TornadiumD-20

TD-20 is a modified version of TD-19. Using ultra-high strength federanium strips, it is constructed in pre-made shaped charges.

TD-20 does 3d10 points of STA damage (double that amount for structures) for a 50-gram charge. For every additional 50 grams, it does an additional 15 points of STA damage or 30 structural points to vehicles, buildings and other structures.

The explosive iss old in set shapes and weights so a Demolition specialist cannot reshape it. At the base of the charges is a thin plastic disc; once this covering is peeled away, it’s sticky base can be attached to almost anything.

As a shaped charge, TD-20 only explodes in only one direction. Thus, with a small explosion of less than 1 kilogram, the user can remain one meter away from the explosion and suffer no damage whatsoever. A cone of TD-20 is perfect to attach to walls, floors, doors, etc. and blow an entry into another room.

If anyone is foolish enough to try to throw a charge of TD-20 as a weapon, use the Area Effect Weapon Miss Diagram to determine the direction of the blast.

A thrown TD-20 charge inflicts only half its normal damage to bio-forms and structures. The blast range is identical to that of TD-19. As the charges get progressively larger... Revision coming

TD-19 and TD-20 use the same detonation devices.

Demolition specialists have used TD-20 to create improvised claymore mines. This is done by propping the explosive up. Instead of attaching the sticky base to a wall or structure, it faces outward. A bag, or pouch, or some other container – that holds ball bearings, nails, broken glass or the like – is then attached to the sticky base.

An explosion of TD-20 will then fling the shrapnel out to double the blast range. It will cause 8d10 points of damage to targets within a 45-degree cone. The chance to-hit is equal to the Demolition setter’s skill level and is modified by cover, target size, target speed, etc. Roll separately for each target to see if it is hit and separately for any resulting damage.

Plastid

Stabilized plastic acid is illegal on most planets. Only highly placed Star Lawmen and powerful crooks have access to it. It usually comes in a plastic or ceramic alloy wrapand is shaped like thick spaghetti. One hundred grams of plastid applied to a lock and ignited will melt the lock in one turn (five turns for heavy duty locks).

Plastid must beapplied directly to the material it is to melt; it cannot be thrown.

Plastid only affects plastics and metals. Special detonators that use acidic chemicalreactions are required to activate a plastid charge. Plastics or metals that have been laminated with glass or ceramics are not affected by plastid.

Determinations of quantities needed for large-scale melting are left to the discretion of the referee.

Revised 4/22/2019 at approx. 7:10 pm EST

Nitroglycerin

Nitroglycerin is a powerful explosive that has been used as an ingredient in dynamite, guncotton (nitrocellulose). In another form it is a medicine called glyceryl trinitrate,  that eases cardiac pain.

With the molecular formula C₃H₅(ONO₂)₃, nitroglycerin is composed of 18.5 percent nitrogen and contains enough oxygen to oxidize the carbon and hydrogen atoms during an explosion. The detonation of nitroglycerin generates gases that would occupy more than 1,200 times the its original volume while raising temperatur eto about 5,000 °C (9,000 °F), notes the Encyclopedia Britannica.

“The overall effect is the instantaneous development of a pressure of 20,000 atmospheres; the resulting detonation wave moves at approximately 7,700 meters per second – more than 17,000 miles per hour,” the encyclopedia continued. “Nitroglycerin is extremely sensitive to shock and to rapid heating; it begins to decompose at 50–60 °C (122–140 °F) and explodes at 218 °C (424 °F).”[1]

Nitroglycerin is rapidly absorbed through the skin and results in a marked fall in blood pressure and a violent throbbing headache – treat it as a S2/T6 poison. A character would than receive a -10 percent modifier for all skill and ability checks for 10 hours. These effects ordinarily are not dangerous but are exceedingly uncomfortable.[2]

A 100 milliliter amount of nitroglycerin would cause a 4d10 point explosion (STA or SP), damaging anything within a 1 meter radius. For each additional 100 milliliters, increase the damage by 10 points, extend the primary blast radius by 1 meter and add a secondary blast radius.

A 1 liter, a nitroglycerin explosion would have a primary blast ring of 10 meters, a secondary ring at 15 meters, and would do 4d10 + 90 points of damage. For every additional 500 milliliters, add 10 points of damage and extend the primary blast radius by 2 meter, adjusting the secondary blast ring accordingly to a maximum of 4d10 + 400 points of damage and a primary blast radius of 300 meters.

Guncotton

Discovered by German chemist Christian Schönbein in 1846 during an accident, guncotton or nitrocellulose is a mild explosive that has been used in rockets, propellants but also for printing ink bases, leather finishing and other uses.

It is made with ordinary cotton that is treated with concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids. It ignites easily and was adopted by the military as a replacement for gunpowder. During World War I it was used in torpedo warheads, some grenades, and as a blasting explosive to destroy bridges.[3]

If guncotton ignites, treat it as a 4d10 flaming explosive per 250 grams with a primary blast radius of 3 meters and a secondary blast radius of 5 meters. It cause shalf-damage to structures and will burn out within a turn. For each additional 250 grams, add 20 points of damage and extend the primary blast radius by 1 meter and adjust the secondary blast radius accordingly.

Dynamite

Known as a "high-order explosive" or "high explosive," dynamite is a fairly stable explosive. It requires an additional charge of high-temperature, high-pressure gases with an accompanying shockwave traveling at the speed of sound to before it will detonate.

For example, it can be dropped or even burned in a fire without exploding. Among its drawbacks, include: obsolete styles of dynamite would freeze at low temperatures and would not detonate; and it would have a recommended shelf life of about a year.

Dynamite prefers to be stored in a cool, humidity controlled environment, while a hot and humid environment would cause it to degrade faster. Older dynamite tends to weep nitroglycerine which canpool at the bottom of a container or even crystalize on the sticks, making them extremely dangerous to use. For this reason, they are banned on a number of Frontier worlds as an obsolete explosive.[1]

For ease of conversion, a Frontier stick of dynamite – which might be made on less developed worlds –  would weigh 200 grams. Various detonators can be used to cause it to explode, including lighting a simple fuse. Typical fuses are 12 seconds (two combat turns) long or even up to several minutes.

A character can cut the fuse, requiring a Dexterity check, to shorten it to one combat turn so it would be similar to a grenade. If the skill check fails, when the stick is used, there is a 50 percent chance it is too short, and will blow up “in the user’s face” or will exploded on the second turn. In order to prevent player abuse, only have the character make the Dexerity check on the turn he has declared he has lit the fuse and is throwing it!

If a character throws a stick of dynamite as a grenade, it will cause 2d10 points of blast damage to characters and structures within a 1 meter blast radius and half damage out to a 2 meter secondary blast radius. If used as a set charge, it causes 25 points of structural damage.

A character could wrap several sticks of dynamite together, up to three, to be used as a thrown weapon. Each additional stick would cause an added 15 points of damage and extend the primary and secondary blast radii by 1 meter.

For larger explosions, it is possible to wire several sticks of dynamite together. Each stick will either extend the primary and secondary blast radii by 1 meter or add 20 points of damage. The effect of each stick depends upon the Demolition specialist’s choice, requiring a successful Setting Charges check.

Similar to Tornadium D-19 and other explosives, by about the 5 kilogram range, it will take double the amount of dynamite to achieve a boost in damage power and increasing the blast radius – i.e. two additional sticks of dynamite to either add 15 points of damage or add 1 meter to the blast radii.

By the 10 kilogram range, it will take four times the amount of dynamite (four sticks) to increase damage by 15 points or extend the blast radii by 1 meter.

If a character attempts to use old dynamite – where nitroglycerin has clearly begun to weep from the stick – he must pass a Dexterity check to avoid an accidental explosion.

TNT

As noted earlier, TNT is not the same as dynamite, but assume its explosive effects are the same. Although the recommended shelf life is about a year, TNT can actually last indefinitely.

It is also a high-order explosive, requiring a blasting cap – or another high explosive event such as other sticks of TNT – before it will detonate. And, unlike dynamite, it will not weep nitroglycerin.

A Frontier stick of TNT would weigh 200 grams with five sticks equally 1 kilogram. One stick of TNT

Fireline Explosive

Fireline is a specially developed version of det cord containing explosive powder. It is used to create a fire line by blowing up small trees and brush. It will create a 6-meter wide break while also throwing a layer of dust over nearby foliage.

When ignited, it will cause 3d10 + 10 points of damage to characters, creatures, and foliage withina 3-meters to either side of the cord. It will cause half damage to structures.

Fireline comes in 25-,50- and 100-meter lengths and can be doubled up, causing an additional 2d10 points of damage per 2-meter length. The line can be wrapped around large trees to cut them in half. [1]

Fume Class. Many explosives produce fumes. Ideally, this should be water vapor, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. But a detonation also generates poisonous gases including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. Carbon monoxide damages the brain and central nervous system while nitrogen oxides form nitric acid that damages lung tissue.

In open air work, fumes are not of too much a consequence, but in a confined space, the demolition specialist would need to worry about the shockwave produced by any explosion but also poisonous fumes. In a confined space, the cloud of poison fumes persists for 1d5 turns. Any character who is within the primary or secondary blast radius – or enters the area after the explosion while the toxic cloud persists – will get poisoned.

A character who passes a current Stamina check will not be affected, nor will anyone in a gas mask. A shot of antitox will neutralize the poison so that no further damage is taken.

Explosives are rated from good, to fair, to poor when it comes to its fume class.

A fume class of good means the explosive only produces non-toxic vapors.

A fume class of fair means the explosive produces mildly toxic vapors that act as a S2/T4 poison. This type of explosive also produce slight smoke that lingers in the blast radius for the duration of the poisonous vapors. Characters who failed their Stamina check will also face a -5 percent modifier on all ability and skill checks for 1d10 turns due to coughing and blurred vision.

A fume class of “poor” would mean that the explosive creates a toxic smoke cloud of vapors that will last 1d10 turns. Any characters breathing in the fumes without the benefits of a filter mask will be poisoned, with the fumes acting as a S3/T6 poison. Additionally, character who failedtheir skill checks would face a  -10 percent modifier on all ability and skill checks for 1d10 turns.

Mining operations often have equipment to ventilate blast areas to disperse or neutralize any toxic clouds.

Grusome Effects. Most of these rules assume that a character is not holding an explosive or has one strapped to their person, like a suicide terrorist bomber. Or is the victim of a criminal demolitionist who has strapped an explosive collar around a character’s neck.

While rolling for damage might produce a low result – say five “1s” on a 5d10 roll for 50 grams of Tornadium D-19 -- the referee can rule that the explosion would kill or severely maim a character, up to and including dropping the Stamina score below -30.

Amonium Nitrate/Fuel Oil (ANFO)

Originating in the 1950s, ANFO is one of the most widely used bulk industrial blasting agents in modern-day North America formining. A low-cost explosive, it is easy to produce, store, and transport.

Consisting of 94 percent ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) and 6 percent fuel oil, it is produced as a dry powder that is safer to use than black powder. It typically requires a detonator to set it off.

ANFO has poor water resitance. Water will cause the blasting agent to dissolve. Water exposure results in the explosive agent either having very little energy or preventing a detonation from occurring at all.[1]

Since ammonium nitrate is a common fertilizer, ANFO products have often been called “fertilizer bombs.” A kilogram of ANFO will cause 10d10 points of damage in an open air blast, or 50 structure points when placed with a primary blast radius of 3 meters and a secondary blast radius of 5 meters. Each additional kilogram will cause another 25 Stamina points or 10 structure points in an open air blast or 20 structure points when placed.

The primary blast radius will extend by 1 meter for every 2 kilograms of ANFO used; adjust the secondary blast radius accordingly. As with other explosives, this damage and blast range progression does begin to decline with distance.

Water Resistance: Poor. Fume Class: Good. Shelf Life: 1-2 years.