PF - How to Perform Airtight Alchemy?

[unseenmage]

Literally. DM gave us a reinforced airtight flask with a high yield explosive in it that goes off on contact with air. It is definitely an alchemical object.

My question is, how do I do cool stuff with it, like use the Hybridization Funnel (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/hybridization-funnel) or whatever, without this thing going off and leveling a small town?

For that matter how would one even use this thing? My thoughts are to drop it from practically orbit or to use some kind of Unseen Servant effect to open the thing.


If it helps, we're playing through the Iron Gods campaign and we're currently 2nd level. We have an Android Construct Rider Alchemist, a Ghoul Archeologist Rogue(?), a Goblin Rogue, and an Orc beatstick of some sort.

Edit: We were 3rd level and we're 4th level now. The Ghoul is actually an Archeologist Bard. The Rogue is ineffective until he gets another feat for Weapon Finesse. The Half-Orc Barbarian is effective enough.

[Eox]

Hold your breath, drop a Dead Air Vial (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/EquipmentMiscDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Dead%20air%20vi al) and move quickly.

edit: Looking at it now, ten of them in a row in an undisturbed area. Thank god you're an android!

[unseenmage]

Am on phone right now so can't quote but it looks like that won't stop the substance from exploding.

[Gemini476]

Do you know what specifically it reacts to? If it's just oxygen I'm pretty sure that'll be relatively easy to remove from an enclosed environment via combustion and whatnot. You could also use some kind of improvised vacuum chamber if you're clever enough. Or you could force all of the air out of a chamber by filling it with a lighter/heavier gas (e.g. methane, carbon dioxide).

...Come think of it, is the explosive a liquid or gas or solid or what? Will it react with water, or could you perform experiments underwater? Could you just fill the Hybridization Funnel with the other liquid, seal it, and then open the vial inside the other liquid?

Also, what's your level? If it's high enough all you need to do is Greater Teleport onto the moon or go the the Plane of Vacuum etc. Or maybe not, I don't remember what Golarion's cosmology is like. Never mind, reread your post.


Also also, how explosive are we talking? Were you serious when you wrote "level a small town"?

Anyway, the answer to exploding it is to have a mechanical timer of some sort break the bottle. Be it a hammer attached to a wind-up clock or an elaborate Rube Goldberg setup where the cuckoo knocks over a marble that knocks over some dominoes that pop a balloon that drops a weight that knocks loose a spring that looses a mousetrap that knocks the vial off the table and onto the floor below, it's not exactly the hardest thing to do. Seriously, just tie a lit candle to a clockface and have it light a stick of dynamite or something. Or just hire a schmuck to break the bottle.

[The Great Wyrm]

Why not just work underwater?

Edit: ninja'd

[unseenmage]

Actually got to play the IRL game this is for tonight and the DM got to weigh in on some of the questions/suggestions. We hit 4th level tonight, I have Craft Construct now.


Do you know what specifically it reacts to? If it's just oxygen I'm pretty sure that'll be relatively easy to remove from an enclosed environment via combustion and whatnot. You could also use some kind of improvised vacuum chamber if you're clever enough. Or you could force all of the air out of a chamber by filling it with a lighter/heavier gas (e.g. methane, carbon dioxide).
Substance reacts to contact with air is all we know. The heavier gasses thing could work. As might working in a vacuum. Not sure how to do either within the confines of the rules though.


...Come think of it, is the explosive a liquid or gas or solid or what?
Substance is a liquid.


Will it react with water, or could you perform experiments underwater?
Water would dilute the substance.


Could you just fill the Hybridization Funnel with the other liquid, seal it, and then open the vial inside the other liquid?
Maybe. Again not sure how to achieve this in game.


Also also, how explosive are we talking? Were you serious when you wrote "level a small town"?
Completely serious as it turns out. The liquid is held inside a reinforced flask. Turns out the stuff is starship fuel.


Anyway, the answer to exploding it is to have a mechanical timer of some sort break the bottle. Be it a hammer attached to a wind-up clock or an elaborate Rube Goldberg setup where the cuckoo knocks over a marble that knocks over some dominoes that pop a balloon that drops a weight that knocks loose a spring that looses a mousetrap that knocks the vial off the table and onto the floor below, it's not exactly the hardest thing to do. Seriously, just tie a lit candle to a clockface and have it light a stick of dynamite or something.
This was my first thought too but I figured I'd ask and see if other folks could come up with better ideas. :smallsmile:


Or just hire a schmuck to break the bottle.
That's just mean and this is a Good guy campaign.

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In other news there is also a mutagenic fluid flowing across the town, slowly, that mutates any biological matter on contact be it alive or dead. Dead stuff tends to have a muted reaction, living things have extra volatile reactions. Sometimes superpowers/transformations but most of the time the subject, or part of the subject, just swells and pops like a balloon.

The stuff seems to be slowly evaporating harmlessly but if stored away from air it can be kept indefinitely.

How to best use this stuff? Oh and it doesn't affect Undead or Constructs. The Ghoul PC keeps licking it. For fun. Because 'Hedonist Drawback' apparently. :smalltongue:


We've also encountered a mold that grows exponentially when exposed to fire or heat. Turns out it's mildly mutated so it's pretty voracious and it exudes cold that can freeze a person to death like freezing in an arctic environment.
Turns out this stuff now infests the ship since everytime the robot drones try to dispose of it they create heat which spreads the stuff. Is fun to watch them fail at cleaning.


Then there's the smallish ball of what looks like clay in a forcefield/containment-field. It's psychic and eats blood. Turns out if we'd let it loose it would have grown over every patch of blood in the spaceship and gotten rapidly bigger and bigger. Guess that it's psychic abilities would have gotten stronger too as it grew until it'd have been mind controlling us into giving it our delicious "red food".
It's not evil, just hungry. It can't control its growth and it can't really control its hunger. I want to help the thing rather than kill it. (Killing it being risky anyway as we might damage the apparatus and set free its spores.) We left it in its containment field after feeding it enough that it won't starve.
Best thought I had was to Animate Objects some sort of sealed apparatus with two airlock compartments. One airlock feeds the thing blood so it doesn't die. The other airlock cuts the thing and disposes of excess growth so the thing doesn't spread.


So that's what we have to play with. Thoughts and suggestions welcome. Please don't spoil anything in the adventure for me though. Am playing through this blind and loving it. :smallcool:

[Firest Kathon]

We've also encountered a mold that grows exponentially when exposed to fire or heat. Turns out it's mildly mutated so it's pretty voracious and it exudes cold that can freeze a person to death like freezing in an arctic environment.
Turns out this stuff now infests the ship since everytime the robot drones try to dispose of it they create heat which spreads the stuff. Is fun to watch them fail at cleaning.
That sounds like some variation of
Brown Mold (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/traps-hazards-and-special-terrains/hazards/special-hazards/brown-mold-cr-2)to me. Don't try to freeze it.

[Sayt]

If I recall correctly, most extradimensional spaces are vacuums. Grab a bag of holding and an amulet of adaptation and you should be fine.

Edit:

Tell a lie, portable holes contain only enough air for ten minutes. Enter a hole, close it, burn a torch and breathe until the air runs out, THEN do so.

Still need an amulet of adaptation.

Or hire a friewndly magician to dominate a shantak (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/magical-beasts/shantak) to take you up out of the atmosphere.