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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Gun ideas



mchawi
2016-11-21, 09:18 PM
I'm playing a gunslinger(using matt mercer's guide) in my 5e campaign. I wanted some cool ideas of what unique guns my character could invent. I wouldn't mind other suggestions of like different ammo types too. I don't care what the gun is, but if this gives you inspiration my character is a one legged(has a spectral leg, so only visibly has one leg) Italian gnome mob boss.

GalacticAxekick
2016-11-22, 01:08 AM
I don't think it makes sense for your gunslinger to rely on unique guns. There's a reason guns are made the way they are: each is optimized for its own range of circumstances.

Instead, I would think of unique techniques a gunslinger might use, such as fanning the hammer of a revolver, trick shots involving ricochet, rapid reloading, etc.

Really, it's no different from any other warrior and weapon. A fencer isn't a fencer because she has a modified sword, but because she knows how to use her sword better than the commoner. A hoplite isn't a hoplite thanks to a trick shield or special spear, but because he knows how to use his shield and spear better than the layman.

Morphic tide
2016-11-22, 12:40 PM
What kind of campaign world are you in?

If it's still the flintlock age, you can start with a breach loaded cartridge musket/rifle. Crunch-wise, it would reload a lot faster than normal, allowing for some portion of the user's normal attacks per round setup, but the bullets would be a bit more expensive and you'd have to make them yourself. Fun side: Give it two barrels and you have a classic double barreled shotgun!

If revolvers are a thing, try using a multibarreled turret gun. Instead of having the cylinder with the bullets perpendicular to the barrel of the gun, the cylinder turret guns used was in line with the barrel. They were rather unreliable, but that was more a result of the fact that good turret guns are harder to make than good revolvers. Crunch-wise, take a gun currently available and make it shoot two or three times per attack, then add in something that says 'Can take X shots before reloading.'

If you are in a campaign world with modern firearms, you're out of luck because there's little that you can get do that the modern military hasn't tried. Maybe gyrojet rounds, but those would be crazy expensive and require a gun made to use them. Gyrojets are literally using rockets as bullets.

khadgar567
2016-11-22, 12:54 PM
What kind of campaign world are you in?

If it's still the flintlock age, you can start with a breach loaded cartridge musket/rifle. Crunch-wise, it would reload a lot faster than normal, allowing for some portion of the user's normal attacks per round setup, but the bullets would be a bit more expensive and you'd have to make them yourself. Fun side: Give it two barrels and you have a classic double barreled shotgun!

If revolvers are a thing, try using a multibarreled turret gun. Instead of having the cylinder with the bullets perpendicular to the barrel of the gun, the cylinder turret guns used was in line with the barrel. They were rather unreliable, but that was more a result of the fact that good turret guns are harder to make than good revolvers. Crunch-wise, take a gun currently available and make it shoot two or three times per attack, then add in something that says 'Can take X shots before reloading.'

If you are in a campaign world with modern firearms, you're out of luck because there's little that you can get do that the modern military hasn't tried. Maybe gyrojet rounds, but those would be crazy expensive and require a gun made to use them. Gyrojets are literally using rockets as bullets.
well gyro-jet ammo is my favorite type and Italian mob boss always has one classic gun in his her hand its good old Thompson machine gun with drum clip with probably attached grenade launcher aka say Ciao to my little friend.

Tempest Critic
2016-12-20, 09:51 AM
You could go full steampunk and have a bunch of crazy tinkered addons attached to the weapon.
Stuff like scopes, a flashbang style launcher, a bunch of ports where you can inject canisters of special fuel that overcharge the gunpowder adding damage or coating the projectile in poison or cold.

Simply making the weapon magicaly crafted can allow you to give it a strange but useful niche. Watch the PC's play style, and see what they are lacking? do they lack AOE (area of effect)? Give the gun the ability to fire a shotgun style cone attack. Are enemies always escaping when injured? Give the gun the ability to magicaly mark a single enemy per short rest - if the creature moves, the wielder can use their reaction to get a ranged opportunity attack against them.

Or, you could go all Divine power. Think Black Templars from Warhammer 40k, with relics and holy items chained to the weapon. Add radiant damage, or allow it to mimic the effects of cleric spells like guiding bolt. Maybe the weapon deals extra damage vs undead and fiends.

If its something you want them to specificaly tinker and craft themselves; give them the materials as a loot drop. Let them find a strange item or artifact and then hint that they could maybe tinker with it and make something of with it.

As to how it mechanicaly works. Twice per long rest is always a nice safe usage guide. Or give any abilities it has a number of charges, that regenerate 1d4 or 1d6 per long rest, or when you kill an enemy.