D&D General Alternate firearms rules (input needed)

[FitzTheRuke]

Is that better then dodging magical lightning bolts?

Dex save should in theory also represent a general shiftiness. When you remember that taking turns is just an abstraction and nobody is just standing around, that Dex save is easier to picture as the person is moving and is harder to target.

I get where you're coming from - ducking and covering is ducking and covering - but I kind of DO feel like it's more inappropriate feeling for bullets than it is for spells (lightning included).

It's not particularly less logical, but the feeling is different.

 

[Tormyr]

Edit: missed an earlier comment.

 

[Stormonu]

Are you intending for the Rogue to be able to use Evasion to dodge bullets? If you want Martials to do it better, you might want to consider making the save Constitution instead of Dexterity.

 

[Horwath]

few things about firearms in D&D:

1. They are simple weapons. Anyone can be trained in basics of firearm in few minutes.
Then comes practice to improve your aim and muscle memory for reload speed.

2. Reload for playability should not be Longer than 1 Action, so you can attack every other round.

3. Removing dice rolling from players is bad, this needs to stay as attack roll, rolling attacks is fun.
(Hell, I would go back to 4E idea and make everything an attack and several types of defense.)


Reload should be also done instead of one attack from Attack action if you have Extra attack feature.
I like the faster reload feat as Bonus action.
you can use both,
Then if you have extra attack feature, you can attack twice on round 1 and once on round 2, then again twice on round 3 and so forth.

 

[Blue]

I like the direction you are going, because it really does create it's own niche for the weapons.

That said, we have historical records of people with a brace of pistols, firing one then grabbing the next and the next. I think the short/long rest requirement sort of forces that sort of play on anyone who is willing to invest in the feats (or proficiency if they don't have it). I think this may be too conceptually limiting, and just purchasing more (assuming they are purchasable) and restocking loaded ones from the ubiquitous bag of holding between encounters gets around the rest requirement as a limitation. I'd make it a simple 1 or 5 minute process. You're already breaking convention to do something interesting, make them effectively "per encounter" if you want.

Damage looks good to me, because you are not adding an ability score to it.

Firing a pistol in each hand is a genre staple in genres with with firearms, I'd think of a way to allow that. The goal isn't just to be balanced, or even interesting, it needs to be those and also support the feel/theme/genre you are going for.

I might overload some other feats instead of creating just new ones. Either by specifying the type of action it is so it overlaps, or just adding to certain feats. (BTW, was this intended to be used with 2014 or 2024?)

 

[Laurefindel]

If it makes it easier to understand my intention, see firearms as a single-use wands of bullets, with no spellcasting or class prerequisite.

 

[Laurefindel]

(BTW, was this intended to be used with 2014 or 2024?)

2024, which I’m still slowly getting used to.