ChudoJogurt
2023-08-13, 06:02 PM
I know everyone and their D&D playing mother has thought about putting guns into D&D.
But still, I have had some thoughts, mostly inspired by the Exalted version of gunpowder.
This is a short write-up of some basic gun-like "firedust" weapons, modifications, and feats relevant to them.
Firedust
Firedust is a substance that sometimes accumulates in the rocks in the hot deserts, or mined from the Plane of Fire.
When alchemically treated it turns into avery fine golden-white powder that ignites easily on contact with air, producing bright, pure flame.
Firedust weapons, general.
Firedust weapons count as [Firedust] weapons, that require corresponding feat to use well. Those who are not proficient with firedust weapons run a much greater chance of misfiring, and causing more damage to themselves than to the enemy.
Firedust weapons are also considered Ranged weapons, and thus provoke AoO when shooting into melee.
Firedust weapons work by propelling (mechanically or magically) alchemically-treated fire-dust. Initially coated, once dispersed and coming into contact with air, firedust burns, creating an impressive tongue of fire.
While seemingly simple to use and powerful, firedust weapons are volatile and dangerous to the user if not as much as to the target. It is the weapon of the desperate, foolish or fireproof.
Misfire:
Firedust is volatile and dangerous substance. If two 1's are rolled on the damage dice, it explodes prematurely, causing the damage equal to the shot damage in a 5ft radius centered on the user (and including him) instead. The creatures in the blast are can half the (Reflex DC 10 half, but the user himself cannot make the saving throw). This makes firewand useless, until it's fixed. (requiring Craft check at DC 20 and an hour of work with reasonable number of instruments).
If the user is not proficient with the firewand, then 1's and 2's both count towards the chance of misfire.
Carrying firedust weapons.
Firedust weapons take a bit of time to load, so most would take to carrying them loaded. However, firedust is not the most endurant of substances. When carrying a loaded firedust weapon, it would become defunct if it comes in contact with water — e.g. during rain, during a river crossing, or underwater.
In that case the firewand charge becomes intert, and is completely lost.
Firewand weapon then needs to be cleaned (a simple process requiring five minutes given basic instruments), re-cranked (if applicable), and re-charged before it can be used.
Loaded firedust weapons also react poorly to open flames. When a person carrying a firedust weapon is subject to area-of-effect fire energy attack (including a shot from a firewand) for which he suffers damage and has failed a saving throw, then the firedust currently loaded into their weapon or weapons explodes, as per Misfire.
If the attack does not permit a saving throw (e.g. Alchemist fire attack) then it does not have a chance of igniting the firedust.
Alternatively, one may target the firewand weapon directly with a fire attack, with intention of igniting the firedust within. That is resolved as Sunder attempt, except on success, the firedust ignites, dealing Misfire damage, regardless of the damage dealt.
Finally, Heat Metal (or equivalent) spell that targets the firedust weapon automatically causes the dust within to explode, dealing Misfire damage.
Items:
Firedust pellet (Alchemical item)
Cost 5gp (cheaper near the Western Desert)
Firedust pellets are created by alchemically treating natural firedust pellets, coating them in a thin protective film that prevents them from igniting before being dispersed.
They are sold in sealed clayen balls, that protect them from heat, accidental air exposure and water.
In order to charge the firedust weapon, one usually crushes the clay container, and pours the firedust into the muzzle of the weapon, sealing it with a piece of parchment or cloth.
Firewand, one-handed, Exotic, 50gp.
Firewand resembles a repeated crossbow, except instead of the string,it has a hollowed-out tube.
[It's a gun, mkay? Like a muzzle-charged pistol]
It is charged with pellets of firedust, collected in the deserts beyond the Western Steppe, and hand-cranked to charge the pneumatic engine inside.
Once the trigger is released, it shoots out the firedust, which immediately ignites on contact with air, dealing 2d4 damage in a 15-ft line. The user can also overstuff the firewand, adding more pellets of the firedust than intended, upping the damage by 1d4 per pellet, up to 5d4.
Reflex (DC 7+1 per dose above first) halves the damage.
Recharging the firewand takes a full round action to stuff it with the desired amount of pellets and crank the mechanism, and provokes AoO.
Firestaff, two-handed, Exotic [100gp]
Firestaffs are a bigger version of a firewand, with a longer barrel allowing to focus the stream of fire better, and thicker, heavier frame, allowing to stuff more firedust without as much danger of a misfire.
They work the same way as firewands, except they deal 2d8 damage in 20ft line + 1d8 per 2 fire pellets, with Misfire triggered on having 1's and 2's for proficient users, and on 1's, 2's, 3's and 4's for non-proficient user.
One can stuff up to 10 pellets in a firewand.
Firestaff, stream.
As Firestaff, except instead of 20ft line, it does a 10-ft cone.
Firebomb (300gp+)
Firebomb is a vessel (glass, or clay) full of firedust, and a small detonation charge (magical, alchemical or mechanical) that disperses it on impact.
It's a thrown weapon with 10ft range increment.
It has no misfire chance on use, and deals 2d6 damage on impact in a 5ft radius. It requires a ranged touch attack vs AC 5 to put in a desired square, else it misses per grenadelike weapon rules.
More doses of firedust can be added, up to 5d6, at a cost of 150gp worth of extra firedust per 1d6.
Bigger firebomb (1000gp+)
Even more doses of firedust can be added on top of the biggest firebomb, but at that point it becomes too big and unwieldy to throw effectively.
It now resembles a big pot, rather than a grenadelike weapon.
At 150gp per another d6 it can be increased from 6d6 to 10d6
It has a throwing range of 5ft.
Big firebombs tend to be even more volatile and unpredictable then firedust weapons, and, when stored improperly (or just somebody looked at them too hard) can explode.
For each day a bigger firebomb is moved, kept in anything but a specially made, air- and temperature- stable closed room with regular inspections, roll 1d100, and on a roll of 5 or less it goes boom in an explosion, taking along any firedust that's stored nearby.
Modification
There are many modifications to the firedust weapons, that try to alleviate some of their flaws or increase their potency.
Here are some of the most common ones:
Firedust weapon, masterwork [+300gp for firewand, +600 gp for firestaff]
Masterwork firedust weapons are much better designed. They will only misfire when three 1's (or three 1's and 2's for non-proficient users) come up on the damage dice.
They also include a mechanical stopper for keeping firedust safe before it's fired, which means it does not suffer misfire when it is hit by AoO fire spell.
Firedust weapons, magic [+1000gp]
A firedust weapon enchanted to propel the firedust pellets through the means of magic, instead of hand-cranked air-pressure mechanisms. This allows to recharge the firedust weapon as a move action.
Magic firedust weapons do not function in the antimagic field.
Firewand, multi-barrel.
Prerequisite: Must be Masterwork.
Cost: multiply base cost by number of barrels.
In order to mitigate the long loading times of a firewand, some firewands have 2, 3 or even 4 barrels. More barrels are not really possible without custom and very clever engineering.
Multibarrel firewands function just like normal firewands, except the firedust charge is counted separately for each barrel.
However, if a multibarrel firewand misfires, the misfire of the barrel is increased by +2 dmg for each charge in the remaining barrels, as the charges in them explode as well.
If the misfire is caused by external cause, then the barrel with the most charges determines the number of d4's rolled.
Each barrel, once expended, must be recharged separately.
Firestaves cannot be multibarrel.
Firedust weapon, enhanced.
Enhcanting a firework weapon makes the firedust stream more focused and dense. Increase Reflex Save DC by 2 for each +1 of the Enhancement bonus, and add +1 damage per enhancement bonus per die.
(So a +2 Firestaff with 4 firedust charges would deal 5d4+10 damage)
Bayonet. [30 gp]
Bayonet can be affixed to a firestaff, in order to turn it to a makeshift spear.
Fixing and un-fixing a bayonet is a move action that provokes AoO.
Once fixed with bayonet, a firestaff weapon can be used as an improvised shortspear, with all the stats of the shortspear, except that it has a -2 penalty for using it. When bayonet is affixed, firestaff cannot be fired or recharged.
Firespear [700gp].
Firespear is a longspear with a firewand exhausts on each side of the speartip.
It can thus be used as a (single-barrel) masterwork firewand, with additional reach of a longspear, or as a regular, if somewhat unwieldy longspear. It is however very time-consuming to recharge, requiring to detach the spear tip to refill the firedust compartment, which takes at least 5 minutes.
When used as a longspear, it has stats of longspear.
Firesword [700gp].
Firespear is a longsword with a firewand exhausts poking out of the top of the hilt, and running along the first third of the the blade instead of the fuller.
It can thus be used as a (single-barrel) masterwork firewand, except it only shoots a 5-ft line of fire.
It is also very time-consuming to recharge, requiring to detach the spear tip to refill the firedust compartment, which takes at least 5 minutes.
When used as a longsword, it has stats of longsword, except it deals 1d6 damage, and only threatens a critical hit on nat 20.
Feats:
Firedust weapon proficiency [Fighter, General]
You're proficient with firewands and firestaves.
You can also use fireswords and firespears, as long as you're also proficient with longsword and longspear respectively.
//Firebombs don't really require proficiency.
Packer:
You can pack more bang with more buck.
You may stuff extra pellets into firedust weapons, charging up to 6d4 damage into a firewand, and 6d8 into firestaff
Careful.
Prerequisite: Proficient with Firedust Weapons.
You know the dangers and techniques for proper treatment of the firedust.
Misfire is triggered only when at least 3 damage dice show 1's
Usual: Misfire is triggered when 2 damage dice show 1's
But still, I have had some thoughts, mostly inspired by the Exalted version of gunpowder.
This is a short write-up of some basic gun-like "firedust" weapons, modifications, and feats relevant to them.
Firedust
Firedust is a substance that sometimes accumulates in the rocks in the hot deserts, or mined from the Plane of Fire.
When alchemically treated it turns into avery fine golden-white powder that ignites easily on contact with air, producing bright, pure flame.
Firedust weapons, general.
Firedust weapons count as [Firedust] weapons, that require corresponding feat to use well. Those who are not proficient with firedust weapons run a much greater chance of misfiring, and causing more damage to themselves than to the enemy.
Firedust weapons are also considered Ranged weapons, and thus provoke AoO when shooting into melee.
Firedust weapons work by propelling (mechanically or magically) alchemically-treated fire-dust. Initially coated, once dispersed and coming into contact with air, firedust burns, creating an impressive tongue of fire.
While seemingly simple to use and powerful, firedust weapons are volatile and dangerous to the user if not as much as to the target. It is the weapon of the desperate, foolish or fireproof.
Misfire:
Firedust is volatile and dangerous substance. If two 1's are rolled on the damage dice, it explodes prematurely, causing the damage equal to the shot damage in a 5ft radius centered on the user (and including him) instead. The creatures in the blast are can half the (Reflex DC 10 half, but the user himself cannot make the saving throw). This makes firewand useless, until it's fixed. (requiring Craft check at DC 20 and an hour of work with reasonable number of instruments).
If the user is not proficient with the firewand, then 1's and 2's both count towards the chance of misfire.
Carrying firedust weapons.
Firedust weapons take a bit of time to load, so most would take to carrying them loaded. However, firedust is not the most endurant of substances. When carrying a loaded firedust weapon, it would become defunct if it comes in contact with water — e.g. during rain, during a river crossing, or underwater.
In that case the firewand charge becomes intert, and is completely lost.
Firewand weapon then needs to be cleaned (a simple process requiring five minutes given basic instruments), re-cranked (if applicable), and re-charged before it can be used.
Loaded firedust weapons also react poorly to open flames. When a person carrying a firedust weapon is subject to area-of-effect fire energy attack (including a shot from a firewand) for which he suffers damage and has failed a saving throw, then the firedust currently loaded into their weapon or weapons explodes, as per Misfire.
If the attack does not permit a saving throw (e.g. Alchemist fire attack) then it does not have a chance of igniting the firedust.
Alternatively, one may target the firewand weapon directly with a fire attack, with intention of igniting the firedust within. That is resolved as Sunder attempt, except on success, the firedust ignites, dealing Misfire damage, regardless of the damage dealt.
Finally, Heat Metal (or equivalent) spell that targets the firedust weapon automatically causes the dust within to explode, dealing Misfire damage.
Items:
Firedust pellet (Alchemical item)
Cost 5gp (cheaper near the Western Desert)
Firedust pellets are created by alchemically treating natural firedust pellets, coating them in a thin protective film that prevents them from igniting before being dispersed.
They are sold in sealed clayen balls, that protect them from heat, accidental air exposure and water.
In order to charge the firedust weapon, one usually crushes the clay container, and pours the firedust into the muzzle of the weapon, sealing it with a piece of parchment or cloth.
Firewand, one-handed, Exotic, 50gp.
Firewand resembles a repeated crossbow, except instead of the string,it has a hollowed-out tube.
[It's a gun, mkay? Like a muzzle-charged pistol]
It is charged with pellets of firedust, collected in the deserts beyond the Western Steppe, and hand-cranked to charge the pneumatic engine inside.
Once the trigger is released, it shoots out the firedust, which immediately ignites on contact with air, dealing 2d4 damage in a 15-ft line. The user can also overstuff the firewand, adding more pellets of the firedust than intended, upping the damage by 1d4 per pellet, up to 5d4.
Reflex (DC 7+1 per dose above first) halves the damage.
Recharging the firewand takes a full round action to stuff it with the desired amount of pellets and crank the mechanism, and provokes AoO.
Firestaff, two-handed, Exotic [100gp]
Firestaffs are a bigger version of a firewand, with a longer barrel allowing to focus the stream of fire better, and thicker, heavier frame, allowing to stuff more firedust without as much danger of a misfire.
They work the same way as firewands, except they deal 2d8 damage in 20ft line + 1d8 per 2 fire pellets, with Misfire triggered on having 1's and 2's for proficient users, and on 1's, 2's, 3's and 4's for non-proficient user.
One can stuff up to 10 pellets in a firewand.
Firestaff, stream.
As Firestaff, except instead of 20ft line, it does a 10-ft cone.
Firebomb (300gp+)
Firebomb is a vessel (glass, or clay) full of firedust, and a small detonation charge (magical, alchemical or mechanical) that disperses it on impact.
It's a thrown weapon with 10ft range increment.
It has no misfire chance on use, and deals 2d6 damage on impact in a 5ft radius. It requires a ranged touch attack vs AC 5 to put in a desired square, else it misses per grenadelike weapon rules.
More doses of firedust can be added, up to 5d6, at a cost of 150gp worth of extra firedust per 1d6.
Bigger firebomb (1000gp+)
Even more doses of firedust can be added on top of the biggest firebomb, but at that point it becomes too big and unwieldy to throw effectively.
It now resembles a big pot, rather than a grenadelike weapon.
At 150gp per another d6 it can be increased from 6d6 to 10d6
It has a throwing range of 5ft.
Big firebombs tend to be even more volatile and unpredictable then firedust weapons, and, when stored improperly (or just somebody looked at them too hard) can explode.
For each day a bigger firebomb is moved, kept in anything but a specially made, air- and temperature- stable closed room with regular inspections, roll 1d100, and on a roll of 5 or less it goes boom in an explosion, taking along any firedust that's stored nearby.
Modification
There are many modifications to the firedust weapons, that try to alleviate some of their flaws or increase their potency.
Here are some of the most common ones:
Firedust weapon, masterwork [+300gp for firewand, +600 gp for firestaff]
Masterwork firedust weapons are much better designed. They will only misfire when three 1's (or three 1's and 2's for non-proficient users) come up on the damage dice.
They also include a mechanical stopper for keeping firedust safe before it's fired, which means it does not suffer misfire when it is hit by AoO fire spell.
Firedust weapons, magic [+1000gp]
A firedust weapon enchanted to propel the firedust pellets through the means of magic, instead of hand-cranked air-pressure mechanisms. This allows to recharge the firedust weapon as a move action.
Magic firedust weapons do not function in the antimagic field.
Firewand, multi-barrel.
Prerequisite: Must be Masterwork.
Cost: multiply base cost by number of barrels.
In order to mitigate the long loading times of a firewand, some firewands have 2, 3 or even 4 barrels. More barrels are not really possible without custom and very clever engineering.
Multibarrel firewands function just like normal firewands, except the firedust charge is counted separately for each barrel.
However, if a multibarrel firewand misfires, the misfire of the barrel is increased by +2 dmg for each charge in the remaining barrels, as the charges in them explode as well.
If the misfire is caused by external cause, then the barrel with the most charges determines the number of d4's rolled.
Each barrel, once expended, must be recharged separately.
Firestaves cannot be multibarrel.
Firedust weapon, enhanced.
Enhcanting a firework weapon makes the firedust stream more focused and dense. Increase Reflex Save DC by 2 for each +1 of the Enhancement bonus, and add +1 damage per enhancement bonus per die.
(So a +2 Firestaff with 4 firedust charges would deal 5d4+10 damage)
Bayonet. [30 gp]
Bayonet can be affixed to a firestaff, in order to turn it to a makeshift spear.
Fixing and un-fixing a bayonet is a move action that provokes AoO.
Once fixed with bayonet, a firestaff weapon can be used as an improvised shortspear, with all the stats of the shortspear, except that it has a -2 penalty for using it. When bayonet is affixed, firestaff cannot be fired or recharged.
Firespear [700gp].
Firespear is a longspear with a firewand exhausts on each side of the speartip.
It can thus be used as a (single-barrel) masterwork firewand, with additional reach of a longspear, or as a regular, if somewhat unwieldy longspear. It is however very time-consuming to recharge, requiring to detach the spear tip to refill the firedust compartment, which takes at least 5 minutes.
When used as a longspear, it has stats of longspear.
Firesword [700gp].
Firespear is a longsword with a firewand exhausts poking out of the top of the hilt, and running along the first third of the the blade instead of the fuller.
It can thus be used as a (single-barrel) masterwork firewand, except it only shoots a 5-ft line of fire.
It is also very time-consuming to recharge, requiring to detach the spear tip to refill the firedust compartment, which takes at least 5 minutes.
When used as a longsword, it has stats of longsword, except it deals 1d6 damage, and only threatens a critical hit on nat 20.
Feats:
Firedust weapon proficiency [Fighter, General]
You're proficient with firewands and firestaves.
You can also use fireswords and firespears, as long as you're also proficient with longsword and longspear respectively.
//Firebombs don't really require proficiency.
Packer:
You can pack more bang with more buck.
You may stuff extra pellets into firedust weapons, charging up to 6d4 damage into a firewand, and 6d8 into firestaff
Careful.
Prerequisite: Proficient with Firedust Weapons.
You know the dangers and techniques for proper treatment of the firedust.
Misfire is triggered only when at least 3 damage dice show 1's
Usual: Misfire is triggered when 2 damage dice show 1's