Muskets, Magic, and Colonial Empire!

[Jack Haggerty]

Right now, I'm reading my way through the Horatio Hornblower series writen by C.S. Forrester. If you haven't read them, Shark, I'd highly recommend them.

It's all about the exploits of a British Naval Officer during the Napoleonic Wars.

 

[mmadsen]

When the new Star Wars rules come out, I suppose they'll fit a swashbuckling campaign pretty well. With armor as DR, high-damage muskets won't need any special bonuses to hit cuirassiers, and with high-level characters gaining a substantial Defense bonus, heroic musketeers can still dance around amid such musket fire.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

Mongoose is publishing a setting this fall called.. err. .Shadowknight iirc. And, if I further recall correctly, it is based in a colonial time period.

FD

 

[mmadsen]

I'm toying with the idea of an environment where you essentially take Europe and the colonial empires of the 1720's, and seamlessly blend in magic, as well as other, non-human races. Thus, you'd have Ships O'the Line, Musketeers, whigs, Tricorn hats, leggings, fancy dresses, and on and on. What do you think? What would work, and what wouldn't?

Have you considered a slightly earlier period, like the 1500's? The conquistadors of that time bear an uncanny resemblance to D&D adventures, and you'll find muskets & cannon right alongside swords & armor (& crossbows). If the soldiers of the time viewed muskets and crossbows as roughly equivalent, the rules can too.

 

[Donatello]

Twin Crowns by Living Imagination is a colonial/age of exploration setting. In our rulebook we have rules for firearms, the core of the naval system we put into Broadsides!, and plenty of historical/geographic information about our world. Much of our world is patterned after Late-Renaissance Europe, so some of that information may be helpful as well.

Unlike other systems based on this time, TC is High Magic/High Fantasy, going more in the vein of standard D&D than, say, 7th Sea, which is more "High Adventure".

If you have any questions, feel free to come to our website and post on the forums, or you can direct a post to LI in the d20 Publishers forum on this site.

 

[Desdichado]

Free firearms rules on the Privateer Press site. I really like the Green Ronin firearms rules in the Dragon Magazine Annual as well. Both simulate very early fire-arms, though, so they can be fielded alongside standard D&D weapons without blowing them away (literally! )

 

[mythusmage]

Twin Crowns by Living Imagination is a colonial/age of exploration setting. In our rulebook we have rules for firearms, the core of the naval system we put into Broadsides!, and plenty of historical/geographic information about our world. Much of our world is patterned after Late-Renaissance Europe, so some of that information may be helpful as well.

Unlike other systems based on this time, TC is High Magic/High Fantasy, going more in the vein of standard D&D than, say, 7th Sea, which is more "High Adventure".

If you have any questions, feel free to come to our website and post on the forums, or you can direct a post to LI in the d20 Publishers forum on this site.

Unfortunately your site and iCab don't get along. Something about Cascading Style Sheets. Makes accessing the downloads page problematical and best.

Netscape stinks, Explorer is dodgy, and Opera hates the Mac. So the only reliable browser I can find is iCab, and that has issues. (Hopefully iCab 3 will address the problems.) So a direct link to your downloads page would be nice.

 

[Donatello]

Our downloads page is still growing. This week we expect to have the "Twin Crowns Primer" posted (a document detailing how our campaign setting is different than anyone else's) and a signature character (if all goes well). The downloads page can be found here

The best place to contact us via message boards is either here or the forum named "Living Imagination" on Mortality.net.

 

[Thindul the Gnome]

More Background Inspiration

I'm surprised no one mentioned this so far, but the Alvin the Maker series by Orson Scott Card takes place in an alternate Colonial America where magic works.

The first book lays out some things like Thomas Jefferson being a Wizard, England won the War, George Washington was beheaded and the sword used became cursed. It was interesting to see the changes, but I didn't finish the series. Anyway, you might find some inspiration there.

 

[jasper]

Ships of the line just get deck plans from histoy books and grid them.

Muskets should be a martial proficieny and not simple weapon.

Cannons are exotic weapon proficieny.
Which require 3 rds to reload. And 3 man crew. So if you are main gunner use your to hit bonus.

Skills trained
Wet powder. allows user to try to shoot powder weapons when wet.
DC 15 damp
dc 20 wet
dc 25 raining.
Knowledge firearms
Alchemy use alchemist fire DC for gunpowder.
Craft (firearm smith) works will all weapons using gun power.

Rapid shoot apply to firearms.
Multiple attacks allowed if firearm is a repeater/clip

No change in armour bonus. However due to volley fire most armies go for mobility than armour.

Change table 6-3 DMG page 162-163
Example given are best of the best add smaller ranges damage etc.
Pistols simple weapons
Mustkets melee weapons

Create table 6-4
Cannon 12pd cost 500 gp range 200 ft damage 3d6 solid
Grape shot 2d6 in 5 foot radius no save , 1d6 in 10 foot radius reflex save dc 20

fire ball and lightning wands mounted as cannon replace ments.

Pistols consider light weapons for twf feat.