Grenadiers

Forgot to mention: The Grenadier feat (PHB2) gives you +1 to both attack and damage rolls with splash weapons (no prereq). Not exactly sexy but maybe you can talk with your DM about a homebrew feat tree that grows out of this feat (increasing boni, larger areas, etc.)

Thunderstones look like another good option: Beat AC 5 (five!) to hit a given square (range increment = 20ft), then everyone within 10 ft makes a DC 15 Fort save or deafened (hence 20% failure chance on spells with verbal components) for 1 hour. If you miss your square, you probably still affect the intended target. This sounds like a fun option vs. casters and isn't way too good. Also, the PHB doesn't say whether or not thunderstones are single-use items, so, depending on your DM, you would only ever need a few of these.

I would think that if smokesticks exist, then one could craft a "smokesack" (= smoke bomb). As with alchemist fire, acid flasks, and tanglefoot bags, this will get expensive (the main problem with this otherwise cool concept IMHO).

You could also create clay pot grenades with nasty non-explosive things in them - think oozes and so on. Toss a pot full of gray ooze at some one, and watch them squirm.

At least one 3PP book has grenades as a weapon (2d6 dmg, 5 ft blast, 10' range increment IIRC). The standard grenades types seems plausible in an alchemical world: fragmentary, smoke-bomb, filled with gases (like a stinking cloud, for example, or any of the fog spells depending on the skill of the crafter), etc

Jeff Wilder said:

As an aside, any chance you could negotiate a called shot ("down the gullet!") rule with your DM?

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We generally allow called shots, but they're tough.

Also, good ideas, KC and FM!

I wonder...In D&D, how would you stat out mechanical/alchemical

1) Pepper bombs?

I've seen what happens when an institutional-sized bag of pepper opens up when its not supposed to (touring a spice company's factory), it isn't nice. Its not as bad as a direct dose of pepper spray, but it affects a bigger area.

That's why the mixers wear hazmat suits.

2) Flour bombs?

When flour gets dispersed into the air, it can behave like an explosive- that fact caused many flour mill explosions, and at least one near death experience on a movie set when the star pointed a prop, flour-filled fire extinguisher at an open flame... foooshWHOOOMP!

(Yes, I did watch a lot of MacGyver when I was younger...why do you ask?)

Dannyalcatraz said:

I wonder...In D&D, how would you stat out mechanical/alchemical

1) Pepper bombs?

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DC 15 Fortitude save or dazed. I'd probably allow a save once per round until recovered, but you could also do something like a flat 1-4 rounds. Target one 5-foot square, or target an intersection to affect four squares, which allows +5 to the save.

2) Flour bombs?

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Enh. I really wouldn't allow explosive effects in my game. Alchemist's fire works fine to deal damage. I can't really see a way to make a "realistic" flour bomb effect that would also have a balanced GP cost, anyway.

Rogue could be an interesting contender, considering that his sneak attack applies on grenade weapons (but not the splash damage). The plus side is that it is a touch attack (and so makes up for his medium bab). Key challenge is consistently being able to deal SA damage at range though (probably want to keep a wand of greater invis/blink handy to UMD).

Dannyalcatraz said:

2) Flour bombs?

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Well, Dungeonscape has rules for sacks of flour. They don't explode but they do single out invisible creatures.

What's the stance on gunpowder? The DMG has a small section on grenades and TNT you might be able to use. If so, then Dragon #321 has a whole article on guns in D&D which includes a grenade-launcher that lets you fire grenade-like weapons farther than you can throw them.