Big Knobi Klub, est. 1995

 
Things That Make You Go *BOOM!*
 
Logan Graves (Fenris@BigKnobiKlub.virtualAve.net)
 
Explosives Rule!!
(or "Blowing Holes in Things 101")
 
 
  Thanks to Bulletshower for pilfering a much simpler formula, than the one I had originally posted here.
  Check out http://www.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de/~nmatausc for a more detailed explanation with examples.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
To determin how many kg of explosives are needed to blow a man-sized (1.8m) hole thru something:
 
      TF  x  SF  x  HD         TF == structure's Thickness Factor
 KG = ----------------  where: SF == material's Strength Factor
         RE  x  1.8m           HD == required Hole Diameter in meters
                               RE == explosive's Relative Effectiveness
 
ThicknessTF
------------------
0.5m or less3.5
0.6m4.6
0.8m9.2
0.9m13.2
1.0m17.0
1.1m21.0
1.2m31.5
1.4m44.7
1.5m48.1
Material STRSF
----------------------------
Standard Glass0.03
Wood0.05
Ballistic Glass0.10
Rock/Masonry0.50
Armored Glass0.75
Concrete1.00
Plasti-crete1.25
Reinforced Concrete1.50
Armored/Ferro-crete2.50
Explosive (=SR rating/4)RE
----------------------------------
Amatol0.87
Ammonium Nitrate0.31
Black Powder0.41
C-4/C-31.50
C-123.00
Dynamite (40%)0.49
Dynamite (60%)0.62
Guncotton0.69
Nitroglycerine1.12
Nitrostarch0.60
PETN (Primercord)1.24
Picric Acid0.70
RDX0.85
Tetryl0.93
TNT0.75
 
NOTE: All calculations are for UNTAMPED charges,
             for TAMPED charges, reduce by 1/3 ( x .67).
             Values presented here are approximations or
             rules of thumb. When in doubt, ROUND UP!
 
 
 

 
PainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPainPain
 
...okay, then. Does it hurt when I do ~~THIS?!
Doc Dicer, shadow cutter
 
 
        Simply put, the damage incurred from the explosives above is:
 
Explosive
Name		RE
x 4 = SR
Rating
--------------------------------
Nitro-G1.12( 4.50)
C-4/C-31.50( 6.00)
C-123.00(12.00)
    . . . . . . . . .    
Damage Code = [RE x 4 x sqrt(kg)] D
 
The blast's Power is reduced by
the Eff Rating (SR/4) per meter
 
        An example (and we all love story problems, don't we?):
 
Whilst deep in the middle of a run, we join Talerren, the Not-So-Brave, as he attempts to lower himself into a semi-secured room via its ceiling's air duct. After (barely) making an acrobatics roll to keep from falling (using his Dex thru the skills web), the GM rules that, no indeed, he doesn't fall, but manages to grab onto the lip of the duct and is now hanging five meters above the floor by his fingertips. Plus, all of those 1's rolled, indicate that his nitroglycerine-laden backpack's straps have chosen this particular moment in time to fail. Poor Talerren can do nothing but watch as the 30 kg of sensitive explosives spiral downward at 10 meters per second per second . . .
 
        Now, how much damage will Talerren suffer in the first few nano-seconds after his pack hits the ground?
 
RE Nitro-G     = 1.12
kg Nitro-G = 30
distance = 5m
So, [ 1.12 x 4 x sqrt(20) ] D     =     20 D !
 
and at 5 meters away, 20 - (1.12 x 5)   =   14 D !!
 
        (Hope his Doc Wagon's up to date!)
 
 

 
Safety Section! -- Safety Section! -- Safety Section! -- Safety Section!
 
 
She blowed up good! REAL GOOD!
(immortalized on the "Farm-Film Report")
 
 
        Now that you know how much of it you'll need & how bad it'll hurt, how far back should you stand?
 
Keep in mind that these results are for standing out in the open, bare-hoop'd naked! Adjust your own distances according to cover, barriers, body armor, & situational haste. Notice that this doesn't seem to jive with the above section? Remember that in Shadowrun, all attacks (other than called shots) assume that they will be first reduced by a target's armor, then damage their target. (Still don't get it? Just make sure that whatever yer're duckin' behind is either stronger than or far enough away from whatever you're blowin' up.)
 
        For fewer than 12.5 kg's of (any) explosive, the minimum safety distance is 275 meters.
 
        For more than 12.5 kg's, use the following formula (yea, it's a cube root):
 
Min. Safe
Distance
(in meters)
 
                    _____________________
____            3  /  kg x RE(from above)
____    93  X  \  /   ------------------
                \/          .341

So, in our example, Talerren probably wishes the room had a slightly higher ceiling
 
                   ___________________
           93 x  3/ (20 x 1.12 / .341)
o               \/                    
o
        =  93 x 4.03
or about a 375 meter ceiling!
 
And he was carrying the stuff on his back??!!
 
Just to round it all off :
How about the damage from falling . . .
 
As (what's left of) Talerren's near-lifless body plummets through (what's left of) the aforementioned floor, down into the next floor, 6 (more) meters below, finally coming to rest on a pile of twisted, metallic debris, how much damage will this impact cause?
 
        Using the Falling Rules from page 43 of Shadowtech:
 
Fall Damage = "[.5 x meters fallen] D"
 
        .5 x (5 + 6)m = 5 (rounded down) So, this damage   =   5 D more!
 
R.I.P. Talerren!
 
 

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