Hello all! Welcome to another Freestyle Friday. Here in America it’s getting close to the 4th of July. That means it is the day we celebrate the birth of our country by blowing up a small part of it. Fireworks are fun and so I thought I would come up with some fireworks you can use in your games.
As with all Freestyle Friday content, it is not tested and is made up off the top of my head. Here are a few of the things I came up with.
Bugbear Sparkler (uncommon)
This item is for all intents and purposes a Morningstar. However it deals fire damage instead of bludgeoning. Also, if you are disarmed while using it, you suffer a hit as though the item was used against you, without strength or proficiency modifiers. This item also sheds light within a 15 foot radius and bright light within 5 feet. It is destroyed if it gets wet.
Hell Candle (rare)
A Hell candle is about six inches long and fires a firebolt spell once every round for 1 minute. It can be wielded simply by being held. The player then may make an attack roll with it each round, adding their dexterity modifier to the attack but not any proficiency bonus. The level of the firebolt cantrip should not be any more than 5 and should ideally be only the level 1 version.
Earneedle (uncommon.)
These count as thrown weapons, they do no damage but let out a loud popping noise when thrown. When they hit the ground, having an effective range of 10/30 all creatures within five feet of them must make a con save of (dc 12) or be deafened for 1 minute (the save is repeatable each round.) The earneedles come in packs of 20.
Ehkak Jar (uncommon.)
This jar has a small fuse that can be lit, it can then be rolled or thrown (10-30 feet) at which point it begins to put out an obscuring smoke that blocks darkvision and even devil sight. Any creature directly on the same space as the jar must make a dc 13 constitution save or use their action that turn hacking and coughing.
Happy crossbows (very rare)
These paper crossbows have a container and can only be used once. They fire a level 5 fireball (DC 14) if they are used properly. When used, roll a d4. On a 1, the paper crossbow breaks and the fireball is centered on the user.
Signal rockets (uncommon.)
These rockets come in a wide variety of colors and are usually used by militias and armies. However, some societies use them as celebratory rockets as well. When lit with a fire or fire spell, 2 rounds later the rocket rises, exploding as a level 3 fireball high up in the air (about 70 feet.) If fired horizontally the rockets rise anyway 10 feet for every 30 feet traveled and are 10% likely to explode on launching.
Fountains of the sun (very rare)
These fireworks launch a colorful fountain of flames and sparks, effectively casting the “wall of fire) spell when used. There is a 25% chance that any fountain of the sun used is a shrieker and will be heard by any creature that can hear within 300 feet.
Flaming Shriekers ((uncommon.)
These small mushroom-shaped fireworks produce a small amount of light but produce a lot of noise. When lit, the shrieker will emit a loud piercing scream for 1 minute after a waiting time of 3 rounds. It can be heard for 300 feet in all directions by all creatures that can here.
That’s all I got for you this fireworks-using season. Hope you like what I’ve made and can use it in your campaigns. And also here’s hoping you end the 4th of July season with as many fingers as you started with. Until next time, I’ll be seeing you.
About the Author.
Zachary Ruffing is one of the DMs for “Companions of the Perception Check” and he is running the “Children of Gith” campaign for the group. He lives happily with his dogs and rat and he loves classic lit, bad sci-fi and horror flicks, and writing. He knows fireworks are safer than this article makes them seem, because the 3-fingered man across the state line told him the real story.
