(Braintrust Assistance) Finding the Butter Bomb

[Fixer]

I am trying to find a mundane item that causes a small AoE similar to the grease spell. Its effect is simply to cause anyone moving into, out of, inside of, or through the area of effect to make a Balance check or fall prone.

I have gone through several of my books but, for the life of me, this single item doesn't seem to be in there. I do not want to have to resort to a potion of grease, as I was hoping to have a non-magical method of doing this. You know, a 'butter bomb' or something that covers an area in slippery stuff. If they can make a tanglefoot bag, this seems a lot simpler.

Not even lamp oil states it can be used like this, otherwise I'd use that.

[Telonius]

There's a Greyhawk online site that has oil as DC 15 balance check or fall prone. I'll keep looking ...

EDIT: Free Foot, Dragon Magazine 280 pg 51. Sounds like what you want.

[Fixer]

I don't have that particular magazine. Is there nothing in any of the other books? In all of D&D, I cannot be the person who thought up the butter bomb.

I mean, come on. You lose your dex bonus to AC on anything requiring a Balance check unless you have 5 ranks in Balance. Almost no one takes 5 ranks in Balance. How many rogue characters haven't tried to take advantage of that?

[Fax Celestis]

...why not just make a one-time use magical item, priced as an appropriate grease spell, and then refluff it to be alchemical? It's a workaround, to be sure, but it'll get you what you want.

[Leewei]

Oil of Slipperiness in the DMG does this. It's a Wondrous Item rather than a potion. Weird, eh?

[Fixer]

The problem is that I was looking for a mundane solution. Not every rogue has a magical friend. I can try the workaround but that always requires GM approval. That is not always easy to get.

I am simply baffled that no one had thought of using that before.

[Fixer]

Oil of Slipperiness in the DMG does this. It's a Wondrous Item rather than a potion. Weird, eh?

There is no Oil of Slipperiness in the DMG (at least, not 3.5). There is a Salve of Slipperiness, but that is a lot more expensive and does a lot more than what I want.

[Darrin]

EDIT: Free Foot, Dragon Magazine 280 pg 51. Sounds like what you want.

I don't think that will work. Requires a DC 15 Dexterity check (not balance) and doesn't render the person flat-footed.

Here we go... Marbles, in the Arms & Equipment Guide (p. 24). One bag covers a 5' square. Balance check DC 15, fail by 4 or less and they can't move for 1 round, fail by 5 or more and they fall. I would assume they are deployed in the same way as caltrops, in which case spreading a 2 lb bag takes a standard action. Extremely cheap, though... 2 sp per bag.

You could probably get an unseen servant or train an animal (monkey, most likely) to spread the marbles for you as a trick. This would let you use a move action to make the handle animal check, and then use your standard action to attack. Much better than trying to use Improved Feint.

[Fixer]

Yes! Something in writing!

Does it say anything about how to clear the marbles? Surely they don't last just one round.

For my character to take a round during the beginning of combat that will keep her opponents occupied for several rounds of sneak-attacking is fine by me. Excellent use of an action, by my book. Probably use a larger-than-usual bag, though, to spread more for the same action.

[only1doug]

Yes! Something in writing!

Congratulations!

Does it say anything about how to clear the marbles? Surely they don't last just one round.

Nope, nothing about how to clear them. (Fluff says 2 dozen/bag)
no duration: they remain until collected or crushed (huge or larger creatures just squish them)
Multilegged creatures ignore effects.

For my character to take a round during the beginning of combat that will keep her opponents occupied for several rounds of sneak-attacking is fine by me. Excellent use of an action, by my book. Probably use a larger-than-usual bag, though, to spread more for the same action.

I'd run the concept passed your GM first to determine how he'll let you play it, larger bag or just several bags.

[Darrin]

Does it say anything about how to clear the marbles? Surely they don't last just one round.

Hmm... the only thing I can find in print about how long it takes to clear a square full of caltrops is in Deep Horizon, which says it takes a full-round action to sweep a square clean of caltrops. I would assume marbles would be treated the same way. Still, that's a WotC book written by Skip Williams, so not bad as far as sources go.

For my character to take a round during the beginning of combat that will keep her opponents occupied for several rounds of sneak-attacking is fine by me. Excellent use of an action, by my book. Probably use a larger-than-usual bag, though, to spread more for the same action.

I'd go with training the monkey. Should take only one trick to spread the marbles under a specified target. An unseen servant would be even better, just tell it to spread them under every opponent and it will keep going until you tell it to stop.