Help with creating a magic weapon

[toddex]

Its kind of hard to explain the weapon I want to make. If your familiar with the Anime Outlaw Star it'll be simple for me to get the idea across. I want to make a caster gun. Load a ranged weapon with different types of ammo get different effects ranging from freezing the enemy to a giant fireball. Ive always been horrible with magic item creation for use in games im not DMing. I usually just slap a modifier here an ability there maybe a stat boost up top and call it good in my own games.

[VerdugoExplode]

It seems like what you want is fairly simple, you want a device(weapon) that can use use magical bullets(scrolls). The complete arcane already mentions alternatives to your standard magical potions and scrolls so putting them into a bullet of some sort isn't out of the question.

The problem would come from the fact that it would be hard to figure out exactly what it can and cannot do. If all it does is cast scrolls for you then you can essentially emulate a wizard with a much more limited scope and significantly more resource intensive, as you could only cast each spell once before having to buy another bullet/scroll. The device itself would essentially be using the use magic device skill for you.

This is definitely something you would need to hammer out with your DM as it could become a wildly powerful weapon or an amazingly expensive paperweight depending on the ability for you to acquire the resources needed.

[Serpent]

Sounds like the elemental handguns from Final Fantasy Tactics. What you could do is have different types of ammunition that cast specific spells when fired by the appropriate firearm (Fireball Bullets, basically.) Just give the ammunition a specific spell to cast, a caster level for the spell, and a price modifier that reflects it appropriately. And the firearm itself, of course.

[Fuzzy_Juan]

Ruleswise, the bullets would be disposable items that cast a spell 'when used' when used would be read, "fired from the gun".

As single use items that have an 'on use' effect, they would be in the same catagory as potions/oils. spell level*caster level*50g per bullet. 'Regular' enchanted bullets (more damage) would be treated as magic arrows and other ammo.

freezing...use hold person but see if the DM will allow you to substitute a will save, or otilukes...but that is costly. Fireball is simple...web...whatever you want.

The real problem is the continuing cost of such bullets for things that will be spent like candy. a single fireball bullet is minimum 3*5*50 = 750g for only 5d6 damage. If each shot with a gun cost 750 damage...it just wouldn't be worth it. To make it worthwhile, you'd need to find a way to reduce the cost of the items, or come up with some different mechanic.

[Nebo_]

A friend of mine is playing in an Iron Kingdoms game. He's playing a geometer and making use of Glyph of Warding on his bullets, casting spells like shivering touch into the glyph and firing it at enemies to set off the spell inside. If you can somehow get a gun, glyph of warding should work.

[its_all_ogre]

why not make the gun effectively a wand holder.
so you can get different ammunitions by buying wands (in terms of mechanics) so you've got a basic 5d6 fireball by clipping your fireball wand into pistol. cold ball (same but cold damage) accurate shots (magic missile) paralysis rays (hold person), weakening rays (ray of E) etc etc.

no new mechanics needed, just use existing mechanics and re-package them.

[d-dave]

Here's a couple of ideas;

1. A type of crossbow that instead of bolts, fires special stones that can be infused with magic (like the way an artificer works). The caster could infuse the spell (maybe with a Use Magical Device check) into a bit of ammo and then fire it as a ranged touch attack.

2. A special wand holder that allows the PC to rotate 3-4 wands at a time and trigger them at will and switch as a free action?

3. Fuse #1 and #2 so that the charater can infuse the power of extra scrolls into the ammo of the "gun" and fire it as a ranged touch attack?

Hope that helps =) Good luck!

[Starsinger]

Why not play a wizard and just describe the effects as coming from a gun? With your daily spell preperation being described as making/picking certain magical bullets?

[its_all_ogre]

that was my other idea

[Duke of URL]

I see this as a spell-storing weapon that imparts the spell (on command) to its ammunition. Crating such a weapon to store multiple and/or higher level spells would be pretty doggone expensive, though.

[Burley]

Well, it looks like I'm the only person who knows what Outlaw Star is. The bullets in question are super-duper powerful artifacts. Incredibly rare, and people could go from beggar to wealthy merchant-type by stumbling upon a single one, even of the lowest caliber. They used to be fairly common, but there are only like three people in the known universe that are able to make them now.
If the OP mentions Outlaw Star, I'll have to assume he intends to treat the bullets as the artifacts they are...and not go through it like candy.
That being said: Enchanting arrows isn't THAT expensive, you could just put enhancements on 50 units of ammo like the DMG says.
Or, if you want a weapon: Get the weapon made that you want, which would potentially be a metal tube with a handle, enchanted with Launch Object and then look at the Augment Crystals in the Magic Item Compendium. You could just slap those on the "gun" and it'd add those effects to the "bullets" you fire out. (If you don't have the MIC, imagine the Augment Stones from Fable...if that helps...)

[GoC]

freezing...use hold person but see if the DM will allow you to substitute a will save, or otilukes...but that is costly.

Just use the Freeze spell from spell compedium.

[SurlySeraph]

It has been homebrewed already.

[toddex]

Well, it looks like I'm the only person who knows what Outlaw Star is. The bullets in question are super-duper powerful artifacts. Incredibly rare, and people could go from beggar to wealthy merchant-type by stumbling upon a single one, even of the lowest caliber. They used to be fairly common, but there are only like three people in the known universe that are able to make them now.
If the OP mentions Outlaw Star, I'll have to assume he intends to treat the bullets as the artifacts they are...and not go through it like candy.
That being said: Enchanting arrows isn't THAT expensive, you could just put enhancements on 50 units of ammo like the DMG says.
Or, if you want a weapon: Get the weapon made that you want, which would potentially be a metal tube with a handle, enchanted with Launch Object and then look at the Augment Crystals in the Magic Item Compendium. You could just slap those on the "gun" and it'd add those effects to the "bullets" you fire out. (If you don't have the MIC, imagine the Augment Stones from Fable...if that helps...)

Exactly! I want them to be a sort of all or nothing dear god dont eat me mr dragon here is my trump card type deal. I finally finished the series also and through the different degrees of bullets there was one that had an effect like implosion to pay for it though he lost a bit of his own life force. Maybe some kind of level drain for higher level spells could be worked in.

[toddex]

It has been homebrewed already.

Whoops lol didnt notice the link. Thanks alot i'll take a look at it.



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Now if I could just find some kind of Ranger variant that had spellcraft and knowledge arcane.