, the bomber rogue talent:

Spoiler:
A rogue with this talent can make a number of bombs per day equal to her Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). These bombs act as alchemist’s bombs (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 28), except they deal damage equal to the damage dealt by the rogue’s sneak attack (the rogue doesn’t add her Intelligence modifier to this damage).

This talent seems to replace the base damage of bombs. Since bomb base damage is the only portion multiplied on vital strike, can we now apply 2-4x bomb damage per combo?


In the future either cite the source or the full text. Providing only part of the text misses a lot of the context.

In any case, no, bombs become inert if not used in the round they are created. You cannot use the bomb the next round.


Thuvian Grenadier is from People of the Sands.

Vital Striking with bombs only adds +1d6 anyway, so I don't see why this is a good idea anyway.


No, bombs very explicitly deal 1d6+xd6 damage, and only the base 1d6 is multiplied by vital strike or crits. Explicitly, not implicitly. The Rogue archetype tells you how to calculate the number of dice, but doesn't change those explicit features of the Bombs.


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Gauss, this can be circumvented either by getting the Delayed Bomb discovery or by using Contingent Action to attack in the same turn that you made the bomb. And I don't think you even need Thuvian Grenadier - the very text you just referred to clearly indicates that it is possible to make a bomb without throwing it.

Casual Viking, correction: alchemist bombs explicitly deal 1d6+Int damage, and they receive bonus damage that progresses with level. Bombs from the rogue bomber talent just as explicitly state that they do not deal damage like alchemist bombs do, rather, they deal damage equal to the rogue's sneak attack damage. No damage increases, no bonus damage, just a quantity of damage equal to the rogues sneak attack damage. This is an explicitly stated difference between alchemist bombs and rogue bombs.

There's a previous thread on this topic here, if anyone is interested.


Still doesn't work. Because there's a DM at (almost) every table and they should know better than to say yes to something like this.


Because, as we all know, rogues are the most powerful class in the game, and any option that provides them with a way of dealing more damage than the ridiculously high amount they already deal is blatantly OP.

Also, because the answers to rules questions are defined by whatever individual GMs feel is the most balanced.


Gauss wrote:

In the future either cite the source or the full text. Providing only part of the text misses a lot of the context.

In any case, no, bombs become inert if not used in the round they are created. You cannot use the bomb the next round.

Good catch. How about replacing Thuvian Grenadier with Delayed Bomb?

Spoiler:
PFS Legal Delayed bomb (Advanced Player's Guide pg. 29): The alchemist can place a bomb so that it explodes a number of rounds after the alchemist ceases contact with the bomb. This delay can be any number of rounds as chosen by the alchemist, up to a number of rounds equal to his level. If at any point the alchemist reclaims possession of the delayed bomb, he can end the timer and prevent the bomb's detonation. A delayed bomb detonates immediately if any other creature attempts to touch or move it, or if the bomb's contents are removed from the vial (such as if the vial breaks). The bomb deals damage as if it scored a direct hit to any creature in the square with the bomb when it detonates, and splash damage to all adjacent creatures as normal. An alchemist cannot have more than one delayed bomb at one time. If he creates another delayed bomb, the previous bomb becomes inert. Dispel magic can neutralize a delayed bomb, as can a successful Disable Device check (DC equals 10 + the alchemist's level + the alchemist's Intelligence modifier). An alchemist must be at least 8th level before selecting this discovery.

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