Craft Explosives (3.5e Skill)

Author: Franken Kesey (talk) Date Created: 03/15/19 Status: Fin Editing: In talk page.

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

Craft (Explosives) (Int)

An engineer merges knowledge gained from pyromania and trap making into making explosives.

This skill can only be gained as a class skill.

Check

You can practice your trade and make a decent living, earning about half your check result in gold pieces per three days of dedicated work. You know how to use the tools of your trade, how to perform the craft’s daily tasks, how to supervise untrained helpers, and how to handle common problems. (Untrained laborers and assistants earn an average of 1 silver piece per day.)

The basic function of the Craft skill, however, is to allow you to make an item of the appropriate type. The DC depends on the complexity of the item to be created. The DC, your check results, and the price of the item determine how long it takes to make a particular item. The item’s finished price also determines the cost of raw materials.

Unlike the normal craft skills, one cannot use spells to replace or buff a check.

All crafts require engineer tools to give the best chance of success. If improvised tools are used, the check is made with a –4 circumstance penalty. On the other hand, masterwork artisan’s tools provide a +4 circumstance bonus on the check.

To determine how much time and money it takes to make an item, follow these steps.

1. Find the item’s price. Put the price in gold pieces.
2. Find the DC from the table below.
3. Pay two-thirds of the item’s price for the cost of raw materials.
4. Make an appropriate Craft check representing three days work. If the check succeeds, multiply your check result by the DC. If the result × the DC equals the price of the item in gp, then you have completed the item. (If the result × the DC equals double or triple the price of the item in gold pieces, then you’ve completed the task in one-half or one-third of the time. Other multiples of the DC reduce the time in the same manner.) If the result × the DC doesn’t equal the price, then it represents the progress you’ve made this week. Record the result and make a new Craft check for the next three days. Each three days, you make more progress until your total reaches the price of the item in gold pieces.

If you fail a check by 4 or less, you make no progress for next three days.

If you fail by 5 or more, you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again.

Progress by the Day

You can make checks by the day instead of by three. In this case, your progress (check result × DC) is in silver pieces x two instead of gold pieces.

Creating Masterwork Items

You can make a masterwork item — a weapon, suit of armor, shield, or tool that conveys a bonus on its use through its exceptional craftsmanship, not through being magical. To create a masterwork item, you create the masterwork component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The masterwork component has its own price (twice normal price for ammo or thrice for projectiles) and a Craft DC of 20. Once both the standard component and the masterwork component are completed, the masterwork item is finished. Note: The cost you pay for the masterwork component is one-third of the given amount, just as it is for the cost in raw materials.

Repairing Items

Generally, you can repair an item by making checks against the same DC that it took to make the item in the first place. The cost of repairing an item is one-fifth of the item’s price.

When you use the Craft skill to make a particular sort of item, the DC for checks involving the creation of that item are typically as given on the following table.

Item	DC
Bullets, Fuse, Frag Grenade	5
Specialized Grenade, Sticky Grenade, IED	10
Detonator1, High-Explosive Rocket, Mine, Mortar Cartridge	15
Artillery Shell2, Mortar1	20
Dirty Bomb	25
Howitzer1	30
A trigger mechanism (like a detonator), or a projectile (like a mortar). None create explosions independently, requiring a charge to have an effect. All except dirty bomb.

Action: Does not apply. Craft checks are made by the hour, day or three-day period (see above).

Try Again: Yes, but each time you miss by 5 or more, you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again.

Synergy: If an engineer had 5 ranks in the Craft (alchemy or trapmaking) skills, they gain a +2 bonus on Craft (explosive checks).

Explosives

Explosive Features: Most explosives deal a mixture of piercing, force and sonic damage (unless noted otherwise); this is denoted as “explosive damage” below. All creatures can attempt a Reflex save (DC varies, see item) to reduces the initial damage by half, and negates any secondary effects. All explosives blown away creatures within the primary blast radius.

Creatures with resistance or immunity to piercing, force or sonic damage can reduce damage by 1/3 total (in addition to reflex save). There is no difference if they have resistance or immunity, or more than one type.

Frag Grenade: Craft a frag grenade.

Frag grenades are powerful explosives used by military forces with removable pins to prime the grenade. Their damage is a mix of concussive shockwave and the fragmented metal fragments of its outer casing. You throw a grenade as a standard action, hitting the correct square with AC 5. The frag grenade explodes, dealing its damage to everyone in a 10 foot radius, DC 10 + 1/2 BAB + Dex for half. Normally you cannot crit with a frag grenade, unless the target is immobile or helpless, in which case damage is doubled as if critically hit. This only occurs against creatures susceptible to critical hits.

Specialized Grenade: Craft a specialized grenade.

Specialized grenades include smoke, stun, riot and fire. All creatures can attempt a Reflex save (DC10+1/2 BAB) to half the below effects. If the reflex save exceeds the DC by more than 5, then the grenade can be thrown back. A specialized grenade has only one of the below effects:

• Smoke: A smoke grenade creates smoke for 5 minutes (treat like fog cloud); the smoke can be colored grey, red, yellow, green or violet.
• Stun: A stun grenade stuns creatures for 2 rounds. Creatures who are both blind and deaf are immune to this effect.
• Riot: A riot grenade sickens all creatures that breath in a 40’ area for 1d6+minutes.
• Fire: A fire grenade deals 4d6 fire damage in a 10’ radius.

Sticky Grenade: Craft a sticky grenade.

All creatures can attempt a Reflex save (DC15+1/2 BAB) to dodge the grenade; on failure the grenade is stuck to them.

Immediately after releasing the safety lever, the outer part of the grenade becomes an adherent which sticks to any struck object or creature (treat like web, except not vulnerable to fire). On impact the grenade has a six second delay before it will detonate in a 15' area.

The sticky grenade does explosive damage, which is a mixture of piercing, force and sonic damage.

The universal solvent can remove the grenade.

IED: Craft an IED.

An improvised antipersonnel explosive. This can be armed as a full-round action, and is triggered by either an opponent tripping a wire, or the user pulling a wire as a move action (or can be linked to a detonator). The IED does explosive damage in either a 10’ radius or a 15’ cone (see below).

The exact amount of damage (and its price) varies. The cost is 40 gp for every 1d6 points of explosive damage, to a maximum of 5d6 at 200 gp. Every 1d6 points of damage increases weight by 2lbs and HP by 1.

Mortar Cartridge: Craft a mortar cartridge.

Mortar Cartridge: Standard ammo for mortars are mortar cartridges. A cartridge has the following dimensions: length 2’, diameter 2.3” and weight 4lbs. All cartridges are triggered by impact. Most cartridges cost 500gp to make (smoke and illuminating cost 300).

An operator can use any of the following cartridges:

• High Explosive: Does 4d8 explosive damage in a 20’ area, plus 2d8 fire damage in a 10’ area. This has no secondary effect.
• White Phosphorous: Deals 1d8 explosive damage damage in a 10’ area. This does secondary damage of 3d8 fire damage in a 20’ area, for 1d4+1 rounds.
• Illuminating: This has no primary damage. This has the secondary effect of illuminating an area (treat like daylight).
• Smoke: This has no primary damage. This has the secondary effect of creating smoke for 2 minutes (treat like fog cloud); and can be colored grey, red, yellow, green or violet.
• CS Gas: This has no primary damage. This has the secondary effect of nauseating all creatures that breath in a 40’ area for 1d6+1 rounds.
• Nerve Agent: This has no primary damage. This has the secondary effect of fatiguing all creatures that breath in a 40’ area for 1d6+1 rounds, and deals 1d4 Dexterity and Intelligence ability damaged (rolled separately). Unlike other explosives, a successful reflex does nothing against the secondary effects.

Mine: Craft a mine.

A high explosive mine. This is armed as a full-round action, and is triggered when more than 10lbs of force is put on top of it (or can be linked to a detonator). The mine does explosive damage in a 15’ radius.

The exact amount of damage (and its price) varies. The cost is 60 gp for every 1d8 points of explosive damage, to a maximum of 10d8 at 600 gp. Every 1d8 points of damage increases weight by 4lbs and HP by 2. Damage done by a mine counts as siege damage for the purposes of interacting with fortifications, spells, and other effects.

Shell: Craft a howitzer shell.

Shell Howitzers fire artillery shells. A shell has the following dimensions: length 4’, diameter 4” and weight 15lbs; they have 30 HP and harness of 10. All shells have a 6 second delay (1 round); thus Reflex saves are made one round after a shell hits a target. Most shells cost 700gp to make (dirty cost 1000).

An operator can use any of the following shells:

• High Explosive: Does 6d10+7 explosive damage in a 40’ area, plus 4d6 fire damage in a 20’ area. This has no secondary effect.
• White Phosphorous: Deals 4d6 explosive damage damage in a 20’ area. This does secondary damage of 4d10 fire damage in a 40’ area, for 1d6+1 rounds.
• Air Burst: Deals 2d10 explosive damage damage in a 60’ area, plus 2d6 in a 20’ area. This has no secondary effect.
• Dirty Bomb: Does 6d10+7 explosive damage in a 60’ area, plus 4d10 fire damage in a 40’ area. This has the secondary effect of giving a “dangerous” dose of radiation to everything in five miles. Unlike other missiles, the secondary damage has no duration (the half-life is beyond normal game play); thus for all intents and purposes the area is permanently irradiated. Unlike other explosives, a successful reflex does nothing against the secondary effects.

Detonators and Projectiles

Detonator: Craft a detonator detonate explosives from a up to a mile (see page).

A remote detonator can be used to detonate traps and explosives up to a mile away. This detonator has a range of 1 mile, and can be used with mundane traps and explosives (except grenades and mortar cartridges). A detonator deals no damage on its own. The detonator requires 1 minute to link to a trap, then a swift action to trigger the trap. A detonator has 5 HP, hardness of 5 and weight of 1lbs.

There is a 6 second delay between when the detonator is switched and the device is triggered.

The detonator has only one switch. This can be linked to multiple devices, making them all go off at once. However, if the engineer wants to set off devices at different times, they need multiple detonators.

Mortar: Craft a mortar which can lob objects up to one mile (see page).

Mortar (3.5e Equipment)

Howitzer: Craft a howitzer to fire shells up to 10 miles (see page).

Basic Features: A cannon affixed to a two-wheeled metal trailer. The cannon itself is 12’ long and 1’ wide (at widest point); while the entire trailer is 15’ long, 5’ wide and 5’ high.

Movement: Due to the trailer’s weight it is near impossible to lift, however the wheels are very good and rugged, as such a large-sized creature (or two medium) can move it as a full-round action on smooth terrain. On rough or muddy terrain, it requires a warhorse (heavy or light), two regular horses, or six medium-sized creatures to move. When moving it is in a “packed” configuration (feet are up, and cannon is retracted).

Setup and Firing: The artillery is converted into a “firing” position by securing a solid foundation around it, dropping the legs, and extending the cannon. To change it to a firing position takes three minutes (for one person). This time can be reduced with the aid of a crew; every added crew member reduces time by 50 seconds (to a minimum of 30 seconds). It requires three minutes to repack (same rules on crew aid benefits). The cannon is breech-loaded with a shell (see below). It requires 12 seconds to load and fire from the artillery.

Spare Parts and Ammo: The trailer comes with a spare tire and parts, plus enough space to store four shells.

Accurate: A howitzer is very accurate, there is only a 10% chance of hitting 1d6x5 feet away from target.

Bullets: Since modern projectile ammo combusts, an engineer can craft bullets. They may craft bullets for weapons on the modern weapons list. This only applies to bullets, not any other type of ammo.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Glossary

Franken Kesey's Homebrew (123 Articles)

Franken Keseyv