45 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
45 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
Gunpowder and firearms typically appear in fantasy settings that gravitate toward late-medieval or renaissance periods or to swashbuckling themes, though they can appear in any setting where alchemists or tinkerers have access to sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. Presented here are rules for incorporating gunpowder and firearms into your game.
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The first gunpowder weapons included pistols, muskets, and blunderbusses, among others. These early firearms were matchlock, muzzle-loaded weapons. A curved lever held a burning slow match or length of cording. When the trigger was pulled, the lever dropped into the firing chamber, igniting the gunpowder and propelling the ball down the barrel of the firearm.
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The firearms in this book use the Loading and Gunpowder properties. You can find the statistics for the firearms and the details for the Gunpowder property in the following sections.
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- **Loading a Firearm.** Early firearms use a paper “cartridge,” a paper cylinder packed with an iron or lead ball, gunpowder, and a primer. To load a firearm, the wielder opens the paper cartridge, pours the gunpowder into the end of the barrel, followed by the ball and the paper. A rod is used to ram the ball and paper down the barrel. Hit or miss, ammunition from a firearm is destroyed once expended.
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- **Obvious Weapons.** More than almost any other weapon, firearms draw attention when they are used, and they are loud. When a character makes a ranged attack with a firearm, the firearm releases a thunderous boom audible out to the weapon’s maximum range. In addition, firearms release a small puff of smoke when fired. PCs hoping to move or fight undetected would be wise to use other weapons. GMs need to be aware of the sight, sound, and smell of firearms and the possibility of such effects alerting nearby creatures, but also be aware these effects are just as likely to startle or scare away creatures as it is to draw them.
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- **Proficiency.** A “firearm” is any ranged weapon with the Gunpowder weapon property. Firearms are designated as simple or martial ranged weapons similar to crossbows and other ranged weapons. A PC with simple or martial weapon proficiency also has proficiency with simple or martial firearms, respectively. However, it is up to the GM if gunpowder and firearms are available in the campaign setting or in a region to which the PC has access. If gunpowder and firearms aren’t available in the campaign, a character can’t use firearms, regardless of the PC’s weapon proficiencies
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**Weapon Options**
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This section offers an additional weapon option compatible with certain firearms. For the full list of weapon options and weapon option rules, see the Player’s Guide.
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- **Harmless Fusillade. When you make an attack with this weapon, you can harmlessly discharge the weapon instead of dealing damage while aiming at a creature within the weapon’s normal range. On a successful hit, the target must succeed on a **CON** save or have disadvantage on the next concentration check it makes before the start of your next turn.**
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# Weapon Properties
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The following section includes a new weapon property unique to the firearm weapons described in this doc. For the full list of weapon properties and their rules, see the Player’s Guide.
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- **Gunpowder.** Gunpowder is an often-unpredictable substance. As such, firearms and other weapons and items utilizing gunpowder have the potential to deal significant damage. If you roll the highest possible number on an individual damage die (such as a 6 on a d6 or a 12 on a d12) when you attack with this weapon, you can roll that die again and add the result to the total. For example, if your 2d4 roll resulted in a 3 and 4, you can reroll the 4, adding the result to the current total of 7. When a damage die results in the highest possible number on the die, it is called a “burst.”
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If you roll the highest possible number again, you can roll the damage die again and add the result to the total, further increasing the weapon’s damage. Any of the damage dice for this weapon, including extra dice such as from a critical hit or sneak attack, can burst and result in a reroll. For each attack you make with this weapon, you can reroll only a number of burst dice equal to your proficiency bonus, regardless of how many damage dice result in the highest possible number.
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If a single attack with a weapon or item with this property hits multiple targets, the damage is treated as one attack or effect for the purposes of determining how many times the damage can experience a burst, regardless of how many targets take the damage.
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- **Magazine.** Weapons with this property can be loaded with multiple pieces of ammunition, allowing a character to fire the weapon without having to reload between shots—as long as at least one piece of unspent ammunition is in the magazine. Weapons with this property have a number listed next to this property specifying the maximum pieces of ammunition the magazine can hold. For example, a property listed as “Magazine (8)” indicates that weapon’s magazine can hold up to eight pieces of ammunition at one time.
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|**Weapon**|**Cost**|**Damage**|**Weight**|**Weapon Options**|**Properties**|
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|_**Simple Ranged Weapons**_||||||
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|Pistol|25 gp|1d6 piercing|5 lb.|Harmless Fusillade|Ammunition (range 30/120), Gunpowder, Light, Loading|
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|_**Martial Ranged Weapons**_||||||
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|Arquebus|100 gp|2d6 piercing|20 lb.|Harmless Fusillade|Ammunition (range 25/100), Gunpowder, Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed|
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|Blunderbuss|75 gp|2d4 piercing|12 lb.|—-|Ammunition (see Special Weapon entry), Gunpowder, Loading, Two-Handed|
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|Musket|60 gp|1d10 piercing|10 lb.|Harmless Fusillade|Ammunition (range 80/320), Gunpowder, Loading, Two-Handed|
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|Revolving Musket|200 gp|1d8 piercing|12 lb.|Harmless Fusillade|Ammunition (range 80/320), Gunpowder, Magazine (8), Two-Handed|
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# Special Weapons
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Various firearms are detailed here.
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- **Arquebus.** This very heavy barreled firearm fires solid metal balls and deals devastating damage at short range.
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- **Blunderbuss.** This firearm features a flared muzzle. When you fire the weapon, it releases bullets in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a **DC** 13 **DEX** save, taking 2d4 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each time you use the blunderbuss, it expends 5 pieces of ammunition, and, as with all firearms, the ammunition can’t be recovered at the end of battle. Firing a blunderbuss releases a thunderous boom that is audible out to 200 feet.
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- **Musket.** This long-barreled firearm comes in different styles. Its wooden handle often features engravings and other decorative embellishments that have significance to the owner or the original craftsperson.
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- **Pistol.** This small firearm fits easily in one hand, and its wooden handle often features unique engravings, similar to those found on muskets.
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**Revolving Musket.** This long-barreled firearm holds a removable, metal, cylindrical magazine, which allows the firearm to be fired multiple times before needing to be reloaded. The attached magazine must have at least one paper cartridge loaded into it to make a ranged attack with this weapon.
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