D&D 5E (2014) Let's Talk About Guns in 5E

[Minigiant]

Personally i like firearms to be the "easy but way too cost, rate of fire, and logistics expensive " option in my D&D.

Meaning a rich noble can buy some muskets and store a lot of shot and bullets to hold back a few dozen guys with only 2 commoner men-at-arms during a siege. which can be stolen by hobgoblins to hold a nearby fort.

But no one has the money and roads to arm a force of riflemen.

 

[AlViking]

Personally, i move firearms to simple weapons.

Modern guns just kill vibe of D&D for me. And by modern, i mean anything with cased ammo, so late 19ct tech. Laser, plasma and similar futuristic stuff, that's just wands in another form that don't need caster atunement.

I wouldn't move them to simple weapons because in order to be proficient with them it really does take quite a bit of practice. Anyone can use a gun of course, just like anyone can use a longbow. Someone using them just won't be as effective as someone trained to use them.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I wouldn't move them to simple weapons because in order to be proficient with them it really does take quite a bit of practice. Anyone can use a gun of course, just like anyone can use a longbow. Someone using them just won't be as effective as someone trained to use them.

is that not what weapon proficiency represents? your training taken to learn how to use a weapon?

of course, you don't need to make all guns simple or martial, you can split them up between the two as is appropriate for each gun.

 

[Reynard]

is that not what weapon proficiency represents? your training taken to learn how to use a weapon?

of course, you don't need to make all guns simple or martial, you can split them up between the two as is appropriate for each gun.

Isn't everyone proficient with simple weapons, and therefore there is no "training" involved? I think what @AlViking was suggesting is that just picking up a gun doesn't let you use it effectively; you need training.

Personally, I think they should be a category of their own, rather than just folded into Martial Weapons.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Isn't everyone proficient with simple weapons, and therefore there is no "training" involved? I think what @AlViking was suggesting is that just picking up a gun doesn't let you use it effectively; you need training.

Personally, I think they should be a category of their own, rather than just folded into Martial Weapons.

ah, that might've been a change made in '24 that i hadn't really noticed, at least in '14 there were classes that didn't get blanket simple weapon proficiency, the wizard and sorcerer most notably, so you could theoretically say 'here are the classes that have absolutely zero proficiency with guns'.

but my point was more, even if there are some types of gun which every adventurer* has enough training to just pick up and use there are other types which require far more discipline and training to be able to use effectively.

*we need to remember that adventurers really aren't just your random joe schmoe plucked off the market street or their uncle's farm with 'no training', we might like to imagine that they are but given all the proficiencies and abilities even a level 1 character has i find that incredibly improbable.

 

[AlViking]

is that not what weapon proficiency represents? your training taken to learn how to use a weapon?

of course, you don't need to make all guns simple or martial, you can split them up between the two as is appropriate for each gun.

Not sure what you're saying. If firearms are martial weapons anyone can still use them and any other martial weapons. They don't get their proficiency bonus if not trained in martial weapons. I think effectively using firearms takes a bit of practice, especially if you're doing something more than shooting at a stationary target a dozen feet away or less.

It somewhat depends on the firearms available. A pistol may be a simple weapon, especially if it's a double action revolver because you're only dealing with relatively short ranges anyway. But even a semi-automatic pistol much less older muzzle loading designs are not that simple. But shooting at range requires you to understand how range affects bullet drop and hitting moving targets is not that simple. It might be more realistic to simply have slower loading times and decreased range accuracy but D&D doesn't really model that.

It really depends on whether or not you want that wizard to be carrying around a musket instead of relying on cantrips if they don't want to cast a leveled spells.