Firearms

[Blackmage]

I don't think it is unreasonable for light armor to be treated differently than medium or heavy armor. Just think of medium or heavy armor the equivilent of wearing kevlar vs. modern firearms sure it probably won't kill you but it certainly leave you writhing on the ground with severe bruising and possible broken ribs. Sounds like you could call it non-lethal damage to me.

I don't think you got what I mean. +5 studded leather has more defense than a breast plate so therefore there is a descrepensy if it has lethal damage applied to it.

Also making it nonlethal to medium or heavy armor is unrealistic because trama from a bullet hitting kelvar can kill you so therefore it should be blunt damage instead of the unrealistic nonlethal damage.

 

[Derren]

I too like the ranged touch attack, but I think you have severely underpowered the gun. In the real world, the humble musket and pistol were sufficient to render the heavier armours completely obsolete.

Actually in the real world guns did not make armor useless. Full plate was developed to counter guns ans they were quite bullet proof (Each full plade made was test shotted once with a gun to check its quality). And many soldiers still wore breastplates till the WW1.

So guns shouldn't really be touch attacks.

 

[Shadeydm]

Fantasy Setting Firearms (exotic weapons)

Pistol:
ranged touch attack
range increment 50' maximum range x5
-6 to hit (non proficient)
-2 to hit (proficient)
damage d10 (crit x3)
damage (vs. medium or better armor) d10 non-lethal (crit x3 lethal)
clean & reload (non proficient) 2 full round actions + 1 standard action
Clean & reload (proficient) 2 full round actions

Musket:
ranged touch attack
range increment 150' maximum range x5
-6 to hit (non proficient)
-2 to hit (proficient)
damage 2d6 (crit x3)
damage (vs. medium or better armor) 2d6 non-lethal (crit x3 lethal)
clean and reload (non proficient) 2 full round actions +1 move equivalent action
clean and reload (proficient) 1 full round action + 1 standard action

Ok so what I have done here is bump up the damage on both weapons increased and increased the range. Additionally I have kept both the notion that they are ranged touch attacks and that medium or better armor change the damage to non-lethal while adding the clause that on a crit the medium or heavy armor wearer still suffers leathal damage. I am still trying to figure a way to articulate in a rules sense that creature with significant amounts of natural armor gain the same benefit as wearing Medium or better armor, any suggestion? Should I simply add a clause that creatures with +4 or better natural armor gain the same benefits as though they are wearing medium armor for the purpose of determining damaged caused by firearms?

 

[notjer]

I would still add more damage to the firearms. In Steam and Sorcery a musket does 3d8 point of damage.

Creatures with natural armor could have somekind of damage reduction. Every point over 10 natural armor is a damage reduction as x/magic enchantmen with special rules:

damage reduction vs +0 magical enchanted musket could be damage divided by 3
damage reduction vs +1 magical enchanted musket could be damage divided by 2
damage reduction vs +2 magical enchanted musket could be damage divided by 1,5
damage reduction vs +3 magical enchanted musket could be damage divided by 1,25
damage reduction vs +4 magical enchanted musket could be ignoring damage reduction

Example:
A creature with 12 natural armor has a damage reduction: 2/magical enchantment*
The musket +0 does 6 point of damage divided by 3 = 2 point of damage = 0
The musket +1 does 6+1 point of damage divided by 2 = 3 point of damage = 1
The musket +2 does 6+2 point of damage divided by 1,5 = 5 point of damage = 3
The musket +3 does 6+3 point of damage divided by 1,25 = 9 point of damage = 7
The musket +4 does 6+4 point of damage and ignore damage reduction = 10 point of damage = 10

Never tried it, but could work somehow. Work on the idea of damage reduction.

 

[Simm]

I think 3d8 damage is pushing it a bit far. In d20 modern a huge fire arm deals 2d12 damage and thats for a modern .50 MG bullet fired from a sniper rifle. I wouldn't go above 2d6 for an early weapon. The matchlock muskets in d20 past deal 2d8. I also think you should seriously shorten your range increments. Remember that earlier firearms were not precisely machined so the bullet bounced down that barrel and was inaccurate except as a volley weapon at anthing more than point blank range. d20 Past give range increments for matchlock pistols and muskets at 10 and 40 feet. In d20 modern pistols and rifle tend towards 30 and 100 feet. so I think your original 25 and fifty feet to be a little closer to true.

 

[notjer]

But D&D is not the real world, in D&D there is a hell lot of magic which is a very good help when it comes to invent new things and make them better. You could make a spell which form the wood and metal to make a perfect musket which is also very handy!

I dont think 3d8 is too much for a magical world because of all the options you have.