Firearms in D&D

[mmadsen]

This statement always bugged me. Why does only the bow have to be trained to its "fullest capacity" but not the xbow or gun?

If your argument is with his use of fullest capacity, then we agree. If your argument is with the notion that a longbowman requires much, much more training than a crossbowman or arquebusier, then we disagree. You can't even use a reasonable longbow until you "develop considerable musculature" -- a yew longbow doesn't pull anything like a modern sporting bow -- and you don't simply point and shoot, since the arrow follows such an indirect arc, compared to a bolt or ball.

 

[Testament]

I suggest the Player's Guide to Arcanis. It has multiple types of Flintlocks, crafting rules, feats for use, and 3 prestige classes all designed to take advantage of them.

They walk the line between following some historical limitations and making them playable and attractive weapons when compared to Bows, Crossbows, etc.

Another reccomendation for Arcanis here. Plus, it has rules for modifying and misfiring.

 

[David Howery]

I don't think I'd have flintlocks in a D&D game, as they were pretty far into the Industrial Age when they appeared... a little too advanced for the typical medieval setting of D&D. Matchlocks would be better.
Once, I adapted the 2E firearms damage rules, although I never got a chance to use them in a campaign. Basically, I rather liked the 'extended damage' rules of 2E, but not the way they were applied (a pistol had a 25% of doing extended damage, as it used a D4 for damage, but a rifle used a D8, so had a much smaller chance.. the opposite of what it should have been). So, basically I had two firearms damage ranges: 1d4 for pistols and 2d4 for long guns; if a 4 is rolled on any of the die, you roll again for extended damage, as per the 2E rules. This way, the long gun has a better chance of doing extended damage (logically, as they have bigger shot and charge). OTOH, it takes a loooooong time to reload them.....

 

[Jack Daniel]

I use an adaptation of the FFG "Sorcery & Steam" firearms rules, combined with a little 2e and a little d20 Modern.

Holdout pistol, flintlock: 1d8 damage, crit 20/x3, range 10', 1 shot, reload time 2 full rounds.
Holdout pistol, percussion-cap revolver: 1d8 damage, crit 20/x3, range 10', 4 shots, reload time 8 full rounds.
Holdout pistol, breech-loading revolver: 2d4 damage, crit 20/x3, range 10', 6 shots, reload time 1 full round (Single-action revolvers can be used with Rapid Shot and Manyshot; Double-action revolvers can be used with Rapid Shot and Double-Tap.).

Belt pistol, flintlock or percussion-cap revolver: 1d10 damage, crit 20/x3, range 20'
Belt pistol, breech-loading revolver: 2d6 damage, crit 20/x3, range 20'

Horse pistol, flintlock or percussion-cap revolver: 1d12 damage, crit 20/x3, range 30'
Horse pistol, breech-loading revolver: 2d8 damage, crit 20/x3, range 30'

Musketoon, flintlock or percussion-cap: 2d6 damage, crit 20/x3, range 50'
Carbine rifle, breech-loading: 2d8 damage, crit 20/x3, range 70'

Musket, flintlock or percussion-cap: 2d8 damage, crit 20/x3, range 90'
Rifle, breech-loading: 2d10 damage, crit 20/x3, range 110'

Light blunderbuss, flintlock: 2d8 damage, crit 19-20/x2, range 20', -1 damage each range increment beyond the first
Sawed-off shotgun, breech-loading: 2d10 damage, crit 19-20/x2, range 20', -1 damage each range increment beyond the first

Heavy blunderbuss, flintlock: 2d10 damage, crit 19-20/x2, range 30', -1 damage each range increment beyond the first
Shotgun, breech-loading: 2d12 damage, crit 19-20/x2, range 30', -1 damage each range increment beyond the first

 

[Wombat]

Personally, if I were to add firearms to a D&D game, I would not go as far as flintlocks. Touchholes and matchlocks are fine, maybe wheellocks, but never all the way up. Equally I would leave them as smoothbores, rather than monkeying around with rifling.

Just trying to stay pre-17th century with the game technology

 

[beeber]

i use the freeport firearms rules myself. they are also located in green ronin's "skull & bones" buccaneer d20 game. right now, only the gnome empire has 'em. that stigma, coupled with the requirement for the exotic weapons prof. feat, has kept my players away from them. so far. . . .

 

[Frostmarrow]

The one thing that makes firearms uselsess in a D&D-campaign is the noise they make. [Regardless of damage, range and reload times.] I emplore you to try a pistoleer or musketeer in a swashbuckling campaign. It never works. -You see, swashbuckling is a little bit like Shadowrun. What you do isn't necessarily legal and most of the time the authorities aren't on your side. It's not like adventurers have a license to kill. So, if your main schtick in combat is absolutly going to attract wandering monsters, enemy reinforcements, or the city guard, you are a goner.

It works in ship to ship combat, though.

 

[James Heard]

My game uses firearms, with paper cartridges. They're simple weapons and generally take the place of crossbows with similar characteristics. They're really not very common among players, I don't have anything like a pistol and there aren't an awful lot of magical varieties lurking around yet. Mostly you see cannons on boats, which is why I decided to have firearms in the first place. A lot of times it's very very hard to find ammunition in rural areas. Most of the PCs carrying guns are mages, with a single fighter character that someone experimented with once.

 

[Staffan]

Basically, I rather liked the 'extended damage' rules of 2E, but not the way they were applied (a pistol had a 25% of doing extended damage, as it used a D4 for damage, but a rifle used a D8, so had a much smaller chance.. the opposite of what it should have been).

Note that the pistol still does lower damage on average. Basically, the average of an "exploding" die is (half max value+1) + 1/(max value-1). So, the average of an exploding d4 is (2+1)+1/(4-1) = 3 1/3. The average of an exploding d8 is (4+1)+1/(8-1) = 5 1/7. The lower die gets a bigger boost out of the explosiveness (5/6 compared to 8/14), but unless you're rolling d1s the higher die will still have a better average.

 

[Desdichado]

I don't think I'd have flintlocks in a D&D game, as they were pretty far into the Industrial Age when they appeared... a little too advanced for the typical medieval setting of D&D. Matchlocks would be better.

Two things: 1) most players don't know the difference between matchlocks, wheelocks or flintlocks; "olde tymey" black powder weapons all being more or less the same to them, and 2) there's very little else about D&D that is "typical medieval"; so why not firearms?