Gunpowder, fantasy and you

[Mark Chance]

disagree with that last one, because misfires were the main hazard in early guns.

Misfires, really long loading times, et cetera, aren't worth the hassle. No other weapon gets treated with such exacting demands for realism. There's no good reason to make firearms the exception.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I always rather liked the "Red Steel" setting for BD&D which had a sorta renaissance feel to it, with musket like firearms whose 'gunpowder' was related to 'red steel' and to other things too (I seem to recall something known as 'the red curse'?).

It was a fantasy setting which embraced a particular milieu while putting its own distinctive fantasy spin on the components which made it work.

 

[Pseudonym]

One thing that's always puzzled me in these recurring firearms-and-fantasy threads is the idea that firearms must be treated realistically to a degree that nothing else is subjected to the same treatment. Thus, firearms take forever to reload, they explode or misfire often, they do horrendous amounts of damage, they punch right through armor, et cetera (and ignoring the fact that this realism is often not terribly realistic).

I've noticed the same. People who never question how a dragon flies start quoting FBI ballistic data when the subject of guns comes up. I think the easiest thing is when a setting is begun with guns already around rather than when they are introduced mid-stream.

 

[jonesy]

I've got nothing against guns in a fantasy setting if they fit the mood of the setting.

However, guns would be a new technology. In other words, rare and expensive.

Really expensive. That's the biggest reason why someone would rather pick up a longbow. And it's not just the gun, it's the bullets. Anyone can make arrows with practise.

 

[Mark Chance]

However, guns would be a new technology. In other words, rare and expensive.

Really expensive. That's the biggest reason why someone would rather pick up a longbow. And it's not just the gun, it's the bullets. Anyone can make arrows with practise.

That's one way to do it. Guns could also be an older, more widely spread technology. Also, anyone can make bullets with practice, and probably with less practice than needed to make arrows.

 

[jonesy]

Also, anyone can make bullets with practice, and probably with less practice than needed to make arrows.

I don't know what you mean by that. Could you elaborate?

 

[Mark Chance]

I don't know what you mean by that. Could you elaborate?

Making bullets for a muzzleloader isn't that complicated. It's not quite unskilled labor, but it's close to it. Arrows, OTOH, require greater skill to craft to ensure that they are tipped and fletched properly, fly true, et cetera.

 

[luckless]

Misfires, really long loading times, et cetera, aren't worth the hassle. No other weapon gets treated with such exacting demands for realism. There's no good reason to make firearms the exception.

Well the extra things like long load times and potential of miss-fire all depends on if it does more damage than bows and crossbows. If they're more powerful, then they get drawbacks. Personally I enjoy the drawbacks and such, as it makes firearms feel different. If they do the same damage as a bow, and fire at the same rate as a bow,... then really they're just a bow that attracts everyone to your position. And if they don't make a sound that effects the game,... then why bother?

You can add new feats and such to work with firearms: Shorten reload times, area-attack shot, treat as having a melee weapon for AOO, etc.

 

[Mark Chance]

Agreed to an extent, luckless. I don't like misfires. Smacks too much of fumbles, which I've never cared for. Longer reload times are appropriate, but not realistic reload times. My firearms rules use this for reload times:

Reloading a firearm requires a full-round action. A flintlock can be loaded ahead of time and carried ready to fire. A matchlock can be loaded ahead of time, but cannot be carried with a lit match. Setting the lit match to a loaded matchlock requires a move action.

I also include these rules:

Firearms are loud and flashy. A firearm's report and muzzle flash make it easy to detect when it's shot. The report can be heard about a half mile away in open country and about 200 yards in more crowded areas (such as a town). Listen checks are not needed to hear a firearm's report. A DC 0 Perception check (modified by range) can be used to pinpoint the direction from which the sound came. A DC 0 Perception check (modified by range) detects muzzle flash at night. Increase this to DC 10 during the day.

Damage for the most powerful firearm I statted tops out at 1d12+3, the +3 going against general weapon stat convention to represent the effects of the more efficient use of energy released from ignited powder in a longer barrel. This is mechanically similar to a high-Strength character adding his Strength bonus to damage with a melee weapon.

Rapid Reload can be used to decrease loading times for firearms similar to the same way it reduces reload times for crossbows.

 

[Rel]

Making bullets for a muzzleloader isn't that complicated.

Not only is it not that complicated, it was required for nearly every early gun owner! Those things were individually hand crafted for much of their history. You didn't just go down to the bullet store and buy a sack of musket balls for your gun. Most guns were sold with a mold such that the owner could make shot for his musket. My understanding of the process was that it followed these steps:

1) Melt some lead.

2) Pour the lead into the mold.

3) Let it cool off.


EDIT: If I was looking to represent musket era firearms in my fantasy games then I'd probably have them do a high-ish amount of damage, long reload times, and the ability to reduce the effectiveness of armor.