How can I dip my arrows in oil and set them ablaze before firing?

[Douche]

Lets say I'm an archer of some fashion, and I've got some flasks of oil.

With preparation, and provided I don't move, could I perhaps set a bowl of oil on the ground and a torch nearby? Would I be able to dip them, light em up, and fire them all in the same turn?

[hymer]

I'm afraid I must give you the rather unhelpful reply: Ask your DM.

If I was your DM, I'd require a little more setup than that. A quick dip in oil does not a flaming arrow make. I'd allow you, if you had the torch standing nearby, to use your manipulate-object-for-free attached to your action to light one arrow - one which had been prepared with oil soaked into something like a bit of cloth, carefully wound arround the arrow just behind the head. I might well allow you to go to two arrows, if it didn't seem to be too good from experience with one per round, as your character was getting more used to the setup and gained experience.

[Joe the Rat]

Obligatory "ask your DM"

The problem I see with this is that you need a way for enough oil to stay on your arrow to be able to light them, and have them stay lit all the way to your target. Winding some cloth onto the arrows to soak up the oil would help. I might allow "draw arrow, soak, light, fire" in one round. I'm treating the lighting arrows as your "free object interaction".

This does mean you need to have your arrows prepped to take oil ahead of time.

You might be better off using the pitch/resin from your torches on the arrows, then light the bowl of oil and use that to ignite your arrows.

[Doug Lampert]

I'm afraid I must give you the rather unhelpful reply: Ask your DM.

If I was your DM, I'd require a little more setup than that. A quick dip in oil does not a flaming arrow make. I'd allow you, if you had the torch standing nearby, to use your manipulate-object-for-free attached to your action to light one arrow - one which had been prepared with oil soaked into something like a bit of cloth, carefully wound arround the arrow just behind the head. I might well allow you to go to two arrows, if it didn't seem to be too good from experience with one per round, as your character was getting more used to the setup and gained experience.

For me, it would depend heavily on the tone of the campaign. Which is another way of saying, ask your GM, since setting the basic tone is part of his job.

Gritty realism. No real chance. Flaming arrows were historically either entirely unused or an extremely rarely used attempt to set things like thatched buildings on fire, and if they were ever used for that, they were pretty bad at it. Pre-preparation needed, I'd give disadvantage on the shot, reduce the maximum range, and wouldn't increase the damage on a hit against anything but easily flamable targets (I could even argue for less damage, the burning cloth increases drag and slows the arrow while also stopping it from penetrating as well).

A more cinematic game (which IMAO is what D&D is best suited for), it uses both your manipulate object and your bonus action, does an extra 1d6 in fire damage, lights anything flamable on fire. Looks cool and illuminates things around the target (including the target) for one round.

In the "realistic" game you have to ask "if it's any good, why isn't everyone doing this" or even "if it's any good, why didn't people in our world do this"?

In a more cinematic game, I'm fine with either a one time trick that works well once and is never seen again (some unspecified factor was present the one time which made it a good idea just that once), or alternately with a character have a single "signature move" that others simply can't duplicate and that I don't really bother with a rules explanation for why or how it works.

[KorvinStarmast]

If you want to get simulationist on this ... you'll need to prep a special arrow with some cloth, like cotton, gauze wrapped around the shaft just behind the tip. Dip that into your flammable liquid and then light, and then loose. You'll want to make the arrow a few inches longer than standard, so that you don't restrict the draw on your bow.

With that balance change, I'd offer that either a reduction in hit (-1?) or reduction in range would be a suitable penalty for shooting a non standard arrow, but it's also a "cool Hollywood SFX" so non penalty is also fitting with a heroic fantasy setting.

[Shining Wrath]

As noted, up to your DM.

My ruling would be you need specially prepared arrows, essentially building a little Alchemist's Fire into an arrow, and thus raising the cost to a couple of gold pieces each to do 1 point of fire damage. If you can hit something extremely flammable (thatched roof in summer) you have a 10% chance of igniting a fire.

[Maxilian]

Well i know how you can do it

-Be a tinker Gnome, one of your options of object that you can make its a lighter, make one...

-Be a Rogue Thief

-Attach the Lighter to your bow

-Uses your Bonus action (Cunning Action) to turn on the lighter (so you will light your arrow)

-Fire your fire arrow!

Note: You will have to spend some time everyday to repair the Lighter or it will break

[Douche]

Cool, interesting replies y'all. You have helped me form a cohesive argument to present to my DM

[deathbymanga]

this is a common misconception that "fire arrows" deal better damage. Archers had special wax-wrapped arrows that they'd light beforehand and fire into the battlefield, but they'd only do so at night, because it gave their warrior lighting on the battlefield. It was a tactical weapon, not a damage weapon.

[Temperjoke]

this is a common misconception that "fire arrows" deal better damage. Archers had special wax-wrapped arrows that they'd light beforehand and fire into the battlefield, but they'd only do so at night, because it gave their warrior lighting on the battlefield. It was a tactical weapon, not a damage weapon.

This is a good point, although it would be different if it was an enemy that had an increased vulnerability to fire. In movies, fire arrows have also been used to spring traps on armies; there was also a scene in the movie Troy where they shot a ton of fire arrows in front of the enemy camp, and then rolled huge balls of hay and tar downhill through them to light the balls on fire.

To the OP, be careful cause it sounds like you're trying to argue with the DM and that can lead to bad things in the long run. You should also keep in mind, any arrows that are being lit on fire should be unrecoverable, so you'll need to purchase and prepare replacements after using them.

[JAL_1138]

this is a common misconception that "fire arrows" deal better damage. Archers had special wax-wrapped arrows that they'd light beforehand and fire into the battlefield, but they'd only do so at night, because it gave their warrior lighting on the battlefield. It was a tactical weapon, not a damage weapon.

Yup. Pretty much a way to get several torches into the area while freeing up the foot-soldiers' to use a shield or a two-handed weapon, give your archers using normal arrows a better view of the target area, etc.

If they were very good at much else, including setting fires, they'd have been used for it, and used often.

[Temperjoke]

If they were very good at much else, including setting fires, they'd have been used for it, and used often.

Eh, that just means you have to do your prep work ahead of time, having a spellcaster use web on the ground to trap the enemies first in the round.

[Aetol]

Also, you can't shoot a fire arrow at full power, it would blow the flame out. So that's at least a reduction in range, and probably in damage too.

[Vogonjeltz]

Lets say I'm an archer of some fashion, and I've got some flasks of oil.

With preparation, and provided I don't move, could I perhaps set a bowl of oil on the ground and a torch nearby? Would I be able to dip them, light em up, and fire them all in the same turn?

Well, according to wikipedia there were many historical methods, but for movies, typically shooting arrows that are on fire would involve wrapping them in cloth soaked with a flammable substance, and then lighting that just before the arrows are loosed.

I'd say as long as you prepped the arrows and had a convenient source of fire (i.e. a bonfire or torch propped up or whatever) you could light and shoot in one smooth motion. As for damage done, I'd probably just add 1 fire damage, as if the target were hit by a torch (PHB 153), perhaps even with the possibility of setting whatever it hits on fire if that object is flammable.

[steppedonad4]

I'd require a good hour's worth of preparation and say that there was 100% chance of making the arrow unusable after being shot (default is 50% chance). I'd allow it to add 1d4 fire damage to the attack with a DC 10 Dexterity save or else set the target on fire (oil splashing from wicked arrow) for an additional 1d4 fire damage at the end of the target's turn. It takes one action to put oneself out and end the continuous fire damage. Objects would get no saving throw but would instead use the optional rules for object damage in the DMG p. 246.

I would also say that the arrow could not be fired at long range and would have disadvantage on short range attacks. It would also require an object interaction to set the arrow alight and the arrow would be destroyed by the end of the next round so it must be fired immediately. This means that you could fire one shot, but not two in a round (unless you're a thief with Fast Hands, then you could fire two assuming you had the Extra Attack feature or Horde Breaker as well).

[unwise]

Regarding fire arrows, as a DM I would say that you can get +d4 fire damage from them, but they are weighted strangely, so are -2 to hit with. That way they are a bad trade for every day use. You would want to have a particular reason to use them. E.g. The enemy is vulnerable to fire, you need to illuminate the target, or you want to burn a library/thatch/explosives barrel.

[ruy343]

Just go to lake Hylia and shoot the sun from that little square island to the side.

Oh, wait...

[Sigreid]

Hypothetically, you could have a special quiver made that had a reservoir at the bottom so your arrows were nestled in pitch tar. This was pretty much what ancient armies used when they wanted to set fire to the enemy's stuff. Drawbacks would be that it would have a pretty strong smell, be very messy, and with the exertions of adventuring would likely get all over everything causing a fire hazard to you and your party. http://www.ehow.com/info_8506689_burning-pitch.html

Wouldn't really recommend it, and if I was GMing there'd be a decent chance it would go horribly wrong, but it would work. Would work much better for a barrel full of arrows used by the goblins on the other side of that pit...maybe that's why there's all this straw on the floor of the dungeon...

[Malifice]

Not that it would do any extra damage.

Sure why not?