The automatic damage from fire. What feature in PnP allows a player character to deal guaranteed automatic fire damage to another?
PHB page 152
Oil either is a surface or coats a single target. It doesn't directly damage the target AND ALSO create a surface which then automatically damages the target.
Furthermore, oil as a surface "deals 5 fire damage to any creature that enters the area or ends its turn in the area"
Notably, it does NOT deal damage to any creatures that were in the area when it was ignited.
So a fire flask or fire arrow is more powerful than oil in 3 big ways:
1.) can deal direct damage against AC AND creates a surface which deals damage
2.) is a single action instead of the 2 required to ignite oil
3.) Deals the surface damage immediately instead of only after a creature willingly enters or ends its turn in the fire
