Not every mission is a raid to arrest bad guys, steal diamonds, or spy on enemies. The ultimate goal might be to eliminate a threat or deny a valuable resource to the foe. This is a common objective of realistic military operations and cinematic police and espionage assignments. A blaze or an explosion is also an effective distraction. Any act of destruction might justify erasing -1 or -2 from BAD for all later feats that would logically be easier if most of the mooks are busy stomping out flames or freaking out over a blast. This won't affect lockpicking, computer hacking, or other tasks that don't interact with mooks.

Remember that property damage is an action-movie tradition. There doesn't have to be a good reason for it!

Anybody can set a fire, but to destroy evidence, distract bad guys, or render the target unsalvageable, make an Explosives (Demolition or Fireworks) roll (defaults to IQ-5). Roll at -4 if you have only ordinary combustibles; no modifier for a genuine accelerant, like gasoline (at least a gallon); and +4 for thermite, ethylene oxide, and similar scary substances remembered from the movies. Apply BAD if the target has a fire-suppression system or is designed to resist fires (e.g., military fuel dump) – such measures should be comparable in quality to the target's other security. Failure means the fire doesn't do the trick; repeated attempts are possible if you're willing to hang around, watch the fire burn out, and restart it while mooks are trying to extinguish it. Critical failure means you catch fire: 3d HP of injury before you douse the flames.

Explosives are the fastest way to demolish things. It takes about (DR + HP)/3 dice of damage to render something useless until repaired, or (DR + 2xHP)/3 dice to obliterate it forever (drop fractions). For security barriers, find DR and HP under Doors; for vehicles, consult the Vehicle Table.

Example: A blast door with DR 70, HP 60 calls for (70 + 60)/3 = 130/3 = 43d to blow open, or (70 + 2×60)/3 = 190/3 = 63d to blow away.

To convert dice to a number of standard explosive charges, estimate the nearest whole multiple of 9 for dynamite (9d+1) or 15 for plastique (5dx3), and multiply this by itself.

Example: 43d is about 5 x 9 or 3 x 15, so it takes 5 x 5 = 25 dynamite sticks or 3 ¥ 3 = 9 plastique blocks to open a blast door.

If the GM prefers exact math, he's advised to do it in advance – not during play – for anything the heroes have to demolish. He shouldn't require skill rolls to learn how many charges are needed, but simply tell the player of any PC who has Engineer (Combat) or Explosives (Demolition).

Other considerations:

Explosives Disasters: Explosives are deadly, but in the movies, clumsy demo men mostly just singe their eyebrows and dignity. When failure on the tasks below spells an “explosives disaster,” use the Cinematic Explosions rule (see Cinematic Combat Rules) for the demo man, any assistants, and those covering them.

Preparing and Using Explosives: Anybody can place charges previously rigged with blasting caps or a timer, or push the button on an exploder or a remote. To prepare these things for use calls for an Explosives (Demolition) roll. The GM rolls in secret. Failure means no kaboom; critical failure means an explosives disaster.

Home-Cooked Explosives: At the GM's option, it may suit the plot for ingredients to blow things up to be sitting around. Make a Scrounging roll (or use Serendipity) to find them. Roll against Chemistry to formulate explosives. This takes 12 hours, but heroes can invoke Time Spent – even chemistry works faster on film! Any success fabricates enough explosives to do the job. Failure wastes the materials. Critical failures are explosives disasters.

Tamping: A demo man with tools can roll against Explosives (Demolition) to tamp his charges carefully. Success halves the number of charges needed, rounding up; e.g., merely 13 sticks of dynamite or 5 blocks of plastique for that darned blast door. Failure means the explosion doesn't do its job. Try again! Critical failure means an explosives disaster.

Tamping calls for drilling and pounding on things. It's never fast or stealthy – save it for when you have all night in a deserted area.

Strategic Placement: Alternatively, the demo man can roll against Architecture for a building, Engineer (Combat) for a fortification, or Mechanic for a vehicle to place his charges so that they blow key structural elements. Success and failure on this roll work as for tamping, but the surrounding circumstances differ in several ways. On the upside, strategic placement can be quick and stealthy – just slap the charges down on the critical hardware. The downside is that this isn't possible from outside, and indeed requires full access to vital areas: a building's basement, a vehicle's interior, etc. You can't use both tamping and strategic placement; choose one or the other.

Artillery: If heavy weapons are available, standard attack rolls against the appropriate Artillery or Gunner skill can be used to blow away an obstacle. To rig explosive shells as demolition charges, roll against Armoury (Heavy Weapons) – any failure means an explosives disaster – and then use these like any other charges. To work out how many shells you need, divide dice required by the weapon's damage dice instead of 9 or 15 for dynamite or plastique.

Buildings: Bridges, buildings, shore batteries, and other large structures require more explosives than a squad can carry. The heroes must instead neutralize security and rig explosives found on-site, or make an Assistance Roll to request delivery of lots of explosives. Make an Explosives (Demolition) roll for the fuse. Alternatively, the GM can pick an arbitrary number of charges needed to blow the target and require several strategic placement rolls as the crew moves through the area, dealing with mooks and security measures.

It's sometimes important to disable complex systems without flames and explosions – really! The general rule is that someone with the necessary tools (-5 without) and skills to fix something can also break it. Failure merely gives enemies another chance to notice; check Stealth as usual. Critical failure also breaks the tools and may endanger the saboteur. See below for examples.

In all cases, if the goal is not to disable the item but to have it function as a trap (e.g., an elevator that plunges down the shaft when ridden, or brakes that fail at high speed), apply another -2. A complementary Traps roll can help offset this.

Big Machines: For general machinery like compressors and elevators, someone with Machinist and suitable tools can disable the mechanism with a skill roll. Only use BAD if the target is something like a secure, private elevator. Critical failure causes a horrible accident that deals the saboteur at least 3d damage; e.g., falling into a hammer mill.

Computers: Use Electronics Repair (Computers) to ruin hardware or Computer Hacking to sabotage software. Only roll for subtle damage – anybody can rip out a hard drive.

Cutting Power: To shut down electric fences, electrical alarms, electronic locks, and so on by cutting mains access requires an Electrician roll. Critical failure results in a shock: 3d burning. Possible complications are Area Knowledge rolls to find the right junction, Climbing rolls to reach it, and BAD on any of these rolls if the enemy took pains to isolate the power supply.

Vehicles: Use the appropriate Mechanic specialty. Only apply BAD for spy cars, jet fighters, and other high-value rides.

Weapons: Use the relevant Armoury specialty. For heavy weapons (e.g., artillery and tank guns) BAD often applies – access is monitored, the hardware is robust, and good-quality weaponry is tamper-resistant. Critical failure discharges one shot or explodes it in the breech, injuring the saboteur.

Assassins and commandos, especially, like to leave surprises for mooks. The player should describe the desired effects of the trap, and what gear or found items he intends to build it from. The GM then makes a secret Traps roll. Success means a functional trap. Failure means a dud. Critical failure means the trap affects the would-be trapper!

Some special considerations:

Concealing Traps: Untrained victims are unlikely to spot a trap, but you can hide it from cannier foes – just declare that you're hiding it. Seekers must win a Quick Contest of their detection skill vs. your Camouflage skill for an outdoor trap, or Smuggling for an indoor or vehicular one.

Explosives and Incendiaries: These things require the standard rolls to prepare before you can use them as traps; see Blowing Stuff Up. For bombs triggered by turning on a machine, Electronics Repair or Mechanic for the machine is complementary to the Traps roll but not required.

Flares and Grenades: A signal flare can be set to fire when someone trips a wire – a useful warning! Grenades can be rigged to blow when tripped; in movies, they explode without delay. Either is a simple, common trap: Traps is at +4, and Soldier will suffice.

Sabotaged Machinery: Cars, elevators, and so on can be turned into traps by making a sabotage roll at -2. Traps skill is complementary but not required. See Sabotage (above).

Zap!: Treat wiring a metallic object to electrical lines as sabotage. Roll Electrician at -2; Traps is complementary, as usual. Anybody who touches the wired object takes 3d burning damage – or 6d, for industrial mains.