Demolitions
Demolitions (Int)
Trained Only
Use this skill to create and set explosive devices for maximum impact.
Check: Setting a simple explosive to blow up at a certain spot doesn’t require a check, but any attempt to build an explosive device or set an explosive to cause a specific damage effect does.
Set Explosive Device: Placing an explosive in the optimum location for the maximum blast efficiency takes skill and patience. The GM makes the check (so that you don’t know exactly how well you’ve done), compares it to the list of DCs on the table below, and applies the result for the highest DC that’s equal to or less than the check result. For example, a result of 19 produces a blast that does double damage and provides a -2 penalty to the Reflex save of anyone caught in the blast area. A failed check (a result of 9 or lower) reduces the explosive power by half, provides a +4 circumstance bonus on Reflex saves to avoid damage, and has a 15% chance of causing the device to explode prematurely. This application of the skill is used to set an explosive device that includes a time or detonator.
DC Damage Multiplier Penalty to Save
9 or less x1/2 +4
10 x1 0
15 x2 -2
20 x3 -4
30 x4 -6
Build Explosive Device from Scratch: Creating a scratch-built explosive device requires the appropriate materials and time. In combat, the best that could be accomplished, regardless of the materials or the skill check result, would be an improvised explosive device that’s the equivalent of a Molotov cocktail (damage 1d6). In general, building explosive devices happens apart from combat or some other dramatic situation. When building an explosive device from scratch, the character decides what kind of result he or she is after, pays the cost in credits for the raw materials, and tries to achieve the required DC. Adding a trap increases the DC but doesn’t affect the cost (see below).
If the check fails, the device is ruined and the raw materials are wasted. There is a 25% chance that the explosive detonates during construction, dealing one-half of its intended damage to the builder and anyone else in the blast radius.
Type (and Damage) Radius DC Cost
Improvised (1d6) 2m 5 10
Simple (2d6) 2m 10 100
Moderate (4d6+1) 4m 15 175
Complex (5d6+2) 6m 20 250
Powerful (6d6+4) 6m 25 500
Devastating (8d6+6) 8m 30 750
Adding a trap against disable attempts increases the DC by +5, +10, or +15.
Special: You can take 10 when using the Demolitions skill, but you can’t take 20.
A character with the Cautious feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 aptitude bonus on Demolitions checks.
Disarming an explosive device requires the use of the Disable Device skill.
Time: Setting an explosive device for maximum blast efficiency takes 1 minute or more, depending on the scope of the job. You can set a simple explosive as a full-round action.
Building an explosive from scratch, which includes fashioning the raw materials and combining the chemicals inside a housing of some kind, requires a check that takes one of the following amounts of time: improvised, full-round action; simple, 1 hour; moderate, 12 hours; complex, one day; powerful, three days; devastating, one week.