Suicide bombers

[Joe Eskimo]

More specifically, the bomb. How do I make one? Something that triggers at will, does enough damage to kill or maim commoners, and has a decent blast radius. I've seen it done with explosive runes but a 10' blast radius won't be affecting a lot. From what I know it's mainly used to annihilate a single target (a book full of runes). I need something that'll affect as many people as it can, not necessarily kill them but hurting them plenty is good. I'm planning on giving them to low level elven terrorists, have them blend in with a crowd and detonate when the crowd is thickest, killing the bomber and a fair number of commoners and inducing panic throughout the populace. Which means almost anyone should be able to hide, carry and trigger it.

[RCgothic]

The metamagic feat Widen Spell doubles the diameter of the area of effect - four times the area. 40ft across is respectable, but that is a series of lvl6 spells.

[Ranting Fool]

Something like a Neckless of Fireballs, don't need skill to use it just pull one off and drop it at your feet (Though why not just throw it from a distance :smalltongue:) any one use magic item that does damage.

Or the thought of someone else empowering them with one spell (There is a spell that lets another person cast one of your lower level spells) could work.

[Big Fau]

The Destructive Retribution feat from Libris Mortis turns Zombies/Skeletons into walking suicide bombers. A Human Commoner Zombie affected by that feat would be capable of killing any commoners caught in the blast.

There's a species of Troll in MM4 (or was it 5?) that explodes upon death.

Also, Balors.

[(Un)Inspired]

If you can get you elves an elemental subtype (fire elves maybe?) then they can take the final strike feat.

It makes it so when you die you explode in a 60' radius burst of your element for your hd d6 worth of damage. They could slit their wrists in the middle of huge crowds and become very literal suicide bombers

[Ruethgar]

Be an outsider, alter self Jovoc, Assume Supernatural Ability Retribution Aura, Alter Self, stab yourself. Every non-demon in 30ft takes damage equal to your health +10(unless you succeed the fort saves, but I'm pretty sure you can choose to fail a save). Or just get a Jovoc, it isn't suicide but may as well be.

Bag of Holding + Portable Hole or use one of those to smuggle in say a pissed off or evil fire elemental, more than a bomb, it is a bomb that wont stop until you kill it.

Be an AEG Witch and create super-powered items at a cheap cost.

Mind fogging up. I know there must be more. There is an Alchemist class that is 3rd party, essentially adds precision damage to your alchemical creations and lets you add some simple metamagic to them. There was a feat somewhere, potent potions or some such, added a little bit of damage which is significant for splash damage on a widened alchemist fire.

[Jormengand]

Something like a Neckless of Fireballs, don't need skill to use it just pull one off and drop it at your feet (Though why not just throw it from a distance :smalltongue:) any one use magic item that does damage.

Hold Necklace of fireballs in one hand and wear another.
Move to foe. (Move)
Drop held NoF. (Free)
Use worn NoF on dropped NoF. (Standard)

The NoF on the ground isn't worn, so it has no save. Ka-BOOM!

If you enjoy living or got the surprise round, use the following sequence instead:

Hold Necklace of fireballs in one hand and wear another.
Move to foe. (Move)
If you didn't just get the surprise round, defend against enemy attacks. (Standard)
If it's your enemy's turn, allow enemies to fail to attack you.
Drop held NoF. (Free)
Move away. (Move)
Use worn NoF on other NoF. (Standard)

If you enjoy living and want to be able to pull this in one round, be immune to fire before starting. Having some other way to deal the necklace fire damage might also be useful.

This does cost you one-and-a-bit NoFs per shot, but it's worth it. :3

[Slipperychicken]

In Pathfinder, powder kegs deal 5d6 fire damage in 20ft (reflex half) and are only 5lb. They cost 1000gp by default, but the gunsmith feat brings that down to 100, and tech level (guns everywhere) can bring it down to 10gp. So yeah, load up a cart (or just an 8gp mule + 4gp saddlebags) with those and enjoy your inexpensive, primitive car-bomb. If you have some means of remote detonation (fuses come to mind), then your bombers can survive to strike again (and will likely get XP from all the people they kill).

"See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like dynamite and gunpowder and gasoline. Do you know what all these things have in common? They're cheap."
-The Joker

[Deophaun]

Get a bunch of small jewelry boxes made out of glass. Cast sign of sealing on them. Have you minions shatter them. 30'-radius explosion.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Hands-down, the best mundane bomb in 3.5 is secrets of sarlona's explosive packs. A ten pounder does as much damage as a cl 10 fireball over the same area and all you have to do is pull the pin and wait 6 seconds.

[Slipperychicken]

Hands-down, the best mundane bomb in 3.5 is secrets of sarlona's explosive packs. A ten pounder does as much damage as a cl 10 fireball over the same area and all you have to do is pull the pin and wait 6 seconds.

It also costs 1000gp, which, although certainly cheaper than a Necklace of Fireballs, still seems a bit much for 10d6 reflex/half on a time delay.

[Crake]

explosive runes? no save for those close enough, carry around a whole stack of papers, run in, use a ****ty area dispel magic on them, most of them should pop and deal a ****load of force based, no save damage to those close enough. Use Widen Spell to double the no save area out to 10ft, and the save for half area out to 20ft. The damage is pretty much however many explosive runes you went and made, so it can be arbitrarily high really

[Ravens_cry]

If you can get you elves an elemental subtype (fire elves maybe?) then they can take the final strike feat.

It makes it so when you die you explode in a 60' radius burst of your element for your hd d6 worth of damage. They could slit their wrists in the middle of huge crowds and become very literal suicide bombers
That's . . . disturbing.:smalleek:

[Kelb_Panthera]

It also costs 1000gp, which, although certainly cheaper than a Necklace of Fireballs, still seems a bit much for 10d6 reflex/half on a time delay.

In fairness they're only 1/3 that if you make them yourself and this is an adapted use. Their intended purpose is an analogue for demolition charges for bringing down buildings or breaching charges for going through walls and doors in the interior of a structure.

[Slipperychicken]

That's . . . disturbing.:smalleek:

Slitting one's wrists isn't instant death. Even if it was, it's just as disturbing and tragic as any situation where someone detonates explosives in a crowd.


They could slit their wrists in the middle of huge crowds and become very literal suicide bombers

As though regular suicide-bombing isn't "literal"?

[Acatalepsy]

If you're going for something that does force damage (ie, explosive runes) you might be able to jacket them in nails and other bits of metal; this could spread the damage radius out quite a bit.

[Deophaun]

Glyph of warding + dance of ruin on some cheap leather bags could be fun. At least a 35 ft-radius burst.

[Clistenes]

20th level scrolls of Widened Death Throes and suicide bomber with Use Magic Device ranks.

Upon dying they explode, causing everything less than 60' from them takes 20d8 of untyped damage, no save, no spell resistance, no energy resistance, no anything.

You don't even have to tell the suicide bombers to commit suicide, tell them to go kill somebody important, and if the bodyguards manage to prevent the attempt skewering them...boom!

[Deophaun]

20th level...
If you've got 20th level, you just cast apocalypse from the sky.

[(Un)Inspired]

Slitting one's wrists isn't instant death. Even if it was, it's just as disturbing and tragic as any situation where someone detonates explosives in a crowd.

You're right that sliting your wrists isn't an instant deathstroke. Ok so you have suicide bomber teams of two; one guy with final strike as the sacrifice and one guy who coup de graces him in the middle of a crowd as the sacrificer.

[Incorrect]

If you can get you elves an elemental subtype (fire elves maybe?) then they can take the final strike feat.

It makes it so when you die you explode in a 60' radius burst of your element for your hd d6 worth of damage. They could slit their wrists in the middle of huge crowds and become very literal suicide bombers

This seem to be very fitting.
Give your fire elfs a bunch of ritualistic tattoos as part of granting them the feat. When in the perfect position in a crowd, they will throw aside their robes to reveal the tattoos, and yell a political message, before slitting their throats and exploding.

Perhaps poison them in advance to make sure they die, both to lower their Fort and Hp so the Coup de grace kills them, but also to kill them anyway if they decide not to go through with the plan.

For 1-2 hd bombers its not a a lot of damage, but it should do against commoners.

You can check out the feat in Savage Species, or maybe google has it.
The explosion even comes with cool secondary effects like a blast of rock shards. And finally: "A final strike renders your corpse unsuitable for raise dead or resurrection spells." It could be ruled that it also works against Speak With Dead. Perfect.

[Joe Eskimo]

Awesome as ever playground! I got a lot of ideas from this thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed. :smallbiggrin:

[Bonzai]

Take the mother cyst feat from Libris Mortis. The feat gets you a free spell each level, starting with the ability to implant a cyst at level one. The 6th lvl one can make the target explode dealing up to 15d6 damage, creats a free willed undead, and has a chance to make anyone who survived the blast be implanted with a Mother Cyst. The creepiest NPC villain I ever ran was based off of this feat. A Blood Magus/fleshwarper who was the leader of a cult that was rapidly taking over a Barony. The players had no idea who was a member of the cult, and even some of the most seemingly trust worthy people would suddenly turn on them. Random villagers would become suicide bombers. When they finally came across actual cultists they were riven with various grafts that made them far more difficult to deal with. Plus the antagonist could simple travel between cultists with his blood walk ability.

Very creepy, and kept the players on edge.

[Red Fel]

A little excerpt from an old issue of Critical Miss (http://www.criticalmiss.com/issue10/CompSmeg1.html)*:

In most modern game systems, explosives tend to be relatively inexpensive and available to starting characters, but you can even find them in fantasy games like D&D (DMG 3.5, p. 145). It'll cost you about 16-18 GP per pound of gunpowder, but hey, a bomb only weighs a pound, and that's 2d6 damage, a lot cheaper than a Flaming Sphere or Fireball scroll.

A starting fighter could conceivably have enough gold to buy 10 pounds of gunpowder, so max out your Craft: Explosives skill and with some good rolls, you could be looking at 20d6 damage for a 1st-level character. Alchemists Fire is a little more expensive at 20 GP for 1d6, but your GM is more likely to let you have it since it's listed in the equipment chapter of the PHB. Max out your Craft: Alchemy skill and you can make it for half the cost and the price comes down to 10 GP for 1d6, which is almost on par with gunpowder.
*Caution: Link contains naughty language. Not for the kiddies.

[Slipperychicken]

You're right that sliting your wrists isn't an instant deathstroke. Ok so you have suicide bomber teams of two; one guy with final strike as the sacrifice and one guy who coup de graces him in the middle of a crowd as the sacrificer.

Or just have the bomber CDG himself (and voluntarily fail his save against death). This can be most sensibly done by shooting himself in the head with a crossbow.

[Darrin]

In fairness they're only 1/3 that if you make them yourself and this is an adapted use. Their intended purpose is an analogue for demolition charges for bringing down buildings or breaching charges for going through walls and doors in the interior of a structure.

200 GP per 1d6, so 10d6 would cost 2000 GP, not 1000 GP. Crafting it yourself would be 666 GP... this is actually pretty decent price, considering a Skull Talisman + fireball would cost 1500 GP, and that's only 5d6.

Chardalyn (Lords of Darkness/Silver Marches WE) is a bit cheaper than the Skull Talisman... 1000 GP for the stone, 300 GP for a CL10 fireball, although presumably you have a 10th level caster available for that.

Shalantha's delicate disk (Lost Empires of Faerun) might be cheapest: 200 GP for the material component, and if you've got a spellcaster that can cast the disk part, they can also provide the fireball part.

Spell-storing arrow might work for 166 GP, but you need an area effect spell with a Target: line, and I'm not sure what that would be.


If you've got 20th level, you just cast apocalypse from the sky.

Why wait? You can do this at level 1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15634823&postcount=19).


A little excerpt from an old issue of Critical Miss (http://www.criticalmiss.com/issue10/CompSmeg1.html)*:


Thanks for the plug! Although I seem to have bungled the math a bit there... crafting explosives would cut the cost by 1/3rd instead of 1/2.

[Ravens_cry]

Slitting one's wrists isn't instant death. Even if it was, it's just as disturbing and tragic as any situation where someone detonates explosives in a crowd.

That was the part I found disturbing. If you want a faster death, cutting your own throat would be better if you hit the right blood vessels.

[Clistenes]

If you've got 20th level, you just cast apocalypse from the sky.

Recruit a 10th level Artificer with Charisma 12, 13 ranks in UMD, the Skill Focus: UMD feat, an item that grants him a +15 competence bonus to UMD, and a Cloak of Charisma +6. That's a total of +35 bonus to a DC 40 UMD skill check, and he has five chances to sucess, since each scroll takes five days to create. Given enough time, you will have all the 20th level scrolls you will need.

You can use one of the items that allow to share xp for crafting.

If you aren't allowed to recruit an Artificer, well, a 9th caster level Death Throes spell still has a 30' radius and 9d8 unstoppable damage, and you could use Divine Metamagic (Widen) to change the radius to 60' feet. Still enough to provoke massive damage among civilians.

Anyway, the OP asked for suicide bombers. If he had asked for mere terrorist attacks, I would have suggested to give the elven terrorists scrolls of Erupt, Storm of Vengeanze, Apocalypse from the Sky and other similar spells. At lower levels the best thing would probably be to give the elven terrorists wands and scrolls of Summon Monster, or create some Wights, Bodaks, Allips or Spectres and release them in the city.

[Joe Eskimo]

This seem to be very fitting.
Give your fire elfs a bunch of ritualistic tattoos as part of granting them the feat. When in the perfect position in a crowd, they will throw aside their robes to reveal the tattoos, and yell a political message, before slitting their throats and exploding.

Perhaps poison them in advance to make sure they die, both to lower their Fort and Hp so the Coup de grace kills them, but also to kill them anyway if they decide not to go through with the plan.

For 1-2 hd bombers its not a a lot of damage, but it should do against commoners.

You can check out the feat in Savage Species, or maybe google has it.
The explosion even comes with cool secondary effects like a blast of rock shards. And finally: "A final strike renders your corpse unsuitable for raise dead or resurrection spells." It could be ruled that it also works against Speak With Dead. Perfect.

There sure are a lot of great ideas in here but this really struck me as the most dramatic. And it really has an elven feel to it. The loud political message in elven, the ritualistic elven tattoos(I'm probably gonna make mine glow like embers to accentuate the fire subtype bestowed upon them like a curse only the worthy can bear), and a fearless suicide by slitting his throat abruptly silencing himself before bleeding out and exploding in a great torrent of blinding flame. It's a very powerful scene. But I'm finding it hard how to give these elves the fire subtype. Any templates that grant them?

[Joe Eskimo]

Why wait? You can do this at level 1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15634823&postcount=19)

Also this deserves special mention.

And the Explosive Packs are very doable and also quite cheap. I'll probably go this route if it gets hard trying to make the elves elemental. All you need are a couple full-time bomb makers. You don't need to be anyone special or have a high level. Any spellcaster can do it. Only downside is the long crafting time for each 10d6 bomb. Can you use Fabricate on Explosive Packs?

[(Un)Inspired]

There sure are a lot of great ideas in here but this really struck me as the most dramatic. And it really has an elven feel to it. The loud political message in elven, the ritualistic elven tattoos(I'm probably gonna make mine glow like embers to accentuate the fire subtype bestowed upon them like a curse only the worthy can bear), and a fearless suicide by slitting his throat abruptly silencing himself before bleeding out and exploding in a great torrent of blinding flame. It's a very powerful scene. But I'm finding it hard how to give these elves the fire subtype. Any templates that grant them?

I believe that savage species has a ritual in it for changing a creatures type. Conveniently it's also the book with the final strike feat.

[Clistenes]

There sure are a lot of great ideas in here but this really struck me as the most dramatic. And it really has an elven feel to it. The loud political message in elven, the ritualistic elven tattoos(I'm probably gonna make mine glow like embers to accentuate the fire subtype bestowed upon them like a curse only the worthy can bear), and a fearless suicide by slitting his throat abruptly silencing himself before bleeding out and exploding in a great torrent of blinding flame. It's a very powerful scene. But I'm finding it hard how to give these elves the fire subtype. Any templates that grant them?

MANTLE OF THE FIERY SPIRIT - SANDSTORM (3.5)
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 9, Druid 8
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
Mantle of the fiery spirit permanently grants the target the fire subtype.
Material Component: A burning lump of coal and a fire opal worth 5,000 gp.
XP Cost: 2,000 XP.

Problem is, it's a level 9 spell. I guess you could homebrew a lower level ritual that takes 24 hours to complete and requires of a dozen clerics that does the same. Or homebrew an artifact that casts the spell 1/day.

[Joe Eskimo]

MANTLE OF THE FIERY SPIRIT - SANDSTORM (3.5)
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 9, Druid 8
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
Mantle of the fiery spirit permanently grants the target the fire subtype.
Material Component: A burning lump of coal and a fire opal worth 5,000 gp.
XP Cost: 2,000 XP.

Problem is, it's a level 9 spell. I guess you could homebrew a lower level ritual that takes 24 hours to complete and requires of a dozen clerics that does the same. Or homebrew an artifact that casts the spell 1/day.

Oh wow. This could go to the cult leader. He could cast these spells on those they deem worthy to carry out the great sacrifice. Probably be an ancient elf druid lich with a hatred for humans. It's really coming together.

[Joe Eskimo]

I believe that savage species has a ritual in it for changing a creatures type. Conveniently it's also the book with the final strike feat.

Also gonna look more into this. I must follow all leads.
EDIT: Found it. Ritual of elements. Costs 36,000 gp and 1,440 xp though.

[Clistenes]

Oh wow. This could go to the cult leader. He could cast these spells on those they deem worthy to carry out the great sacrifice. Probably be an ancient elf druid lich with a hatred for humans. It's really coming together.
I dunno. If you are going to use a 8th-level spell that requires you to spend 2000 xp and 5000 gp, you could just go for a CL 15th Widened Death Throes spell (that requires a 8th level slot) which is unstoppable and does 15d8 untyped damage to anybody less than 60' from you.

You could make a scroll that would cost you 1500 gp and 120 xp, and give it to your minions, who you could have instructed to take a few ranks of UMD (the spell is Personal). Or you could make a wondrous item that casts the spell just once...it should cost a bit more than the scroll.

A wondrous item that allows a person to cast Widened Death Throes on itself 1/day at 15th caster level would cost you 43200 gp. If it has 50 charges, it would cost 108000 gp.

[Joe Eskimo]

I dunno. If you are going to use a 8th-level spell that requires you to spend 2000 xp and 5000 gp, you could just go for a CL 15th Widened Death Throes spell (that requires a 8th level slot) which is unstoppable and does 15d8 untyped damage to anybody less than 60' from you.

You could make a scroll that would cost you 1500 gp and 120 xp, and give it to your minions, who you could have instructed to take a few ranks of UMD (the spell is Personal). Or you could make a wondrous item that casts the spell just once...it should cost a bit more than the scroll.

A wondrous item that allows a person to cast Widened Death Throes on itself 1/day at 15th caster level would cost you 43200 gp. If it has 50 charges, it would cost 108000 gp.

Hmmm. Good point. I honestly didn't notice the piece of coal had a gold cost. I could have lessened the xp requirement for the sake of roleplay but since you put it that way it does seem a bit too much to give to someone expendable. The death throes scroll is an obviously better alternative as you pointed out.

[Incorrect]

In the eastern lands, near the great volcano Joskimos Breath and the surrounding lava falls, lives an isolated sub-race of elves that have long been influenced by their fiery surroundings. Some say that they have somehow bonded with the ancient fire elemental living below the volcano. Being mostly secluded from most of the world for generations have made them xenophobic against everyone but elves. Recently a cult leader have claimed their respect and position of chieftain by commanding the elemental.

Now you have elves with the fire subtype in the world.

But if you are going for the mechanical best solution, and have access to level 9 spells, there are a lot better options than killing a few commoners. But in my opinion its more fun to use lower level methods.

[Lightlawbliss]

how about you use fire elves (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm), and do some DM handwave.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Also this deserves special mention.

And the Explosive Packs are very doable and also quite cheap. I'll probably go this route if it gets hard trying to make the elves elemental. All you need are a couple full-time bomb makers. You don't need to be anyone special or have a high level. Any spellcaster can do it. Only downside is the long crafting time for each 10d6 bomb. Can you use Fabricate on Explosive Packs?

Fabricate can make whatever you want as long as you can make the craft check and have the the raw material, unless I'm mistaken.

I really can't encourage the explosive packs enough. Suicide bombing sends a loud message but messages don't do much by themselves. Your elves are also going to -need- to be able to damage infrastructure and eliminate targets more precisely.

Covertly placed explosives set to do 30d6 damage to 40 ft of a load bearing wall of an important building can turn an enemy base of operations into a pile of rubble.

A few sets wired to a pressure plate and rigged to an enemy commander's favorite chair in that exclusive resteraunt can make patté out of a key player.

And nobody doesn't like a grenade.

[Incorrect]

Fire Elves are unfortunately not FIRE Elves.


Despite their affinity for a particular element, these creatures types and subtypes do not change.

EDIT: But as lightlawbliss wrote, the GM could easily make up some fluff and grant Fire Elves the Fire subtype.