Bomb Formulae
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Bomb formulae are summarized on the following table. Bombs that are exclusively available to one field of study are marked with an asterisk. Unless otherwise stated, all bombs produce a loud boom, audible out to one mile. Bombs are presented in alphabetical order.
| Formula | Damage | Saving Throw |
|---|---|---|
| Acid Bomb | d4 acid | Dexterity |
| Arcano Bomb* | d12 | Dexterity |
| Black Powder Bomb* | d12 fire | Dexterity |
| Bramble Bomb | - | - |
| Cryo Bomb | d8 cold | Constitution |
| Holy Bomb | d8 radiant | Dexterity |
| Impact Bomb | d8 force | Dexterity |
| Incendiary Bomb | d6 fire | Dexterity |
| Laughing Gas Bomb | d6 poison | Constitution |
| Lightning Bomb | d8 lightning | Dexterity |
| Nonlethal Bomb | d8 bludgeoning | Dexterity |
| Oil Bomb | d6 fire | - |
| Painkiller Bomb* | - | - |
| Pheromone Bomb* | - | Wisdom |
| Prismatic Bomb | Varies | Varies |
| Psionic Bomb | d6 psychic | Wisdom |
| Quiet Bomb | d8 fire | Dexterity |
| Seeking Bomb | d6 fire | Dexterity |
| Shrapnel Bomb* | d8 piercing | Dexterity |
| Slime Bomb* | - | - |
| Smoke Bomb | - | - |
| Sonic Bomb | d6 thunder | Constitution |
| Stink Bomb | d8 poison | Constitution |
| Teleportation Bomb | - | - |
| Thermobaric | d6 fire | Dexterity |
| Venom Bomb* | d8 poison | Constitution |
| Withering Bomb | d8 necrotic | Constitution |
As bombs are explosive projectiles, it makes sense to ask what happens if a thrown bomb fails to hit its target. For simplicity, we assume that missed bombs explode harmlessly in the background or fail to detonate altogether, but do not explode in the target’s space or deal damage within their blast radius. The GM can decide which of these two outcomes happens or can determine the outcome randomly.
ACID BOMB
By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a few drops of ardenflotic acid, a highly corrosive chemical, you can change it into an acid bomb. An acid bomb deals acid damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d4s. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, takes the same amount of damage again at the end of its next turn.
BRAMBLE BOMB
By adding a potent fertilizer to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into a bramble bomb. A bramble bomb deals no damage, but instead causes tough, thorny brambles to sprout from any area of natural ground within the bomb’s blast radius, which becomes difficult terrain. Additionally, if a creature in the blast radius is prone when the bomb detonates, it is enveloped by the brambles and must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) check against your bomb save DC before it can move or stand. The brambles shrivel and die after 1 minute.
CRYO BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a piece of ice-nine, you can change it into a cryo bomb. A cryo bomb deals cold damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.
HOLY BOMB
By adding a few drops of holy water to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into a holy bomb. A holy bomb deals radiant damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s, unless the target is a Celestial, Fiend, or Undead. The bomb’s damage dice are d6s against Celestials and d12s against Fiends and Undead.
IMPACT BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with more reactive ones, you can change it into an impact bomb. An impact bomb deals force damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, is pushed 5 feet away from the center of the blast.
INCENDIARY BOMB
By adding a thickening agent to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into an incendiary bomb. An incendiary bomb’s damage dice are d6s. Additionally, the area of the blast radius is engulfed in flames, which persist until the start of your next turn. Flammable objects in this area that aren’t being worn or carried ignite. Any creature that ends its turn in this area takes half the bomb’s damage.
LAUGHING GAS BOMB
By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a drop of jesterate, a highly euphoric chemical, you can change it into a laughing gas bomb. A laughing gas bomb deals poison damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d6s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, falls prone in a fit of laughter. Once a creature falls prone due to this bomb’s effects, it is immune to this effect (but not the bomb’s poison damage) for the next 24 hours.
LIGHTNING BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a charged arcane capacitor, you can change it into a lightning bomb. A lightning bomb deals lightning damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn.
NONLETHAL BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a pouch of rubber pellets, you can change it into a nonlethal bomb. A nonlethal bomb deals bludgeoning damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s. If damage from this bomb drops a creature to 0 hit points, it knocks the creature out, rather than dealing a killing blow, rendering the creature unconscious and stable. Additionally, this bomb’s rubber pellets bounce around corners, ignoring half and three-quarters cover for targets within the blast radius.
OIL BOMB
By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a few drops of a super-surfactant, you can change it into an oil bomb. An oil bomb deals no damage, but coats each creature within the blast radius in a sticky, flammable oil. The next time a creature coated in oil takes fire damage, it takes an extra d6 fire damage for each die of fire damage rolled, up to a maximum of half your alchemist level, rounded up. This oil can be removed by dousing a creature with a gallon of water.
PRISMATIC BOMB
By adding an ounce of polyjuice, an unpredictable, multicolored chemical, to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into a prismatic bomb. A prismatic bomb deals damage of a randomly determined type instead of fire damage, and it requires a randomly determined type of saving throw. Its damage dice are d8s. Roll on each of the following tables.
| d6 | Damage Type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Acid |
| 2 | Cold |
| 3 | Fire |
| 4 | Lightning |
| 5 | Poison |
| 6 | Radiant |
| d6 | Saving Throws |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Dexterity |
| 3-4 | Constitution |
| 5-6 | Wisdom |
| PSIONIC BOMB | |
| By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with dust from a psionic crystal, you can change it into a psionic bomb. A psionic bomb deals psychic damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d6s, and it requires a Wisdom saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws it makes to maintain concentration on spells until the end of its next turn, including against this bomb’s damage. |
QUIET BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a wad of thermal cotton, you can change it into a quiet bomb. A quiet bomb’s damage dice are d8s. When this bomb detonates, it makes only a low thud, audible out to 10 feet, and releases a puff of smoke to mask the light given off by its blast. Creatures have disadvantage on ability checks to detect that this bomb was detonated nearby.
SEEKING BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a powerful lodestone, you can change it into a seeking bomb. A seeking bomb’s damage dice are d6s. You don’t have disadvantage on ranged attack rolls you make using this bomb as a result of being within 5 feet of a hostile creature.
SMOKE BOMB
By removing your bomb’s explosive contents entirely, you can change it into a smoke bomb. A smoke bomb deals no damage but fills a 10-foot-radius sphere with smoke. This smoke spreads around corners and its area is heavily obscured. It lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 round) or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it. Once you throw one of these bombs, you can’t throw another one for 1 minute.
SONIC BOMB
By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a few drops of air elemental essence, you can change it into a sonic bomb. A sonic bomb deals thunder damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d6s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, is deafened until the end of its next turn.
STINK BOMB
By adding a single drop of skunkanide, a chemical too unholy to expound upon, you can change it into a stink bomb. A stink bomb deals poison damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has disadvantage on ability checks it makes until the end of its next turn.
TELEPORTATION BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a glowing etherite crystal, you can change it into a teleportation bomb. A teleportation bomb deals no damage and instead opens a rift in space, instantly teleporting you to its point of detonation. This effect fails if the bomb explodes more than 30 feet away from you.
THERMOBARIC BOMB
By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a lower speed explosive, you can change it into a thermobaric bomb. A thermobaric bomb’s damage dice are d6s, and it explodes in a 10-foot radius.
WITHERING BOMB
By mixing your bomb’s explosive components with a powerful desiccating agent, you can change it into a withering bomb. A withering bomb deals necrotic damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8s, it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, can’t regain hit points until the end of its next turn.