Conventional and Magical Firearms

The many worlds of conventional fantasy have yet to fully embrace firearms; with so much focus being on the convenient application of arcana, this has caused technology to be dismissed as something of a novelty and fool's wish.

This attitude is changing slightly (with increasing supporters each year), and the proponents of such weapons are waiting in anticipation for a sweeping revolution that will engulf the myriad worlds of D&D in a golden renaissance.

Accuracy and Aiming
Fortunately, and perhaps unfortunately, firearms are exceedingly easy to use; they force no additional feats to be taken. However, as with all things, experience brings great benefits.
Aiming must be done with the Concentration skill, with every 5 ranks in the skill conferring a +2 bonus to accuracy.
Accuracy is decided with a DC 15 Dex roll (10 + character's Dex modifier), with focused targeting imposing a penalty depending on the body location; headshots impose a -4 penalty, while the extremities (legs and arms) impose a -2 penalty. Shots aimed at the torso are resolved per normal.
Such firearms may have targeting reticules, sighting down these confers a +2 bonus to accuracy.

Prolonged Aiming
Prolonged aiming involving these firearms imposes a Fort DC save, at 1/2 HD + Con. Failure causes the wielder to suffer from fatigue, as the condition.

Brewmeister's rifle; modeled on the Baker rifle
These longrifle arms were the creation of a dwarven master brewer and metalsmith, who despaired of his kindred being slaughtered in great underground wars. These rifles are exceptionally deadly at medium range; with accuracy worsening the further the opponent is; this is resolved as a -2 penalty at a distance beyond 30 feet.
Hidden within the underside of the rifle is a short sword, that, in the event of bullets running out can be wielded to deal slashing death to any enemies.
These rifles hold up to 6 bullets at a time, and must be manually reloaded each time a bullet is spent.
The Brewmeister longrifle deals damage to the value of 2d8 and criticals are forced on a 20; the damage type is ballistic and thus pierces armour and damage reduction as adamantium.

Concussive rifle; modeled on the musket
These sleek, elegant rifles are inscribed with golden runes that glow as if on fire within. These are the inventions of a mad arcanist who decided that, since wands and even wizards eventually run out of spells, a solution must be found to minimise or abolish whatever impact this may have (on one's continued posterity for one).
This longrifle is the conclusion of such daring venture. It fires ballistic missiles in the form of fireballs; each bullet is golden red and coated with anti-explosive powder that prevents it from detonating on contact with the air or any other surface prior to firing.
It deals as much as 2d6 damage, forces a critical on a 20 and deals additional damage as the fireball spell, at caster level 6th.

The Lightning Rod; modeled on the Chassepot
This longrifle presents with a thin, exaggeratedly long muzzle; the conventional wisdom holds that this design allows this rifle to effectively channel the arcane energies of lightning. As with nearly all things magical, this too was the invention of a wizard (and quite possibly a mad one too at that).
This rifle is also inscribed with runes, this time argent and blue; scholastic imagining holds that these runes are not so much a fashion statement but more to prevent unnecessary accidents from occurring; which is a roundabout way of saying that the rifle shouldn't explode in one's face.
It deals damage at a value of 2d4, a critical is forced on a 20 but also deals lightning bolt damage, per the spell, at caster level 7th.

do TF2
also rail gun

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Originally Posted by Amiel

The many worlds of conventional fantasy have yet to fully embrace firearms; with so much focus being on the convenient application of arcana, this has caused technology to be dismissed as something of a novelty and fool's wish.

This attitude is changing slightly (with increasing supporters each year), and the proponents of such weapons are waiting in anticipation for a sweeping revolution that will engulf the myriad worlds of D&D in a golden renaissance.

Accuracy and Aiming
Fortunately, and perhaps unfortunately, firearms are exceedingly easy to use; they force no additional feats to be taken. However, as with all things, experience brings great benefits.
Aiming must be done with the Concentration skill, with every 5 ranks in the skill conferring a +2 bonus to accuracy.
Accuracy is decided with a DC 15 Dex roll (10 + character's Dex modifier), with focused targeting imposing a penalty depending on the body location; headshots impose a -4 penalty, while the extremities (legs and arms) impose a -2 penalty. Shots aimed at the torso are resolved per normal.
Such firearms may have targeting reticules, sighting down these confers a +2 bonus to accuracy.

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Just use the normal AC rules, allow a scope to half range penalties or some such, and ignore called shots. Flat footed targets are easy to hit (sniping), targets that know you are there aren't, its realistic enough, at most introduce some compromise between touch AC and normal AC. The system above is excessively complicated.

In a bid to reduce excessive complexity, what about the idea of having these weapons always target an opponent's touch AC? This is to represent the deadliness of these firearms.

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Originally Posted by Amiel

In a bid to reduce excessive complexity, what about the idea of having these weapons always target an opponent's touch AC? This is to represent the deadliness of these firearms.

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Could work. However, they could just end up being quite powerful at low levels, before becoming less powerful as touch-damage spells (such as the Orbs of X) become strong enough to compete.

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Originally Posted by Amiel

In a bid to reduce excessive complexity, what about the idea of having these weapons always target an opponent's touch AC? This is to represent the deadliness of these firearms.

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People who suggest this idea are often unaware that late-model armour breastplates were tested by firing rifles at them, to prove that they would actually stop a bullet.

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Originally Posted by Ashtagon

People who suggest this idea are often unaware that late-model armour breastplates were tested by firing rifles at them, to prove that they would actually stop a bullet.

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This would depend upon when the armor was made, I think.

Maybe you could pay a bit extra-maybe +10% cost-to get your armor bonus VS guns? Could show how armor is made to be more effective against firearms once they make an appearance?

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Originally Posted by PersonMan

This would depend upon when the armor was made, I think.

Maybe you could pay a bit extra-maybe +10% cost-to get your armor bonus VS guns? Could show how armor is made to be more effective against firearms once they make an appearance?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arquebusiers

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As low-velocity firearms, the arquebus was used against enemies who were often partially or fully protected by steel-plate armour. Plate armour was standard in European combat from about 1400 until the middle of the 17th century. Good suits of plate would usually stop an arquebus ball at long range. It was a common practice to "proof" (test) armour by firing a pistol or arquebus at a new breastplate. The small dent would be circled by engraving, to call attention to it. However, at close range, it was possible to pierce even the armor of knights and other heavy cavalry, depending highly on the power of the arquebus and the quality of the armor. This led to changes in armor usage, such as the three-quarter plate, and finally the retirement of plate armor from most types of infantry.

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They started testing breastplates in this manner almost as soon as firearms appeared on the battlefield in meaningful numbers. Call it about 1450 or so.

The primary exception to this testing were decorative breastplates which had finely detailed artistic engravings on them. However, these weren't really intended for combat use so much as parade use.

There wasn't really a historical period in which guns were common and armour not tested in this fashion. The normal reaction of a warrior when offered "unproofed" armour would be along the lines of "lol". It'd be like buying a second hand car, without test-driving it first, or even checking that the motor runs.

In my own setting firearms impose a -4 penalty to the targets armor class. (this penalty can not exceed the combined shield, armor and natural armor bonus), in the first range increment, and -2 on the second increment.

Now the armor penetration does nothing against other AC bonuses such as dexterity, luck, dodge, insight etc. Nor does it penetration force effect based armor such as the shield spell or mage armor.

Adamantine armor also ignores the armor penetration of firearms unless the bullets are also made from adamantine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ashtagon

People who suggest this idea are often unaware that late-model armour breastplates were tested by firing rifles at them, to prove that they would actually stop a bullet.

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That said, those didn't have a universal thickness, so there certainly would be spots a bullet would either go through completely or do some serious damage even without going through.

Hmm. I saw an episode of Deadliest Warrior today. it was pirates vs. knights. the flintlock put a small dent in the plate, the grenado (precursor to grenade) didn't pierce it, but the blunderbuss did. The tradeoff was that the blunderbuss has a really short range, and takes longer to load. it also misfired alot (click-nothing happens).

Yeah, the blunderbuss is a nice concept, but not highly effective. When it works though, its pretty awesome.

Maybe work in a variant of the Armour is DR rules, but only for firearms?
(You'll find them in all good SRD hypertext compilations.)