D&D 5E Introducing Guns to Eberron

[RealAlHazred]

I think the point of Eberron is, the setting says, "If magic works like D&D, what if people industrialized that?" The magic of the setting flows from that source idea.

Guns in the real world were something to be developed because there aren't a lot of more powerful man-portable weapons. A gun is just better than a crossbow. But it's not better than a magic crossbow. So, the need for gunpowder doesn't exist -- plenty of magewrights can make magical crossbows using schema, and using the same industrial processes they already do -- so it's unlikely it would be developed as a "new superweapon."

However, the magewrights of Eberron are marvellously inventive, and I have no problem believing a couple of enthusiasts could develop guns (or even magic guns) as curiosities and one-offs.

 

[Derren]

The premise is flawed in several ways.
First, as it was pointed out, the 100 year war happened, so it certainly is possible.
And second, longswords and guns did coexist in reality. In fact, D&D is the weird one because many of the advances D&D has like plate armor were only invented after guns spread to Europe. D&D equipment mostly falls squarely into the "Pike and Shot" era, but it pretests to be based on the medieval era instead.

Thing is, D&D and guns don't mix well. Because of HP, ranged combat is less dangerous as a single hit is never enough to kill someone, except maybe at 1st level, and the ranges are also shorter. Longer loading times thus become a much bigger weakness as you won't neutralize an enemy with one attack and are immediately in melee range.
And while many people keep the disadvantages of guns, the low reload speed and inaccuracy, the advantages of guns do not matter in D&D. Most people do not track ammunition, that even seems to be the expectation of the system, thus it being easier to produce is not an advantage (not that adventurers lack money anyway). Also there is no exhaustion mechanics, so another advantage of guns are disregarded, and you do not need to have a minimum strength to use bows so everyone can use them and there is no reason to use a gun instead.