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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andor" data-source="post: 692308" data-attributes="member: 1879">An early firearm is equivilent to if not inferior to a heavy crossbow. A D&D heavy crossbow is in fact an arbalast which is quite a fearsome weapon. As a side note, crossbows have (or can have) a little clip which holds down the bolt, so they don't just fall out if you tilt your bow the wrong way. Now another thing to note is that the primary source of problems with early firearms is the ignition source and this is where most the the technological development was concentrated for years. Matchlocks progressed to wheel locks to flint locks to cap and ball guns. In a D&D world, particularly a 3ed one this can all be hop-scotched. Even if you don't enchant the gun itself your trigger can be enchanted to produce the spark cantrip. This would allow a completely sealed breech and would enormously improve the reliability and safety of the gun. Such an enchanted trigger would cost 1000gp. (Unlimited use, use activated, cantrip.) If the use of such becomes standard practice (which might take only a couple of examples of other designs blowing up in peoples faces) then you have a perfect reason to explain the cost of a gun. At that point any new firearm should cost a minimum of 1500 gp. On the other hand with a sealed breech, it wouldn't automatically go off when someone drops a fireball on you. It might still cook off, but there should at least be a save. -Andor</blockquote>