My Player wants to invent the Revolver!

[MDSnowman]

I'm getting ready to launch my Ravenloft campaign and one of my players has expressed his intent to start out using standard firearms, but to eventually go on to invent Ravenloft's first revolver (taking a look at the Colt 1836 makes me think it wouldn't be too impressive)

I thought it over and I told him he could try, I figured even if he did succeed creating his own weapon would undoubtly have draw backs.
A: All Ammo has to be made by him personally
B: All repairs have to be made by him personally
C: Getting the weapon enchanted could prove to be a major headache.
D: And when all is said and done he's just creating a cooler Repeating Crossbow.

So with that in mind I want your opinion on a few matters.

What would the Knowledge DC be to actually design such a weapon for the first time?

What would the Craft DC be to make the gun?

What would the Craft DC be to Make Ammo for such a gun?

 

[Aaron2]

I'm getting ready to launch my Ravenloft campaign and one of my players has expressed his intent to start out using standard firearms, but to eventually go on to invent Ravenloft's first revolver (taking a look at the Colt 1836 makes me think it wouldn't be too impressive)

I'm not sure what the assumed tech level of Ravenloft is. That might change the difficulty.

First off, the ammo of the weapon will be the same as any other pistol. Reloading the weapon will take 6 times what it takes to reload a normal pistol (assuming six barrels).

There are two main types of revolvers. The first, and easiest, is called a "pepperbox" revolver. In it, the weapon has multiple barrels (kinda like a gatling gun). Each barrel was loaded lilke a normal pistol. Each would fire in turn and the shooter would need to manual revolve the barrels between each shot (I'd say a free action if the firer was using two hands). With all the limitations, I'd make the Knowledge(engineering) DC to be fairly easy.

A normal revolver, which I think your player is thinking, has two main problems. First, the seal between the barrel and the chamber has the potential for loss of gas and, thus loss of muzzle velocity. Secondly, that seal is a natural weakness.

What I would do was roll the Knowledge check for the player. If the player does not make the DC but gets close, he'll design a weapon that is flawed. Either the weapon has reduced damage or it will blow apart on a to-hit roll of 1-5 (doing damage to the firer). Don't let the player know he's got a bad design until after he's gone through the trouble and cost of actually building the weapon. I'd give the player a cumulative +2 bonus to his Knowledge check for each failure he creates.


Aaron

 

[FireLance]

Some quick and dirty rules:

1. In the absence of actual rules, I would set the Craft DC for the gun at 20, same as a complex or superior item (the Craft DC for an Exotic melee weapon is 18). I would set the Craft DC for ammunition at 15.

2. When inventing something, or creating something that has never been created before, you take a -5 penalty on your Craft checks (increasing the DC of the Craft check could lead to the counter-intuitive result of creating the item faster when you don't know what you're doing), and you cannot take 10 (this represents the trial and error of invention).

I wouldn't require a Knowledge check to invent.

 

[Kashell]

I made a prestige class for this type of thing a little while back, you might use some of the things in it as guidelines....

Here it is.

http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=17370

 

[Andor]

Early revolvers were noted for blowing up. Either because the cylinder walls can't take the pressure or because poor seals between the bullets and the cylinder walls allow the flash from a firing to detonate the remaining cylinders. In fact the only way to avoid this is to apply a sealant over the tops of the bullets in the cylinders. Grease was commonly used.

Also it's possible that a half charge or suib load can leave a bullet halfway down the barrel. This in and of itself isn't so bad but if you don't know it happened and fire the gun without removing the bullet the revolver will either explode or expand the barrel like a wallnut.

Oh. Err.. Another point. Does the ravenloft firearm technology extend all the way to percussion cap firearms? Because if you don't have percussion caps you can't really make a revolver with a flint or match lock. Although another way to do it would be to use a magelock as I described them here.

 

[DarkSoldier]

Oh. Err.. Another point. Does the ravenloft firearm technology extend all the way to percussion cap firearms? Because if you don't have percussion caps you can't really make a revolver with a flint or match lock.

According to the 3E Ravenloft CS, regular firearms use wheel-locks, and masterwork firearms use snap-locks.

 

[Aaron2]

According to the 3E Ravenloft CS, regular firearms use wheel-locks, and masterwork firearms use snap-locks.

That's wierd. A snaplock is easier to make than a wheellock. This puts Ravenloft tech between the 1550s and 1600s.

The earliest revolver I have seen have been from the late 1600s; both matchlock and snaphance. From what I can see, these were manually rotated.

To make a Colt-type revolver, you would need to invent the percussion cap, firing pin and the system mechanicaly rotate the chambers. Plus you would need to invent a process of making blocks of high quality steel and then the tools needed to machine those block. This is way beyond 1600s technology.


Aaron

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

Tell your player to stop watching Val Helsing.

 

[Orichin]

generally agreeing with what aaron2 is saying (I'm no gun buff but what I know fits his comments), given ravenloft's technology level(s), it may not initially be possible for your player to create a masterwork (enchantable) weapon.
I have the core book, but haven't taken the time to familiarize myself with it..there may be domains with sufficient metallergy, metalworking, or alchemical proccesses and technologies that he could gather together over time (making a quest of its own perhaps) to craft the tools and materials to forge a masterwork (low chance of blowing up included) revolver.

 

[Mahali]

The masterwork part is just in the manufacturing. Then you can enchant it. As long you can find a smith of sufficient ability you can get the masterwork.

I figured you could make a primitive firearm by making barrels and using Thunderstones for propellant.

Should work fine until you fall 20' or so.