Explosives (materials)

"As those in the Duncorne Foundation have learned, sometimes the best way to defeat a cosmic threat is to dump a bunch of dynamite into a cave." -- Dr. Cherrio
Explosives are materials that combust rapidly, creating a shockwave of pressure, and doing explosive crushing damage. One of the most famous explosives is TNT (circa 1876), which is often used as a measurement of other types of explosives.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNT_equivalent Most explosives (not including TL7+ plastics) are extremely flammable. Nitroglycerin in particular (circa 1846) is 1.5 times more potent than TNT... but is extremely volatile, and will detonate when struck--or dropped.
== Typical Examples ==
Type 	Weight (in lbs)	Damage (average)	Description
Stick of Dynamite	0.5 	9d+1 (31) 	The classic red stick of dynamite--seen in the hands of 1880s miners, demolitions teams, and cartoon animals. Dynamite is a TL6 invention that's essentially just nitroglycerin soaked into a medium of diatomaceous earth. Sticks are half a pound (1.25" thick, 8" long, Holdout -2). These do 9d+1 crushing explosive damage (31 average). See page for details.
WWII TNT block 	
{| class="wikitable" boarder="1"	 	
Small 	0.45 	 	
Large 	1 	 	
== Accidental Examples ==
Accidents happen. They can be caused by critical failures, stray shots, curses of misfortune, or sabotage. When accidents happen around volatile materials, things explode.
Type 	Weight (in lbs)	Damage (average) 	Description
Propane Tank (large)	14 	6dx5 burn ex [1d] 	Classic propane tanks seen in boxes in front of supermarkets, under grills or attached to camper trailers.
Sabotaged Gun 	varies 	1d cr ex 	Requires a lot of tinkering--or a very low-tech gun.
Literal Powderkeg 	100 	6dx14 cr ex [1d-1]	TL3-5 black powder stored in a hundred-pound powderkeg. Used in historical battles across the globe--and in gunpowder plots.
== Exotic Examples ==
In the GURPS multiverse, there's more than one way of making a big boom (or even, stopping onethis dampening spell exists somewhere in GURPS canon, I'm sure ---Cherrio01). Mage-bombs, cast in bronze, could contain Concussion and Thunderclap spells. Perhaps some diabolist has harvested the secrets of the self-destructing doomchild demons, or weaponized Puffball FungiDungeon Fantasy Monsters 2: Icky Goo, p.6.
== Proper Application ==
Demolition isn't just about using the right amount of explosives, but using it in the right places. Explosive Destruction of Materiel mentions that using explosives wrapped around supports, on key structures, or placed into the soil can result in more efficient booms.
== Associated Rules ==
* Relative Explosive ForceBasic Set, p.415
* How Much Explosive?
* How Big A Blast?
* Explosive Destruction of MaterielHigh-Tech, p.182
== References ==
* High-Tech, p.184
Category:Concepts