Explosion Damage?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I was just watching Where Eagles Dare and it got me thinking to what the damage would be for explosives. Specifically, a bunch of TNT sticks bundled together. The problem with straight fire damage is that (IIRC) it is reduced against objects which, obviously, defeats the purpose of TNT explosives.

What would be appropriate? Maybe 6d6, half fire and half sonic?

 

[dcollins]

I wouldn't ever make it sonic. The DMG has recommendations for technology like this. Renaissance grenadelike bomb: 2d6 fire damage (Reflex save DC 20 for half). Also specified is actual Dynamite: 3d6 fire damage in 5 ft. (one stick; same Reflex save). I'm looking at 3.0 DMG p. 163 for this.

Note that the DM can rule on objects' "vulnerability to certain attacks". Perhaps if the dynamite is well-placed, give it full damage to an object. Perhaps.

 

[Stalker0]

I would think explosions do more bludgeoning damage then anything else.

 

[Rhun]

I would think explosions do more bludgeoning damage then anything else.

Agreed...Dynamite should do much more concussion damage than fire damage.

 

[Hejdun]

You should consider that explosives themselves don't cause all that much damage to people. In bombs and grenades, the real killer are the fragments (or shrapnel) that go flying away from the explosion at high speeds. The steel cases of the bomb or grenade are sundered into thousands of tiny, sharp shards that rip into anything nearby. A bomb without any way to create shrapnel can still do massive amounts of damage to structures, but are less effective against humans than a smaller bomb that does create shrapnel.

 

[Eye Tyrant]

As for bundling explosives, IIRC, Modern adds only one damage dice for each additional unit of the explosives... The logic, I think, was that the original would set off the extras, but that in setting them off, the extras would be destroyed and not produce as much destructive energy... Something like that.

So if one stick of TNT does 3d6 points of fire/sonic/bludgeoning damage, then 4 of them bundled togeteher would do 6d6 points of the appropriate damege.