SR5:Explosives Rules

Basic Rules

Explosives are primarily used to damage structures. You can use the Demolitions skill to prepare explosives, identify key or weak structural points, and focus the blast. Each hit on a Demolitions + Logic [Mental] Test adds 1 to the explosive’s effective rating. See barriers for calculating an explosive’s effect on a barrier.

An explosive’s Damage Value is calculated as its Rating (modified by the Demolitions Test, if you made one) times the square root of the number of kilograms used (rounded down). The Blast value for a circular explosion is –2 per meter, while the Blast value for a directional explosion (up to 60 degrees in a specific direction) is –1 per meter. When explosives are attached directly to a target, the target’s armor is halved; otherwise the explosive has an AP value of –2. If an explosion destroys a barrier, it creates a cloud of deadly shrapnel that threatens an area far bigger than the actual blast-—the shrapnel blast has a DV equal to the explosive’s DV minus the Structure rating of the barrier, with a Blast of –1/m.