Building a Dead Man's Switch for self-cremation?

[Von Zinzer]

So I've seen references to using a dead man's switch on items here and there on the forum, as well as using Contingency as a switch. What I've never seen is anything magic other than Contingency, and my character sure doesn't have access to such a high-level spell... so how do I accomplish this? I'd strongly prefer not to have to, you know, hold the item in my hand at all times.

Background:
I'm playing an Oracle(Flame) with a party that's clearing its way down the levels of a dungeon. There have been many, many casualties (to the point where the DM requires us to bring fully-built backup characters to each session). My character wants to be cremated upon death, but a couple of others (ugh, goblins & orcs) intend to eat his corpse instead. I want, if I should perish, to 'spontaneously combust' in order to deny them. There's no issue with carrying around a bunch of combustibles... but how do I set them off?

ETA: party is level 4

[Florian]

Ultimate Intrigue has the Deadman´s Contingency spell that can be used for such an effect.

[Bayar]

Last spell in this post (brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.msg8080#msg8080) is exactly what you're looking for. Talk to your DM for a homebrew version you can cast.

[Fizban]

Complete Scoundrel has the lowest level version, Fatal Flame at 2nd. A wondrous item which triggers that effect on death could arguably be the same price as a potion, otherwise it'd be 1/100th of a continuous item which is actually less. Spell level x caster level x 2,000 / 100= 120gp for a trinket that makes you go boom.

[Von Zinzer]

Complete Scoundrel has the lowest level version, Fatal Flame at 2nd.

That's fantastic! Assuming the DM will allow a 3.5 spell in PF, which shouldn't be a problem, I think we have a winner.

...

Communicated this to my DM. His first response:

"At that low cost, I can foresee many suicide kobolds sent out."

He previously had a kobold wearing a Necklace of Fireballs suicide-vest into a party.

[Belzyk]

Contengincy immolation on self. Done.

[Von Zinzer]

Contengincy immolation on self. Done.

While I appreciate the thought, I don't have a level 11 wizard in my 4th level party. And besides, the whole point is to do it on the down-low so they're surprised when I go up in flames. :smalltongue:

[Belzyk]

While I appreciate the thought, I don't have a level 11 wizard in my 4th level party. And besides, the whole point is to do it on the down-low so they're surprised when I go up in flames. :smalltongue:

OK...if magic is common in your world just find a random wizard to do it for you. Or even better contengincy (death) fireball on self. Or some other spectacular fire spell that just Burns away your body.

[Fizban]

Communicated this to my DM. His first response:

"At that low cost, I can foresee many suicide kobolds sent out."

He previously had a kobold wearing a Necklace of Fireballs suicide-vest into a party.
I'm not sure where his kobolds are getting all that cash (or how he's triggering the Necklace of Fireballs explosion when it's being worn), but the joke's on him: Fatal Flame only does 2 damage per hit die, max 6 at minimum caster level. Meanwhile all you gotta do is throw in a single nonlethal attack and you get extra loot.

[Von Zinzer]

OK...if magic is common in your world just find a random wizard to do it for you...

Common, sure, but it's not like every town has an 11th-level caster available to cast Contingency on me every day—and never mind the cost!—which is kind of the point of this thread. I think Fizban is really on to something above with Fatal Flame.

I've been scheming up mechanical ways to do it, too, but I keep running into the problem of the trigger. As far as I can tell there are no heart-rate monitors in the PF universe, so how do you trigger something on death without magic? I guess one could just have a trap on one's garments so one explodes when looted, that might do the trick.

[Florian]

Common, sure, but it's not like every town has an 11th-level caster available to cast Contingency on me every day—and never mind the cost!—which is kind of the point of this thread. I think Fizban is really on to something above with Fatal Flame.

I've been scheming up mechanical ways to do it, too, but I keep running into the problem of the trigger. As far as I can tell there are no heart-rate monitors in the PF universe, so how do you trigger something on death without magic? I guess one could just have a trap on one's garments so one explodes when looted, that might do the trick.

This time with link: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/deadman-s-contingency

[Von Zinzer]

I'm not sure where his kobolds are getting all that cash (or how he's triggering the Necklace of Fireballs explosion when it's being worn)...

Well given the price above (120gp) it would have to be a team of kobolds financed by some sort of mad kobold leader, I guess? He's diabolical like that.

In that particular instance at 12th level, a lone kobold barbarian with a Necklace of Fireballs charged the party. Taking fire damage while wearing such a necklace can set it off, and you can voluntarily fail the reflex save. And of course, the party magus hit the charging little guy with a Searing Light. Several voluntarily failed saves later, KABOOM! Now, that barbarian had Improved Evasion and took 1/2 damage... meanwhile half the party was in negative HP.

[Gallowglass]

This time with link: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/deadman-s-contingency

That's a fourth level spell, it doesn't come online until he is 7th level. He's 4th level. He's looking for a 4th level solution. That means 0th, 1st, and 2nd level spells.


There is a 2nd level spell in PF called "Status". That is your "heart rate monitor." Now linking together Status and Fatal Flame, that's a custom creation question and requires your DM to make the judgement call.

Actually, reading fatal flame, you don't even need that. You just need a way to make it last longer than 1 minute/level. You get it to go all day somehow, then you can cast it on yourself and voluntarily fail the save. The spell has the "heart rate monitor" built in. You die, you immolate.

[Von Zinzer]

... You just need a way to make it last longer than 1 minute/level. ...

Agreed. That's why I think building a custom amulet or something is probably the most effective solution.

Thanks for the tip on Status, btw. I'll make use of that I'm sure.

[Belzyk]

Also just get a tooth capsule with something like alchemist fire or some sort of combustable or flammable liquid. When you know your going to die bite down and break it. Also they are from complete scoundral

[Von Zinzer]

Hmm, a tooth capsule isn't a bad idea at all. Only difficulty I can foresee is that you need to see Death coming (because biting the tooth would be an action) and in my experience that reaper is a sneaky dude.

[Belzyk]

Hmm, a tooth capsule isn't a bad idea at all. Only difficulty I can foresee is that you need to see Death coming (because biting the tooth would be an action) and in my experience that reaper is a sneaky dude.

Hmmm true was just a thought

[Arutema]

It'll hurt to lose a caster level, but a 1 level dip in pyrokineticist and the Parting Blast (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Parting%20Blast) feat will do what you're looking for. Take some nonlethal damage at the start of the day to prep it, and explode if you are killed anytime that day.

[Barstro]

It'll hurt to lose a caster level, but a 1 level dip in pyrokineticist and the Parting Blast (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Parting%20Blast) feat will do what you're looking for. Take some nonlethal damage at the start of the day to prep it, and explode if you are killed anytime that day.

Horrible waste of a Feat, IMO. But, certainly looks like the best option.

Can you get DM approval to just alter the Sanctify Corpse spell to burn your corpse? Seems like something that just a limited amount of magical research would accomplish.

[Fizban]

Well given the price above (120gp) it would have to be a team of kobolds financed by some sort of mad kobold leader, I guess? He's diabolical like that.

In that particular instance at 12th level, a lone kobold barbarian with a Necklace of Fireballs charged the party. Taking fire damage while wearing such a necklace can set it off, and you can voluntarily fail the reflex save. And of course, the party magus hit the charging little guy with a Searing Light. Several voluntarily failed saves later, KABOOM! Now, that barbarian had Improved Evasion and took 1/2 damage... meanwhile half the party was in negative HP.
Searing Light isn't fire damage, allows no save, and even if the wearer fails their save the necklace itself has a save which you can't force it to give up. It's also a horribly inefficient use of money, but that unique "flaw" is worth quite a bit.

If you have 120gp to arm kobolds there so many better things you could buy it's laughable. How about six flasks of alchemist's fire? Or acid, or a Ditherbomb, or multiple potions/scrolls of 1st level spells that don't suck. Fatal Flame is basically a joke: someone wanted the boom on death effect at a really low level, probably for kobolds, so they dropped the damage until it was feasible. It's only tactically useful if you bend over backwards to make it useful, like blowing up your own guys with a fireball so all the damage happens at once (instead of using an actual combo like Raging Flame or Incendiary Slime). The best use by far that I can think of is for body disposal.