Starship Troopers: Grenades & Explosives

# **Grenades**

These small ovoid metal weapons are thrown weapons, though they do no damage on their own. Their purpose is to deliver a payload into a given area and detonate as an explosive/splash weapon. The common types of grenade used in the Mobile Infantry are given here.

## **M-901HE High Explosive Grenade**

This is a destructive grenade is commonly used to clear areas of ‘enemy infestation’.

## **M-902F Fragmentation Grenade**

Intended as a defensive weapon with a great deal of killing potential, the Frag grenade operates perfectly in that role. A munition that bursts into a dense shower of edged metal, these grenades not only present the possibility of personal harm in their area of effect but also make it difficult to see as a harmless smoke charge ignites along with its deadly payload. For a few brief but critical seconds, the M-902F gives a unit the chance to retreat from close combat while under cover. This grenade’s dense smoke cloud remains in the weapon’s blast radius for 1-4 rounds.

## **M-904C Chem Grenade**

A chemical grenade is a splash weapon. It super-saturates this area, forcing a Dodge check (Difficulty 20) to avoid its effects. Any chemical can be placed in a chem grenade; the concentration and delivery agents in a chem grenade enhance the Difficulty of the delivered agent by +2, making it much harder to resist.

## **M-909S Fog Grenade**

This grenade creates a dense smoke cloud that stays in the blast radius for 1D rounds. Under normal conditions, this fog cloud is harmless but is impossible to see through with any form of vision. A fog grenade can be doctored with any chemical agent, dispersing its effects within its area to any target failing its Dodge check (Difficulty 15). The dilution of the agent in a fog grenade reduces its normal Difficulty by –2.

## **M-290 Flechette Round**

Flechette rounds are narrow slivers of hardened steel bound in a grenade casing. When fired, the casing is discarded while the rounds travel at ballistic speeds towards a target. They have excellent penetration and can slice through chitin and armor plate with very little effort.

## **M-291 Fragmentation Round**

Fragmentation rounds work on much the same principles as flechette rounds. The only real difference is that fragmentation rounds travel to the target before exploding into deadly shards. This forms a lethal area around the point of impact and can take out a number of enemies instead of concentrating on one target. This spread of effect does make them somewhat less effective than a flechette round, though the area effect is usually worthwhile.

## **M-298 HE Round**

This tiny device packs an incredible punch for its size. A built-in safety system ensures that if it is fired against a target less than 12 meters away from the launcher it will not arm or explode. Modifying or bypassing the safety features of these devices requires a Demolitions check (Difficulty 20), failure causes the round to detonate

## **TOAD Charge**

These timed explosives, or Timer Operated Atomic Devices are highly destructive, easily capable of blowing their way through a solid ferrite wall. These devices are only issued to squads known to have an engineer among their ranks, and only then when the squads P.O.A dictates, however, it is a rare engineer who has not closeted at least one of these away for a special occasion.

## **Source**

* Starship Troopers RPG Sourcebook (pages 92-93)
* thedemonapostle