Smokepowder

Smokepowder is a highly explosive magical substance that approximates the effects of gunpowder. The substance was first introduced to Toril by spelljammers coming to Shou Lung in search of trade. The crews of these vessels failed to properly secure their smokepowder, and the Shou were able to take it and develop it into fireworks and firecrackers. However, it wasn't until the Time of Troubles that smokepowder saw use outside of Shou Lung, after Gond revealed its secrets to the people of Lantan. While smokepowder has proliferated beyond Lantan, it remains rare, difficult to manufacture, and extraordinarily expensive.

Originally, gunpowder functioned within Realmspace. Due to the number of mishaps injuring or killing his clerics experimenting with it, Gond (with the aid of Mystra) caused gunpowder to become inert. Smokepowder is instead regular gunpowder combined with a magical reagent that allows it to function within Realmspace. The secrets of the reagant used to create smokepowder are a highly controlled secret, and smokepowder typically is only manufactured by Lantan or clerics of Gond. Outside of Toril, however, smokepowder is very common in wildspace and relatively easy to access.