Guns and Deafening

[Alishea]

if you don't mind, I might now have a new sig-quote.

Ha ha! Doesn't bother me at all. It's true

 

[Banshee16]

If your group is very concerned with realism, while you're on the subject be sure to discuss attack roll penalties to represent split knuckles on near-hits to gauntlet-wearing characters, or internal bruising on chain-shirt-wearing PCs when the enemy misses by one AC point; be sure to include the deafened condition from hearing metal clash on metal in the same close quarters, or penalties to AC for every day the PC's armor goes without good oiling and cleaning. For that matter, make it impossible for anyone wearing anything heavier than chain mail to be able to mount a horse quickly, and strictly enforce dehydration rules for characters in full plate above room temperature.

I'm being facetious, but my point stands -- in my experience it's gamers' familiarity with guns and gunpowder, but not with the realities of pre-gunpowder era combat, that causes people to try to emulate the realities of one while totally ignoring the other. My suggestion would be to ignore totally simulationist house rules unless the whole group is on board, because in my experience they generally detract from play instead of adding anything good to it. Cauterizing a bleeding wound with only one shot causing a hot gun barrel isn't exactly realistic, but it's very cool for dramatic effect.

On the other hand, watching enemy spellcasters get deafened by a gun-happy gunslinger might be a valid battle-tactic. If there isn't a grit stunt already like this, it would be totally worth creating one.

Where does this stop? Why would guns deafen characters, or deafen spellcasters when a wizard's fireball or lightning bolt woudn't? I was in an airport when they blew up a suspicious package, and I bet that's not nearly as loud as a full-on explosion. I bet EN Worlders who are in the military could say more.....but having firearms deafen characters just seems like it would be opening a whole can of worms.

Banshee

 

[paradox42]

Where does this stop? Why would guns deafen characters, or deafen spellcasters when a wizard's fireball or lightning bolt woudn't? I was in an airport when they blew up a suspicious package, and I bet that's not nearly as loud as a full-on explosion. I bet EN Worlders who are in the military could say more.....but having firearms deafen characters just seems like it would be opening a whole can of worms.

Banshee

Hence the reason to make it a Deed- a specifically activated ability rather than something random that just happens on the battlefield.

As for the spells you mention, why not make a feat of it? A Metamagic feat, costing say +1 level? Certainly makes sense to me that a Wizard could learn to make his Lightning Bolts extra-loud. Or maybe there already is one, and I'm just forgetting it- seems like a fairly obvious thing to couple with Lightning Bolt, but that could be hindsight talking.