Firearms

Firearms, also called "Hand-Cannons" or "Guns" after the gnomish word for the onomatopoeia of an explosion, is a ranged weapon that fires a projectile (usually a lead ball) from a barrel at high speeds using black powder. Firearms are a relatively recent invention and while they have not reached widespread use, they are becoming more common in certain areas of the world.

They are among the most technologically advanced manufactured weapons in Tyrind.

## **History**

### **Proto-Firearms**

The first firearms were created by the **dwarves** of **Kal-Barak** in 321 DR. They were called "Hand-Cannons" and were essentially smaller, hand-held versions of the blackpowder cannon, which had already in use by the dwarves for nearly a century by that point to defend their thaigs. These weapons were basically large metal tubes, like a cannon, which had a fuse lit on the end. The wielder simply held the weapon in both hands and hoped everything worked out for the best. Due to their tendency to misfire or explode in their wielder's hands, they didn't see much use.

There is also evidence to suggest similar weapons were in use in **Zhao-Tian** as far back as -223 DR, as evidence by the journals of the Wayfinder Society that had initially mapped out the continent during that time.

### **Improvements**

Like many engineering feats of the last few centuries, it was **the gnomes** that saw the basic, but flawed, idea and improved upon it. It was the gnome adventurer **Rolo Kazoo** that bore witness to an antique dwarven Hand-Cannon while working a job with his mercenary band in 376 DR. When he retired, he would spend the last 13 years of his life working to improve the design into something that was more portable and reliable than previous models. Finally, in 389 DR, he would succeed, creating the a weapon he called a "Musket".

Since his death less than a year later, the gnomes of **Zhivago** have further improved and expanded on that design, facilitating the invention of a number of designs including a single-handed variant designed by Kazoo's nephew, known as a "Pistolo", and another type of rifle designed by a pair of dwarven brothers called a "Blunderbuss"--which was less accurate but more damaging. Other designs exist, such as the "Pepperbox", designed by a human engineer from the Ozmit Empire (see below).

### **Spread**

The gnomes of Zhivago began to outfit their **Clockwork Legion** with muskets and pistolos. The first major test occures in 399 DR, during the Battle of Bleak Winter. While the Ozmitian soldiers were pinned down by the orc forces, the gnomish reinforcements arrived. Their weapons roared like thunder, making short work of the orc armies, who fled into the hills in terror at the sight of them.

One of the witnesses of this decisive attack was an Ozmitian engineer named Regina Amondir. She was both deeply terrified and inspired by the display and managed to "acquire" one of the pistolos from the Clockwork Legion. Returning to the Empire, she studied and reversed-engineered the weapon until she figured out how it worked and designer her own.

In 403 DR, she presented her prototype to Emperor Alden Ozmit who was extremely impressed at the demonstration--she shot and killed an owlbear in the middle of the court with only two shots. With a bigger budget and more assistance and a bigger lad, Amondir continued her research and eventually developed a new type of pistol that she called the Pepperbox.

In 408 DR, during the gnoll raids in the southern valleys during that dry summer, Imperial soldiers successfully used these weapons to hold back the flood of gnolls in the region, although famously a Captain's pistolo backfired and cost him his hand. By spring of 409 DR, the Empire had an official division specifically for firearms-wielding soldiers, which they called "Musketeers". During the Undead Invasion of 410 DR, the Musketeers famously broke **the Siege of Ohgden.**

The firearm is not yet in widespread use outside of the Empire, which is starting to equip more of their soldiers with them. In Alfine, only the Clockwork Legion uses such weapons, though the King of Alfine is beginning to question the wisdom of that. The Empire is already the most powerful entity in Dharrenal--if firearm technology continues to advance, they may be very well unstoppable.

## **Meta - Firearms Rules**

Modern firearms are typically matchlock, wheellock, or flintlock weapons and require finesse. They are muzzle-loaded, requiring a bullet and powder to be shoved into the barrel before the weapon is fired.

### **Proficiency**

The **Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms)** feat allows you to use all firearms without penalty. A nonproficient character takes the standard -4 penalty to attack rolls with a firearm, and a nonproficient character who loads a firearm increases the *misfire* value (see below) by 4 for the shots he loads.

Even though the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat allows you to *use* all firearms without penalty, you still have to select specific guns for using feats like *Weapon Focus*. All firearms are part of the same group for the purposes of the *Fighter's* *Weapon Training* feature.

### **Capacity**

A firearm's capacity is the number of shots it can hold at one time. When making a full-attack action, you may fire a firearm as many times in a round as you have attacks, up to this limit. In some cases, the Capacity indicates the number of barrels the weapon has.

### **Range & Penetration**

Armor, whether manufactured or natural, provides little protection against the force of a bullet at short range.

* When firing a firearm, the attack resolves against the target's **Touch AC** if the target is within the first range increment of the weapon (Short Range), but it is not considered "touch attack" for the purposes of feats and abilities such as *Deadly Aim*. At higher increments, the attack resolves normally, including the normal cumulative -2 penalty for each full range increment. Unlike other projectile weapons, firearms have a maximum range of five range increments.

### **Ammunition**

Firearm ammunition is black powder and shot. Unlike other types of ammunition, firearm ammunition is always destroyed when it is used and cannot be retrieved on a miss. Firearm ammunition cannot be treated with poison or similar alchemical reagents, unless you are using a Pitted Bullet.

* Black Powder becomes useless when exposed to water, but powder horns protect black powder from exposure. You cannot load or fire a firearm underwater without magical aid.
* A single doze of black powder is enough to power a single shot from most firearms unless otherwise noted. 10 doses are required for a Siege Firearm. A typical powder horn can hold up to 10 doses of black powder.
* Black Powder is often stored and transported in kegs, which hold 100 doses. Exposure to fire, electricity, or a misfire explosion causes the keg to explode--a single keg explodes in a 20-foot radius that deals 5d6 fire damage to all within range (DC 15 Reflex save halves).

### **Loading a Firearm**

You need at least one hand free to load a one-handed and two hands to load the two-handed firearm--in the case of a two-handed firearm, you use one hand to load it and the other keep it steady. Loading Siege Firearms requires both hands and, like, maybe several people.

* It's a **standard action** to load a barrel of a one-handed firearm, and a **full-round** action to load each barrel of a two-handed firearm. It takes three full-found actions by one person to load a siege firearm. This can be reduced to two full-round actions if more than one person is loading the cannon. The **Rapid Reload** feat can only be used to reload one-handed firearms.

### **Misfires**

If the natural result of your attack roll is within a firearm's *Misfire Value*, that shot misses, even if you would have otherwise hit. When a firearm misfires, it gained the *Broken* condition (see below).

If a firearm with the Broken condition misfires again, it explodes. When a nonmagical firearm explodes, the weapon is destroyed. When it explodes, pick one corner of your square--the explosion creates a burst from that point of origin. Each firearm has a Burst size noted in parenthesis after its misfire value. Any creature in this burst (including the wielder) takes damage as if it had been hit by the weapon--a DC 12 Reflex save halves this damage.

#### **The Broken Condition**

Items that have taken damage in excess of half of their total hit points, or a firearm that suffers a misfire, gains this condition. This means that can still be used as normal, but are less effective. In the case of a firearm, all attacks suffer a -2 penalty to both attack and damage rolls. Such weapons only score a critical hit on a natural 20, still must confirm the critical hit on a natural 20, and only have a critical multiplier of x2.

* You cannot misfire on a critical hit. For example, if you roll to confirm a crit and the result would normally result in a misfire, just treat it as a normal result of the die (which might confirm the crit or not). It also further increases the Misfire range by an additional +4.

### **Firearm Descriptions**

There are three general categories of firearms: one-handed, two-handed, and siege firearms. As the name implies, one-handed firearms need only one hand to wield and shoot. Two-Handed firearms require two hands while aiming and shooting. Siege Firearms are typically mounted on some sort of platform, movable or otherwise, and have greater power but a much slower rate of fire.

* *Weapon Quality - Scatter:* A weapon with the Scatter quality can shoot two different types of ammunition. It can fire normal bullets that target one creature, or it can make a Scattering Shot, attack all creatures within a cone. When making a Scattering Shot, make a separate attack roll for each creature within the cone. Each attack roll takes a -2 penalty, and its damage cannot be modified by precision damage (such as a Sneak Attack) or damage increasing feats like *Vital Strike*. Effects that grant concealment, such as fog or smoke, or spells like *Blur* or *Invisibility*, do not foil a Scatter Shot. If any of the attack rolls threaten a critical hit, confirm each critical hit separately. A firearm making a Scatter Shot only misfires if **all** of the attack rolls made misfire. If a scatter weapon explodes on a misfire, it deals triple its damage to all creatures in the radius.

**Other Stuff**

* **Bucklers:** You can use a one-handed or two-handed firearm without penalty while carrying a buckler.
* **Concealing Firearms:** Like light weapons and hand-crossbows, one-handed firearms can be concealed on your person. Some smaller firearms (like the Coat Pistol) can grant bonuses to conceal it on your person.
* **Deflecting and Snatching Bullets:** The *Deflect Arrows* and *Snatch Arrows* abilities can be used to deflect bullets, but not pellet shots fired from a scatter weapon. Neither of these feats can be used to deflect siege firearm attacks.
* **Fire while Prone:** Firearms, like crossbows, can be fires while their wielders are prone.
* **Inappropriately Sized Firearms:** You cannot make optimum use of a firearm that is not properly sized for you. A cumulative -2 penalty applies to attack rolls applies on attack rolls made with an improperly sized firearm weapon. If you aren't proficient, the -4 nonproficiency bonus stacks. The size of a firearm doesn't affect how many hands you need to wield it.

## **Firearms Table**

Listed below are the firearms available in the world of Tyrind, almost exclusively in Dharrenal.

### One-Handed Firearms

#### **Breech-Loader**

This double-barreled pistol variant has its barrel attached to its stock by a hinge, enabling ammunition to be loaded quickly and easily. Reloading a breech-loader is a standard action that reloads both barrels; the Rapid Reload feat reduces this to a move action.

* **Cost:** 3,000 gp
* **Damage:** 1d8 / 1d6 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 20 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 2
* **Weight:** 4 lbs.

#### **Pepperbox**

This pistol has six barrels instead of one. The entire barrel housing can be quickly rotated by hand between shots (a free action requiring one free hand), allowing all six bullets to be fired before the weapon must be reloaded. Each barrel of a pepperbox uses either a bullet and a single dose of black powder or a single alchemical cartridge as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 3,000 gp
* **Damage:** 1d10 / 1d8 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 20 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 2 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 6
* **Weight:** 5 lbs.

#### **Pistol**

The single-shot pistol, or "pistolo" as named by its inventor, is one of the most common firearms, although it is still rare enough to be an object of envy or curiosity to most.

A pistol uses either a bullet and a singe dose of black powder or an alchemical cartridge as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 1,000 gp
* **Damage:** 1d10 / 1d8 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 20 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 4 lbs.

**Pistol, Coat**

Less powerful than other firearms, this pistol is small enough to be easily concealed in a jacket or coat.

You get a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a coat pistol on your body. A coat pistol uses either a bullet and a single dose of black powder or an alchemical cartridge as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 750 gp
* **Damage:** 1d6 / 1d4 (s)
* **Critical:** x3
* **Range:** 10 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 1 lb.

**Pistol, Dagger**

A combination of a coat pistol and a blade, the dagger pistol can be used as both weapons.

The awkwardness of the configuration means you do not gain the bonus on Sleight of Hand checks that either of those stand-alone weapons grants. The dagger pistol is considered a double weapon for the purpose of creating masterwork or magical versions of this weapon. If this firearm gains the broken condition, both the firearm component and the dagger component are considered broken. A dagger pistol uses either a bullet and a single dose of black powder or an alchemical cartridge as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 700 gp.
* **Damage:** 1d4 / 1d3 (s)
* **Critical:** x3
* **Range:** 10 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 1 lb.

#### **Pistol, Dragon**

Like a miniature blunderbuss, the dragon pistol fires pellets or a bullet from its flared barrel.

The dragon pistol fires in a 15-foot cone when firing pellets, and has a 10-foot range increment when firing a bullet. For ammunition, a dragon pistol uses a bullet or group of pellets and a single dose of black powder, or else a single alchemical cartridge (with either bullets or pellets) as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 1,000 gp
* **Damage:** 1d8 / 1d6 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 20 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 2 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 3 lbs.
* **Special Qualities:** Scatter

#### **Pistol, Paddle-Foot**

This firearm has four barrels, each of which can be fired one at a time with a single adjustable flintlock. The paddle-foot pistol fires in a 20-foot cone when making a scattering shot, and it has a 20-foot range increment when firing a bullet.

Additionally, the paddle-foot pistol has a maximum range of three range increments. Each barrel of a paddle-foot pistol can hold 1 dose of black powder, along with either pellets or a bullet, or it can hold a single alchemical cartridge.

* **Cost:** 2,500 gp
* **Damage:** 1d8 / 1d6 (s)
* **Critical:** x3
* **Range:** 20 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 2 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 4
* **Weight:** 5 lbs.
* **Special Qualities:** Scatter

### Two-Handed Firearms

#### **Air Repeater**

An early attempt to move away from black powder as a basis for the firing mechanism, this long-barreled firearm is powered by a removable compressed air reservoir. A misfire while an air repeater has the broken condition does not cause the firearm to explode, but it does destroy the air reservoir. An air repeater can fire 6 shots before the air reservoir is depleted. An air repeater comes with three air reservoirs.

Replacing the air reservoir requires 1 minute. The Rapid Reload feat reduces this to a full-round action.

* **Cost:** 500 gp
* **Damage:** 1d8 / 1d6 (s)
* **Critical:** x2
* **Range:** 50 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1
* **Capacity:** 6
* **Weight:** 6 lbs.

#### **Blunderbuss**

This weapon fires pellets or a bullet from its trumpet-shaped barrel, making it an effective fowling weapon or close-fighting personal defense weapon.

The blunderbuss fires in a 15-foot cone when firing pellets, and has a 10-foot range increment when firing a bullet. A blunderbuss uses a bullet or pellets and a single dose of black powder or a single alchemical cartridge as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 2,000 gp
* **Damage:** 1d10/1d8 (s)
* **Critical:** x3
* **Range:** special
* **Misfire:** 1 - 2 (10 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 8 lbs.
* **Special Qualities:** Scatter

#### **Culverin (Dwarven Hand-Cannon)**

The culverin, also known as a hand bombard or hand-cannon, consists of a simple smoothbore tube, sealed at one end except for a small hole used to ignite a gunpowder charge.

A wooden stock partially encases the barrel, allowing the wielder to hold it under his arm with relative ease when carrying it. Firing a culverin without support (such as a wall, a window, or a stand) imparts a –4 penalty on the attack rolls, and the wielder is knocked prone. A culverin uses 4 doses of black powder and grapeshot.

* **Cost:** 4,000 gp
* **Damage:** 2d8 / 2d6 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 30 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 4 (10 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 40 lbs.
* **Special Qualities:** Scatter

#### **Double-Hackbut**

This double-length rifle uses a pair of trunnions to mount its barrel into a swiveling mechanism fastened to a lightweight, two-wheeled carriage.

It takes a full-round action to set up the carriage. The carriage has a hind leg, allowing the wielder to wheel the device about and immediately prop it for stability during combat. Unlike other two-handed firearms, you must fire the double hackbut while it is mounted, or else firing it imparts a –4 penalty on attack rolls and the recoil knocks the wielder prone. A Large or larger creature can fire a double hackbut one size smaller than it is without its mounting as a normal two-handed weapon and without the danger of being knocked prone, but takes the normal penalty for firing an inappropriately sized weapon.

* **Cost:** 4,000 gp
* **Damage:** 2d12 / 2d10 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 50 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 3 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 2
* **Weight:** 18 lbs.

#### **Fire Lance**

This primitive firearm is nothing more than a long tube that, when ignited, propels a short gout of flame and a javelin. It is only used by some orc or goblin tribes.

Unlike other firearms, the fire lance is wildly imprecise, and targets AC rather than touch AC. A fire lance is always treated as having the broken condition for the purpose of determining the effects of a misfire. A fire lances uses a javelin and 2 doses of black powder as ammunition.

* **Cost:** 25 gp
* **Damage:** 1d6 / 1d4 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 10 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 4 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 4 lbs.

#### **Musket**

This long-barreled firearm has a much greater range than a pistol.

A musket uses either a bullet and a single dose of black powder or an alchemical cartridge as its ammunition.

* **Cost:** 1, 500 gp
* **Damage:** 1d12 / 1d10 (s)
* **Critical:** x4
* **Range:** 40 ft.
* **Misfire:** 1 - 2 (5 ft.)
* **Capacity:** 1
* **Weight:** 9 lbs.

### **Ammunition & Adventuring Gear**

Those who wield guns have a number of options when it comes to loading their weapons, and often need gunsmith’s kits to provide proper care and upkeep for their firearms.

An alchemical cartridge is a prepared bundle of black powder with a bullet or pellets, sometimes with more exotic material added, which is then wrapped in paper or cloth and sealed with beeswax, lard, or tallow.

There are many types of alchemical cartridges, the simplest being the paper cartridge—a simple mix of black powder and either pellets or a bullet. Alchemical cartridges make loading a firearm easier, reducing the time to load a firearm by one step (a full-round action becomes a standard action, a standard action becomes a move action, and a move action becomes a free action), but they tend to be unstable. The misfire value of a weapon firing an alchemical cartridge increases as listed in each entry.

* *Meta - "Alchemical cartridges" are analogous to low-tech modern bullets and shells. The advantage is that they can be loaded into weapons faster, this is why they cost more than just bullets.*

#### **Alchemical Cartridge, Dragon's Breath**

This cartridge contains alchemical compounds that, when fired, produce a cone of fire instead of the normal attack of a one-handed or two-handed firearm with the scatter weapon quality. The nonmagical flame deals 2d6 points of fire damage to all targets within the cone of the scatter firearm (DC 15 Reflex save for half). These cartridges cannot be used in firearms that don’t have the scatter weapon quality. Because this ammunition forces a saving throw instead of making an attack roll, the misfire rules are slightly different. If you roll a 1 with either of the damage dice, the firearm misfires.

* **Cost:** 40 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Alchemical Cartridge, Entangling Shot**

This mix of black powder and an alchemically treated resin strong enough to survive the shot **can only be loaded into a blunderbuss, a dragon pistol, or other scatter weapon.** It deals half damage to those hit by a cone attack made with this weapon, but any creature hit by the shot must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex saving throw or become entangled for 2d4 rounds. An entangling shot cartridge increases the firearm’s misfire value by 2.

* **Cost:** 30 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Alchemical Cartridge, Flare**

When a flare cartridge hits its target, it only deals half damage, but the creature struck is blinded for 1 round (Fort DC 15 reduces this to dazzled), and creatures within a 20-foot burst are dazzled for 1 round (Fort DC 15 negates the effect). Flare cartridges are also useful for sending up signal flares. Firing a flare cartridge increases the firearm’s misfire value by 2 unless it is fired from a blunderbuss or a dragon pistol, in which case doing so only increases the firearm’s misfire value by 1. Flares can only be used to attack single creatures; they do not work as a shot for a cone scatter attack.

* **Cost:** 10 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Alchemical Cartridge, Salt Shot**

This mix of black powder and rock salt can **only be loaded into a blunderbuss, a dragon pistol, or other scatter weapon**. It deals nonlethal instead of lethal damage, and increases the misfire value by 1. You can only use it with a scatter weapon’s cone attack. This attack can be used to *Stun* or temporarily banish incorporeal spirits.

* **Cost:** 12 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Black Powder (1 dose)**

Black powder is the key explosive component within a firearm that enables it to function, but in larger amounts this alchemical material can be quite destructive on its own as well. A single dose of black powder is enough to power a single shot from most one-handed and two-handed firearms.

* **Cost:** 10 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Black Powder (Keg)**

Black powder is often stored and transported in kegs (which hold 100 doses), but in this quantity the powder itself becomes dangerous. Exposure to fire, electricity, or a misfire explosion causes black powder to explode—a single keg that explodes in this manner deals 5d6 points of fire damage to anyone within a 20-foot burst (DC 15 Reflex half ). Storing black powder in a powder horn protects the powder from explosion.

* **Cost:** 1,000 gp
* **Weight:** 10 lbs.

#### **Firearm Bullet (1)**

The ammunition of most one-handed and two-handed firearms, firearm bullets typically take the form of small balls of lead or some other metal.

* **Cost:** 1 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Firearm Bullet (30)**

The ammunition of most one-handed and two-handed firearms, firearm bullets typically take the form of small balls of lead or some other metal.

* **Cost:** 30 gp
* **Weight:** 1/2 lb.

#### **Firearm Bullet, Pitted**

This ammunition is pitted with a pattern of small pocks into which specially formulated poison compounds can be applied. A poison compound is a derivative of a standard toxin that is alchemically reduced to a solid form. These can be made from any standard injury or contact poison with a Craft (poison) check equal to the poison’s DC + 4. The cost of purchasing an already prepared poison compound for the purpose of treating pitted bullets is equal to the poison’s base cost + 20 gp.

Once crafted, the compound can be pasted into the ammunition’s pitted design and allowed to harden. Upon completion, the bullet can be fired from an appropriate firearm, releasing the poison compound into its target upon impact, but the poison’s DC is reduced by 2. A pitted bullet cannot be used with an alchemical cartridge

* **Cost:** 5 gp
* **Weight:** ----

#### **Gunsmith's Kit**

This small kit has all the tools a person needs to create, repair, and restore firearms, except for the necessary raw materials. Without such a kit, you cannot properly construct or provide upkeep for firearms.

* **Cost:** 15 gp
* **Weight:** 2 lbs.

#### **Pellets (Handful)**

A handful of pellets, along with a dose of black powder, is commonly used as ammunition for one-handed and two-handed firearms with the scatter weapon quality, though rocks or other small bits of hard material can be used in the pellets’ place. Using anything other than pellets or alchemical cartridges when firing off a cone attack with a scatter weapon increases the weapon’s misfire range by 1 (though this increase can be removed by switching back to standard ammunition).

* **Cost:** 1 gp
* **Weight:** ---

#### **Pellets (30 Handfuls)**

A handful of pellets, along with a dose of black powder, is commonly used as ammunition for one-handed and two-handed firearms with the scatter weapon quality, though rocks or other small bits of hard material can be used in the pellets’ place. Using anything other than pellets or alchemical cartridges when firing off a cone attack with a scatter weapon increases the weapon’s misfire range by 1 (though this increase can be removed by switching back to standard ammunition).

* **Cost:** 30 gp
* **Weight:** 1/2 lb.

#### **Powder Horn**

Typically crafted from animal horn, but increasingly crafted from metal in a wide variety of shapes, a powder horn can hold up to 10 doses of black powder. A powder horn protects black powder stored within in it from exposure to fire, electricity, firearm misfires, and water.

* **Cost:** 3 gp
* **Weight:** 1 lb.