SteelDraco
First Post
Firearms
Guns are the primary weapons of the day, both on the battlefield and on a more personal level. This is a simplified view of era firearms, but it should suffice for our purposes.
Flintlock Pistol (Small Simple weapon, Dmg 1d6, Crit 20/x3, Penetration 2, Misfire 1, Range Increment 20', Reload Standard action, Weight 2 lbs, £30)
Hunting Longarm (Large Martial weapon, Dmg 1d8, Crit 19-20/x2, Penetration 3, Misfire 1, Range Increment 65', Reload Standard action, Weight 6 lb, £50)
Musket (Large Martial weapon, Dmg 1d10, Crit 20/x3, Penetration 5, Misfire 1-2, Range Increment 50', Reload Standard action, Weight 8 lbs, £75)
Blunderbuss (Large Exotic weapon, Dmg 3d6/2d6/1d6, Crit NA, Penetration 2, Misfire 1-2, Range Increment 10' (30' max), Reload Full action, Weight 15 lbs, £100)
When fired, a blunderbuss shoots a cone of shrapnel out to 30'. All within that cone must make a Reflex save (DC equal to the attack roll of the wielder) or suffer damage. Those within 10' of the weapon suffer 3d6, those within 20' suffer 2d6, and those within 30' suffer 1d6. A successful save results in half damage.
Penetration and Protection
Firearms have an unusual property in regard to armor – they tend to go right through it. To simulate this, they have different penetration values – they ignore the stated number of points of Protection. Protection works just like unbeatable DR, such as the barbarian’s ability. Each time you take damage from a weapon or weapon-like effect, you subtract whatever Protection you may have from that damage. This reduced number is how much you actually take.
Penetration ignores Protection, up to the number of the Penetration. For example, suppose Dwight shot at a guy in plate mail, which provides 8 points of protection, with his pistol (1d6 points of damage). First round, he hits, and rolls a four for damage. The pistol ignores the first two points of Protection due to its Penetration of 2, but that still leaves six points of Protection. Therefore, the pistol shot does nothing. On the second round, however, he rolls a critical hit, and confirms it. As a result, he deals 3d6 points of damage, and rolls a total of 12. Once again, the Penetration ignores the first two points of Protection, reducing the Protection 8 to 6. The first six points of the hit are blocked by the man’s armor, but the other six points of damage get through.
Firearm Misfires
While firearms have made great progress since their inception, they are still prone to some problems at this era. Therefore, we’ll be using some misfire rules for guns in this campaign. When you make an attack roll with a firearm, and roll within the weapon’s misfire range (see the above table), the weapon misfires. When that happens, roll d% and consult the chart below to see what occurs. Note also that masterwork weapons are less prone to catastrophic misfires than normal weapons; when a masterwork weapon misfires, roll d% and use the lower roll.
1-50 : Bad Load – weapon can’t fire until you take a move-equivalent action to fix a minor problem with the loading and firing mechanism.
51-75 : Bad Powder – The powder you loaded your weapon with isn’t working for some reason, typically a bad mixture or dampness. It takes a full-round action that draws AoOs to clean the weapon out.
76-90 : Weapon Damaged – Something disastrous happens to your weapon, such as the chamber cracking or the barrel being destroyed. The weapon must be repaired by a skilled weaponsmith, costing ½ the price of the weapon.
91-100 : Weapon Explodes – Due to the bullet somehow getting caught in the barrel, the weapon detonates upon firing. The weapon is destroyed, and you take 1d6 points of physical damage. You may make a Reflex save (DC 15) for half damage.
Era-Appropriate Weapons
The following weapons are appropriate for the setting and period. That is, they won’t get you looked at strangely if you’re carrying them while walking down the street. Other stuff is available, just considered odd or out-of-place by the populace.
Simple Weapons-Melee
---Tiny
------Dagger
------Stilleto (1d3 dmg, crit 18-20/x2)
---Medium
------Club (these would be the stats for weighted canes)
------Halfspear (use these stats for an extended-blade sword cane)
---Large
------Quarterstaff
------Shortspear (use these stats for a bayonet mounted on a hunting longarm)
Simple Weapons-Ranged
---Tiny
------Dart/Throwing Dagger
------Sling
---Small
------Flintlock Pistol
---Medium-size
------Javelin
Martial Weapons-Melee
---Small
------Axe, throwing
------Hammer, light
------Handaxe
------Pick, light
------Sap
------Sword, short (essentially, a very large dagger – a bayonet blade would use these stats, they were awfully big weapons in and of themselves)
---Medium-size
------Battle Axe (a woodsman’s axe, among other things)
------Longsword (one of several things you could use as stats for a military sword)
------Pick, heavy
------Rapier (another military sword)
------Scimitar (the final military sword, also note that this can benefit from the Spirited Charge feat)
------Warhammer
---Large
------Greatclub
------Longspear (use these stats for a bayonet mounted on a musket)
------Scythe (it is a farming tool, so you could get away with it – just be sure to clean off all the blood)
Martial Weapons-Ranged
---Medium-size
------Shortbow
------Shortbow, composite
---Large
------Hunting Longarm
------Longbow
------Longbow, composite
------Musket
Exotic Weapons-Melee
---Yeah… none of these would be common enough to include.
Exotic Weapons-Ranged
---Small
------Whip
------Whip-Dagger
---Medium-size
------Blowgun
------Lasso
------Net
---Large
------Blunderbuss
Era-Appropriate Armor
As a general rule, armor wasn’t worn, even while in the military. The penetration of firearms makes them all but useless. However, I can certainly see people who find themselves dealing with… shall we say, threats that are outside the experiences of most people… finding some sort of armor. Therefore, I’ve decided that the organization that you all work for would provide, upon request, some unusual materials for your use.
Remember also that wearing armor hinders your ability to move, and thus incurs a penalty to your Defense bonus. Light armor imposes a –1 penalty, Medium, -2, and Heavy, -4. These may seem like a lot, but remember that while wearing armor, you’ll take less (sometimes a lot less) from every attack that hits.
Leather Armor (Light Armor, Protection 2, Max Dex +6, Chk Pen 0, Weight 10 lbs, Cost £15)
Use this armor to represent thick leathers or other such sturdy, but not very reinforced, clothing. It offers fairly minimal protection, but it does have the benefit of being pretty much unobtrusive.
Reinforced Clothing (Light Armor, Protection 3, Max Dex +5, Chk Pen -1, Weight 10 lbs, Cost £40)
This is a set of normal clothing, strategically reinforced with metal and thick leather to provide better protection to vital parts. For the most part, it’s unnoticeable, though it does tend to restrict your movement.
Light Chain Shirt (Light Armor, Protection 4, Max Dex +3, Chk Pen -2, Weight 15 lbs, Cost £70)
This is very fine chain mail armor, made from high-quality steel. While not mithril, it’s pretty good – it’s hard to notice if worn under a fair amount of clothing, doesn’t make too much noise, and offers adequate (if not great) protection.
Hide Armor (Medium Armor, Protection 4, Max Dex +4, Chk Pen -3, Speed 20 ft, Weight 20 lbs, Cost £25)
As in the PHB.
Chain Suit (Light Armor, Protection 5, Max Dex +3, Chk Pen -3, Weight 20 lbs, Cost £100)
A chain suit is similar to the light chain shirt, but considerably more extensive. In addition to the torso-protecting shirt, this includes a set of leggings that hug the legs to the knees and small metal plates to protect particularly vulnerable points. Probably the best armor you can wear as a matter of course without being stopped by the town constabulary.
Guns are the primary weapons of the day, both on the battlefield and on a more personal level. This is a simplified view of era firearms, but it should suffice for our purposes.
Flintlock Pistol (Small Simple weapon, Dmg 1d6, Crit 20/x3, Penetration 2, Misfire 1, Range Increment 20', Reload Standard action, Weight 2 lbs, £30)
Hunting Longarm (Large Martial weapon, Dmg 1d8, Crit 19-20/x2, Penetration 3, Misfire 1, Range Increment 65', Reload Standard action, Weight 6 lb, £50)
Musket (Large Martial weapon, Dmg 1d10, Crit 20/x3, Penetration 5, Misfire 1-2, Range Increment 50', Reload Standard action, Weight 8 lbs, £75)
Blunderbuss (Large Exotic weapon, Dmg 3d6/2d6/1d6, Crit NA, Penetration 2, Misfire 1-2, Range Increment 10' (30' max), Reload Full action, Weight 15 lbs, £100)
When fired, a blunderbuss shoots a cone of shrapnel out to 30'. All within that cone must make a Reflex save (DC equal to the attack roll of the wielder) or suffer damage. Those within 10' of the weapon suffer 3d6, those within 20' suffer 2d6, and those within 30' suffer 1d6. A successful save results in half damage.
Penetration and Protection
Firearms have an unusual property in regard to armor – they tend to go right through it. To simulate this, they have different penetration values – they ignore the stated number of points of Protection. Protection works just like unbeatable DR, such as the barbarian’s ability. Each time you take damage from a weapon or weapon-like effect, you subtract whatever Protection you may have from that damage. This reduced number is how much you actually take.
Penetration ignores Protection, up to the number of the Penetration. For example, suppose Dwight shot at a guy in plate mail, which provides 8 points of protection, with his pistol (1d6 points of damage). First round, he hits, and rolls a four for damage. The pistol ignores the first two points of Protection due to its Penetration of 2, but that still leaves six points of Protection. Therefore, the pistol shot does nothing. On the second round, however, he rolls a critical hit, and confirms it. As a result, he deals 3d6 points of damage, and rolls a total of 12. Once again, the Penetration ignores the first two points of Protection, reducing the Protection 8 to 6. The first six points of the hit are blocked by the man’s armor, but the other six points of damage get through.
Firearm Misfires
While firearms have made great progress since their inception, they are still prone to some problems at this era. Therefore, we’ll be using some misfire rules for guns in this campaign. When you make an attack roll with a firearm, and roll within the weapon’s misfire range (see the above table), the weapon misfires. When that happens, roll d% and consult the chart below to see what occurs. Note also that masterwork weapons are less prone to catastrophic misfires than normal weapons; when a masterwork weapon misfires, roll d% and use the lower roll.
1-50 : Bad Load – weapon can’t fire until you take a move-equivalent action to fix a minor problem with the loading and firing mechanism.
51-75 : Bad Powder – The powder you loaded your weapon with isn’t working for some reason, typically a bad mixture or dampness. It takes a full-round action that draws AoOs to clean the weapon out.
76-90 : Weapon Damaged – Something disastrous happens to your weapon, such as the chamber cracking or the barrel being destroyed. The weapon must be repaired by a skilled weaponsmith, costing ½ the price of the weapon.
91-100 : Weapon Explodes – Due to the bullet somehow getting caught in the barrel, the weapon detonates upon firing. The weapon is destroyed, and you take 1d6 points of physical damage. You may make a Reflex save (DC 15) for half damage.
Era-Appropriate Weapons
The following weapons are appropriate for the setting and period. That is, they won’t get you looked at strangely if you’re carrying them while walking down the street. Other stuff is available, just considered odd or out-of-place by the populace.
Simple Weapons-Melee
---Tiny
------Dagger
------Stilleto (1d3 dmg, crit 18-20/x2)
---Medium
------Club (these would be the stats for weighted canes)
------Halfspear (use these stats for an extended-blade sword cane)
---Large
------Quarterstaff
------Shortspear (use these stats for a bayonet mounted on a hunting longarm)
Simple Weapons-Ranged
---Tiny
------Dart/Throwing Dagger
------Sling
---Small
------Flintlock Pistol
---Medium-size
------Javelin
Martial Weapons-Melee
---Small
------Axe, throwing
------Hammer, light
------Handaxe
------Pick, light
------Sap
------Sword, short (essentially, a very large dagger – a bayonet blade would use these stats, they were awfully big weapons in and of themselves)
---Medium-size
------Battle Axe (a woodsman’s axe, among other things)
------Longsword (one of several things you could use as stats for a military sword)
------Pick, heavy
------Rapier (another military sword)
------Scimitar (the final military sword, also note that this can benefit from the Spirited Charge feat)
------Warhammer
---Large
------Greatclub
------Longspear (use these stats for a bayonet mounted on a musket)
------Scythe (it is a farming tool, so you could get away with it – just be sure to clean off all the blood)
Martial Weapons-Ranged
---Medium-size
------Shortbow
------Shortbow, composite
---Large
------Hunting Longarm
------Longbow
------Longbow, composite
------Musket
Exotic Weapons-Melee
---Yeah… none of these would be common enough to include.
Exotic Weapons-Ranged
---Small
------Whip
------Whip-Dagger
---Medium-size
------Blowgun
------Lasso
------Net
---Large
------Blunderbuss
Era-Appropriate Armor
As a general rule, armor wasn’t worn, even while in the military. The penetration of firearms makes them all but useless. However, I can certainly see people who find themselves dealing with… shall we say, threats that are outside the experiences of most people… finding some sort of armor. Therefore, I’ve decided that the organization that you all work for would provide, upon request, some unusual materials for your use.
Remember also that wearing armor hinders your ability to move, and thus incurs a penalty to your Defense bonus. Light armor imposes a –1 penalty, Medium, -2, and Heavy, -4. These may seem like a lot, but remember that while wearing armor, you’ll take less (sometimes a lot less) from every attack that hits.
Leather Armor (Light Armor, Protection 2, Max Dex +6, Chk Pen 0, Weight 10 lbs, Cost £15)
Use this armor to represent thick leathers or other such sturdy, but not very reinforced, clothing. It offers fairly minimal protection, but it does have the benefit of being pretty much unobtrusive.
Reinforced Clothing (Light Armor, Protection 3, Max Dex +5, Chk Pen -1, Weight 10 lbs, Cost £40)
This is a set of normal clothing, strategically reinforced with metal and thick leather to provide better protection to vital parts. For the most part, it’s unnoticeable, though it does tend to restrict your movement.
Light Chain Shirt (Light Armor, Protection 4, Max Dex +3, Chk Pen -2, Weight 15 lbs, Cost £70)
This is very fine chain mail armor, made from high-quality steel. While not mithril, it’s pretty good – it’s hard to notice if worn under a fair amount of clothing, doesn’t make too much noise, and offers adequate (if not great) protection.
Hide Armor (Medium Armor, Protection 4, Max Dex +4, Chk Pen -3, Speed 20 ft, Weight 20 lbs, Cost £25)
As in the PHB.
Chain Suit (Light Armor, Protection 5, Max Dex +3, Chk Pen -3, Weight 20 lbs, Cost £100)
A chain suit is similar to the light chain shirt, but considerably more extensive. In addition to the torso-protecting shirt, this includes a set of leggings that hug the legs to the knees and small metal plates to protect particularly vulnerable points. Probably the best armor you can wear as a matter of course without being stopped by the town constabulary.
