Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Replace Barrel of Oil with Smokepowder Kegs

So, Oil is really not explosive. To get Oil to explode you would to have as a vapor mixed as oxygen under pressure. Oil Fire yes, exploding like it does in DOS:2 no. Also the barrels are stated to be 20 pounds which means they are 2.5 Gallon / 10 Liter Kegs, not the size you have in the game.

If you want the ex plosive kegs, use Smokepowder from the 5e rules.

Smokepowder
Wondrous Item, uncommon

Smokepowder is a magical explosive chiefly used to propel a bullet out of the barrel of a firearm. It is stored in airtight wooden kegs or tiny, waterproof leather packets. A packet contains enough smokepowder for five shots, and a keg holds enough smokepowder for five hundred shots.

If smokepowder is set on fire, dropped, or otherwise handled roughly, it explodes and deals fire damage to each creature or object within 20 feet of it: 1d6 for a packet, 9d6 for a keg. A successful DC 12 Dexterity saving throw halves the damage.
Casting dispel magic on smokepowder renders it permanently inert.

So you have a 20 pound Keg of Smokepowder that could be a 9d6 bomb.

Now it begs the question of why Smokepowder has become so common that it's just laying around everywhere.

Personally I hope they just remove the barrels, cheesy game play that not many human DM would allow at their table but Larian Studio is the GM so the rules are whatever they want.

...or just don't let them explode!

Seriously, smoke powder is not that easy to come by, barrels of that stuff just shouldn't be "everywhere".

Just don't place barrels without a in game reason ...
This is not divinity where it was a key gameplay element. Water barrels in a burning house is just stupid...

Oh I agree, if they want to keep the exploding barrels, that should be very rare for a few encounters, to make them special. I could see something like an encounter in an alchemists lab where there was a few barrels.

With these exploding Barrels, why have they not completely changed warfare? Image a Trebuchet with them? Naval combat would be totally changed, these barrels put Greek Fire to shame.

Or don't include that many explosive barrels everywhere in the first place.

That's why the Gnomes of Lantan have guarded the secret of smoke powder so closely...

So I actually found a Satchel Of Smokepowder. Can't seems to be able to make it explode, don't know why the Gnomes of Lantan bother with it. Don't they know that Barrels of Oil are much better bombs!