100 Uses for a Flask of Oil
Since the original “Basic Equipment and Costs” list in the "0 Edition" White Box DnD set (Volume 1, ”Men and Magic,” page 13, copyright 1974), the legendary Flask of Oil has been used by brave adventurers to overcome insurmountable obstacles and thwart unimaginably deadly foes. A few of the most common, mundane uses for this inflammable, slippery liquid are listed below as items 1.--5. In what other, creative ways have you and your players used the mighty Flask of Oil?
(Note: Some uses require mineral oil, others vegetable oil, as appropriate.)
Refuel a lantern or lamp
Light oil with flint and steel (from a tinderbox) to start a campfire in wet/damp conditions.
Throw as a missile weapon to break upon a foe, throw a torch upon the foe, foe is toast
Clean and rust-proof weapons and armor
Empty on the floor, as grease, to cause foes to slip and fall prone
Oil a door to open it quietly (u/d20an)
Mix with flour, yeast & water to make bread (u/d20an)
Swirl in a frying pan to create a Poor-Man's +1 Pan of Non-Sticking (u/d20an)
Take a teaspoon as a laxative to speed the passage of poison from the body (u/d20an)
Clean and maintain leather equipment (u/d20an)
Waterproof oilskins, tarps, tents, etc. (u/d20an)
A refreshing beverage for Dragonborn (u/sonofabutch)
Used by alchemists as a solvent for organic compounds (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Mix with pigments and dyes to make oil-based paints (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Use a trade goods--buy low, hoard, sell high, get rich! (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Empty out the oil and use the flask to hold something else that is more valuable/important (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Grease gears of a machine or axels of carts/wagons to improve operation (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Mix with herbs to make a healing tincture (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Grease yourself up so you can squeeze through a tight passage or slide down a sloping passage quickly (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Use the oil to soak a rag and make a torch (u/IamTechnicallyHuman)
Survive a blizzard--If no wood is available for a campfire, remove your metal helmet and wedge it in the dirt, upturned, like a bowl. Pour a flask of oil into the helmet and light with a tinderbox. Huddle over the helmet for warmth, like hobos around a metal drum. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Pour a perfumed flask of oil into a fancy crystal decanter and use as a gift to bribe a member of the royal court. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Pour oil on the hinges, lock and edges of doors rusted shut or swollen stuck to ease opening. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Pull off a hoax: Rogues/Bards, use deception to convince the merchant, wizard, etc., that you are selling them a powerful potion when, in fact, you're simply selling them a cheap flask of oil. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Create a wall of fire to defend a castle--Pour a layer of oil on top of the water of the castle moat, light with torch. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Flaming oil trap--Tie a flask of oil above a door or to a tree limb. When foes pass through door or under tree limb, shoot flask with a flaming arrow. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
For greater range, lie on back and shoot flask from giant "foot slingshot." When flask lands, shoot with flaming arrow. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Mix with a flask of vinegar and herbs for +1 salad dressing. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Prevent Regeneration--Pour on troll parts and light with a torch. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Oil floats. Lash together multiple flasks to make a raft. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Oil floats. Put multiple flasks in a backpack and wear on your front as a personal floatation device. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Detect Invisible--Uncork flask, spin in a circle, spewing the oil wildly about to detect nearby invisible objects/creatures. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Oil your arms and legs to thwart grapple attacks. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Make an Oil and Water Puzzle--A treasure lies behind a locked stone door at the end of a tunnel filled with water. The lock mechanism is in the roof of the tunnel in front of the door. If the lock is in contact with air or water, it will not open. Open a flask of oil under the lock, oil floats up, displacing water, lock opens. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Pour on your wrists to increase chances of escaping handcuffs. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Poor Man's Flamethrower--Get a large, thick leather flask. Fill with oil and seal. Put a hole in the flask, hold under your arm and squirt a stream of oil. Light the stream with a torch. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Coat a wall or ceiling with oil to prevent people/creatures from climbing it. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Use as deep frying oil, for frying a turkey, etc. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Mix with egg yolks and a few other ingredients to make mayonnaise. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Make a Molotov Cocktail with a flask of oil, a rag, and a tinderbox. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Oil your hair to style it or hold it in place. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Store certain alchemical components in oil to prevent explosive reaction with the oxygen in the air. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Use as a wood finish to increase the value of furniture. (u/World_of_Ideas)
In the way of the ancient Romans, use oil as soap, together with a stirgil, to clean the body. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Use to oil the cogs, springs and sprockets of a tinker's creation. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Save the castle!--The orc horde rushes the castle gate. The command is given: "Lower the portcullis!" But . . . it's stuck! Smash a flask of oil into the portcullis mechanism just in time to unstick the portcullis and save the day!
Used by Warforged during long rests as part of daily body cleaning/maintenance. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
As a critically-necessary fuel for an infernal, tracked, war machine. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Used by owlin during daily preening to waterproof their feathers. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Bubble slowly in a large cauldron, with toil and trouble, as the first component of witches' stew. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Use in a glass jar to preserve the brains of unfortunate experimental victims in a mad scientist's lab. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Use "Ceramic Jar Filled with Cooking Oil" as an item in a random list of kitchen items. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Mix a flask of oil with sweet smelling flowers and herbs for a bardic perfume. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Used by clerics as Holy Oil to anoint the heads of worthy paladins. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
The peasants say that some clerics punish heretics by boiling them in oil. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
The primary trade product resulting from the distillation of petroleum discovered deep in a dwarven mine. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Create an aromatic culinary oil by adding minced garlic and crushed rosemary, or the spices of your choice, to use as a seasoning for otherwise-bland meals. (u/Chrontius)
Sabotage a potion, alchemical mixture, ritual ingredient, etc., by secretly adulterating with oil. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Castle defense - Boil a large cauldron of oil and dump it on invaders that come near the wall. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Destroy/sabotage a written work (books, scrolls, etc.) - pour oil on the pages causing the ink to bleed, run, fade, or dissolve. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Pour on stuck body parts to facilitate escape from spider webs or a glue trap. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Move heavy objects more easily- coat floor or object before trying to push or pull the object across the floor. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Fake blood - Add red dye and use as fake blood to fake an injury or to scare people. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Improvised fuse--poor out a line of oil from an explosive or flammable object/substance. Light it and run! (u/World_of_Ideas)
Slope detection - pour a little bit on the ground and see if it pools or runs. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Note hanger - Dab a small dot of oil on the wall, then press a piece of paper to the oil to get it to stick to the wall. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Thief indicator - Coat a object that a thief wants to steal. When it gets stolen. Gather all the suspects in one place and look for the person who has oil on their hands or cloths. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Tiny crawling insect barrier - Put a line or ring of oil on the ground. Tiny insects get stuck in it when they try to cross the line. If anything does start to get through it, you can always light it on fire. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Tracking - Poor on ground where a (person, creature) will step in it. Follow the footprints they leave behind. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Write a message - Dab your finger in the oil, then finger paint your message on a surface. If you want the message to be more visible, blow dust, powder, or sand across it. The dust sticks to the oil and blows away from the surface that is not coated. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Massage an NPC with oil to gain an advantage on Charisma/Manipulation/Charm rolls when trying to convince them or extract information from them. Get them loosey-goosey! (u/Lanky-Ad2763)
The key spell component when summoning an Oil Elemental! (u/World_of_Ideas)
Open flask and splash oil in your opponents face, temporarily blinding them. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Repellant--Pour bad (tasting, smelling) oil on self to deter a predatory creature from eating you. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Sunscreen - certain oils have an SPF rating and will protect vs harmful UV radiation. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Coat an attached tick or leach to make it release its hold on you. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Slip-N-Slide Contest--Bards: Entertain the village kids in a dry/desert environment by pouring flasks of oil on an unfurled bolt of leather 10 meters long and seeing which kid can slide the farthest! (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Thoroughly coat a harpy's (or other feathered flyer) feathers in oil to prevent it from flying. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Poor man's fireball--Throw a flask of oil into the air, perhaps in the direction of a foe. Your archer friend shoots it with an arrow, breaking the flask in mid-air. Your wizard friend hits the oil in mid-air with the Gust spell, turning the oil into a fine mist in the air. You shoot the oil mist with a flaming arrow. BOOM, fireball. Probably less explosive force than the Fireball spell, but an impressive ball of fire nonetheless. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Boil oil in a pot for a delightful fondue! (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Use as lip balm in freezing weather. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Used as spell component by alchemists to make magical weapon oils. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Oil Wrestling--It is said that on festival days, Barbarians engage in Contests of Strength in which they oil their naked bodies and attempt to grapple their opponents and pin them to the ground. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Coat arrow tips for flaming arrows. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Coast a sword with oil an set alight for a poor-man's Flaming Sword. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Preserving Fish and Produce--Use for preserving sardines, tuna, tomatoes, olives, etc., in jars. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Sharpen a blade--Use as honing oil with a whetstone to produce a keen edge on a knife, dagger, sword or other edged weapon. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Mark your trail--Drip on the ground or underbrush to leave a trail that allies can follow, or to mark the explored portions of a maze. (u/World_of_Ideas)
Hide glass objects (crystals, crystal balls, goblets, etc.) in oil to make them disappear (check it out: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/now-you-see-it-testing-out-light-refraction/) (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Remove oxygen from a room--Put a pile of oil flasks in a room. Light with a flame. Leave the room, shut the doors, and seal the cracks around the doors. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
It is said that some goblins coat themselves in a flask of oil and then roll in dirt (or worse) to intimidate and frighten their enemies because . . . goblins. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Find a long, strong, tube (maybe the small intestine of a fearsome creature). Use flasks of oil to fill the tube with oil. Now you have a hydraulic line. It is said that Dwarven and Gnomish engineers can use hydraulic lines to make contraptions that can move/push/lift heavy loads. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
As any good alchemist knows, a flask of petroleum oil is about 6% still gas and hydrocarbon gas liquids. So, distillation of about 20 flasks of oil produces one flask of . . . flammable gasses. What would you do with a flask of flammable gasses? Hmm . . . up to you. (boom?) (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Save the Whales!--Organize the import of flasks of vegetable or mineral oil into a coastal town to replace whale oil. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Fight Climate Change!--Organize the replacement of petroleum oil in the region with flasks of vegetable oil! (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Cause a distraction in town--Throw a flask of oil in a waste bin and light it up. Yell "Fire!" (Meanwhile, your rogue buddy picks the lock on the jail cell, or robs the bank.) (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Bards--Use a flask of oil to wet a client's cuticle beds as the finishing step of a fantastic manicure! (+1 Persuasion?...) (wife of u/ProfBumblefingers)
Pull off a pick pocketing--Rogues, use slight-of-hand to steal a potion from the belt of backpack of a mark by substituting a flask of oil for a potion. Same weight and feel--they won't even notice until you are long gone! (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Tavern Game: "Pop the Oil Flask"-- An oil flask is hung high above a lit candle placed in a stone fire pit with an uncooked roast on a spit. Contestants stand on the other side of the tavern and throw darts in an attempt to pop the flask of oil. On a hit, the oil falls on the candle and starts a fire, which eventually cooks the roast. Everyone cheers and has a drink. The "flask popper" gets free drinks for the night. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
Fuel for the breath weapon of a Red Dragon. (u/ProfBumblefingers)
