Halo Covenant Grenades and Explosives

# **Grenades and Explosives**

## **Type-1**

The Type-1 Antipersonnel grenade is a dangerous hand thrown weapon utilized by Covenant forces, typically used by Unggoy, Sangheili, and Jiralhanae soldiers. The Type-1 Plasma grenade is a spherical explosive composed of an unknown material and contains a small plasma generator and other sophisticated internal mechanisms. The grenade itself, in terms of design and operation, is straight forward; the activation "switch" is located on the orange colored area of the grenade. Above the activation pad is a Forerunner glyph; these glyphs featured on plasma grenades are known to change with each new model and are believed to be based upon the time of manufacturing and Covenant religious rituals. Using technology that is barely understood, even by the Covenant, the Type-1 Plasma grenade is employed as both a thrown anti-infantry and anti-vehicle weapon.

When primed, the Type-1 Plasma grenade starts venting its coolant ensuring that the grenade does not stick to the individual who primed it. When thrown, the gaseous plasma begins to ionize to a degree such that if it comes into contact with a vehicle or individual, the plasma will start to burn into the surface and adhere to it, the venting coolant will cause the small plasma generator inside to destabilize and will in turn cause the grenade to detonate. The grenade contains some type of sophisticated internal mechanism that allows it to distinguish between targets and the local environment; it will stick to a soldier or vehicle, but not to a tree or wall. Also, the grenade will not differentiate between friend or foe, or between targets that are alive or dead. Once something has been stuck with a plasma grenade, there is essentially no way to remove it. Only devices like an advanced electromagnetic shield can temporarily disable the internal adhesion mechanism, although this technology is sparse and only issued to special forces of both the UNSC and Covenant.

After adhering to a target, or otherwise coming to rest, a three-second fuse is engaged. Detonation is first visible as a flash of white-blue light and the detonation zone is instantly subjected to the extreme temperatures of superheated plasma. Anything caught within ground zero, be it flesh, metal, or otherwise, is instantly vaporized. As there is no electromagnetic field to contain the plasma, it begins to deionize and cool very quickly. Thermal expansion causes the heat of the explosion to fan outward and upward, subjecting an area of up to forty feet away to intense temperatures until the resulting flames cool and are extinguished. After the initial explosion, the area of the detonation becomes ionized with negatively and positively charged particles which will cause striking electrical filaments to be visible for a short period of time.

The sheer destructive power the plasma grenade deals to any living creature within its vicinity is extreme; when a plasma grenade detonates on or near a target, it is subjected to extreme temperatures, killing anything within a 13 feet radius instantly; damage to the body is extreme, as the heat flash vaporizes the bodies internal fluids and burns flesh and bone to an unrecognizable charred state. The concussion wave released by the grenade will also cause additional damage to anything within the kill radius. Any living being outside of the kill zone may sustain heat damage as well, as non-heat resistant clothing or flammable material may be ignited by the heat released from a detonating plasma grenade. The concussive force released by the grenade can also harm or disorient anything just outside the kill radius and can also be affected by the flames released from the grenade - a person can also receive injuries from objects being ejected out of the kill zone at high speeds as a result of a plasma grenade detonating.

## **Type-2**

The Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation grenade, more commonly known as the Spike grenade, is a Jiralhanae-manufactured grenade. The Spike grenade is most notable for its adhesive properties, using its spikes to stick on to the target. Soon after being attached, it will detonate, turning the spikes into lethal projectiles.

The Spike grenade's initial explosion is the least powerful of all the grenades in Halo 3, although the explosion is not meant to be lethal. The explosion is meant to scatter the spikes at a deadly velocity, impaling enemies within range or wounding them enough for the user to finish them off.

## **Type-3**

The Type-3 Antipersonnel/Antimatériel Incendiary grenade, colloquially known as the "Firebomb" is a Brute grenade.

The Type-3 Antipersonnel/Antimatériel Incendiary grenade is a multi-purposed infantry explosives munition first produced by the Sacred Promissory just a few months before the Great Schism. The T-3 AP/AM can be thrown 10 meters (33 ft) by the average soldier, but is mainly used by Brute Stalkers. Upon impact with a hard surface, the casing converts to liquid form, burning at around 2200 °C (3992 °F), and causing significant damage to vehicles and infantry alike, with a killing radius of 3.4 meters (11 ft) and a casualty radius of 4.7 meters (15 ft). The gel-like filler substance also escapes from the burning casing, splashing over nearby objects and causing significant damage as it burns for 4.5 seconds. However, the fact that the T-3 uses a highly toxic Caesium mixture makes any human flesh which comes in contact with it inedible for Brute consumption.

**Game Notes**:

* Targets on fire take an additional 3D Damage per round or until extinguished.

## **Source**

* Halo Wiki: Type-1 Antipersonnel grenade
* Halo Wiki: Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation grenade
* Halo Wiki: Type-3 Antipersonnel/Antimatériel Incendiary grenade
* thedemonapostle