Firearms- Ranged touch attack perhaps?

[Desdichado]

Naw, I just use Green Ronin's Freeport firearms rules. Great damage, but lousy reload time after every shot (which opens you up to AoO) and chance of misfire. Makes firearms good for one good blast per combat, really, then you have to shelve them to finish the job.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

I grant firearms a penetration bonus (TM) to attack rolls of +10. A penetration bonus only counts against AC bonus due to armour, shield and natural armour. A penetration bonus for a ranged weapon declines by 2 points per range increment.

The penetration bonus is also useful for modelling crossbows, pile arrows, and stilettos, to name a few, if you want to inject some realism but not overwhelming complexity into weapons specifically designed to defeat armour.

(Given that longbows are quite difficult to use effectively, anyone ever thought of making them Exotic weapons?).

Cheers, Al'Kelhar.

 

[shivamuffin]

Firearms are a great adittion to a campaign if handled with care and wisdom.

Be careful not to over complicate or to simplify the rules you eventually develop, and be sure to remind the PCs that their enemies have access to firearms too.

 

[Renaissance Man]

For months, I wrestled with the decision whether or not to treat firearms as ranged touch attacks. Taking my cue from a recent Dragon magazine, I finally went ahead with it. So far, no huge disruption to the campaign. But then again, my campaign world features a post-renaissance technology level, with fanciful firearms from both the Freeport setting and the Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon setting published in Polyhedron several months back.

What's more, character classes that normally begin with proficiency in heavy armors instead get proficiency with firearms, ala Iron Kingdoms, IRC. (As an aside, it might interest you to know that very few creatures from the Monster Manual are outfitted with heavy armor by default, so this change didn't have a huge impact from the monsters' perspective.)

 

[shivamuffin]

It sounds like you have all the checks and balances in place! When you get your campaign online, I would be interested in checking it out.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

For my campaign I've been allowing armours of breastplate and better 1/2 their armour bonus. Masterwork armour of breastplate and better are 'proofed' and grant their full armour bonus.

Reloading is impossible without Exotic Weapon (firearms) and takes 6 rounds, 4 rounds with a feat called 'Rapid Reload'.

Riders of horses that have not been cavalry trained need to make Ride checks (DC15) as the beasties are startled by the noise.

Finally chainmail gives 1 point better damage as the rings are driven into the wound.

The biggest advantage for crossbows is their ease of use.

I also improved halfplate, in the period in question most of the flaws have been dealt with.

The Auld Grump, who runs a 1600's game.

 

[shivamuffin]

So does anybody that uses gunpowder have a website or download that can be read?

 

[Al]

Ease of use, not penetrating power, is what made the early firearm superior to the bow and x-bow

Absolutely. So why is the DMG firearm Exotic, and the bow Martial?

 

[Technik4]

Because they are the weapons of the day (bows) and while firearms require little training to use, most people have never heard of the concept. I think its probably Simple to fire a gun, but Exotic to get that sucker reloaded.

Technik

 

[Drawmack]

Freeport has rules for guns including d20 stats for some muskets and a primitive grenade launcher. I use those, since I play in freeport.

As far as the penetration rating goes think of this
^ vs. o that is an arrow head versus a musket ball. Also take into account that early firearms did not shoot as far or with as much power as an arrow.

You couldn't put enough powder in a modern flit lock to get the projectile speed of an arrow from an average bow without blowing the gun up in your face. It's that whole open flash thing.

For distance take the arrow dynamics into account. After all it's called arrowdynamics for a reason.