Ghost Rock

Ghost rock looks like coal, but with cloudy white veins running through it. A typical one pound, unprocessed hunk burns for about a week with a slow, steady flame plenty hot enough to cook near. Cooking over it would incinerate most meals in a few seconds—a burning nugget reaches about 800˚ F.

The processed cores used by many mad science gizmos have been drilled and shaped to increase the exposed surface area, so they burn hotter and faster. A lit core (not being used in a device) only burns for about three days, but can hit 1,500˚ F or so.   The fireboxes of most gizmos that use ghost rock cores are drafted so a steady flow of air continually moves over the burning fuel. This greatly increases the speed at which it burns, and it normally gets hot enough to melt normal iron and steel—we’re talking 2,500˚ Fahrenheit, amigo. That’s why ghost-rock boilers are made from ghost steel, which can withstand temperatures of well over 3,000˚.

Ghost rock can only be extinguished by completely cutting off its air supply. Using water for this can be dangerous because at the temperatures found in most ghost-rock fireboxes the water can flash-boil, causing a steam explosion. (The steam explosion caused by attempting to douse the fire of a one-pound piece of ghost rock inflicts 2d10 Damage upon any gizmos the rock is powering and anyone within a Large Blast Template.) Instead, most ghost-rock boilers have an emergency sand canister on them. Yanking a cord opens the canister and floods the firebox with sand.

Fuel Mad Science

Can explode Burns unbelievably hot