A Hundred and One Uses For Squibs February 4, 2016 21:18 4 Comments

What could be more fun that blowing stuff up, especially when it isn’t yours! Villains and construction workers will both attest that there’s a special kind of rush that comes from having your finger on the button that triggers the big kaboom!  The standard crafts from the Playing Guide are good for blowing up everything in an area, but when a situation calls for a controlled explosion, squibs are the best tools for the job. Don’t have time to fool around with locked doors? An expertly placed squib or two can take down the door without bringing down the rest of the wall with it.

Squibs have one feature that other explosives don’t, and that is versatility. Standard explosives are good for taking out a crowd, and that’s all well and good, but squibs bring a touch of finesse to the typically messy practice of combustion. The explosion from a squib is contained to a five-foot by five-foot area, and can focus their destruction to a single spot. This focused damage allows for tactical application of your dangerous explosive.

Let’s look at the options that squibs provide. Within the Explosives expanded crafting guide, there are more augments made available for your standard explosives as well as squibs. They can be made to explode silently and invisibly, to run and jump at their target, or even send their target flying. There are many combinations, that can be useful in any number of scenarios.Here’s a few of my favorite combinations:

  • The Bad Penny: (Ethereal Blast, Muted, Disguised) These small and shiny squibs are designed for the subtle approach to blowing things up. These can be handed off, placed in pockets, or left lying around, waiting for someone to pick it up.
  • Knock-Knock: (Demolishing, Collision-Detonated, Far-lobbing) These handy tools of the trade are your ticket into any door that dares stand in your way. Remember, if one doesn’t do the job, ten might. This item is also handy for support beams, stubborn windows, and trap doors.
  • Handful of Hornets: (Damaging, Impact, Shrapnel) Having trouble getting troublemakers to leave you be? Worry no more! The tiny shards of metal that explode from these little pellets will make it clear that you’re not to be bothered. While the rabble is busy bleeding, crying, and swearing, you’re free to go about your day unperturbed.
  • Splitting Headache: (Banshee, Concussive, Flash) If you’re more interested in disorienting rather than harming your foes, this squib is exactly what you need! Leave your opponents deaf, dizzy, and blind while you take a few cheap shots or make a break for it. Useful for bandits, ruffians, politicians, neighbors, and even worrisome animals.
  • The Vandal: (Paint Splatter, Ruinous, Sundering) It’s not unusual for explosives to make a mess, but the Vandal is designed to make a disaster in a very specific area.. Not only does it break everything in sight, it leaves a mess of paint to boot! People might judge you and wonder why you would ever want to do such a thing, but if they care about the condition of their outfit, they’ll keep their big mouths shut.
Squibs are fun and since they’re easier to carry than a standard bomb, your pockets have room for all the good times you can fit into your schedule. With a few specialties like Micro-Bombadier and Quick-Flick, you’ll be able to quickly place a considerable number of squibs when you need them. As an added bonus, you can even use squibs to help lockpick. By using a squib, you gain its damage as a bonus to your cunning roll. Just don’t make a mistake, because the lock will break and remain locked. Then you’ll need to use a Knock-Knock next.