Alchemists fire inside?

[Akolbi]

An iron cobra says that it can have a poision or acid as part of its bite attack. My question is: can this be alchemist's fire? If so, how does it behave inside of a person?

[Xintas]

Technically it is neither a poison nor an acid. I suppose a DM might allow you to do that, but RAW, no.

I do not know much about Iron Cobra, so I would not know how it would affect it. What book is that in?

[Akolbi]

Technically it is neither a poison nor an acid. I suppose a DM might allow you to do that, but RAW, no.

The text is:An iron cobra's bite injects poison from a hidden reservoir within its body. Because it is a construct, the cobra does not naturally produce this poison, and its creator must refill this reservoir manually. The reservoir holds enough poison for 3 successful bite attacks, after which the creature merely deals bite damage. Refilling the reservoir takes 5 rounds and provokes attacks of opportunity. The creator can fill the reservoir with any injury poison (typically black adder venom), though acid, alchemical substances, and even stranger liquids have been used.

So...RAW is kinda vague.

[Deadline]

Don't overthink it, just let it do +1d6 fire damage with a bite with Alchemist's fire. Same with Acid, I would think.

[Xuldarinar]

I'd say it does the standard fire damage, but..

"Alchemist's fire is a sticky, adhesive substance that ignites when exposed to air.-" Would it be exposed enough after injection to ignite? Would the act of putting it into the Iron Cobra expose it enough that it ignites and uses itself up? I do not think there are any rules specific to the injection of alchemist's fire.. I know there is a sword that utilizes it, but its not so much injected as it runs up channels in the blade, causing it to ignite and deal it's damage to the one hit by it.

[Akolbi]

I was just sort of interested for my setting. I'm making it a magic heavy setting, and i was curious if i could include this reasonably, and how i should handel it. I have one player who LOVES constructs, so i figured it would cater to him.

Edit: i would think that a clever wizard would carve some kind of hole for air in the fangs

[Xuldarinar]

Perhaps..

Though if it remains absent of direct exposure to air, perhaps it would have effects not entirely dissimilar to nitroglycerin?

[Akolbi]

Perhaps more like sodium? It seems like its supposed to be an anylauge to greek fire, which i believe could burn under water.

[Xintas]

If we are going for a scientific route, it would depend on what it is interacting with in the air, but Oxygen (or the fantasy equivalent) seems likely. Given that, there is oxygen in blood that would be sufficient to cause a reaction of some kind.

Seeing the full text, it does say that alchemical substances have been put in there. I personally would allow it but say something like "due to decreased air exposure, it does 1d4 damage and requires the caster to succeed on a DC 12 Fort save or DC 12 Concentration check (their choice) or be unable to act" as fire is literally exploding the oxygen in their veins.

[Akolbi]

Maybe have it last an extra round, because it burns slower.

[HC Rainbow]

Maybe have it last an extra round, because it burns slower.

have it burn up the oxygen in their blood and cause them to make constitution checks or sufficate. Lolol.

or have it wait a round.. and then it just explodes inside of them all at once, the fire NORMALLY does 1d6 damage, but inside the body when its compressed, it may just burst and cause fire/force damage inside of you, +1d6 fire +1d6 force. Pressure and all that who not. or just destroy their organs.

Having fire explode INSIDE of your body is MUCH worse than having your skin burned by flame. Its internally damaging, as opposed to a fleshwound.

I would buff that way up.

[Akolbi]

Having fire explode INSIDE of your body is MUCH worse than having your skin burned by flame. Its internally damaging, as opposed to a fleshwound.

You...you are now my friend.

[HC Rainbow]

You...you are now my friend.

^^

It makes SO MUCH SENSE.

Fire burns oxygen which creates pressure inside of a casing, If you put a layer of gasoline inside a jar and light it on fire, try closing that jar without it exploding. thats why they dont let you put matches near bottles of everclear.

If the Iron Cobra bites someone in the arm, make their arm blow off. Hardcore status. Pirate backstory, got his leg bit by an Iron Cobra, Hence the peg leg.

[Akolbi]

If the Iron Cobra bites someone in the arm, make their arm blow off. Hardcore status. Pirate backstory, got his leg bit by an Iron Cobra, Hence the peg leg.

"Arrr! I be bitten by the mighty metal snake!"
Win.

[ZekeTheRogue]

have it burn up the oxygen in their blood and cause them to make constitution checks or sufficate. Lolol.

or have it wait a round.. and then it just explodes inside of them all at once, the fire NORMALLY does 1d6 damage, but inside the body when its compressed, it may just burst and cause fire/force damage inside of you, +1d6 fire +1d6 force. Pressure and all that who not. or just destroy their organs.

Having fire explode INSIDE of your body is MUCH worse than having your skin burned by flame. Its internally damaging, as opposed to a fleshwound.

I would buff that way up.

I'm the guy he says loves constructs. WHY WOULD YOU GIVE HIM THIS IDEA?!? He has a necromancer icon for a reason!

[HC Rainbow]

I'm the guy he says loves constructs. WHY WOULD YOU GIVE HIM THIS IDEA?!? He has a necromancer icon for a reason!

Because I'm a DM, and solely a DM, I love watching insanity break as a character realizes the monster has the ability to explode limbs.

Plus, I handbuild all my BBEG and most of them do wicked things like this, I built a goliath of sorts covered in shackles that if you got too close to him he'd rip your limbs off.

Barbarian with no arms = Way too funny.
Monk did not seem to care.

[Akolbi]

I'm not quite that mean...i'll blow the limbs off of an NPC right away. I just want to add the terror that it causes.

[HC Rainbow]

I'm not quite that mean...i'll blow the limbs off of an NPC right away. I just want to add the terror that it causes.

I'm very mean, though I will throw in NPC's that can help remedy the situation.

That barbarian wanted to get metal arms and change his name to Jax. I let him have that until he tried gotcha-grabbing everyone.

But yeah.

tl;dr. Fire inside a body would cause an immense amount of pressure, and do more damage than it would inside a body Imo, RAW it would not.

...now to design a mechanical octopus that has holes in its tentacles to release alchemist fire to all it stabs...

I'll tell my players this was your fault. xD

EDIT: I'll name her Mother Octopus, He'll be a mix between Doc Ock and Mother Brain. MUAHAHAHA

[Akolbi]

...now to design a mechanical octopus that has holes in its tentacles to release alchemist fire to all it stabs...

I'll tell my players this was your fault.

If it was my fault, there should be more undead...

[ZekeTheRogue]

You two were character generated for each other.

[Xintas]

This is probably way too delayed to be heard over the sound of exploding limbs, but the pressure inside a human body would be nowhere near sufficient to explode. More likely, if we are taking this to the nth degree, all of the oxygen would be used up and it would wither and die.

But sure...EXPLOSION!

[Akolbi]

. More likely, if we are taking this to the nth degree, all of the oxygen would be used up and it would wither and die.

But sure...EXPLOSION!

Now i'm curious what the psi needed IS...but the NSA MIGHT look down on people googling that

Especially after looking up the explosive properties of nitro...

[ArqArturo]

Hmm, could you also add cure potions on it?.

[Akolbi]

Hmm, could you also add cure potions on it?.

They actually alluded to it in the description

[Xintas]

Hmm, could you also add cure potions on it?.

*cobra rolls bite attack* 6!
*cobra rolls CLW* 2!

Thanks for trying to help buddy, but this is exactly why we didn't let Thog be the healer...

[Deophaun]

Perhaps more like sodium? It seems like its supposed to be an anylauge to greek fire, which i believe could burn under water.

First, you can't just use any old lauge, it's got to be a specific lauge, like Lauge Koch if you're trying to set Greenland on fire.

Second, Greek Fire didn't burn under water. But, it floated and happily burned on top of it, like gasoline. A modern day analogue to Greek Fire would be napalm. Since the substance is hydrophobic, it's not a case of it reacting with oxygen in water as it is with water just spreading the burning substance around (like in a kitchen grease fire).

[HC Rainbow]

This is probably way too delayed to be heard over the sound of exploding limbs, but the pressure inside a human body would be nowhere near sufficient to explode. More likely, if we are taking this to the nth degree, all of the oxygen would be used up and it would wither and die.

But sure...EXPLOSION!

True, But explosion :<...

IF any of My players questioned it I'd have them do the physics math in front of me. Lol.

[ArqArturo]

*cobra rolls bite attack* 6!
*cobra rolls CLW* 2!

Thanks for trying to help buddy, but this is exactly why we didn't let Thog be the healer...

Masochists of the world, rejoice!.