SilverClawShift
2007-09-16, 09:04 PM
Spellshot Pistol
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x284/SilverClawShift/SpellshotPistol.jpg
Cost: 450 gp
Damage: (varies)
Critical: (varies)
Range Increment: 30 ft.
Weight: 2 lb.
Damage Type: (varies)
Simultaneously elegant and complex, the Spellshot Pistol is an utterly unique exotic weapon. Rather than firing mundane physical rounds, the Spellshot Pistol uses specially prepared "wands" of ammunition. Once the wand is created and locked into place, the spellshot pistol may be fired, automatically draining a charge from it, and producing a simple (usually) blast of magical energy. The pistol itself is only a channel for the magical energies to drain through, and as a result, the weapon itself has less to do with the resulting blast than the ammunition that is placed into it. Common wands (called Stackrounds) create a blunt pulse of energy which survivors often relate to a solid kick from a strong mule. Other wands may produce weaker or more powerful effects, and often cost significantly more.
A single spellshot pistol can be reloaded as a swift action, even if both hands are occupied. Because of the weapons compact and graceful nature, it can be used in close combat without penalty (unlike many other ranged weapons).
Unlike with a more mundane firearm, an indrect shot will dissipate the magical energy harmlessly, deflecting outwards in all directions with a light pressure. This weapon will not tear through armor and wound flesh casually, it must be used properly to inflict damage.
Ammunition
A "wand" of ammunition most be specially designed and created for use in Spellshot pistols. It can not safely be used outside of the weapon, though there have been claims that they can be rigged to create a small but powerful explosion in a pinch.
Spellshot ammunition is usually made by an arcane caster, but is very easy to make in comparison to a scroll or similar item. Mass production of spellshot ammo is much more realistic. It should also be noted that non-spellcasters have been known to learn tricks necessary to create the relatively simple ammunition without actually learning any magic themselves. (this will be represented by a feat).
************************************************** ***********
Stackround Ammo
Damage: 2d4
Critical: x3
Damage Type: Bludgeoning
Pricing: 1 gp, 6 shots per stick
************************************************** ***********
Cursebreaker Ammo
Damage: 1d4
Critical: x3
Damage Type: Peircing
Special: Cursebreak Ammo counts as silver for overcoming damage reduction. Cursebreaker Ammo also ignores the normal miss chance for striking an incorporeal creature such as a ghost, but does not ignore miss chances from physical or mundane sources.
Pricing: 2gp, 6 shots per stick
************************************************** ***********
Mercyreach Ammo
Damage: 2d6
Critical: x2
Damage Type: Bludgeoning
Special: Mercyreach Ammo does not deal lethal damage.
Pricing: 2gp, 6 shots per stick
Spell Rounds
Spell Rounds are sticks of ammunition for the Spellshot pistol specifically designed to cast a single spell. They are created in the same manner as spell scrolls, but the formula for creation (and therefor purchase price) is much more expensive.
Spell rounds are usually very visually different from normal rounds, often being made partially of glass (which does not survive the firing), and are frequently covered in arcane markings. They may or may not be labeled, and some spellcasters have been shown to be capable of creating mundane-looking ammunition which hide spectacularily powerful spells.
You can create a one-shot stick of ammo that fires off a specific magical spell for -Spell Level x Caster Level x 75 gold- plus XP cost as if scribing a scroll. You must be able to cast the spell during the creation of the ammo, must provide any material components or spell focus items, and must provide any XP cost in casting the spell beyond that which creating the spell round would normally take. Creating a spell round takes 1 day per 1000 gp of the base item price.
************************************************** ***********
Lightning Bolt Round
Special: A Lightning Bolt Round produces an effect identical to the Lightning Bolt spell, caster level 5th. A lightning bolt round must overcome spell resistance normally, and behaves in all respects as if it were cast from a scroll
Default creation for a wizard: 1125gp, 15 XP, 1 day
Market Pricing: 2250gp, 1 shot per stick
Incomplete Notes on Special Weapon Qualities:
Ghost Charge - The Spellshot Pistol can draw and store a single round from a stick of ammunition, and fire it normally, even if the weapon is unloaded.
Silver Rail - The Spellshot Pistol amplifies all ammunition fired through it in a very specific fashion. Any (non-spell) ammo fired from a Silver Rail pistol counts as silver for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
************************************************** **************
What?
a.k.a. Balance concerns.
Yes, having a spellshot pistol does mean that you can cast a spell without any real effort, and no failure chance, provided you spend enough cash.
That said, it's a LOT of cash.
If you're a spellcaster, you're better off making scrolls. If you're a non-spellcaster, you're better off befriending (or hiring) a spellcaster. So why bother? Flavor reasons mostly.
Regardless of their ridiculous price, we wanted to ensure that one-shot spell rounds existed in the world, and could be created and used. A 5d6 lightning bolt is all but guaranteed to kill your average human being, and the idea of a hitman striking from a rooftop with a lightning round is just downright groovy.
A DM could opt to drop the occasional spell-stick for his gunslinging players. These could be anything, from one-shot one-kill disintegrate rounds created for no other reason than to assassinate someone, to fireball rounds created for crowd control. A rogue infiltrating would probably grin at the prospect of pressing a gun into the base of someones neck and firing a sleep spell. It's even possible that healing rounds would be created for emergency uses by towns or adventurers. You can't always carry a cleric with you, but a bone-white wand with a golden leaf design that is your healing ace-in-the-hole?
Why?
The Spellshot Pistol is a creation for my groups fledgling campaign world, The Dustlands. The brutally short pitch is that the Dustlands is a fantasy western, a world like faerun that came to a sudden apocalyptic halt, and then went from there. It's a bitter, largely wasteland location with a western-expanionist mentality. A myth-and-legend version of cowboys and indians. It's also meant to be a D20 world that's 100% compatible with base D&D (similar to eberron, if it exists in one world, it can exist in the other).
So what does that all mean? Well, we needed a weapon. A western flavored weapon for a world where magic is stronger than lead. Knowing the weapon would essentially be an iconic representation of what the world was all about, we had a long list of criteria we felt we needed to meet in its creation.
It had to be useful. There needed to be a reason to want to pick up and fire one of these.
It couldn't automatically replace swords and armor. The weapon shouldn't render a good solid sword and stout shield useless.
It had to be adaptable. An arrow against a great wyrm is not a fantastic combat option. This weapon has to have a purpose, even when you're face to face with an angry demon and a pack of ticked off werewolves.
I think we succeeded. The Spellshot Pistol is a nifty little ranged weapon, that a martial fighter, or a deadeyed gunslinger, would be happy to pick up and fire. At the same time, it doesn't make a katana weilding blade master cower in fear. Both mechanically and flavor-wise, a sword fighter could go toe to toe with a gunslinger and still hope to win the fighter. Dropping a spellshot pistol into a different fantasy setting won't wildly upset the power balance, it will simply be another option (admittedly, an exotic one, but not so fascinatingly powerful that it renders its world moot).
And, it's scaleable. There's no reason a DM couldn't give a player access to more powerful ammo for more dangerous worlds.
As far as the Dustlands themselves, the euipment section is going to include a more detailed write-up about the way the weapon interacts with the world, but the important part is that it fills every role it's needed for, including blending in with mainstream D&D.
It's recomended that, despite the cost, DMs hosting a Dustlands game allow players who intend to use pistols in some capacity have a simple spellshot pistol as part of their starting gear. Otherwise, it's more of a financial investment, requiring a substantial amount of gold to obtain (and MAINtain).
It's one area where a sharp blade, and the spellshot pistol, vary greatly. A sword could realistically be obtained by anyone with a fair bit of effort. A commoner might not be able to get much more than a plain shortsword, but almost anyone is going to be able to buy, steal, find, or inherit at least some kind of blade. Most blades could also serve multiple purposes, such as cooking or butchering.
A spellshot pistol? It costs almost as much as a solid suit of armor, and the only thing it can realistically be used for is combat. That means that, when you see someone who has one holstered at their side, you know something. You know they took the effort and money to get, keep, and carry one of these things.
Even in a world where everyone carries a knife or shortsword, the message of the spellshot is loud and clear. "I'll try to kill you, if it comes to that."
Anything Else?
Yeah, actually. The world this weapon was made for is very much a work in progress. So I'll note that we have preliminary concepts for "Rifled" spellshot weapons, as well as incorporation of our base caster systems for use with this ammunition (glyph covered ammo anyone?).
We're also working on the rules for using wand-sticks as, essentially, TNT. You can't have a western without high-explosives. Heck, High-explosives make everything better :smallbiggrin:
I feel like I'm forgetting to mention stuff, but ah well. Any questions, comments, and considerations are more than welcome.
Disclaimer: I did not draw this picture, and I am not the sole designer of this weapon. It's a group effort, though mostly the effort of one person in particular (who is not me). I'm tossing this weapon in its own thread, in case anyone is interested in seeing/adopting it for whatever reason, but doesn't feel like drudging through a bunch of pages of dustlands content.
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x284/SilverClawShift/SpellshotPistol.jpg
Cost: 450 gp
Damage: (varies)
Critical: (varies)
Range Increment: 30 ft.
Weight: 2 lb.
Damage Type: (varies)
Simultaneously elegant and complex, the Spellshot Pistol is an utterly unique exotic weapon. Rather than firing mundane physical rounds, the Spellshot Pistol uses specially prepared "wands" of ammunition. Once the wand is created and locked into place, the spellshot pistol may be fired, automatically draining a charge from it, and producing a simple (usually) blast of magical energy. The pistol itself is only a channel for the magical energies to drain through, and as a result, the weapon itself has less to do with the resulting blast than the ammunition that is placed into it. Common wands (called Stackrounds) create a blunt pulse of energy which survivors often relate to a solid kick from a strong mule. Other wands may produce weaker or more powerful effects, and often cost significantly more.
A single spellshot pistol can be reloaded as a swift action, even if both hands are occupied. Because of the weapons compact and graceful nature, it can be used in close combat without penalty (unlike many other ranged weapons).
Unlike with a more mundane firearm, an indrect shot will dissipate the magical energy harmlessly, deflecting outwards in all directions with a light pressure. This weapon will not tear through armor and wound flesh casually, it must be used properly to inflict damage.
Ammunition
A "wand" of ammunition most be specially designed and created for use in Spellshot pistols. It can not safely be used outside of the weapon, though there have been claims that they can be rigged to create a small but powerful explosion in a pinch.
Spellshot ammunition is usually made by an arcane caster, but is very easy to make in comparison to a scroll or similar item. Mass production of spellshot ammo is much more realistic. It should also be noted that non-spellcasters have been known to learn tricks necessary to create the relatively simple ammunition without actually learning any magic themselves. (this will be represented by a feat).
************************************************** ***********
Stackround Ammo
Damage: 2d4
Critical: x3
Damage Type: Bludgeoning
Pricing: 1 gp, 6 shots per stick
************************************************** ***********
Cursebreaker Ammo
Damage: 1d4
Critical: x3
Damage Type: Peircing
Special: Cursebreak Ammo counts as silver for overcoming damage reduction. Cursebreaker Ammo also ignores the normal miss chance for striking an incorporeal creature such as a ghost, but does not ignore miss chances from physical or mundane sources.
Pricing: 2gp, 6 shots per stick
************************************************** ***********
Mercyreach Ammo
Damage: 2d6
Critical: x2
Damage Type: Bludgeoning
Special: Mercyreach Ammo does not deal lethal damage.
Pricing: 2gp, 6 shots per stick
Spell Rounds
Spell Rounds are sticks of ammunition for the Spellshot pistol specifically designed to cast a single spell. They are created in the same manner as spell scrolls, but the formula for creation (and therefor purchase price) is much more expensive.
Spell rounds are usually very visually different from normal rounds, often being made partially of glass (which does not survive the firing), and are frequently covered in arcane markings. They may or may not be labeled, and some spellcasters have been shown to be capable of creating mundane-looking ammunition which hide spectacularily powerful spells.
You can create a one-shot stick of ammo that fires off a specific magical spell for -Spell Level x Caster Level x 75 gold- plus XP cost as if scribing a scroll. You must be able to cast the spell during the creation of the ammo, must provide any material components or spell focus items, and must provide any XP cost in casting the spell beyond that which creating the spell round would normally take. Creating a spell round takes 1 day per 1000 gp of the base item price.
************************************************** ***********
Lightning Bolt Round
Special: A Lightning Bolt Round produces an effect identical to the Lightning Bolt spell, caster level 5th. A lightning bolt round must overcome spell resistance normally, and behaves in all respects as if it were cast from a scroll
Default creation for a wizard: 1125gp, 15 XP, 1 day
Market Pricing: 2250gp, 1 shot per stick
Incomplete Notes on Special Weapon Qualities:
Ghost Charge - The Spellshot Pistol can draw and store a single round from a stick of ammunition, and fire it normally, even if the weapon is unloaded.
Silver Rail - The Spellshot Pistol amplifies all ammunition fired through it in a very specific fashion. Any (non-spell) ammo fired from a Silver Rail pistol counts as silver for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
************************************************** **************
What?
a.k.a. Balance concerns.
Yes, having a spellshot pistol does mean that you can cast a spell without any real effort, and no failure chance, provided you spend enough cash.
That said, it's a LOT of cash.
If you're a spellcaster, you're better off making scrolls. If you're a non-spellcaster, you're better off befriending (or hiring) a spellcaster. So why bother? Flavor reasons mostly.
Regardless of their ridiculous price, we wanted to ensure that one-shot spell rounds existed in the world, and could be created and used. A 5d6 lightning bolt is all but guaranteed to kill your average human being, and the idea of a hitman striking from a rooftop with a lightning round is just downright groovy.
A DM could opt to drop the occasional spell-stick for his gunslinging players. These could be anything, from one-shot one-kill disintegrate rounds created for no other reason than to assassinate someone, to fireball rounds created for crowd control. A rogue infiltrating would probably grin at the prospect of pressing a gun into the base of someones neck and firing a sleep spell. It's even possible that healing rounds would be created for emergency uses by towns or adventurers. You can't always carry a cleric with you, but a bone-white wand with a golden leaf design that is your healing ace-in-the-hole?
Why?
The Spellshot Pistol is a creation for my groups fledgling campaign world, The Dustlands. The brutally short pitch is that the Dustlands is a fantasy western, a world like faerun that came to a sudden apocalyptic halt, and then went from there. It's a bitter, largely wasteland location with a western-expanionist mentality. A myth-and-legend version of cowboys and indians. It's also meant to be a D20 world that's 100% compatible with base D&D (similar to eberron, if it exists in one world, it can exist in the other).
So what does that all mean? Well, we needed a weapon. A western flavored weapon for a world where magic is stronger than lead. Knowing the weapon would essentially be an iconic representation of what the world was all about, we had a long list of criteria we felt we needed to meet in its creation.
It had to be useful. There needed to be a reason to want to pick up and fire one of these.
It couldn't automatically replace swords and armor. The weapon shouldn't render a good solid sword and stout shield useless.
It had to be adaptable. An arrow against a great wyrm is not a fantastic combat option. This weapon has to have a purpose, even when you're face to face with an angry demon and a pack of ticked off werewolves.
I think we succeeded. The Spellshot Pistol is a nifty little ranged weapon, that a martial fighter, or a deadeyed gunslinger, would be happy to pick up and fire. At the same time, it doesn't make a katana weilding blade master cower in fear. Both mechanically and flavor-wise, a sword fighter could go toe to toe with a gunslinger and still hope to win the fighter. Dropping a spellshot pistol into a different fantasy setting won't wildly upset the power balance, it will simply be another option (admittedly, an exotic one, but not so fascinatingly powerful that it renders its world moot).
And, it's scaleable. There's no reason a DM couldn't give a player access to more powerful ammo for more dangerous worlds.
As far as the Dustlands themselves, the euipment section is going to include a more detailed write-up about the way the weapon interacts with the world, but the important part is that it fills every role it's needed for, including blending in with mainstream D&D.
It's recomended that, despite the cost, DMs hosting a Dustlands game allow players who intend to use pistols in some capacity have a simple spellshot pistol as part of their starting gear. Otherwise, it's more of a financial investment, requiring a substantial amount of gold to obtain (and MAINtain).
It's one area where a sharp blade, and the spellshot pistol, vary greatly. A sword could realistically be obtained by anyone with a fair bit of effort. A commoner might not be able to get much more than a plain shortsword, but almost anyone is going to be able to buy, steal, find, or inherit at least some kind of blade. Most blades could also serve multiple purposes, such as cooking or butchering.
A spellshot pistol? It costs almost as much as a solid suit of armor, and the only thing it can realistically be used for is combat. That means that, when you see someone who has one holstered at their side, you know something. You know they took the effort and money to get, keep, and carry one of these things.
Even in a world where everyone carries a knife or shortsword, the message of the spellshot is loud and clear. "I'll try to kill you, if it comes to that."
Anything Else?
Yeah, actually. The world this weapon was made for is very much a work in progress. So I'll note that we have preliminary concepts for "Rifled" spellshot weapons, as well as incorporation of our base caster systems for use with this ammunition (glyph covered ammo anyone?).
We're also working on the rules for using wand-sticks as, essentially, TNT. You can't have a western without high-explosives. Heck, High-explosives make everything better :smallbiggrin:
I feel like I'm forgetting to mention stuff, but ah well. Any questions, comments, and considerations are more than welcome.
Disclaimer: I did not draw this picture, and I am not the sole designer of this weapon. It's a group effort, though mostly the effort of one person in particular (who is not me). I'm tossing this weapon in its own thread, in case anyone is interested in seeing/adopting it for whatever reason, but doesn't feel like drudging through a bunch of pages of dustlands content.