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rokar4life
2009-05-10, 12:43 PM
my DM is letting me be a chemist/engineer, and as such i am finding it nessicary to build the most explosive things possible, and now i want to make something that will explode on impact, and i am wondering what kind of mechanism i would need to build for that, please help.

RS14
2009-05-10, 03:09 PM
Do you mean in terms of real-world mechanics? The British gammon bomb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammon_bomb) had such a fuse. See the link above for a description of how it worked.

RTGoodman
2009-05-10, 03:36 PM
Er, well, alchemist's fire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#alchemistsFire) is kinda what you're lookin' for. :smallwink:

Seriously, though, that would be the easiest route. Just ask your DM if you can add more damage and change the radius by increasing the DC to craft the thing.

Alternatively, if you've got access to Races of the Dragon, there's an alchemical bomb set of items called ditherbombs that kobolds use. They come in different strengths (Normal, Strong, and Wyrm) and seem like what you want, so that could be another place to start. Just don't tell the other gnomes that you're using kobold technology. :smallbiggrin:

Limos
2009-05-10, 04:48 PM
Here's a thought for you.

Coat a stone in oil of impact then carefully place it in a pouch half-full of scrap metal and small vials of alchemists fire. Fill up the pouch the rest of the way with more metal shards and vials.

When tossed the alchemist fire vials will break open and the oil of impact will explode causing molten shards of metal to fly in all directions.

rokar4life
2009-05-10, 04:59 PM
thanks, and i was looking for more of a realworld thing, especially considering that alchemists fire could get expensive in large amounts.

Silence
2009-05-10, 05:31 PM
Enchant a sphere so that it's impossible to break, except with a special trigger.

Use create water a few times inside it.

The explosion will send shrapnel and water everywhere at incredible speed due to the compression properties of water.

Or just locate city.

RS14
2009-05-10, 05:38 PM
Also, if you're looking for further inspiration, I suggest satchel charges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satchel_charge). Sure, you can throw grenades in combat, but a satchel charge lets you blast down walls, bridges, and light fortifications, among other things. It would take more than alchemists fire--probably black powder at the least.

Edit:

Enchant a sphere so that it's impossible to break, except with a special trigger.

Use create water a few times inside it.

The explosion will send shrapnel and water everywhere at incredible speed due to the compression properties of water.
Arguably won't work. According to the text of Create Water, "Water can be created in an area as small as will actually contain the liquid..." Once the sphere is full, it may be argued that there is no place for it to create the water. You can argue that you could fill the spaces between the existing water molecules, but that would establish precedent for summoning water within anything, because you can target space literally anywhere, and thus render the entire clause irrelevant. Thus it's probably not within the scope of RAI.

Kiren
2009-05-10, 07:09 PM
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=297060

Here's an inventing class with grenade stats, I found it on the wizards forums.

This should help you with grenades, its under the items, it should also help you with the engineer/chemist character design. One of the best inventing classes I have seen.

Magentawolf
2009-05-10, 07:11 PM
Here's a thought for you.

Coat a stone in oil of impact then carefully place it in a pouch half-full of scrap metal and small vials of alchemists fire. Fill up the pouch the rest of the way with more metal shards and vials.

When tossed the alchemist fire vials will break open and the oil of impact will explode causing molten shards of metal to fly in all directions.

I always did like the Oil of Impact crossbow bolts that Cadderly created in the Cleric Quintet set of books. I wouldn't have wanted to wear a bandoleer of them, though.

Rhiannon87
2009-05-10, 07:35 PM
There are also the bombs on page 144 of the DMG, and the grenades on page 145. You could work out what materials you'd need to build those and work out DCs.

Silence
2009-05-10, 07:39 PM
Arguably won't work. According to the text of Create Water, "Water can be created in an area as small as will actually contain the liquid..." Once the sphere is full, it may be argued that there is no place for it to create the water. You can argue that you could fill the spaces between the existing water molecules, but that would establish precedent for summoning water within anything, because you can target space literally anywhere, and thus render the entire clause irrelevant. Thus it's probably not within the scope of RAI.

That is a problem... You can always have an advanced wizard edit the spell, and create a high powered version without that issue.

Or cleric, if I remember correctly.

But, as I said, there's always locate city xD