D&D 4E Firearms for the 4E Game (Contributions Welcome)

[KidSnide]

Don't forget these are under battlefield conditions, at a sustained rate. The sustained rate of fire for a longbow is around 2 arrows per minute, up to 6 in short bursts. A 1st level 3.5e longbowman can fire at 20 arrows per minute - quite a difference. I'd suggest muskets have a similar 'fantasy' modifier applied to the rate of fire.

I too have firearms in my games. I like having non-firearm characters restricted to firing a gun once per encounter. But, if you're going have firearms, you need to have characters that focus on the firearms. For that not to suck, they need to have a decent rate of fire, and reloading strikes me as less absurd than carrying 10 pistols.

My hope is that 4E makes crossbow rangers viable missile specialists, in which case I'll just make guns slightly better crossbows. Failing that, I'll probably allow a reload as a minor action where rangers can use their hunter's mark and reload at the same time. It would probably be more realistic to force such a character to forgo their move action, but I think that will make combats too static and ranged strikers need to be moving around looking for a better shot if they are to stay fun. This is, of course, for gun specialists. Regular characters will need a move action (at least) to reload.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Generally 1 standard action probably works the best as a reload action, because it's the easiest to keep track of.

Is it realistic or historical accurate? No.

But as far as things go in the game world, you could say that they determined that Breech-Loading was the best way to load firearms early on in the development of firearms.

 

[HeinorNY]

To the OP.
I think you should completelly break from real world firearms, so you can have much more designing freedom to create whatever you think it's cool, without having to worry about historical facts.

Make a concept for firearms in your world, and start designing from that concept.
Are firearms something any farmer uses and have at his home or something poweful, some lost technology from an ancient empire?
How normal people view them?
Do you buy them in shops or they are only found by enterpresing adventurers?
Are they as powerful as other normal weapons, or are they something that can change the odds of the combat?

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Note: I am far from someone who is good at mechanics, so expect these to be either extremely underpower or overpowered.

Fluff: While most firearms are supposed to be relegated to police, soldiers and Inquisitors, however, many outlaws and civilians have gained access to firearms. They are considered a common weapon, that is easily manufactured in factories and resides beside all other manner of weapon.

Mechanics:

Revolver: The revolver is your classic six-shooter.
-Proficiency: 2
-Damage: 1d8
-Range: 20/30
-Properties: Reloadable (move/standard action (6 rounds)), Minor-Action: Basic Attack, Dual Wield

Shotgun: This double-barrelled firearm can blast holes through enemies.
-Proficiency: 1
-Damage: 1d12
-Range: 10/20
-Properties: Blast 3, Reloadable (minor), cannot fire while mounted

Rifle: This is your standard breach-loading rifle.
-Proficiency: 3
-Damage: 1d10
-Range: 30/60
-Properties: Reloadable (minor), cannot fire while mounted

Carbine: This is a smaller, version of the rifle.
-Proficiency: 2
-Damage: 1d10
-Range: 30/40
-Properties: Reloadable (minor)

Repeating Rifle: This rifle can fire 5 bullets in quick succession.
-Proficiency: 2
-Damage: 1d10
-Range: 20/30
-Properties: Reloadable (move/standard (5 rounds)), Minor Action: Basic Attack

Most of these are really close to eachother, especially carbine and rifle and yeah, I dunno about balance but just a quick thought.

 

[CleverNickName]

Awesome feedback, everyone...these are all really great ideas. I've sorted through them and have revised my preliminary stats for these weapons.

Blunderbuss
(Simple Melee Weapon)
Proficency: ?2 (as greatclub)
Cost: 100 gp
Weight: 9 lb.
Category: ?Club
Properties: two-handed

This is a large musket with a flared, trumpet-like muzzle and a flintlock or wheel-lock firing mechanism. The predecessor of the modern shotgun, it is designed to fire many tiny pellets rather than a single bullet. The flared end makes it easier to reload than a musket, but prevents it from being fitted with a bayonet.

Slam (standard; at-will)
Melee vs. AC; 2d4 bludgeoning

Discharge (standard; encounter)
Range 10; range vs. AC; target up to 2 adjacent foes; 2d6 + Dex piercing damage.


Musket, Heavy
(Simple Melee Weapon)
Proficency: ?2 (as greatclub)
Cost: 100 gp
Weight: 8 lb.
Category: ?Spear/Club
Properties: two-handed

These stats are used for a wide variety of flintlock or wheel-lock muskets with a long barrel, wooden stock, and brass fittings. It fires lead or silver bullets, and comes fitted with a long, spiked bayonet near the muzzle.

Slam (standard; at-will)
Melee vs. AC; 1d8 piercing (with bayonet) or 2d4 bludgeoning

Discharge (standard; encounter)
Range 10; range vs. AC; 2d8 + Dex piercing damage and the target is pushed back 1 square.


Musket, Light
(Simple Melee Weapon)
Proficency: 3 (as dagger)
Cost: 100 gp
Weight: 4 lb.
Category: ?Light blade/Club
Properties: High crit

These stats are for any flintlock or wheel-lock musket with a short barrel and curved wooden grip, that is designed to be held and fired with one hand. Like its larger version, it fires lead or silver bullets and is fitted with a dagger-sized blade near the muzzle.

Slam (standard; at-will)
Melee vs. AC; 1d4 piercing (with bayonet) or 1d4 bludgeoning

Discharge (standard; encounter)
Range 10; range vs. AC; 2d6 + Dex piercing damage and the target is pushed back 1 square.


Ammunition

Powder and shot (for muskets)
10 rounds cost 3 gp and weigh 1 lb.

Powder and pellets (for blunderbuss)
10 rounds cost 2 gp and weigh 1 lb.

Silver bullets (for muskets)
10 rounds cost 10 gp and weigh 1 lb.

So as you can see, these weapons are pretty much just spears (heavy musket), clubs (blunderbuss), or daggers (light musket), except that once per encounter you can use them to blast your opponent with lead. Sure, they are heavier and more expensive, but what do you expect?


EDIT: Good job, Fallen Seraph. It looks like we were both typing our lists around the same time, and I didn't see yours until you had posted it. Looks pretty cool...a little higher-tech for my tastes, but awesome nonetheless.

 

[CleverNickName]

I think you should completelly break from real world firearms, so you can have much more designing freedom to create whatever you think it's cool, without having to worry about historical facts.

This is good advice, but I'm going to keep them more or less grounded in history. It's not that I am trying to be a simulationist; I just want to keep the nature of firearms as vague and generic as possible in this thread so that they will fit into other peoples' campaigns more easily.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

EDIT: Good job, Fallen Seraph. It looks like we were both typing our lists around the same time, and I didn't see yours until you had posted it. Looks pretty cool...a little higher-tech for my tastes, but awesome nonetheless.

Thanks, yeah, lol, I don't expect the majority of D&D campaigns to go so far into the technological future as mine does; firearms, electricity, factories, trains, etc.

I really want to get the rules for TWF so I can figure out how good a classic gunslinger will be.

 

[CleverNickName]

I really want to get the rules for TWF so I can figure out how good a classic gunslinger will be.

Same here...inquiring pirates want to know.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I also want to know if having two different styles of weapons while TWF will alter anything. Since obviously sooner or later, someone will be fighting with a sword and shooting with a gun.

 

[mach1.9pants]

I am more towards TerraDave in that accuracy of smoothbore muskets was very poor.
FYI:
From the Napoleonic era a Prussian experiment found against a target 100' long by 6' high:
@225 yards 25% hit
@150 yards 40% hit
@75 yards 60% hit

Edit: but also bloody dangerous on a hit. So I would go for low accuracy vs reflex (as armour was not very effective against muskets!)