# Thermite Gun

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [April 17, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717 "2016-04-17T20:54:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Eric](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/1 "2016-04-17T20:54:55Z")

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So, the idea is similar to the weapon seen in The Order: 1886

The weapon itself fires two different types of ammunition:

The primary ammunition is thermite, which is shot out and forms a cloud of thermite dust around the target. The dust would have an added effect of obscuring the target’s vision and slowing its movement.

The secondary ammunition is used with a built-in flaregun, which is meant to ignite the thermite cloud and catch the target in a cloud of flames.

The weapon would be found in military bases or as rare science lab loot.

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**Author:** ![pisskop](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pisskop/32/1327_2.png) [@pisskop](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/pisskop)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/2 "2016-04-17T20:57:58Z")

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I dont know if there can be a flameable dust? Can a weapon throw down fields of ‘gasoline’ and smoke and then get ignited?

If you could manage to create a flameable field effect this would do . . .  
Maybe a bullet could throw down a radius of flamable material on impacT?

But why? What would make it cost-effective over a flamethrower?

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/3 "2016-04-17T21:22:16Z")

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I could see spraying gasoline without igniting it being a thing, to quickly set up a trap that you ignite when your targets have moved into it.  
I don’t follow the thermite thing, I don’t know if it would even ignite properly in a cloud, and even if it did the cloud would only last a few seconds, it’s made of metal particles, those aren’t going to stay suspended in the air for very long.

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**Author:** ![Miloch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/miloch/32/1339_2.png) [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/4 "2016-04-17T21:39:54Z")

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Um… Metal can float for a period of time if it’s a lighter metal. Chaff uses aluminum and other things for this.  
Chaff on wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff\_(countermeasure)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_(countermeasure))  
No idea of thermite is light enough for this. Only thing I found when googling for thermite cloud was a mushroom cloud photo of lit thermite going off. Off the top of my head without further research I’d say this is not a thing. I’d agree that something spraying up gasoline would probably work better in the end. I’m all for more junk/improvised weapons.

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**Author:** ![MrQwerty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@MrQwerty](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/MrQwerty)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/5 "2016-04-17T21:51:50Z")

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Thermite ignites in such giant temperatures(i think it’s… 1000 celsius?) that i doubt it would be very effective realistically… but i’d love more weapons that allow me to kill things with fire.  
Also, for it to be cost effective, you’d have to be able to craft thermite(is thermite even in game?) just from aluminium foil and rust(i guess scrapped off from nails?). But in reality, such thermite would have too big particles and would suck.

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**Author:** ![Miloch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/miloch/32/1339_2.png) [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/6 "2016-04-17T22:18:03Z")

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I think this idea is honestly a bust. But thermite could be useful for other things. Fire traps and etc…

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**Author:** ![iceball3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@iceball3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/iceball3)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/7 "2016-04-18T03:47:48Z")

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[quote=“Miloch, post:6, topic:11717”]I think this idea is honestly a bust. But thermite could be useful for other things. Fire traps and etc…[/quote]Gasoline is probably a better choice. Which means we should implement a new “fire trap” that sets the tile it’s on and a few around it in flames, of differing amounts depending on how much you’re using.

For thermite? I wouldn’t think traps. Phosphorus flammables are probably more readily functional for the really burny traps you’d want.  
Uses for thermite however could include:  
-Disabling vehicles and mechanical structures relatively quietly and quickly. The quietest way to put a hole through an engine block ASAP has probably got to be thermite, I’d think. A bit bright, sure, but that’s why you close the hood.  
-Melting through metallic doors and walls, safes, reinforced windows, etc. There’s very little that can stand up to the sheer heat the stuff gives off.  
-Welding, if you got the proper hardware, gear, and tasks for it at hand. Can even be used for underwater welding, too.  
-Getting through something that has stupidly thick armor, assuming you have can force it to stay still long enough to actually let the thermite melt into it. An example could include some kinda “scrap [metal] hulk”, held in place by a gigantic electromagnet or smashed between two really heavy things. (throwing ideas at the wall at this point just to broaden horizons on usage, here.)  
You could also use this to open a hole into power armor with a dead or incapacitated user, if the armor is locked down from the inside. Will at least prevent zombification or someone simply waking up from making a more surgical removal method difficult to perform later.  
-Completely ruining whatever you burn it on top of. This can make thermite-burning a pile of zombies a neat disposal method, or if you just want to reduce your trash into an ashy pile. This quantity of burnination might need a lot more thermite though.

As it is, thermite is a sub optimal weapon. It needs really high temperatures to ignite (gasoline fires won’t burn it iirc), and in most weaponized cases, some kinda phosphorus based fires prove to be more effective for burn-purposes.  
I suppose you could make a tile burn hot enough such that it bypasses virtually all fire resistances of anything in the game, but having enough thermite to cover a single tile is going to be extremely resource intensive. And is gonna leave behind a rather hefty hole.

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**Author:** ![Valpo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valpo/32/341_2.png) [@Valpo](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valpo)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 11:21am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/8 "2016-04-18T11:21:08Z")

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Thermite doesn t work well in that way because the oxidiser is suposed to be together with the aluminum powder… which is hard to achieve when you turn the mix into a cloud.  
Gasoline works because it ignites well in contact with air.

You could just spray aluminum powder. I am not sure how useful that would be though.

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**Author:** ![pisskop](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pisskop/32/1327_2.png) [@pisskop](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/pisskop)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 11:32am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/9 "2016-04-18T11:32:30Z")

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Just throw confetti with aluminum powder like its a holiday.

Happy Chaffadon!

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**Author:** ![Shopkeeper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/shopkeeper/32/453_2.png) [@Shopkeeper](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Shopkeeper)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/10 "2016-04-18T13:31:41Z")

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Attempting to use Thermite in somekind of offensive weapon sounds unrealistic and incredibly dangerous to the user. Using it as a tool to clear obstacles and maybe as part of a trap for something that literally just won’t die otherwise (looking at you Lab Shoggoth) seems more reasonable.

I think the main thing to take away from this is the idea of giving flamethrowers an alt-fire ability to spray unignited gas or napalm over an area, then you could follow up with another burst of flaming fuel to light it all up as part of a trap.

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**Author:** ![Force21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@Force21](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Force21)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/11 "2016-04-18T16:28:43Z")

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Example of real life thermite launcher: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEoqrjFX1yI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEoqrjFX1yI)

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**Author:** ![pisskop](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pisskop/32/1327_2.png) [@pisskop](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/pisskop)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/12 "2016-04-18T16:36:22Z")

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Now if only zombies could be made out of dusty cabinets . . .

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**Author:** ![Miloch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/miloch/32/1339_2.png) [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/13 "2016-04-18T22:50:23Z")

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Aimed rocket delivery of something like that would do ugly things to tank bots.

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**Author:** ![Rama\_Tut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/97f17d/32.png) [@Rama\_Tut](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Rama_Tut)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/14 "2016-04-20T01:03:58Z")

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A [thermal lance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_lance) is a real thing, and something it would be conceivable to find in the world in places like auto mechanics, and which a player could be expected to be capable of building. It would have the same utility as a circular saw, a jackhammer, and a welder/acetylene torch, but also be capable of setting fires, creating light, and being used as a hell of a weapon. It has a limited burning duration too, and can’t be turned off once ignited, like a lightstrip.

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**Author:** ![iceball3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@iceball3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/iceball3)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/15 "2016-05-01T02:30:45Z")

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[quote=“Rama Tut, post:14, topic:11717”]A [thermal lance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_lance) is a real thing, and something it would be conceivable to find in the world in places like auto mechanics, and which a player could be expected to be capable of building. It would have the same utility as a circular saw, a jackhammer, and a welder/acetylene torch, but also be capable of setting fires, creating light, and being used as a hell of a weapon. It has a limited burning duration too, and can’t be turned off once ignited, like a lightstrip.[/quote]Doesn’t that use oxyacetylene, though, not thermite?

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/16 "2016-05-01T06:05:30Z")

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Thermal lances have come up before, I’m skeptical that they would make a decent weapon, much less a good one. The main issue is that thermal lances are quite large and unwieldy, a secondary issue is that the limited burn time is going tr interfere with your attacks.

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**Author:** ![ChJees](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/chjees/32/548_2.png) [@ChJees](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ChJees)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 7:31am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/17 "2016-05-01T07:31:35Z")

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Thermal lances sounds like a !!FUN!! vehicle mounted weapon :P.

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**Author:** ![iceball3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@iceball3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/iceball3)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/18 "2016-05-01T09:07:27Z")

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[quote=“ChJees, post:17, topic:11717”]Thermal lances sounds like a !!FUN!! vehicle mounted weapon :P.[/quote]That does sound like a neat idea for a vehicle based trap or activated component, an array of thermic lances which just lights up an adjacent tile or two with Super Hot. Have it either be control activated, or have a trigger if something walks on it (do we have vehicular triggers or pressure plates? We should).

I can imagine that it will do immense fire damage to stuff caught in it while it’s lit, while also only making the tiles themselves Light Fires if there is no fuel on the ground.  
Though, I’d also figure that the entire rack of thermal lances need to be replaced after each firing. Should leave you with some extra scrap, at least.

Now, as a person-operated weapon, they might have some value against things like…  
More ponderous/ammo depleted robots, immobilized hulks, folks trying to melee in power armor, etc? Or just burning through walls. Very narrow usages but that might be just enough.

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**Author:** ![TheKobold](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/thekobold/32/513_2.png) [@TheKobold](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheKobold)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 5:51am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/19 "2016-05-02T05:51:05Z")

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[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XAnx5x8E-8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XAnx5x8E-8)

Homemade thermite gun.

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**Author:** ![Wally-kun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/wally-kun/32/375_2.png) [@Wally-kun](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Wally-kun)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/thermite-gun/11717/20 "2016-05-02T06:09:48Z")

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Alternatively, you could rig up one of those remote control cars to quietly roll up to that tank drone on the horizon and casually drill a hole through its engine, or battery, or ammo stockpile.

Hack computers are pretty rare. Also requires proximity. Remote control cars rigged with thermite stuff is much safer, and also fun.

I assume the lore doesn’t say anything about the robotic faction having a special script for toy cars?

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