Oil

Don’t drink this
cocktail—
throw it!

Robert Plamondon

Festus the Dwarf kicks open the wide door of the bandits’ dun-
geon home and throws in two molotov cocktails, burning one of the
twelve bandits to death and wounding two more. Right behind come
Rangers Smith and Jones and Cletic Lucretia, who each lob two
smoking oil flasks. Before the bandits can react, over half receive
serious bums and several are dead. The pools of flaming oil prevent
them from regrouping. With sword and bow, the invaders pick off
the survivors and take the room. None of the adventurers has taken a
hit.

Many players, like those mentioned above, have realized that
flaming oil is the most powerful weapon available to a low-level
player in AD&D. A flask of oil burning on a monster (or player) does
3-18 points of damage in the space of two rounds, and can be used
by all character classes except Monks. Compare this to a “paltry”
1-10 points of damage done by each hit of a two-handed sword.
Because the players in my dungeon were using so much oil and
frying monsters so consistently, I decided to investigate the use of oil
in AD&D. I wanted to simplify the combat system for oil, and I
wanted to “burn” my players a little.

A common technique for using burning oil is to first toss an oil
flask onto the target, then light it with a torch. This method is useful
when you need a wall of flame between you and the monsters, but
takes a long time to set up—grab oil, throw it, grab a torch, throw
it-and requires two hits to torch one target.

Molotov cocktails are a more elegant method of creature crisp-
ing. In its simplest form, a molotov cocktail is an oil flask with a rag
stuffed in the mouth. The rag is lit before the oil is thrown, and the rag
lights the oil when the flask breaks. Instant monster flambee!
The stout-hearted can manufacture molotov cocktais during me-
lee by opening oil flasks and stuffing rags into them. Those with more
18

foresight will have some made in advance. Preassembled molotov
cocktails can be used more quickly, but tend to soak their immediate
surroundings with oil, endangering whomever carries them.
Classier models have a cap over the wick which prevents oil
leakage. These caps can be of metal, which can be pulled off or
unscrewed, or of waxed paper or parchment, which can be burned
or torn off. Molotov cocktails assembled with wicks going into the oil
are preferred because they can burn for hours and be used as lamps
or incorporated in a delayed-action booby trap.

The best molotov cocktais have their paper caps and wicks
impregnated with saltpeter, so they will light from a spark or a hot
coal. Saltpeter is what makes gunpowder burn faster than other
smelly charcoal fires. It can be obtained from nitrate deposits in
caves; alchemists use lots of it. Molotov cocktails of the most elabor-
ate sort will cost from thirty to forty silver pieces.
If your players are suicidal or use lots of traps, they’ll love
self-igniting oil flasks. Alchemists in most universes (including this
one) discover phosphorus at one time or other. White phosphorus
has the charming property of burning spontaneously in air but not in
oil. Thus, when a flask of oil and phosphorus breaks, the phosphorus
is exposed to air and everything bursts into flame.
These devices are extremely dangerous. A fall, a fumble, or an
attack can break the flask and torch the user. This danger makes
alchemists reluctant to make phosphorus-oil flasks. Those who
agree to make them will charge from twenty to fifty gold pieces each.
Torches, the most common source of flame, will quickly light
even a reluctant wick. They are, however, bulky and almost impos-
sible to shield, hindering weapon readiness and stealth.
Lanterns can be used to light wicks if plenty of time is available. In
melee it is more practical to use the lantern itself as a molotov
cocktail rather than trying to light things from it.
Two non-bulky, easily concealed fire sources are punk and slow
match. Punk is fungus-decayed wood; slow match is specially treat-
ed rope or cord. Both smolder without flame at the rate of thirty
inches per hour (five inches per turn).

Saltpeter-impregnated wicks light immediately from smoldering
material; lanterns and simple molotov cocktails will light after a few
seconds of blowing on the match or punk to heat it up.
Various sorts of shields and holders can be made for punk and
slow match to hide their glow and leave both hands free. Wind does
not blow out the burning ends, but care must be taken to shield them
from dampness.

Punk is available everywhere, but slow match is used mostly in
cities to light street lamps. Both are cheap, about one copper piece
per foot.

The number of oil grenades that a character can throw in a round
depends on the complexity of the operation. Thus, oil flasks, self-ig-
niting flasks, and lit molotov cocktails can be thrown at the rate of
three per round. Unlit molotov cocktails can be lit and thrown at the
rate of two per round. Stuffing a rag into a flask, lighting and
throwing it can only be done once a round, as is also the case for
throwing a flask and then throwing a torch.

These rates of fire assume that the oil grenades are thrown singly
at a distinct target and that the grenades are close at hand. Obvious-
ly, dumping a backpack full of oil flasks down a stairway will dispose
of more than three flasks in a round, while groping through loot and
laundry for a flask will slow the rate of fire.

Combat using flaming oil as given in the DMG is unnecessarily
complicated. Here is a simplified system:

First, roll the usual d20 “to hit.” If the grenade misses, pick a
convenient direction as “12 o’clock” and roll a d12 for the direction
of the miss, counting clockwise from “12 o’clock,” in relation to the
target. Then roll a d6 for short range, d12 for medium range or 2d12
for long range to find the distance from the target of the point of
impact.

Second, roll another d20. A “1” means the flask didn’t break, a
“2” means the flask broke but didn’t light (for molotov cocktails and
oil-phosphorus flasks). Any other result means the grenade did what
it was supposed to. Unbroken grenades can be thrown again; broken
ones can, of course, be lit later on.

A direct hit with any oil grenade does 2-12 points of damage the
first round and 1-6 the next round, provided it gets lit.
Splash hits occur when a creature is within three feet of the point
of impact of the grenade, and the creature misses its saving throw vs.
poison. Splash hits do 3 points of damage (the DMG spreads this out
as one point per segment for 1-3 segments, but it can be applied all at
once for simplicity).
mail, for instance, would keep most of the oil out, what did get
Armor doesn’t help reduce damage, because although plate

through would be where the character couldn’t reach, so it couldn’t
be smothered or scraped off.
When a successful attack is made on a person holding an oil flask,
there is a one-in-six chance that the flask will be dropped and
broken. A person rendered unconscious or killed while holding a
flask has a two-in-six chance of dropping and breaking it.
Falling into a pit or down an incline will cause flasks located
between the person and the point of impact to break 95% of the
time. Flasks located elsewhere will be unharmed. For instance, a
flask in a backpack would remain intact if a character fell forward
onto his chest or face.

Although flaming oil is a very potent weapon, it is not appropri-
ate in all dungeon situations, some of which are examined below:
Some dungeons have wooden floors, thick carpets, layers of
straw, or other flammable surfaces. Using oil under these circum-
stances can cause a party to bum important treasure, block off their
only escape route, or even destroy whole sections of a dungeon.
Destroying the dungeon is not a very bright plan, since the area
around the fire will suddenly be filled with monsters. Some of these
will be trying to escape the blaze, some hoping to scavenge a hot
meal, and a few will try to fight the fire. None of these creatures will
be well disposed towards the arsonists.
Additionally, rumor has it that pyromaniac players are some-
times attacked by a huge bear in a flat-brim hat who fights with a +6
shovel.

Using oil in poorly ventilated areas can kill everyone involved
because of heat, smoke inhalation, and/or lack of oxygen.
Use of oil in well-ventilated areas will bring the aroma of roasting
meat to creatures in rooms connected to the same air shaft, thus
attracting scavengers.

Players should try not to educate the opposition.
Relatively intelligent monsters will learn from experience with
oil. Although ogres, lizard men and trolls dislike using flame wea-
pons, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins and kobolds will gleefully use flam-
ing oil on adventurers once they learn how potent a weapon it is.