Guns or No Guns...?

[Bloodstone Magi]

I'm designing an online high-powered D&D Oriental Adventures game. The technology level is modern but is also crossed with hints of industrial and traditional (there are a handful of big and tall lighted metropolis cities here, and there are several small towns dotted across the land that have the standard D&D semi-medieval technology level...think of Final Fantasy VII). Magic is rare (the world mainly worships dragons, and those who can use magic are considered descendants of dragonkind and are highly respected or hunted down). The standard weapon used by pretty much everyone in the world is the sword (by royal armies, militias, etc.). However, due to the technology level, firearms could possibly be available. Since the decision of what does and what does not exist in a campaign is solely left to the DM, this isn't really a big issue. But what do you think? Should I allow guns or not? If so, what kind of guns would exist? What problems could I face if I allow guns?


Thanks for suggestions/advice in advance!

Cheers!

 

[Norfleet]

The "problems" all depend on how realistic you make it. If guns have realistic deadliness, then they all but replace swords as weapons. If they hold to your typical D&D scaling, where ranged weapons suffer from a general lack of stopping power that worsens with levels, then they're not a problem, and suck just as much.

 

[Oni]

I'd say fairly primitive guns, the sort that are only really useful when you got a couple dozen of them pointed at a clump of a couple dozen other people. Flavor without them taking over. Maybe you could have feats or PrC to make into something useable as a primary weapon for a PC.

So let's say very slow to load. Big penalty to hit. Do a lot of damage, extremely difficult or impossible to use under certain conditions such as when it's raining. Simple weapon (one of the reason's that military would use them, easy to teach new troops.)

 

[hong]

Sure, have guns. They're in Shogun: Total War, AND they're in most of the FF* games AFAIR, so there's plenty of precedent for it.

Mechanically, I'd just treat them as crossbows, maybe with a bigger damage die if you want them to be more nasty. Remember that 1d10 or 2d6 points is quite enough to take down your regular 1HD commoner, and even a PC-class character if they're unlucky. I wouldn't bother with "realistic" restrictions on keeping powder dry, reloading, etc. You don't require your archers to keep their bows dry and unstrung, or your tanks to polish their armour[*], there's no reason to make an exception for guns.


[*]IKYWIMetc

 

[Wormwood]

I'd use the Renaissance weapons straight out of the DMG. That way you can introduce firearms while maintaining an archaic flavor (suitable for a world where people still drag swords around town).

 

[rbingham2000]

Sure, have guns. They're in Shogun: Total War, AND they're in most of the FF* games AFAIR, so there's plenty of precedent for it.

Mechanically, I'd just treat them as crossbows, maybe with a bigger damage die if you want them to be more nasty. Remember that 1d10 or 2d6 points is quite enough to take down your regular 1HD commoner, and even a PC-class character if they're unlucky. I wouldn't bother with "realistic" restrictions on keeping powder dry, reloading, etc. You don't require your archers to keep their bows dry and unstrung, or your tanks to polish their armour, there's no reason to make an exception for guns.

Sure. And while you're at it, you can also include something that IIRC was the primary gunpowder weapon for most of the late Middle Ages: the cannon.

Those things took a lot of gunpowder to use well, and unless you used a directed volley of about ten or more, they weren't of much effectiveness against a regular army. The later cannons were more accurate and more powerful, and a directed volley could reduce a castle wall to DUST.

Mechanically, I'd treat the cannon as a ballista (that HUGE crossbow siege weapon), again, with a bigger damage die for the later cannons.

And as for how I'd use them...let's just say that cannons would be a great defense for a castle against a dragon attack or other aerial assault.

 

[Ackem]

Add psuedo-realistic guns. However make them expensive, rare, and incompatible with magic.

If you're world is mixed technologically, then it probably lacks mass production. Guns would be acquired from master craftsmen and be an individually made work of art. The quality and technological level would vary with the artisan you could track done and the price you'ld be willing to pay. For example, a primitive firearm would be roughly equivalent to a +1 weapon in availabilty and price. However, more effective and advanced weapons could be found but would be extremely rare and expensive, you would acquire them as non-magical equivalents to the magical weapons that high level characters have. The Paladin would start swinging a Holy Avenger around the time that his Ranger buddy acquires a gun equal in power to a modern hunting rifle.

Also, due to this lack of standardization, ammunition would only be able to be acquired from the craftsman who originally made the weapon or from another craftsman sufficiently skilled and equipped to copy it. You would not be able to find generic "bullets" in a dungeon and use them,

And maybe make the dragons oppose firearms. Adding an extra blackmarket/contraband complication to it. It would also help explain why they aren't commonly used.