Aloha! ❀
I am a big fan of alchemy (magic for those without bath robes) and of course bombs are an important trope of that! Therefore, here are some of the explosive little helpers from one of my campaigns. The campaign is played with in Whitehack and the bombs should thus be easily adaptable to any retro rule set and beyond. Each bomb has one basic effect and one upgraded version in case you want to go wild and weird!
Bottled Lightning
A special bottle made from heaven crystal glass and a copper spiral surging with electricity curls around inside.
- Point the bottle at a creature and open it, on a successful attack roll (ignoring all armor) the target takes 1d6 electric damage.
- Drink the lightning inside, causing your muscles to twitch with unparalleled speed. This allows you to act twice per round for up to 1d6 rounds but each time you do you age by 1d6 years.
Caustic Charge
Corrosive vapors hang around in a flask, wobbling as if they were a liquid.
- Throw it at a target, dealing initial 1d6 acidic damage. Afterwards a cloud of vapors forms for 1d6 rounds, dealing 1 acidic damage to any target within it each round on a failed save.
- Pour the vapor on your eyeballs, destroying them and your vision but instead gain the ability to feel the flow of magic around you for 1d6 months.
Flamebomb
A mixture of various volatile liquids which will eagerly ignite when exposed to air.
- Throw it at a target, dealing initial 1d6 fiery damage and causing the target and all nearby (including objects) to catch on fire on a failed save.
- Coat you weapon in it, wounds caused by your weapon fester and burn hot, making it hard to sleep and also causes the edges of the wound to glow dimly like a candle.
Flare
An almost foot-long wooden tube which can be lit and will fly a long distance until it explodes into a spark of color.
- One round after lit it will fly up to 200 feet and explode when hitting the first obstacle – all creatures nearby must save for be blinded for 1 round & deafened for 1d6 rounds.
- By tweaking the payload and fuse you instead gain a wooden tube shooting sparks for 1d6 rounds that may be used as a weapon that deals 1 additional fiery damage ands lights targets on fire on critical hits.
Fogshot
Small sphere of clay with two substances inside, separated by an easily breakable barrier.
- Thrown at a target causes a 15 x 15 feet fog cloud to form. It dissipates after 1d6 rounds but clings to creatures, making invisible ones outlined.
- Eat the sphere and have fog seep out of your pores after 1d6 hours for 1d6 days, making you harder to see and hit but leaving you weak and frail.
Glue Flask
Small glass cylinder filled with tar, resin, and other sticky substances that cling like glue.
- Thrown at a target the bottle explodes and causes it to become grappled. The target may re-try the save as an action.
- Cover your face in the glue, which makes your flesh malleable allowing you to change your appearance but the healing process after is long and painful.
Grenade
This hollow metal cylinder holds a slow-burning fuse, some black powder, and bits of sharp metal.
- After the fuse is lit the grenade explodes in a 10 x 10 feet area, dealing 1d6 fiery + 1d6+2 piercing damage to all creatures caught within (a save halves the damage).
Moondust
Silvery flakes fill this bottle, which emits a pale purple glow.
- Thrown at a target that is susceptible to silver (such as devils or werewolves) the target but save or lose access to its keyword abilities for 1d6 rounds.
- When added to a fire, the flames turn silver and outline the presence of magical energies, reveal ghosts, and make it harder for creatures susceptible to silver to approach.
Sporeblast
A twisted fragile wooden container – it bursts into a burst of fine gray powder when broken.
- Coats all targets in a 15 x 15 feet area in itchy spores on a failed save, causing a -2 penalty on all actions, unless affected creatures spend their movement to scratch. The spores become inert after 1d6 rounds.
- You may infect wounds with the spores to regrow lost limbs and body parts. This process takes longer the bigger the body part is. The new body part has a grey-green coloration and frequently becomes covered in mold. Each day there is a 1 in 6 chance your new body part falls of and animates as an ooze monster, attacking you.
Starspark
This bottle is crafted from fragile gem stones and contains fragments of a shooting star inside.
- When thrown, the direct target affected must save or become blinded by any kind of light for 1d6 rounds.
- Use this bomb as a component for miracles to add a light component to them, causing them to become extremely bright and flashy.
Winterbite
A very cold liquid sits in this container, ready to freeze anything it touches.
- Explodes into a freezing shower when thrown, dealing 1d6 chilling damage to the primary target and 1 to all those within a 15 x 15 feet area. Targets affect also need to save or take the same damage again in the following round.
- When poured upon a flame no bigger than a small campfire, the fire becomes frozen and solid and may be transported. The fire eventually thaws on its own after 1d6 hours.
