Explosion Magic
Sorcerous Origin
Big Bang Buddha
A spiritual awakening has infused you with magical power. Your sudden understanding of the origins of all creation triggers a magical explosion that leaves you a spark of power akin to that which existed during the Big Bang. Though it can be channeled in conventional ways, the nature of your revelation inclines your magic toward explosive expression.
Big Bang Buddha Features
| Sorcerer Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 1st | Atomic Enlightenment |
| 6th | Karmic Combustion |
| 14th | Samsara Ignition, Blast Bodhisattva |
| 18th | Thermonuclear Nirvana |
Atomic Enlightenment
Your affinity for the explosive nature of the universe grants you special resilience. You are resistant to fire damage. Hit point maximum increases by 1 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level. Additionally you are capable of learning explosive spells which are detailed on the following pages. Explosive spells deal double damage against structures.
Karmic Combustion
You have begun to channel your own spirit for your spells, and can now utilize your own life energy as fuel for explosions. Starting at 6th level, when casting any explosive spell or cantrip, sorcery points may be expended to add another of the spell’s hit dice per point spent i.e. using 2 sorcery points to cast Explosion would result in dealing 4d8 damage instead of 2d8. You take half of the damage dealt by all additional dice.
Samsara Ignition
Your consciousness is in tune with the cycle of reincarnation and explosive life energy. Starting at level 14, once per long rest you can choose several creatures or items, up to the number of your charisma modifier, which have been killed/destroyed by an explosion. You can sacrifice your life energy to reconstitute all selected creatures and items, reducing your own health to 0 and automatically triggering 1 failed death saving throw. Manifests as an implosion where all resulting fallout/damage of the explosion is sucked back into an infinitesimal point that then bursts outward reforming the slain creatures/destroyed items. All creatures spawn without anything equipped and with 1HP in a 10ft radius around the point where the ignition is used.
Blast Bodhisattva
You can see explosions in your mind's eye, and can more perfectly create them as they are felt in your spirit. Starting at 14th level, your attacks now ignore resistance to fire damage (except your own). If an enemy has immunity to fire damage it is now treated as resistance.
Thermonuclear Nirvana
Having walked the path and attuned your spirit to the fundamental truths of the universe, you can now manifest your own spark of creation. Requires one minute of concentration. The caster’s spirit may be conferred into uncontainable raw energy that manifests a gigantic explosion with a 1 mile radius. Deals 30d8 fire damage, 30d6 thunder damage, and 30d6 force damage on a failed constitution saving throw against your spell DC, half damage on success. Instantly reduces caster health to 0 and automatically triggers 2 failed death saving throws. If you should somehow survive the explosion, this ability cannot be used again for a year.
Explosion Spell List Part I
Full credit to /u/Salieris_Neighbor_ and their post about Explosion Magic for all the spells on this page. They are directly taken from there and modified with the advice given by /u/Emurlahn (and a few tweaks of my own)
Minor Explosion / Truth of Suffering
Evocation Cantrip (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You create a small explosion anywhere within a 60ft radius that deals 1d8 points of fire damage, if the targeted foe succeeds on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell DC they take half damage. The damage of this Cantrip increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8)
Explosion / Eightfold Division of Resolve
1st Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You target a creature within a 60ft radius, and cause a medium sized explosion to engulf them. The target you cast it on must succeed at a Dexterity saving throw of your spell DC, or take 2d8 points of fire damage. Upon making the saving throw, the targeted creature takes half damage. The explosion has a radius of five feet, and any creature within that radius must also make a saving throw, taking half damage on a failure and none on a success. At Higher Levels: When casted at a higher level, increase damage by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.
Land Mine / Eightfold Division of Effort
3rd Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 10 min
- Range: Radius of 10ft
- Components: V, S, A flammable object
- Duration: Upon trigger activation
You are able to create a small rune made out of any flammable component, and cause it to explode upon a trigger. When anyone other than you touches this rune, it instantly explodes prompting a Constitution saving throw. It deals 8d8 points of damage, half as much on a successful save. All landmines have an effective duration of 24 hours when cast at level 3. The duration extends when cast at higher levels: 1 week at 5th level, 1 month at 7th, and 1 year at 9th. (Added a little bit more damage to compensate for its trigger limitations to put it on par with other level 3 spells of similar power and to ensure there is still incentive to use it once you have access to higher spells)
Time Bomb / Eightfold Division of Mindfulness
5th Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60ft (Initial)
- Components: V, S, A flammable powder in a casing
- Duration: Up to 1 minute, requires concentration
You are able to delay an explosion you create up to a full minute (10 rounds). The explosion appears as a small, bright light and it has its own figure on the tactical board. You may cast the explosion within 60 feet of you, and it initially does 5d8 damage. However, while you are delaying your explosion you may use your action each round to do one of three things:
• Detonate your explosion
• Charge your explosion, adding 1d8 to your damage.
• Move your explosion the same number as half your movement rounded down
When casting at higher levels increase initial damage by 1d8 per level above 5th.
Major Explosion / Nirodha Release
7th Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
The radius of this explosion is 30ft. Anyone within the radius must succeed at a Dexterity saving throw against your spell DC. Anyone within five feet of the blast’s center, including yourself, must succeed on the saving throw or take 12d8 of fire damage. (Half as much on a successful save.) Anyone within the rest of the radius must succeed at a Dexterity saving throw against your spell DC, or take half the total damage.
Total Annihilation / Path of The End of Suffering
9th Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 minute (10 rounds)
- Range: 250ft
- Components: V, S, 10lb of gunpowder
- Duration: Instantaneous
You have learned the secrets behind the explosion, and are able to harness it into a blast so large that it can destroy entire dungeons. This attack will not miss and has a radius of 100ft. Reduced thunder damage from the shockwave may be dealt in a larger radius around this as is situationally appropriate (DM discretion, I recommend 3d6 up to a maximum radius of 200 ft). This spell does 60d6 points of fire damage, (Half on a successful Constitution saving throw against your spell DC). You may expend a spell slot greater or equal to 5th level or 7 sorcery points to roll a d20. If the roll is higher than your spell attack bonus, creatures within the radius cannot make a Constitution saving throw against the damage. If the roll is a natural 20, there is no saving throw and the spell does max damage (360)
Explosion Spell List Part II
Breaching Charge / Samudaya Blast
Evocation Cantrip (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Minute
- Range: 10ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
Focus on a nearby object and formulate an explosion to disable or break through it. Limited to a 10 by 10 surface area. Relies on cosmic intuition rather than conscious understanding, meaning the blast manifests in a style matching your intent, but if that is impossible the spell will activate with more force and potentially have other consequences by DM discretion (suggestions: structural damage, blowback from the explosion, damage to creatures on the other side, significant spell slot costs). Audible up to 100ft away, Breaching Charge can be cast using spell slots to diminish that distance by half per spell slot level rounded down i.e. 50ft at level 1, 25ft at level 2, etc.
Smothered Airburst / Eightfold Division of Conduct
1st Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 25ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You create a concussive blast on a nearby creature to push them 10ft in a direction of your choosing. They must make a dexterity saving throw against your spell DC, on a success they will not be moved and on a failure they will be knocked prone, but medium or smaller creatures will automatically be pushed. Any non-target creatures within a 5ft radius must also make a saving throw and are pushed 5ft away from the blast point on a fail.
Flashbang / Blinding Clarity
2nd Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 30ft
- Components: V, S, A flammable powder
- Duration: Instantaneous
You fire a concentrated ball of energy that erupts into blinding light and concussive sound upon impact, creatures within 5ft must succeed a DC 15 constitution saving throw or become blinded. They remain blinded until they succeed a DC 10 constitution saving throw at the start of a turn.
Dynamic Investiture / Fourfold Assembly
4th Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 10 minutes
- Range: 10ft
- Components: V, S, Gemstone worth at least 150gp
- Duration: 24 hours
You can now temporarily enlighten others to be disciples of your path. Choose a number of willing creatures up to your charisma modifier and funnel into them the power to use a single instance (each) of an explosive spell up to level 2. Spell DC is halved for all spells and must be used within 24 hours. Can be cast with higher spell slots to raise the max level of the spell by 1 for each slot above level 4 (i.e. a 5th level slot allows you to invest up to a 3rd level spell in your disciples). Expending higher level slots to cast this spell reduces your capacity to spread your knowledge, for each higher level spell slot you can invest in 1 fewer person.
Bomb Puppet / Illuminated Kamikaze
6th Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self, 60 ft
- Components: V, S, a small gong
- Duration: Concentration, up to 30 seconds
A rhythmic chant allows you to exert your being as a psychic force onto other minds. One creature you can see within 60ft must succeed a wisdom saving throw against your spell DC or become temporarily overtaken by the truths of your will. This can be repeated until the end of the spell's duration or a creature fails the throw. An affected target must use the dash action to go towards the nearest non-friendly creature [if there are no others it simply moves away from you and all creatures friendly to you]; after the duration of the spell is up or the target reaches another creature, an explosion centered on them will detonate with a 15ft radius dealing 8d8 fire damage on a failed constitution saving throw, half on success.
Blasting Cycle / Breath of Samadhi
8th Level Evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard)
- Casting Time: 12 seconds (2 rounds)
- Range: 60ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 30 seconds, requires concentration
A point within 60ft of you that you can see emanates a dissipating aura of destruction for 5 rounds. Beginning on a single tile there is a powerful explosion with a 5ft radius that deals 5d20 damage. Every 6 seconds after (at the end of your next turn) there is another explosion that deals one less d20 of damage in a radius 5ft wider than the previous explosion. The final explosion will deal 1d20 in a radius of 25ft. Each explosion requires a constitution check for all creatures within the radius against your spell DC, half damage on a success. You may use your action on a given turn to move the epicenter of the spell--represented by a tile or similar marking--by 5 feet and if applicable use magic to enhance it as a bonus action (i.e. karmic combustion or metamagic)
ORIGIN
Explosions Inspired
A conqueror came to Pathik’s monastery and ordered the refugees seeking asylum be turned over. The conqueror was known for cruelty and leaving a wake of irreversibly damaged land and people. Most in the monastery detested him and many were willing to fight to the end. The monks refused his demand. The conqueror allowed them three days to think about their decision and prepare for their deaths while he and his soldiers rested from their travels and celebrated their pillaging. In that time Pathik meditated on life, death, and pain. He sought answers about purpose and existence. He listened to the warriors revel over their rape of the land and the whimpers of ordinary people doomed to die. He searched within for shadows of past lives and echoes of the soul that would appear in future lives; he wondered about the first life and what would be the last. He aimed to attune himself to the nature of the universe itself.
When the three days were up, Pathik joined a number of monks who chose to make an act of protest by peacefully meditating at the entrance of the monastery. As the invaders began their slaughter, and Pathik’s more violent brethren began to fall in battle around him, he found clarity in the noise and chaos. His mind cut through the veil of the immediate reality before him and he saw a pure void. Truly empty, such that it could not yet even contain the concept of emptiness. Yet somehow there was an energy. A desire born from the void that singularly tore through nothingness just to be. And with a great bang the nonexistent lack had become infinite; a glorious blast of light, heat, and mass gave birth to all that is.
At that moment Pathik knew that life was an explosion.
Upon opening his eyes Pathik was greeted with the site of cataclysm. The monastery had been blown to rubble. The entirety of the invaders’ front lines had been vaporized, and many more still beyond were torn apart, maimed, and otherwise ravaged by a great fiery blast. Despite all this destruction, what struck Pathik the most was the calm. It was the first time in three days that there was silence. It was perhaps the first time in his life that Pathik knew true peace. He understood now that destructive ends could create vibrant new beginnings.
Pathik himself was not unharmed. His clothes were gone, much of his skin had been burned and some small patches seemed to be melted entirely, though by all rights any such explosion should have destroyed him too. Through the pain he noticed that he could still feel some small spark of the power that had manifested. It was puny compared to the awe inspiring force of his revelation, but he knew he could kindle its power to divinity once again. Offering a silent prayer for the reincarnated souls of his victims and brothers, Pathik set out to walk the path of enlightenment.
Credit
GMBinder for the template, markdown tools, image assets and formatting.
Credit to /u/Salieris_Neighbor_ and their post about Explosion Magic for the original versions of the spells between Minor Explosion and Total Annihilation. Some credit goes to /u/Emurlahn as well for their comment with balance suggestions
ART:
https://www.deviantart.com/sagittariusgallery/art/van-Gogh-Never-Saw-Bikini-Atoll-577247377 - Van Gogh Never Saw Bikini Atoll Artwork by Aja
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/aR6Y62 - Wizard Art made by Joe Hardy
Explosion Token Dnd, HD Png Download - DLF.pt No name or copyright holder but it was noted as being donated by the designer