Forums: Rules Questions: What Action is Putting Out Fire When Caught on Fire? (2024)

Burn wrote:

A creature with the burn special attack deals fire damage in addition to damage dealt on a successful hit in melee. Those affected by the burn ability must also succeed on a Reflex save or catch fire, taking the listed damage for an additional 1d4 rounds at the start of its turn (DC 10 + 1/2 burning creature’s racial HD + burning creature’s Con modifier). A burning creature can attempt a new save as a full-round action. Dropping and rolling on the ground grants a +4 bonus on this save. Creatures that hit a burning creature with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the burning creature and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire.

If afflicted with the burn special ability of a monster, a character can take a full-round-action to attempt the save to put out the fire. Dropping to ground is a free action, but what action is rolling around?

Core p.444 wrote:

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out—that is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire. A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.

If a character has caught on fire by other means they "must" make a reflex save. What action is this? Dropping to the ground is a free action, but what action is rolling on the ground? What action is smothering the fire with cloaks?

Caleb Garofalo wrote:

If afflicted with the burn special ability of a monster, a character can take a full-round-action to attempt the save to put out the fire. Dropping to ground is a free action, but what action is rolling around?

If a character has caught on fire by other means they "must" make a reflex save. What action is this? Dropping to the ground is a free action, but what action is rolling on the ground? What action is smothering the fire with cloaks?

With the burn ability, the dropping and rolling is part of the full round action. I believe (RAI) that the caught on fire rules are supposed to follow this.

Caleb Garofalo wrote:

If a character has caught on fire by other means they "must" make a reflex save. What action is this?

None. Saving throws are not an action, they are a reaction, and just happen. If you had to take an action to make a saving throw life would suck hard.

Fuzzy-Wuzzy wrote:

Caleb Garofalo wrote:

If a character has caught on fire by other means they "must" make a reflex save. What action is this?

None. Saving throws are not an action, they are a reaction, and just happen. If you had to take an action to make a saving throw life would suck hard.

The burn ability lists the same action of putting out the fire as a full-round-action.

Caleb Garofalo wrote:

Fuzzy-Wuzzy wrote:

Caleb Garofalo wrote:

If a character has caught on fire by other means they "must" make a reflex save. What action is this?

None. Saving throws are not an action, they are a reaction, and just happen. If you had to take an action to make a saving throw life would suck hard.

The burn ability lists the same action of putting out the fire as a full-round-action.

Good point! I missed that. Well, mandatory/automatic saves are not an action. Optional "earned" saves like burn has are extremely rare.

Matthew Downie wrote:

The Burn monster ability is one thing. The 'catching on fire' rule is another thing, when, "Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, and noninstantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire."

They follow different rules. In one, extinguishing the fire is optional and takes a full-round action. In the other, extinguishing the fire is not-optional and takes no action.

"A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself." There is no way that takes no action. It would take whatever amount of actions that the character needed to expend to traverse to the water depending on distance and obstacles.

So if that takes an action, it would only make sense that the scenario directly following that one of falling and rolling on the ground or smothering the fire would as well.

For the burn ability you could also consider dropping to the ground and rolling to be part of the save.

For the catching fire, as I said earlier, since there is no action listed it defaults to a standard action.

willuwontu wrote:

For the burn ability you could also consider dropping to the ground and rolling to be part of the save.

For the catching fire, as I said earlier, since there is no action listed it defaults to a standard action.

Do you have a reference for that?

Caleb Garofalo wrote:

"A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself." There is no way that takes no action. It would take whatever amount of actions that the character needed to expend to traverse to the water depending on distance and obstacles.

So if that takes an action, it would only make sense that the scenario directly following that one of falling and rolling on the ground or smothering the fire would as well.

Jumping in water would require an action and gives an automatic success. Rolling on the ground requires an action and gives a second save with a +4 bonus. It doesn't say what is required if you do neither of these. I think the GM would have to make their own ruling.